{"id":5095,"date":"2011-09-13T13:33:35","date_gmt":"2011-09-13T20:33:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/?p=5095"},"modified":"2015-03-19T14:51:41","modified_gmt":"2015-03-19T21:51:41","slug":"sunday-lectionary-2001-09-18","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/2011\/09\/13\/sunday-lectionary-2001-09-18\/","title":{"rendered":"Sunday Lectionary: Gratuitous Grace"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"color: #808080\"><em>As I mentioned <a href=\"http:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/2011\/09\/11\/end-of-retreat\/\">earlier<\/a>, I was on retreat this past weekend. This meant that I didn&#8217;t have the usual amount of time to spend on the Lectionary Notes this week, so sorry if they appear a bit rushed again&#8230;<\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>25th Sunday of Ordinary Time: 18th September, 2011<\/h2>\n<p>The readings this week speak of God&#8217;s mercy and generosity. We so often scorn God&#8217;s goodness, but in today&#8217;s Readings we learn that God is\u00a0gracious\u00a0and generous to all who return to Him.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><em>&#8220;Late have I loved you, O Beauty ever ancient, ever new, late have I loved you! You were within me, but I was outside, and it was there that I searched for you&#8230; You were with me, but I was not with you&#8230; You called, you shouted, and you broke through my deafness. You flashed, you shone, and you dispelled my blindness. You breathed your fragrance on me; I drew in breath and now I pant for you. I have tasted you, now I hunger and thirst for more&#8221; &#8211; St. Augstine, The Confessions<\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>Reading I: Isaiah 55:6-9<\/h3>\n<p>This Reading from Isaiah is part of Chapter 55&#8217;s invitation to <em>&#8220;Come to the water, all you who are thirsty&#8230;&#8221;<\/em>. Isaiah exhorts his listeners to not delay, but come and enjoy the Lord&#8217;s goodness.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><em><span style=\"color: #993300\">Seek the LORD while he may be found,<\/span>\u00a0<span style=\"color: #993300\">call him while he is near.<\/span>\u00a0<span style=\"color: #993300\">Let the scoundrel forsake his way,<\/span>\u00a0<span style=\"color: #993300\">and the wicked his thoughts;<\/span>\u00a0<span style=\"color: #993300\">let him turn to the LORD for mercy;<\/span>\u00a0<span style=\"color: #993300\">to our God, who is generous in forgiving.<\/span>\u00a0<span style=\"color: #993300\">For my thoughts are not your thoughts,<\/span>\u00a0<span style=\"color: #993300\">nor are your ways my ways, says the LORD.<\/span>\u00a0<span style=\"color: #993300\">As high as the heavens are above the earth,<\/span>\u00a0<span style=\"color: #993300\">so high are my ways above your ways<\/span>\u00a0<span style=\"color: #993300\">and my thoughts above your thoughts.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p>Possible Questions:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>What does Isaiah exhort his listeners to do?<\/li>\n<li>Isaiah contrasts men and God. In what way does he say they are different?<\/li>\n<li>Practically speaking, in what way are God&#8217;s <span style=\"color: #993300\">&#8220;<\/span><em><span style=\"color: #993300\">thoughts above your thoughts&#8221;<\/span>?<\/em><\/li>\n<li>How does this Reading relate to the Gospel Reading?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Commentary:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><em><span style=\"color: #993300\">&#8220;Seek the LORD while he may be found,\u00a0call him while he is near&#8221;<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\">This is an invitation to return to friendship with God. Do not delay! Seize\u00a0the opportunity!<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><em><span style=\"color: #993300\">&#8220;Let the scoundrel forsake his way&#8221;<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\">Returning to friendship with God means leaving behind your old way of life.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><em><span style=\"color: #993300\">&#8220;&#8230;turn to the LORD&#8221;<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\">This is essentially what\u00a0repentance\u00a0is &#8211; turning away from sin and towards God.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><em><span style=\"color: #993300\">&#8220;For my thoughts are not your thoughts,\u00a0nor are your ways my ways&#8221;<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\">We are not the same as the Lord. His ways are not are ways.\u00a0Scripture often describes God in an anthropomorphic (&#8220;human-like&#8221;) language, but it must always be remembered that God is soooooooo much greater than we are.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\">In the Gospel Reading we will hear of a particular area where God&#8217;s ways are unlike our own. \u00a0God is infinitely more generous.<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<h3>Responsorial Psalm:\u00a0Ps 145:2-3, 8-9, 17-18<\/h3>\n<p>This is a typical psalm of praise. This psalm&#8217;s title actually describes it as a psalm of &#8220;praise&#8221;. The Hebrew word for this is &#8220;tehillah&#8221;, whose plural form, &#8220;tehillim&#8221;, is the traditional Hebrew name for the book of psalms. This song describes God&#8217;s greatness, kindness, mercy and His unfathomable nature.