First Reading: Isa 55:6-9
Second Reading:
Phil 1:20-24,27a
Gospel: Mt 20:1-16
Seeking for
something lost is very common in human life. When a person has lost a valued
property, it often takes time to find it. I remember one
day I lost the key and when I realized that I did not have the key to the gate. This
made me start to concentrate and even to recall all my movements since the last
time I had it. Every time I had the desire to search or looking for it in different areas which
I thought it would be.
In the first
reading from the prophet
Isaiah, we hear him tell us to seek the Lord while he may be found, and to call him while he is near. It is not an easy task
to seek the Lord in our lives
if we do not persist in prayer. Just like when we have lost our belongings, we
do not find them
unless we search for them diligently. What we need to learn from the gospel of
today is that the joy of life cannot be found by the power of the person rather it is a gift from God.
The gospel of today tells us about the workers who are taken to the farm to
work different hours and in the end, all of them are paid equally according to
their agreement. We also, through the sacrament of baptism are incorporated in
the community of the faithful and we have to thank God for that gift which he
entrusted to us. What is very important in the vineyard is to remain faithful
and do his work unceasingly so that in the end we might inherit heaven. We are invited to live according to the
commandments.
The gospel of
today gives us a narration about
workers, how they are
taken to certain farms to work at different hours from morning hours to evening
hours. What is very interesting however, is that when it comes to the time of paymentt, he starts by paying
those who had worked only one hour, then proceeds to pay the others the
same amount as well. Ordinarily, it is expected of
him to pay the first ones first but he decides to make them the last and they receive an equal amount
with the last ones. This makes them envious of the actions of the master. There are great lessons to
learn from this
employer. First, we learn that it doesn't matter how old our faith and commitment to God received during our time of
baptism is. Even one who becomes a
believer at the last moment of their lives can
enter the kingdom of heaven and is treated equally with the rest. Another thing to learn from it is about being envious when we see the progress of others. From the Israelites' time, we also find
Israelites being envious and
complaining when they were suffering in the wilderness
(Ex 16:2). Today Jesus is showing us that it does not matter at what time or which kind of people
we are. All he desires is to see they are saved. Today we are given a chance to learn about the
richness of a master— he can do everything for the person who turns to him
without any limitation. Let us follow the word of Saint Antony Maria Claret in
his apostolic prayer that “O my God and my Father, may I
know you and make you known; love you and make you loved” Let it be our guidance
in our prayer and mission activities.
Gastor
B. Kimario
IV Year Theology
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