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

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,
he 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,
he 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.”

The vineyard of your life

1. Hire. Jesus wants to remind you to work for your vineyard, for your life. Be productive, generate, activate and motivate. Stop waiting for others to do things for you. You are the manager of your life and when it’s over you will have all the fruits you sowed. What you produce, that’s what you’ll have. Sometimes you say that you have a bitter life; perhaps you are producing bitterness in those around you. You want peace in your life; well, work for peace in those around you. You want your children to accompany you in old age and in death; show them how you accompany your parents. Don’t waste your life waiting for others. Life is slipping away and you’re still waiting for a WhatsApp message from someone to solve all your problems – that’s not the way it is. Stop waiting around and start moving!
2. No one has hired us. Perhaps a long time has gone by and you haven’t found the purpose of your life, or maybe today you have a different vision and it’s time to re-direct your life. When I was 18 years old I opened my eyes and began to understand that my life was going in a certain direction. But later, when I was 33 years old, I realized that because I was a priest I was not above anyone and that I was living in a bubble that I had created for myself. And today I also realize that I must take another turn in my life, because I’m not what some people say I am and even make me believe. Look at your life and see who you are today, what your motivation is and where you are aiming towards.
3. Give the same. Many times, we become judges of others and, in addition, bitter judges. We go around controlling the lives of others. I remember when I was in the seminary, I had a classmate who controlled everyone, except himself. One day I remarked, “how hard it is for me to get up early and go down to chapel for morning prayer”, and he said, “yes, I saw that, this week you didn’t go down three times and the week before you didn’t go down twice”. I just asked, “Have you thought of becoming a policeman rather than a priest?” There are people who have the soul of a policeman and love to control everything, except their own life. Don’t fall into that! Use your time to have a good look at your own life and not the life of others. Take advantage of your time and make the most of it to do things for your life.

Remember that something good is on the way!

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