Wednesday, August 21, 2024

Wednesday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time

(Ezekiel 34:1-11; Matthew 20:1-16)

King Louis XIV of France, the Sun King, was once in the country hunting with falcons.  Two peasants were watching the royal party, one of whom was quite taken up with the regalia and the other almost somber about it.  When the king stopped his horse to perch a falcon on his gloved hand, the first peasant remarked how magnificent the scene was.  The second only commented that at least the king’s hand was not taking anything out of the people’s pockets.  In today’s reading from Ezekiel the prophet chastises kings who similarly abuse their offices by taking tribute from the people and ignoring their needs.

Ezekiel’s criticism of Israel’s kings differs remarkably from the gospel’s conception of the Kingdom of God.  With God as King all workers are paid a denarius, the “usual daily wage.”  This amount was just enough for the laborer to support his family.  Anything less may create a condition of misery for a worker’s family.

The gospel invites speculation on the minimum wage.  Today’s labor conditions in a developed country are much different from those of Palestine two thousand years ago.  It would be unreal to say that the minimum wage should be enough for a worker to support his or her family.  However, entrepreneurs as well as the government should keep poor workers in mind when making economic policies.  They should seek measures which promote social development so that people can emerge from poverty.

 

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