A GENEROUS GOD

TWENTIETH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

August 18, Wednesday

      The first reading gives us a first attempt to establish a kingdom to give more stability to Israel than the system of the Judges, but the would-be king is rejected with an allegory that ridicules him.

      The parable of the laborers in the vineyard tells us, contrary to what we often hear, that God is not a bookkeeper. Of course, he loves those who lead exemplary Christian lives. But in his heart there is also room for the stragglers and latecomers as well as for the pioneers. God loves us and is generous to us, not because we are good but because he is good.

First Reading: Judges 9:6-15

Then all the leaders of Shechem and Beth Millo gathered at the Oak by the Standing Stone at Shechem and crowned Abimelech king.

When this was all told to Jotham, he climbed to the top of Mount Gerizim, raised his voice, and shouted:

Listen to me, leaders of Shechem.
And let God listen to you!
The trees set out one day
to anoint a king for themselves.
They said to Olive Tree,
“Rule over us.”
But Olive Tree told them,
“Am I no longer good for making oil
That gives glory to gods and men,
and to be demoted to waving over trees?”

The trees then said to Fig Tree,
“You come and rule over us.”
But Fig Tree said to them,
“Am I no longer good for making sweets,
My mouthwatering sweet fruits,
and to be demoted to waving over trees?”

The trees then said to Vine,
“You come and rule over us.”
But Vine said to them,
“Am I no longer good for making wine,
Wine that cheers gods and men,
and to be demoted to waving over trees?”

All the trees then said to Tumbleweed,
“You come and reign over us.”
But Tumbleweed said to the trees:
“If you’re serious about making me your king,
Come and find shelter in my shade.
But if not, let fire shoot from Tumbleweed
and burn down the cedars of Lebanon!”

 

Gospel: Matthew 20:1-16

Jesus said, “God’s kingdom is like an estate manager who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. They agreed on a wage of a dollar a day, and went to work.

“Later, about nine o’clock, the manager saw some other men hanging around the town square unemployed. He told them to go to work in his vineyard and he would pay them a fair wage. They went.

“He did the same thing at noon, and again at three o’clock. At five o’clock he went back and found still others standing around. He said, ‘Why are you standing around all day doing nothing?’

“They said, ‘Because no one hired us.’

“He told them to go to work in his vineyard.

“When the day’s work was over, the owner of the vineyard instructed his foreman, ‘Call the workers in and pay them their wages. Start with the last hired and go on to the first.’

“Those hired at five o’clock came up and were each given a dollar. When those who were hired first saw that, they assumed they would get far more. But they got the same, each of them one dollar. Taking the dollar, they groused angrily to the manager, ‘These last workers put in only one easy hour, and you just made them equal to us, who slaved all day under a scorching sun.’

“He replied to the one speaking for the rest, ‘Friend, I haven’t been unfair. We agreed on the wage of a dollar, didn’t we? So take it and go. I decided to give to the one who came last the same as you. Can’t I do what I want with my own money? Are you going to get stingy because I am generous?’

“Here it is again, the Great Reversal: many of the first ending up last, and the last first.”

 

Prayer

God, you are high above us
and get nearer to us
than we are to ourselves;
you hate evil and yet you give a chance
to people who fail;
you know us as we are
and still you love us.
Teach us your surprising ways,
that your thoughts may become ours
and that we may generously share
with those around us all the good gifts
and the life you have given us
in the generosity of your heart,
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

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