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><em><span style=\"color: #993300\">R. (18a)\u00a0<strong>The Lord is near to all who call upon him.<\/strong><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><em><span style=\"color: #993300\">Every day will I bless you,<\/span><\/em><br \/>\n<em><span style=\"color: #993300\">and I will praise your name forever and ever.<\/span><\/em><br \/>\n<em><span style=\"color: #993300\">Great is the LORD and highly to be praised;<\/span><\/em><br \/>\n<em><span style=\"color: #993300\">his greatness is unsearchable.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><em><span style=\"color: #993300\">The LORD is gracious and merciful,<\/span><\/em><br \/>\n<em><span style=\"color: #993300\">slow to anger and of great kindness.<\/span><\/em><br \/>\n<em><span style=\"color: #993300\">The LORD is good to all<\/span><\/em><br \/>\n<em><span style=\"color: #993300\">and compassionate toward all his works.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><em><span style=\"color: #993300\">The LORD is just in all his ways<\/span><\/em><br \/>\n<em><span style=\"color: #993300\">and holy in all his works.<\/span><\/em><br \/>\n<em><span style=\"color: #993300\">The LORD is near to all who call upon him,<\/span><\/em><br \/>\n<em><span style=\"color: #993300\">to all who call upon him in truth.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p>Possible Questions:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>What is the emphasis in this psalm?<\/li>\n<li>How does it describe God?<\/li>\n<li>How does it describe our relationship with Him? How does this relate to the Gospel Reading?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Commentary:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><span style=\"color: #993300\"><em>&#8220;The Lord is near to all who call upon him.&#8221;<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\">God is loving &#8211; all we have to do is call upon him.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><span style=\"color: #993300\"><em>&#8220;&#8230;his greatness is unsearchable&#8221;<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\">This means that God&#8217;s greatness is without end. We cannot grasp it fully. Some translations render this verse as<span style=\"color: #000000\"> <em>&#8220;His greatness no-one can fathom&#8221;<\/em><\/span>. This is the same sentiment we heard in the latter part of the First Reading (<span style=\"color: #993300\"><em>&#8220;As high as the heavens are above the earth&#8230;&#8221;<\/em><\/span>).<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><span style=\"color: #993300\"><em>&#8220;The LORD is gracious and merciful,<\/em>\u00a0<em>slow to anger and of great kindness&#8221;<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\">A common refrain in the book of psalms about God&#8217;s character.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><span style=\"color: #993300\"><em>&#8220;The LORD is good to all<\/em>\u00a0<em>and compassionate toward all his works&#8221;<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\">This refers to everything that God has created which includes, of course, us \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>Reading II:\u00a0Philippians 1:20c-24, 27a<\/h3>\n<p>Today&#8217;s Second Reading continues the theme from <a href=\"http:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/2011\/09\/06\/sunday-lectionary-2011-09-11\/\">last week<\/a>&#8216;s Second Reading where St. Paul <a href=\"http:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Romans%2014:7-9&amp;version=NIV\">spoke about living and dying for Christ<\/a>.\u00a0In today&#8217;s passage Paul expresses a\u00a0dilemma. He is \u00a0is torn between two goods:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><strong>1. Life.<\/strong>\u00a0If Paul remains alive he will be able to continue to preach and he sees the clear need of this, both to spread the Gospel and\u00a0strengthen\u00a0the Church.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><strong>2. Death.<\/strong>\u00a0If he is martyred, he gets to be with Christ and,\u00a0in the language of St. Ignatius of Antioch, <span style=\"color: #000000\"><em>\u201cimitate the passion of [his] God\u201d<\/em><\/span>. His spirit will leave his body (until the Resurrection) and he will be with God.<\/p>\n<p>Here we see Paul\u2019s attitude towards life and death. He\u00a0says that\u00a0<span style=\"color: #993300\"><em>\u201cChrist will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death\u2026to live is Christ and to die is gain\u201d<\/em><\/span>. I love this attitude! He says that whatever happens to his circumstances, whether he lives or dies, Christ will be\u00a0glorified and it will ultimately be for Paul\u2019s good. His is a life consumed by Christ.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><em><span style=\"color: #993300\">Brothers and sisters:<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><em><span style=\"color: #993300\">Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. <\/span><span style=\"color: #993300\">For to me life is Christ, and death is gain. <\/span><span style=\"color: #993300\">If I go on living in the flesh,<\/span><\/em><br \/>\n<em> <span style=\"color: #993300\">that means fruitful labor for me.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"color: #993300\">And I do not know which I shall choose.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"color: #993300\">I am caught between the two.