(Optional Memorial for Saint John Eudes, Priest)
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| “Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard” (detail) by Salomon Koninck, 1647-49 |
Commentary:
Reading 1: Judges 9:6-15
Commentary on Jgs 9:6-15
In this passage from Judges, Jotham uses the poem/song analogy of trees for selecting a leader. He does this to reflect upon the process used by the citizens of Shechem in choosing Abimelech as their king and ignoring the line of the sons of Gideon who were faithful to God. The selection of Abimelech is made under the sacred tree (see also Genesis 12:6 and Deuteronomy 11:30).
The poem itself probably predates Jotham [4] and expresses the nomadic disrespect for monarchy. The trees of value, the olive tree, the fig tree, and the grape vine do not have time for the kingship. It is only the buckthorn, considered a liability – it is a low shrub not even providing shade and catching fire easily that is willing. By selecting him (King Abimelech) they will destroy “the cedars of Lebanon”, a metaphor for the Hebrew nation. The warning at the end of his analogy is explained in subsequent verses.
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 21:2-3, 4-5, 6-7
R. (2a) Lord, in your strength the king is glad.
Commentary on Ps 21:2-3, 4-5, 6-7
In this psalm of praise, the faithful king is honored. This is the first of two parts in the psalm. “In the first, addressed to God, it puts on record that the king’s success comes from God (v. 1-6) […] The general tone of the psalm goes beyond the way things were in the ancient kingdom of Israel and points to the ideal king. For this reason both Judaism and the Church read it as a psalm about the Messiah.” [5].
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Gospel: Matthew 20:1-16
Commentary on Mt 20:1-16
The parable of the Laborers Hired Late continues the dialogue from Matthew 19:30 “the last will be first, and the first will be last.” The inference here changes slightly in that while in Matthew 19:23-30 the Lord referred to those who would follow him into eternal life; here he broadens the scope to imply that those called later to faithful service would receive the same reward as those first called.
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Reflection:
One of the very difficult lessons we learn as Christians is that not all of our brothers and sisters are at the same stage of the journey to Christ as we are. We look around us and see people who we think are on the wrong path all together. They don’t see the great worth of spiritual blessings we do. They may not worship with the same depth of feeling we do. We may believe they have totally missed the point. Yet we are all on the same journey.
The Lord makes it very clear that he came for all people, in fact, recalling the invitation he extended to St. Matthew, he paid more attention to the “lost sheep”; those who had lost their way rather than to those safely on the right path. When he sends his disciples, he sends them to the whole world, not just to the people who worship and think the way his friends do. His call is, however, to conversion.
This is an important point. Many in our secular culture would tell us we are “elitist” or discriminating because we do not readily accept the moral interpretations of those who believe differently; who have chosen to follow another path. They tell us that because they do not believe in prayer, we should not offend them by praying publicly, or that our own celebrations should be “more inclusive”. The problem we run into is that the appropriate moral behavior for Christians is laid out rather explicitly in sacred scripture.
If we apply those moral principles fairly and consistently across the faith community, there will be some who say they are excluded because they chose not to follow a precept. Let’s take for example the call to chastity. It has become an acceptable secular social norm for individuals to have sexual relations outside of the married state. The Church has said that this is wrong; that one is either married or chaste and if one is living the Sacrament of Matrimony, physical love is restricted to the partners; and further still the Church defines Marriage, in accordance with natural law and Sacred Scripture, as the sacramental union between a man and a woman. This applies to all her members of the faith community. Unfortunately, with secular morality encouraging promiscuity, many, especially younger adults have gotten the impression that the Church somehow turns a blind eye to the violation of this moral principle.
Be assured, the Church still believes in the dignity and sanctity of the human person. Violation of this precept is considered sin and drives a wedge between the individuals in this state and God. The shepherds of our flock hold this to be true and teach it. To do otherwise would be to neglect their call to holiness.
The really good news is that even those who are on a path which has placed them at odds with the morality of the Church are still invited to conversion. We are all called to constantly review our own struggle on the path to holiness and to reform our lives. The Lord assures us today that even if we come to this realization late, we will receive the same reward and the Saints who have gone before us in faith. Thank God for His love and mercy.
Pax
[1] S.S Commemoratio
[2] The picture is “Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard” (detail) by Salomon Koninck, 1647-49
[4] Jerome Biblical Commentary, Prentice Hall, Inc., © 1968, pp.156, 27.
[5] The Navarre Bible: “Psalms”, Scepter Publishers, Princeton , NJ
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