25th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year - A
25th
Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year - A
There
is a Place for Everyone in God’s Vineyard
Isaiah 55:6 – 9 Philippians 1:20–24, 27 Matthew
20:1–16
My
dear brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus!
Today,
Jesus gives us a beautiful and challenging message: “There is a place for everyone in God’s vineyard.”
We live in a world where many people feel that they do not belong.
A
young person may say, “Nobody understands me.”
A
person without a job may feel, “I am not useful.”
An
elderly person may think, “Nobody needs me anymore.”
Someone
who has made mistakes may say; I am not worthy to come back to God.
Even
in our families and communities, there can be people who feel ignored, rejected
or forgotten. But today’s readings tell us something very different: God does not forget anyone. God
continues to call us. God continues to give us a place.
The
question is not whether we are important enough for God. The question is
whether we are willing to hear His call and enter His vineyard.
Seek the Lord while he may be found
– Isaiah 55:6 - 9
The
prophet Isaiah tells us: “Seek
the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near.” And
then God says: “My
thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways.”
This
is an important message for us. We often think according to human standards. We
say:
“This person deserves it.”
“That person does not deserve another
chance.”
“He
has failed too many times.”
“She
has come too late.”
But
God does not think like us. God looks at the heart. God sees possibilities
where we see failure. God sees a future where we see only the past. God’s mercy
is greater than our judgment. The Prophet Isaiah therefore invites us to seek God, return to Him and trust
His ways.
My Death will not Bring Shame –
Philippians 1:20 - 24, 27
In
the second reading, St Paul says: “For to me life is Christ.” These words show us
where Paul found the meaning of his life. Paul had one great purpose: to live
for Christ and to serve others. He says that whether he lives or dies, Christ
remains at the centre of his life.
Chrysostom says “whether I live or die’” St.
Paul says, “Christ will be magnified” …. How? Through life, because Christ has
delivered him; and through death, because even death itself could not persuade
me to deny him. Christ has
given Paul such courage that he is stronger than death.
Therefore,
death is not a shame for Paul but a great gain. Why? Because I am not immortal,
but I shall shine all the more brightly than if I were so. Paul knows that
whether he lives or dies, he belongs to Christ. So, even in death, he has
nothing to fear or be ashamed of.
This
reminds us that Christianity is not simply about coming to church. We are
called to live the Gospel wherever we are.
If
we are parents, we live the Gospel in our families.
If
we are students, we live the Gospel in our schools.
If
we are workers, we live the Gospel in our workplace.
If
we are elderly, we can still serve through our prayers, wisdom, and
encouragement.
Every person has something to offer.
Everyone has a place in God’s vineyard.
St Ambrose reminds us that we come from
Christ, we are created by Him, and one day we will return to Him. This is our
hope as Christians. Our life begins with Christ and ends with Christ. So, to be
with Christ is the greatest joy and the greatest gain.
You too go into my vineyard –
Matthew 20:1–16
Now
we come to the Gospel. Jesus tells us about a landowner who needs workers for
his vineyard. He goes out early in the morning and hires some workers. Then he
goes out again at nine. Again, at noon. Again, at three. And finally, at five
in the evening.
He
sees people standing there doing nothing and asks: “Why do you stand here idle all day?”
They
reply: “Because no one
has hired us.” And
the landowner says: “You
too go into my vineyard.” What a beautiful sentence!
He
does not say:
You
are too old.
You
are too late.
You are not experienced enough.
You have wasted your life.
He
simply says: “You too go
into my vineyard.”
At the end of the day, everyone receives the same wage. Those who worked
from morning complain. But the landowner answers: “Are you envious because I am generous?”
This
is where Jesus challenges our way of thinking. We often measure people
according to what they deserve. God measures people according to His generosity and mercy.
Just
as the hired hand spends the whole day in his Lord’s work and only one hour
feeding himself, so we
too ought to spend every hour of life in the work of God’s glory and
only a fraction in our own earthly interests. And just as the hired hand is
ashamed to enter the house and ask for bread on a day when he has not worked, how will you not be ashamed to
enter church and stand before God’s gaze when you have done nothing good in
God’s sight?
He
went out “early” and summoned Adam and those who were with him; “at the third hour” Noah and those who were with him; “at the sixth hour” Abraharm and those who were with
him; “at the ninth hour” Moses and those who were with him, or David and those who were with
him, for to those he gave the testaments. “At the eleventh hour”
understand the Gentiles, because now we stand on the very edge of the world, as John testifies in his letter,
saying: “children, it is the last hour.”
According to the apostle some part of the
twelfth hour has now passed, for he says, “Salvation is nearer to us now than when
we first believed. That was the eleventh hour. Now, in our time, the twelfth
hour is not yet complete, but without a doubt little time remains. We are in
the twelfth hour.”
Let me share a simple story
There
was a parish that was preparing for a big celebration. Many people were
involved. Some had been serving in the parish for twenty years.
Some
were responsible for music. Others decorated the church. Some organised the
food.
One
day, a man who had recently returned to the Church after many years came
forward and said: “Father,
can I help with something?”
One
of the long-time volunteers said: “You have just come back. We have been doing this for years. What can
you contribute?”
The
man quietly walked away.
The
parish celebration went ahead, but something was missing.
Later,
the priest found the man sitting outside the church.
The
priest asked him: “Why
are you sitting here?”
He
replied: “Father, I
thought there might be a place for me here. But perhaps I was wrong.”
The
priest was deeply moved. He said: “No. You were not wrong. There is a place for you. We were wrong
because we did not make room for you.”
The
man came back. And over time, he became one of the most committed members of
the parish.
What does this story mean for us
Brothers
and sisters, this story is very close to today’s Gospel. The man who returned
to the Church was like the worker who came at the last hour.
He
thought he had arrived too late. But the landowner said: “You too go into my vineyard.”
Sometimes
we think that only certain people have a place in the Church.
The
active people.
The
talented people.
The educated people.
The wealthy people.
The people who have been there for many
years.
But
Jesus tells us: “There is
a place for everyone.” The Church should be a place where people can experience: I belong here. I am accepted here. I
am loved here. God still has a purpose for my life.
My
dear brothers and sisters, when we leave this church today, let us remember: Nobody is useless in God’s
eyes. Nobody is too late for God’s mercy. Nobody is beyond God’s
call.
And
nobody should come into our Christian community and feel: “There is no place for me here.”
Instead, may our families, our parish and our communities become places where
people can hear the words of Jesus: “You too, go into my vineyard.”
And
may our response be: “Yes,
Lord. Here I am. Use me. Send me. Let me be a blessing to someone else.”
LIVE JESUS!
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