HOMILY FOR THE 25th SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR A

1. Is 55: 6-9

2. Phil 1: 20c -24. 27a

Gospel: Mt 20: 1-16a

                                " The big picture"

We are told a story about a master of ceremony, who, during a wedding reception, asked all husbands to stand next to the one person who had been most helpful to them and had made their  lives worth living. Almost everyone went and stood beside the .....bartender.

I know that many wives reading the joke above may feel resentful, since they have made many  un told sacrifices for their husbands. In today's gospel Jesus relates the parable about the resentful laborers who felt shortchanged by their employer at the end of the day. It is very clear that from the point of view of justice, they who worked longer in the vineyard should have received more. However, from the point of view of Grace, they received equal wages with those who worked less. Instead of complaining, may we learn to be obedient. Instead of focusing on or little screens, may we see God's " big picture" in our lives.

In life there are many things we do not, and cannot understand in this life. Why for instance, do the good suffer and the bad seem to prosper in this life? Whenever we encounter such enigmatic moments, let us take the road of trust rather than doubt. The road of doubt is the road that leads nowhere. The road of trust leads to the conviction that God is now here.

Let us take another example for more clarification about today's parable: Growing in a large, traditional, farming family has its advantages. When crop is ready for harvest, the whole family is out in the field working together. They do not work at the same pace. Dad and big brother would be in the field very early while little sister is still a sleep. Mom and little sister would join them in the farm later. You realize that, dad and big brother go to work without breakfast but little sisters would not go anywhere  without breakfast. When she finally arrives in the farm she is more interested in asking silly questions and distracting the workers than in the work itself. However, at the end of the day all go home happy together. Supper is prepared and served. Does anyone suggest that you eat as much as you have worked? Not at all! often the same little sister who did the least work is pampered with the best food. Yet no one complains, no one is jealous, and everyone is happy.

In today's gospel we hear of a harvest in which some workers put in more work than others. When pay time comes, they are all treated equally. Those workers arrived earlier begin to complain and grumble. Why do the workers in the vineyard complain and grumble whereas the workers in the family farm do not? The answer is simple. One group of workers is made up of family members and the other of un related individuals drawn from the wider society. The norms of behavior, of contribution and reward, in a family are different from those in the wider society. The challenge and a big question that the parable poses to the church today is, " Do we see ourselves as family with common purpose or do we see ourselves as a bunch of individuals, each with their own agenda? We call ourselves brothers and sisters. Why then do we often see and treat one another as rivals and competitors?

For the early-bird workers who ended up being reprimanded by the landowner it was all a business affair. Their working in the vineyard was preceded by a well spelt-out contract regarding their wages: a full day's work for a full day's pay.  The late comers were less legalistic in their approach. They took the job trusting in the landowner's word of"  honor. "He said to them, ' You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.' So they went ( Matthew20:4). In fact those employed in the sixth, ninth and eleventh hours were told nothing  whatsoever about payment. " He said to them, ' Why do you stand here idle all day?' They said to him, ' Because no one has hired us.' He said to them, ' You go into the vineyard too.'(verses 6-7). We understand from this perspective that there is no employee-employee contract here. Everything is based on trust. The later comers approached the work with a family spirit. Who makes contracts before they can work in a family business?

The notion of the Kingdom of God as family is central to understanding this parable. The kingdom of God is a family more than a society. A society is characterized by we- them, by rivalry and survival of the fittest. A family on the other hand, is all we and not them. It is characterized by a spirit of co-operation rather than competition. If the latecomers were family members of the early birds , the early birds would have rejoiced with them at their good fortune rather than grumbling. Today we are called upon to review our all too legalistic notion of the kingdom of God and see it more as a family where we are happy to expect from everyone according  to their means and give to each according to their need- as God our Father does.

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