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"color: #993300\">I long to depart this life and be with Christ,<\/span>\u00a0<span style=\"color: #993300\">for that is far better.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"color: #993300\">Yet that I remain in the flesh<\/span>\u00a0<span style=\"color: #993300\">is more necessary for your benefit.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><em><span style=\"color: #993300\">Only, conduct yourselves in a way worthy of the gospel of Christ.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p>Possible Questions:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Paul has a\u00a0dilemma\u00a0in this passage. What is it?<\/li>\n<li>What is the advantage of living?<\/li>\n<li>What is the advantage of dying?<\/li>\n<li>Which does Paul say is better?<\/li>\n<li>Does Paul have his life planned and sorted? What is his attitude towards providence?<\/li>\n<li>What is Paul&#8217;s request of the Philippians, either way?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Commentary:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><em><span style=\"color: #993300\">&#8220;Christ will be magnified in my body&#8221;<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\">Paul&#8217;s body is, like all Christians, a temple of the Holy Spirit. As we read a couple of weeks ago, it is to be offered as a <span style=\"color: #000000\"><em>&#8220;living sacrifice&#8221; <\/em><\/span>to God\u00a0(<a href=\"http:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Romans%2012:1-2&amp;version=NIV\">Romans 12:1-2<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><em><span style=\"color: #993300\">&#8220;&#8230;whether by life or by death&#8230;&#8221;<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\">Either way God will receive glory.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><em><span style=\"color: #993300\">&#8220;For to me life is Christ&#8230;&#8221;<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\">Being alive in Christ means to spread the Gospel.\u00a0Christ is Paul&#8217;s source of life and the source of his joy, the joy which is so evident in his letter to the Philippians. Jesus is his confidence and trust in the face of an uncertain world.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><em><span style=\"color: #993300\">&#8220;&#8230;and death is gain&#8221;<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\">&#8230;because to death means union with Christ.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><span style=\"color: #993300\">&#8220;&#8230;<em>fruitful labor for me&#8230;&#8221;<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\">This is the spreading of the Gospel and the strengthening of the Church.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><span style=\"color: #993300\"><em>&#8220;&#8230;depart this life and be with Christ,\u00a0for that is far better&#8221;<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\">Despite his preference for union with Christ (<span style=\"color: #993300\">\u201c<em>which is far better\u201d<\/em><\/span>), Paul says that he will try and remain for the benefit of the Church (<span style=\"color: #993300\">&#8220;<em>Yet that I remain in the flesh\u00a0is more necessary for your benefit&#8221;<\/em><\/span>).<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><span style=\"color: #993300\">&#8220;<em>Only, conduct yourselves in a way worthy of the gospel of Christ.&#8221;<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\">This refers to the high moral standard to which Christians are called.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\">Whatever happens\u2026.whatever\u00a0happens\u2026 Paul is calling for steadfastness.\u00a0Paul tells them to live this blameless life whether he is around them or not. It reminds me of the saying that <em>\u201cTo see the true character of the man, see what he does when he thinks no one is looking\u2026\u201d<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>Gospel:\u00a0Matthew 20:1-16a<\/h3>\n<p>This parable highlights God&#8217;s generosity.<\/p>\n<p>Throughout salvation history the Lord had been forming a people\u00a0for Himself, reflected in a series of covenants. First He made a covenant with a couple (Adam &amp; Eve), then a family (Noah), then a tribe (Abraham), then a nation (Moses), then a kingdom (David). In Jesus, a new and everlasting covenant has been made. We Gentiles are also included in this covenant, we <em>&#8220;who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.&#8221; (Ephesians 2:13)<\/em><\/p>\n<p>To the Children of\u00a0Israel, the inclusion of the Gentiles could easily be seen as &#8220;unfair&#8221;. Why should these Johnny-come-lately Gentiles get an equal share in God&#8217;s goodness? Quite simply, because God is <strong><em>that<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0good. He is <strong><em>that<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0generous. Resentment of this goodness isn&#8217;t very pretty, it&#8217;s a characteristic we see in the Older Brother of the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Luke%2015:11-32&amp;version=NIV\">Prodigal Son<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><em><span style=\"color: #993300\">Jesus told his disciples this parable:<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><em><span style=\"color: #993300\">&#8220;The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner<\/span>\u00a0<span style=\"color: #993300\">who went out at dawn to hire laborers for his vineyard. <\/span>\u00a0<span style=\"color: #993300\">After agreeing with them for the usual daily wage,<\/span>\u00a0<span style=\"color: #993300\">he sent them into his vineyard.