Readings for Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time[1][2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Commentary:
Reading 1: Isaiah 55:6-9
This passage is taken from what is known as “Deutero-Isaiah”, that part written after the Babylonian exile. Using words common to the Old Testament (see Amos 5:4, Hosea 20:12, and Psalm 9:11), the prophet exhorts the people to return to God. The essential paradox of God’s presences is explained; “God is transcendent yet near enough to help; man is helpless yet expected to act energetically, the ways of God are exalted yet required of man.”[3]
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 145:2-3, 8-9, 17-18
R. The Lord is near to all who call upon him.
Psalm 145 is a hymn of praise and thanksgiving. The linkage to Isaiah’s exhortation to seek the Lord actively is echoed in the final strophe “The Lord is near to all who call upon him,
to all who call upon him in truth.”
Reading II: Philippians 1:20c-24, 27a
St. Paul writes during his imprisonment an in these verses contemplates his own martyrdom. While death is seen as a return to Christ which the Apostle desires, his mission and continued service is seen as being united with Christ’s life on earth. This passage concludes with an exhortation to the Philippians that they might live lives worthy of Christ.
Gospel: Matthew 20:1-16a
The parable of the Laborers Hired Late continues the dialogue from Matthew’s Gospel in which the same moral was expressed “the last will be first, and the first will be last.” The inference here changes slightly. He broadens the scope to imply that those called later to faithful service would receive the same reward as those first called expanding the gift to all who come to believe.
Reflection:
Scripture today gives a unified call to come to faith in God and Christ. Taken out of context one might believe the Gospel parable of the Laborers Called Late, might be seen as an invitation to procrastinate in responding to that call. After all, why commit to the difficult path our faith requires if those who turn to an easier path and come late to faith will receive the same reward as we who strive to follow that path through most of our lives?
There must be reasons beyond the promise that comes at the end of the journey. One of these is shown in St. Paul’s ethical debate about whether he should embrace death so he can be with Christ sooner or if he should stay the course on earth, continuing his zealous efforts to proclaim the Gospel. His conclusion – God’s gift of life is to be cherished in spite of the fact that at its conclusion the faithful receive the bliss of the heavenly kingdom.
What then is it that makes life worth living? It is clearly not the excesses of the hedonistic drives society seems to embrace. This lifestyle and world-view lead to spiritual death. If wealth is what is to be pursued, there will never be enough and even when great wealth is accumulated those who achieve it find it an empty promise, a hollow shell with no life, no warmth; no peace. No, life does not find fulfillment in “things”.
Neither does life find fulfillment in labor, even labor for a worthy cause. Fulfillment comes from an inner peace and inner peace comes from the satisfaction of knowing that one is valued, supported, and protected by God. That nothing can take that peace from us while we remain in that living relationship. And when we enjoy that peace in communion with others similarly motivated and infused, the resonance of their peace enhances our own.
That spiritual peace and the joy that flows from it is what motivates us to take up the mind of Christ as soon as we can and maintain it throughout our lives. While those that come late may receive the same reward, we who stay on the path longer derive greater joy in the promise fulfilled.
Pax
[1] After Links to Readings Expire
[2] The Picture Used Is “Parable Of The Laborers In The Vineyard” By Harmenszoon van Rijn Rembrandt
[3] Jerome Biblical Commentary, © 1968 Prentice-Hall, Inc. Englewood Cliffs, N.J., 22:49
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Commentary:
Reading 1: Isaiah 55:6-9
This passage is taken from what is known as “Deutero-Isaiah”, that part written after the Babylonian exile. Using words common to the Old Testament (see Amos 5:4, Hosea 20:12, and Psalm 9:11), the prophet exhorts the people to return to God. The essential paradox of God’s presences is explained; “God is transcendent yet near enough to help; man is helpless yet expected to act energetically, the ways of God are exalted yet required of man.”[3]
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 145:2-3, 8-9, 17-18
R. The Lord is near to all who call upon him.
Psalm 145 is a hymn of praise and thanksgiving. The linkage to Isaiah’s exhortation to seek the Lord actively is echoed in the final strophe “The Lord is near to all who call upon him,
to all who call upon him in truth.”
Reading II: Philippians 1:20c-24, 27a
St. Paul writes during his imprisonment an in these verses contemplates his own martyrdom. While death is seen as a return to Christ which the Apostle desires, his mission and continued service is seen as being united with Christ’s life on earth. This passage concludes with an exhortation to the Philippians that they might live lives worthy of Christ.
Gospel: Matthew 20:1-16a
The parable of the Laborers Hired Late continues the dialogue from Matthew’s Gospel in which the same moral was expressed “the last will be first, and the first will be last.” The inference here changes slightly. He broadens the scope to imply that those called later to faithful service would receive the same reward as those first called expanding the gift to all who come to believe.
Reflection:
Scripture today gives a unified call to come to faith in God and Christ. Taken out of context one might believe the Gospel parable of the Laborers Called Late, might be seen as an invitation to procrastinate in responding to that call. After all, why commit to the difficult path our faith requires if those who turn to an easier path and come late to faith will receive the same reward as we who strive to follow that path through most of our lives?
There must be reasons beyond the promise that comes at the end of the journey. One of these is shown in St. Paul’s ethical debate about whether he should embrace death so he can be with Christ sooner or if he should stay the course on earth, continuing his zealous efforts to proclaim the Gospel. His conclusion – God’s gift of life is to be cherished in spite of the fact that at its conclusion the faithful receive the bliss of the heavenly kingdom.
What then is it that makes life worth living? It is clearly not the excesses of the hedonistic drives society seems to embrace. This lifestyle and world-view lead to spiritual death. If wealth is what is to be pursued, there will never be enough and even when great wealth is accumulated those who achieve it find it an empty promise, a hollow shell with no life, no warmth; no peace. No, life does not find fulfillment in “things”.
Neither does life find fulfillment in labor, even labor for a worthy cause. Fulfillment comes from an inner peace and inner peace comes from the satisfaction of knowing that one is valued, supported, and protected by God. That nothing can take that peace from us while we remain in that living relationship. And when we enjoy that peace in communion with others similarly motivated and infused, the resonance of their peace enhances our own.
That spiritual peace and the joy that flows from it is what motivates us to take up the mind of Christ as soon as we can and maintain it throughout our lives. While those that come late may receive the same reward, we who stay on the path longer derive greater joy in the promise fulfilled.
Pax
[1] After Links to Readings Expire
[2] The Picture Used Is “Parable Of The Laborers In The Vineyard” By Harmenszoon van Rijn Rembrandt
[3] Jerome Biblical Commentary, © 1968 Prentice-Hall, Inc. Englewood Cliffs, N.J., 22:49
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