Twenty-Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Today in our psalm, we heard and prayed together that “the Lord is near to all who call upon Him.” The Lord will hear all of us who in our need, who in our difficulties call upon him because He is a generous God of great mercy and love. He listens to us when He sees us in need and responds to that reality inviting each and every one of us—no matter where we are in our life and circumstances—to come and work in His vineyard and do the great work that he wants us to do: building the Kingdom of God that His Son, Jesus Christ, embodies through the Church.

Do you remember what we heard in last weeks Gospel? Remember how we heard the parable about the wicked steward was not merciful to his fellow servant who owed him money even though he had been shown mercy and forgiveness when his debt was remitted. He became angry and filled with hatred because he didn't see that the relationship we have with our neighbors is defined by the mercy that is poured equally upon us.

The mercy and generosity receive from God is the theme of today’s Gospel as well. Place yourself in the position of the workers in the parable. How would you respond to the master’s generosity? Would you rejoice in the solidarity and equality that you have with the other workers? Or would you become angry because you feel that you are owed more because of the length of time that you worked?

I remember that, when I was growing up, this time was filled with chores to prepare for winter: splitting and stacking firewood; shoveling and raking gravel; vacuuming the vents in the house; peeling green chile. All of these tasks were difficult and they sometimes lasted all day. I remember getting frustrated and angry when one of my brothers would wake up late and start helping later. I thought that I should receive a bigger allowance. I missed the point that of those human tasks and how they inform our understanding of Jesus’s words. I lost sight of the joy of being equal with my brothers and sister. I didn’t recognize that true love of God and of neighbor depends upon how we equally receive God’s mercy and how that brings about solidarity, the virtue of being able “to share fully the treasure of material and spiritual goods.”

The solidarity that we have as Catholics, as men and women who are baptized in the life of Christ and who labor for God’s Kingdom, is a gift that we should share with the whole world. Yes, there will be some who hear God’s call later than we have and we should rejoice when they join us in the work. We should give praise for the gift of mercy that unites us as sisters and brothers, promising us the great reward of being united around the banquet table of God, the eternal altar of Christ’s sacrifice from which we receive His Body and Blood.