\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><em><span style=\"color: #993300\">Going out about nine o&#8217;clock,<\/span>\u00a0<span style=\"color: #993300\">the landowner saw others standing idle in the marketplace,<\/span>\u00a0<span style=\"color: #993300\">and he said to them, &#8216;You too go into my vineyard,<\/span><\/em><br \/>\n<em> <span style=\"color: #993300\">and I will give you what is just.&#8217;<\/span>\u00a0<span style=\"color: #993300\">So they went off.\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><em><span style=\"color: #993300\">And he went out again around noon,<\/span>\u00a0<span style=\"color: #993300\">and around three o&#8217;clock, and did likewise.\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><em><span style=\"color: #993300\">Going out about five o&#8217;clock,<\/span>\u00a0<span style=\"color: #993300\">the landowner found others standing around, and said to them,<\/span>\u00a0<span style=\"color: #993300\">&#8216;Why do you stand here idle all day?&#8217;<\/span><\/em><br \/>\n<em> <span style=\"color: #993300\">They answered, &#8216;Because no one has hired us.&#8217;<\/span>\u00a0<span style=\"color: #993300\">He said to them, &#8216;You too go into my vineyard.&#8217;<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><em><span style=\"color: #993300\">When it was evening the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman,<\/span>\u00a0<span style=\"color: #993300\">&#8216;Summon the laborers and give them their pay,<\/span>\u00a0<span style=\"color: #993300\">beginning with the last and ending with the first.&#8217;<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><em><span style=\"color: #993300\">When those who had started about five o&#8217;clock came,<\/span>\u00a0<span style=\"color: #993300\">each received the usual daily wage. <\/span><span style=\"color: #993300\">So when the first came, they thought that they would receive more,<\/span>\u00a0<span style=\"color: #993300\">but each of them also got the usual wage. <\/span><span style=\"color: #993300\">And on receiving it they grumbled against the landowner, saying,<\/span><\/em><br \/>\n<em> <span style=\"color: #993300\">&#8216;These last ones worked only one hour,<\/span>\u00a0<span style=\"color: #993300\">and you have made them equal to us,<\/span>\u00a0<span style=\"color: #993300\">who bore the day&#8217;s burden and the heat.&#8217;<\/span>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><em><span style=\"color: #993300\">He said to one of them in reply,<\/span>\u00a0<span style=\"color: #993300\">&#8216;My friend, I am not cheating you. <\/span>\u00a0<span style=\"color: #993300\">Did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage? <\/span><span style=\"color: #993300\">Take what is yours and go. <\/span>\u00a0<span style=\"color: #993300\">What if I wish to give this last one the same as you? <\/span><span style=\"color: #993300\">Or am I not free to do as I wish with my own money?\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"color: #993300\">Are you envious because I am generous?&#8217;<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><em><span style=\"color: #993300\">Thus, the last will be first, and the first will be last.&#8221;<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p>Possible Questions:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Who does the landowner represent?<\/li>\n<li>Who do the labourers represent?<\/li>\n<li>What do the vineyard here represent?<\/li>\n<li>What do the different hours of the day represent?<\/li>\n<li>What does evening symbolize?<\/li>\n<li>Why did the first workers feel cheated?<\/li>\n<li>How does the landowner justify himself? Why were identical wages given?<\/li>\n<li>How could this passage be applied to the Jews and the Gentiles?<\/li>\n<li>How could this passage be applied today? To converts and cradle Catholics?<\/li>\n<li>Are you jealous of God&#8217;s generosity to others whom you deem &#8220;undeserving&#8221;?<\/li>\n<li>At what hour would you say that you entered God&#8217;s vineyard? Do you wish you had entered earlier or later?<\/li>\n<li>What lesson should we learn about God from this passage?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Commentary:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><span style=\"color: #993300\"><em>&#8220;&#8230;landowner&#8230;&#8221;<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\">God.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><em><span style=\"color: #993300\">&#8220;&#8230;labourers&#8230;&#8221;<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\">Those hired early in the day are the Children of Israel, those later in the day are Gentiles.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><span style=\"color: #993300\"><em>&#8220;After agreeing with them for the usual daily wage,\u00a0he sent them into his vineyard&#8221;<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\">The first round of workers go into the vineyard. They agree to work for\u00a0<em><span style=\"color: #993300\">&#8220;the usual daily wage&#8221;<\/span><\/em>, a\u00a0denarius. This was also the usual daily wage of a Roman soldier.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><span style=\"color: #993300\">&#8220;&#8230;<em>vineyard&#8230;&#8221;<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\">The vineyard is a common Old Testament image for the people of God e.g. