Daily Gospel Reflection
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August 21, 2019
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.
Going out about nine o’clock,
he saw others standing idle in the marketplace,
and he said to them, ‘You too go into my vineyard,
and I will give you what is just.’
So they went off.
And he went out again around noon,
and around three o’clock, and did likewise.
Going out about five o’clock,
he found others standing around, and said to them,
‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’
They answered, ‘Because no one has hired us.’
He said to them, ‘You too go into my 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.’
When those who had started about five o’clock came,
each received the usual daily wage.
So when the first came, they thought that they would receive more,
but each of them also got the usual wage.
And on receiving it they grumbled against the landowner, saying,
‘These last ones worked only one hour,
and you have made them equal to us,
who bore the day’s burden and the heat.’
He said to one of them in reply,
‘My friend, I am not cheating you.
Did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage?
Take what is yours and go.
What if I wish to give this last one the same as you?
Or am I not free to do as I wish with my own money?
Are you envious because I am generous?’
Thus, the last will be first, and the first will be last.”
In all honesty, my reaction when I first heard this gospel growing up was, “How unfair!” At times, it still is my reaction today.
As a child, I placed handwritten flyers in my neighbors’ mailboxes offering yardwork for $2.50 an hour. I was looking to make money! If I worked three hours raking the many leaves in my neighbor’s yard and then my sister came over in the last half hour with a rake and only one more pile of leaves remaining, I would be livid if we both received the same wage. I EARNED that $7.50! My sister certainly did not, nor was I going to split this hard-earned money with her.
Jesus, as usual, teaches me a lesson in this parable. This gospel teaches a lesson of humility. We learn of the absolute generosity of God’s love and that we are all called to work, not for the individual reward, but for the betterment of the community. In Catholic Social Teaching, the principle “The Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers,” explains, “work is more than a way to make a living; it is a form of continuing participation in God’s creation” (USCCB). We are all a part of God’s project and the moment I think that I am in control or I am not getting what I deserve, God steps in and reminds me of our greater call: to be active participants in building a community centered on love and generosity as opposed to individual desires and expectations. When our work is focused on recognizing and honoring the dignity of all people, not just those who benefit us, a beautiful community is formed and the kingdom of God is felt and revealed.
Thanks for the reminder, Jesus. I guess I owe my sister some money.
Prayer
Is not the Lord free to give those who serve Him whatever He wishes? The Lord gives as He pleases. Ours is but to thank Him for His gifts to each of us. Lord, you warn us against envy of other people’s gifts. We know you are concerned for each of us. Help our faith that we might trust in your mercy. Amen.
Saint of the Day
Any Catholic who received first communion in second grade can thank Pope St. Pius X, who extended the practice to children, saying that “Holy Communion is the shortest and safest way to heaven.”
Joseph Sarto was born in 1835, one of eight children in a poor family; his father was a shoe cobbler. He was an excellent student, and felt an early call to the priesthood. After his ordinations, he was continually given new responsibilities because of the potential his superiors saw in him. In 1884 Joseph was named bishop of a region in Italy, and he became a cardinal ten years after that. He was elected pope in 1903 and took the name Pius X.
He was a rare pope in that he had extensive experience as a pastor of a parish before his election to the papacy in 1903. He had great concern for the everyday lives of the faithful and had a desire to “renew all things in Christ.” He was known for his simple and clear, direct homilies, and he encouraged all the faithful to read the Bible, which re-energized biblical studies.
Among his lasting contributions to the lives of Catholics: he encouraged frequent reception of Communion; began the renewal of the liturgy, which would flower in the Second Vatican Council; and gathered canon law into one code for the first time. His decree on the age for first Communion allowed children aged 7 and older to receive the Eucharist; the practice had been reserved for children at least 12 to 14 years old.
He was known as a holy man and encouraged personal piety through prayerful devotion and living with humility and simplicity. He had a soft spot in his heart for children—even as pope, he would carry candy in his pockets and walk the streets of Rome to encounter and teach children there.
His will contained one sentence: “I was born poor, I have lived poor, I wish to die poor.” The reliquary chapel in the Basilica contains nearly a dozen of his relics, and the museum in the Basilica holds one of his white, papal zucchettos (the small cap worn by bishops).
Pope St. Pius X, you renewed the Church and profoundly changed Catholic life--pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of Pope St. Pius X is in the public domain. Last accessed March 27, 2025 on Wikimedia Commons.