TWENTY-FIFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, September 20, 2026
(Isaiah 55:6-9; Philippians 1:20-24, 27; Matthew 20:1-16)
Have you ever noticed how attentive children are to justice?
If you give one child a larger piece of cake than another, they will shout,
“That’s not fair!” However, children often lack the experience and wisdom to
discern true justice. They see only the
outcome of an event without considering other factors involved in justice. The
child who receives the larger piece could have been last in line when the
hamburgers ran out. Today’s Gospel reading tells of workers who also lack a full
sense of justice.
The parable of the vineyard owner and the workers follows
the story of the rich young man who asks Jesus what he must do to inherit
eternal life. When Jesus tells him to sell his possessions, give the proceeds
to the poor, and follow him, the rich man leaves him saddened. Then Jesus
proclaims that it is impossible for humans to save themselves, that only God
can give eternal life. At this point, Peter reminds Jesus that the disciples
have left everything to follow him, and Jesus assures them that their reward
will include eternal life. He adds, “Many who are first will be last, and many
who are last will be first.” Then he tells them the parable to explain the
meaning of the saying.
The “first” in the parable are those who have worked all day
under the blazing sun. They receive the denarius that was promised them in the
early morning. However, they expected
more because those who came to work much later received the same denarius. When
those who worked longer complain to the landowner, they are told that they
received the agreed-upon amount. They were neither cheated nor deceived.
The issue here is the fairness of the landowner and, because
the landowner obviously represents God, the fairness of God. Is God just or not
to Jews who have lived under the full weight of Torah their entire lives while
Greek Christians, who came to know God’s will seemingly yesterday, have the
same glory as their destiny? We have the same unease when we see the rich
arriving at Mass in their Lexuses and the poor on the bus. Although God may
seem capricious to us for not rewarding those who have sweated harder more
reward, we must recognize that we don't know all the factors involved. We are
like children crying, "It's not fair!" However, our sense of justice may be flawed. Eternal
life is not a reward for work but a gift from God to his children. Neither saints
nor reformed murderers deserve heaven any more than a baby deserves to be born
in the United States and not in Haiti. Only by having lived as God’s children,
demonstrating the love of the Holy Spirit to all, can we speak of deserving the
Kingdom of heaven.
We must not think of God's grace as arbitrary. The Second
Vatican Council taught that God has provided everyone, even the unbaptized,
with the grace to attain eternal life. As the prophet says in the first
reading, the ways of the Lord are not human ways. Some may not have to struggle
as much as others; however, no one lacks the means to reach God’s Kingdom.
One more thing. After hearing the complaint of the first
workers, the vineyard owner responds to one of them: “'Friend, I am not being
unfair to you.'” The Greek word used here for “friend” is not meant to signify
a loved one. The Greek does not say “philos” but “hetaire,” which
does not carry the affection of “friend.” “Hetaire” is more of a comrade
than a friend. This is significant because true friends of God would not
complain to see others receive His blessings. On the contrary, friends of God,
endowed with the Holy Spirit, would rejoice when they see His other friends
favored.