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Isaiah%205:7&amp;version=NIV\">Isaiah 5:7<\/a>. When Israel failed to produce fruit it was\u00a0conquered by foreigners (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=%20Psalm%2080:9-20&amp;version=NIV\">Psalm 80:9-20<\/a>), but God promised restoration (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Hosea%2014:5-10&amp;version=NIV\">Hosea 14:5-10<\/a>).\u00a0In the New Covenant, the vineyard is the Kingdom.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><span style=\"color: #993300\"><em><em>&#8220;&#8230;the landowner saw others standing idle in the marketplace&#8230;&#8221;<\/em><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\">These day\u00a0labourers\u00a0were utterly dependent upon the landowner for work (<em>&#8220;Give us today our daily bread&#8230;&#8221;<\/em>). This is a picture of our dependence upon God&#8217;s goodness and grace. This is something to consider before we start complaining about His generosity to others&#8230;<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><span style=\"color: #993300\"><em>&#8220;nine o&#8217;clock&#8230;noon&#8230;<em>three o&#8217;clock&#8230;five o&#8217;clock&#8221;<\/em><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\">Origen, an early Christian writer, saw a moral sense in this passage. He saw in the hours of the day the different stages in life when people turn to God. Some turn to God at an early age, others as adults, others in old age. These different people are <em><strong>all<\/strong><\/em> rescued from the idleness of sin and called to the harvest before the sunset of this world.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><em><span style=\"color: #993300\">&#8220;&#8230;evening&#8230;&#8221;<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\">Symbolic of the end of judgement and the close of the world.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><span style=\"color: #993300\">&#8220;<em>When those who had started about five o&#8217;clock came,\u00a0each received the usual daily wage.\u00a0So when the first came, they thought that they would receive more,\u00a0but each of them also got the usual wage&#8221;<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\">Regardless of the time, God is generous to all, awarding the gift of eternal life to all who call upon Him.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><span style=\"color: #993300\"><em><em>&#8220;&#8230;they grumbled against the landowner&#8230;&#8221;<\/em><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\">Doesn&#8217;t their complaint sound pretty legitimate? Yet, as we heard in the First Reading, God&#8217;s ways are not our ways&#8230;<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><span style=\"color: #993300\"><em>&#8220;What if I wish to give this last one the same as you?\u00a0Or am I not free to do as I wish with my own money?&#8221;<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\">God is generous. If everything belongs to Him, He can do what He likes with it! It is God&#8217;s gift, His&#8230;.grace.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\">As we saw last week, you&#8217;re putting yourself in a very sticky situation if you wish to deny grace to others, while expecting it for yourself&#8230;<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><span style=\"color: #993300\"><em>&#8220;Are you envious because I am generous?&#8221;<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\">Are you jealous of God&#8217;s generosity? You shouldn&#8217;t be! God&#8217;s generosity to give us hope, both for our own salvation and for those who appear far from the vineyard&#8230;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-5106\" src=\"http:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/vineyard_sunset.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"720\" height=\"478\" srcset=\"https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/vineyard_sunset.jpg 720w, https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/vineyard_sunset-300x199.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As I mentioned earlier, I was on retreat this past weekend. This meant that I didn&#8217;t have the usual amount of time to spend on the Lectionary Notes this week, so sorry if they appear a bit rushed again&#8230; &nbsp; 25th Sunday of Ordinary Time: 18th September, 2011 The readings this week speak of God&#8217;s mercy and generosity. We so<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_crdt_document":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[17,25],"tags":[2969,73,402,288,403,404],"class_list":["post-5095","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-faith","category-sunday-lectionary","tag-featured","tag-grace","tag-isaiah","tag-lectionary","tag-philipians","tag-vineyard"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5095","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5095"}],"version-history":[{"count":17,"href":"https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5095\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":56373,"href":"https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5095\/revisions\/56373"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5095"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5095"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5095"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}