This week’s Gospel message for Sunday, September 24th is from Matthew 20:1-16a.
Jesus told his disciples this parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out at dawn to hire laborers for his vineyard. After agreeing with them for the usual daily wage, he sent them into his vineyard. . .When it was evening the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Summon the laborers and give them their pay, beginning with the last and ending with the first.’ . . . So when the first came, they thought that they would receive more, but each of them also got the usual wage.”
Reflection
“The resentful laborers who worked all day grumbled because they could not accept generosity favored over fairness. Yes, without a doubt, the landowner was being unfair. Moreover, the landowner teased the ones who worked since dawn by paying the last ones first, raising expectations for the hardest workers. But for God, generosity and mercy are more important than fairness. The landowner’s modus operandi is unfathomable to us, but, as Isaiah said, God’s ways are so above our ways that we cannot possibly fully understand them.” SOURCE: Pastoral Patterns, Autumn 2023
DAILY READINGS FOR THE WEEK
Monday Ezra 1:1-6; Luke 8:16-18
Tuesday Ezra 6:7-8, 12b, 14-20; Luke 8:19-21
Wednesday Ezra 9:5-9; Luke 9:1-6
Saint Vincent de Paul, Priest (Memorial) – He devoted his life to acts of charity, organizing groups to provide food and clothing for all who were poor. He founded the Congregation of the Missions (Vincentians) to preach and train clergy, and, with St. Louise de Marillac, co-founded the Daughters of Charity. He was canonized in 1737 and is a patron of charitable societies.
Thursday Haggai 1:1-8; Luke 9:7-9
Friday Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14; John 1:47-51
Saints Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, Archangels (Feast) – This feast commemorates all three archangels. Michael is a warrior against evil and protector of Israel and the Church. Gabriel is a messenger who announces the Messiah’s coming and the births of John the Baptist and Jesus. Raphael served as a guardian angel protecting Tobias on his journey.
Saturday Zechariah 2:5-9, 14-15a; Luke 9:43b-45
Saint Jerome, Priest and Doctor of the Church (Memorial) – St. Jerome translated the Bible into the Latin language of the common people (the Vulgate). SOURCE: Living with Christ, September 2023