God's Merciful Rule
living by God's generosity
Announcements for September 19, 2020:
All I see is sunshine for Sunday, so we'll plan on our regular offering of Masses this weekend. I'll send a text/email update Sunday morning, even if just to confirm. If you haven't been receiving these notifications, let me know.
Our weekend Masses are: Saturday 5:15pm in the church; Sunday at 7:30am and 9:00am in the church; Sunday at 9:00am at Walmart; and Sunday at 11:00am outside.
Please be in touch with me if you need anything at all, or if you'd like to share any questions or concerns.
Dear Saints,
Our Gospel passage this weekend contains the Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard.
Our first look at the parable might have us think that Jesus wants to re-form our sense of fairness. Every group of workers in his story receives the usual daily wage, but some labored for longer hours than others.
The apparent injustice of this scene confounds us - that's what makes it so memorable. But don't get so stuck on the point as to miss what Jesus is driving at.
The parables, you'll remember, are part and parcel of Jesus' Kingdom of God announcement. The stories themselves help Jesus' hearers to imagine, grapple with, and give themselves over to God's loving rule.
What's on display in the Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard is God's generosity. Jesus' exhortation is intended to have his faithful followers make God's mercy the absolute priority and reference point of their entire lives.
If Jesus' story stings, it does so in the measure that we have not yet realized the pure gift of God's love; that we have not yet either embraced it for ourselves or begun to embody it for others.
The question, then, that this parable prompts is whether or not our hearts and lives are centered on God and his purposes. Is God's merciful rule - both receiving his love and bringing it to life - our going concern?
The acceptable answer for our Jesus-first community is, "We want it to be." Amen, my friends. We were made to bring God's generous love to life for each other and for his world, and we will get there by trusting and following Jesus in all things.
I love you, and I look forward to seeing you very soon.
Christ's Peace,
Father Daniel
δοῦλος Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ
PS Bishop Barron has a great little homily on this weekend's parable. Check it out here.
PPS Have you watched The Chosen yet? Check it out here:
The Chosen: a video series on Jesus,
God's mercy-made-flesh
Preparing for Mass?
Check out this weekend's readings:
Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard
From the Codex Aureus Epternacensis