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.
