💖 HOMILY - AUGUST 20 💖

First Reading - Judges 9:6-15 

Gospel - Matthew 20:1-16

Life often feels like a competition — who gets ahead first, who earns more, who receives recognition, who holds power. But today’s readings turn this mentality upside down and invite us to see through God’s eyes. The common theme that unites them is true justice and true greatness — not measured by human ambition or comparison, but by God’s generosity and the fruit of our lives.

In the first reading, the parable of the trees searching for a king warns us against empty, self-serving leadership. The fruitful trees, rich with gifts for others, refuse to rule; it is the thorn bush — useless and harmful — that seeks to reign. The message is clear: when ambition overshadows service, leadership becomes destructive.

In the Gospel, Jesus tells the parable of the laborers in the vineyard. At first, the landowner’s way of paying seems unjust: those who worked only an hour are paid the same as those who bore the heat of the day. But this parable reveals something far greater than wages — it reveals the generosity of God. In His kingdom, grace is not earned but given. Whether early or late, strong or weak, all who answer His call receive the fullness of His love.

Dear friends, human ambition divides and destroys, but divine generosity gathers and saves. We are not called to compare ourselves with others or to grasp at power. We are called to serve humbly, to rejoice in God’s mercy, and to trust that He gives each of us exactly what we need for eternal life.

So the challenge today is twofold: not to live like thorn bushes, seeking power for ourselves, and not to grumble like the envious laborers, comparing our portion with others. Instead, let us bear fruit in service, and rejoice that God’s vineyard is wide enough for all.

May we always celebrate the generosity of our God, who is never unjust but always overflowing in mercy, and may we learn to lead, serve, and live in the same spirit of His love.