25th Sunday of the Year A

IF YOU HAVE EVER WORKED OUTDOORS IN THE SUN IN A FOREIGN CLIMATE, YOU KNOW HOW RELENTLESS HEAT AND HUMIDITY CAN WEAR YOU DOWN. WITH MONOTONOUS TEDIOUS WORK, YOUR THOUGHTS INEVITABLY WANDER AND DRIFT. RECURRING THOUGHTS OF A WATER BREAK, THE END OF THE DAY, HOW MUCH THE WORK IS WORTH – HOW MUCH YOU EARN PER HOUR, AND WHAT YOU WILL DO WITH THE MONEY EARNED.

SO AT THE END OF THE DAY, ESPECIALLY WORKING IN A VINEYARD OR ORCHARD, OR IN MY CASE PAINTING HOUSES IN THE SUBURBIA OF CHICAGO, THE THOUGHT OF OTHERS EARNING AT A HIGHER RATE IS BOUND TO FILL YOU WITH THOUGHTS OF RESENTMENT AND ALL THE EXTRA HOURS SPENT TOILING FOR THE SAME PAY AS SOMEONE WHO WORKED ONLY ONE HOUR.
THIS WOULD NOT WORK IN THE ‘REAL WORLD’ OF TRADE UNIONS AND EMPLOYER-EMPLOYEE BROKERED PAY AGREEMENTS.

SO IT IS A VERY CHALLENGING PARABLE, BECAUSE IT DESCRIBES WHAT APPEARS TO BE A VERY UNREASONABLE, INEQUITABLE AND UNWORKABLE OVERALL ARRANGEMENT.
THIS MOST THOUGHT-PROVOKING AND DISTURBING OF PARABLES POINTS TO A HIGHER TRUTH – THAT OF GOD’S GENEROUS MERCY – TO DO AND SEE AS HE SEES FIT – OR AS IN THE WORDS OF THE FIRST READING FROM ISAIAH – ‘MY WAYS ARE NOT YOUR WAYS’.
THE LANDLORD IS FAIR INSOFAR AS HE PAYS THE AGREED RATE WITH EACH PERSON, BUT GENEROUS TO A FAULT IN GIVING LATE-COMERS A BETTER RATE PER HOUR.
TO THE JEWISH AND EARLY CHRISTIAN DISCIPLES THE PARABLE POINTS TO THE SALVATION OFFERED TO THE JEWS – WHOSE RELIGION AND HISTORY DATES BACK 1200 YEARS TO ABRAHAM AND 600 YEARS TO MOSES. NOW, WITH THE COMING OF CHRIST, SALVATION IS OFFERED TO PAGANS, GENTILES –AT THE ELEVENTH HOUR. JEWISH FAITHFULNESS ALL ALONG SEEMS TO AVAIL LITTLE, IF ANY, ADVANTAGE.
IT REMINDS US OF THE RESENTMENT AND THE ENVY OF THE OLDER BROTHER AS WELL AS THE UNDUE PREFERENTIAL TREATMENT OFFERED TO THE YOUNGER WAYWARD BROTHER IN THE PARABLE OF THE PRODIGAL SON. THERE THE FATHER REJOICES THAT HIS SON HAS RETURNED, WHILE THE OLDER BROTHER COMPLAINS THAT THERE SEEMS TO BE LITTLE MERIT IN HIS STAYING AT HOME FAITHFUL TO HIS DUTY.

THE LESSON IS THAT GOD’S MERCY (REPRESENTED BY THE CURRENCY OF THE TIME – A DENARIUS) IS INFINITE AND WAY BEYOND OUR STANDARDS OF WHO DESERVES WHAT. GOD’S MERCY IS FOR ALL WHO WOULD TURN TO HIM AND LISTEN TO HIS INVITATION TO REPENT AND TURN AWAY FROM SIN, EVEN AT THE 11TH HOUR.

WE IN TURN, HAVING BEEN THE RECIPIENTS OF MERCY, ARE ALSO CALLED TO A GREATER SENSE OF MERCY OURSELVES – IN THOUGHT WORD AND ACTION, TO THOSE IN OUR LIVES WHO WE CONSIDER UNDESERVING – TO THINK ‘OUTSIDE THE BOX’ AS IT WERE. ARE THERE PEOPLE I NEED TO MAKE THE FIRST STEP TOWARDS RECONCILIATION? WE MUST ALSO MEDITATE OFTEN ON THE EXTENT TO WHICH WE HAVE BEEN FORGIVEN BY GOD OUR MANY FAULTS AS WELL AS PONDERING WHERE IN MY OWN LIFE I MUST SEEK THE FORGIVENESS OF OTHERS.
GOD WRITES NO-ONE OFF, AND NEITHER SHOULD WE.