Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 20, 1-16a

Jesus told his disciples this parable:
“The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner
who went out at dawn to hire laborers for his vineyard.
After agreeing with them for the usual daily wage,
he sent them into his vineyard.
Going out about nine o’clock,
the landowner saw others standing idle in the marketplace,
and he said to them, ‘You too go into my vineyard,
and I will give you what is just.’
So they went off.
And he went out again around noon,
and around three o’clock, and did likewise.
Going out about five o’clock,
the landowner found others standing around, and said to them,
‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’
They answered, ‘Because no one has hired us.’
He said to them, ‘You too go into my vineyard.’
When it was evening the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman,
‘Summon the laborers and give them their pay,
beginning with the last and ending with the first.’
When those who had started about five o’clock came,
each received the usual daily wage.
So when the first came, they thought that they would receive more,
but each of them also got the usual wage.
And on receiving it they grumbled against the landowner, saying,
‘These last ones worked only one hour,
and you have made them equal to us,
who bore the day’s burden and the heat.’
He said to one of them in reply,
‘My friend, I am not cheating you.
Did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage?
Take what is yours and go.
What if I wish to give this last one the same as you?
Or am I not free to do as I wish with my own money?
Are you envious because I am generous?’
Thus, the last will be first, and the first will be last.”

God’s workers

1. What was arranged. The parable states that at the beginning there is an arrangement with the laborers. There are times in life when we seek more than our fair share, and we also demand that others give us more than they can. This, many times, leads to losing love and enthusiasm. Sometimes you expect whoever walks by your side to join your accelerated rhythm. You are in such a hurry you don’t even notice that the person next to you might not be well, just because there is no time to talk or share a conversation. This also happens in married life or in consecrated life, when the only thing that is talked about obligations and chores, and it seems there is no time to sit down and talk about life with the persons sharing our life. That is a killer! It ruins your life, and you only live and work for a reward, not for joy.

2. Nobody hired us. Doing nothing kills and allows crazy thoughts to run wild in your mind. When people are idle and unoccupied they start getting into the lives of others. You might start questioning them and judging the lives of others and what they do, while there is nothing happening in your own life. It is essential to be occupied, to work, and do something to improve your life. It is not good to be idle.

3. Generous. God promises all of us His Kingdom. He appears in the life of each person at the right moment because God’s time is not the same as ours. Stop wasting time looking at how other people live their lives; keep your eyes on God. Sometimes people come and talk to me about friends or relatives, and don’t respect these people’s space and time, nor their way of living. Perhaps these people have already felt that divine touch from God that will lead them to be happy, in their own way! 

We all have a debt with God, and nobody is more generous than Him! Never forget that! As much as we may try, we can’t be more generous than our Creator. Stay strong and be happy, God will touch your heart,  at the right moment. Remember that something good is on the way! 

God bless you, be with you and protect you in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.