This Sermon is prepared by
Rev.Fr.Peter Jayakanthan sss
Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament
Corpus Christi Catholic Church,
Houston, Texas, US
25th Sunday of Ordinary Time-First class Christians….! or Best class Christians …!Is55:6-9; Phil 1:20c-24, 27a; Mt20:1-16aDear Sisters, Brothers and Children, we are gathered once again to share our faith, joy and goodness as children of God. The Eucharistic altar reminds us of our call to be united as brothers and sisters belonging to one Christian community. It also expects us to practice and witness the life of equality as human beings. The task is hard and challenging, with all the existing differences and social divisions. Here, the breaking of bread will lead us to break the hurdles and barriers, thus our sharing from one table will be a meaningful and fruitful one.Why is God partial? Why does God permit extreme violence in one part of the world? Why is God so selective and picky? Why is one part of the world rich with many resources such as the First world countries and not the poor countries like the Third world countries? Is it fair that only a few countries possess many medically advanced facilities, while other countries lack special medical support to cope up with terminal diseases like Ebola? Is God fair? Is God unjust? Is God partial and selective? During my hospital ministry, I have come across patients who have asked me the following questions: “It has been long decade of years since I have been to Church, though I desire to return to Lord, I am scared and awkward that I will be treated and considered as outsider or late comer?” My answer to them would be, “you are not the late Christians or last Christian rather you are the best Christian. For God everyone is the same and everyone is best.” In the eyes of God everyone is important and best. We read in Matthew 5:45 “that you may be children of your heavenly Father, for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust”. Genesis1:31 “God created everything and found everything Good.” And Is43:4 Yahweh called people as “my people, my precious ones and an apple of my eye.” God treats us equally. But, it is the desire for power, status and wealth that creates division, separation and inequality in the history of humanity. Today’s readings invite us to recognize the generous God who treats us equally and impartially. They also offer a lesson for us to form a just and equal community and society. Matthew gives a parable of the laborers in the vineyard. It appears to speak about an unjust approach of God or generosity of God, or a faithful contract of God. Jesus is speaking the daily language of the people of land in Palestine. The grapes ripened towards the end of September. It was the monsoon time of heavy rains. If the harvest were not finished before the rains started, the crop would be ruined. Hence, the vineyard owners recruited every one willing to work from the market place. The Jews divided the time between 6:00 am and 6:00 pm into several hours. The fact that some of them stood around until even 5 pm, demonstrates how desperately they wanted to support their families. One denarius or a drachma was the normal day's wage for a working man for his work from 6 am to 6 pm. Jewish law required that a laborer be paid at sundown (see Deut. 24:14-15). When it came time to pay the workers, payment began with the last ones hired. This is so contrary to what any of us would expect that it helps us identify the thrust of the parable right away. The first laborers grumble when they discover that they are paid exactly the same as the latecomers, who hardly worked at all. Can we blame them? Would our reaction have been different? The landowner reminds the grumblers that they have not been cheated. They had agreed on the “usual daily wage.” I see the joy and salvation of the Lord to every human person as the usual daily wage. The complaint of those who came early and their accusations look justifiable, but are not genuine. Whenever we blame and accuse others, or compare what another has, then we need to examine ourselves, asking whether I am looking for my desires to be fulfilled or allow others to fulfill their desires. Matthew offered this parable of Jesus on workers in the vineyard around 50 or 60 years after Jesus preached it. It was sent as a warning and for self-examination to the Jewish Christian community who had a strong difficulty in accepting the converts. As the Chosen people of God, the Jews looked down upon Gentiles and others. Thus, Matthew challenges the new Judeo-Christian community who called themselves as the first class Christians who treated others as second class Christians, to be different. He reminds them resolutely that all are equal in the Christian community. Those who are last will be first means even those who come into accepting the good news late will enjoy all and the full privileges of the Christian community. They have the same benefits of those who came into community in the beginning. The generosity of God includes the Gentiles in His Covenant, at the “eleventh hour” in salvation history, blessing them with the same blessing first promised long ago to His Chosen People. We have St. Augustine who accepted Jesus and the Good News late in his life after a long struggle; he was offered same privileges like of the others, and raised as saint in the Church. We may ask, like the workers who came at the early hours, as what is the difference then? How are we rewarded then? The answer will be, that God’s ways of looking, thinking and acting are totally unique and generous. His thinking is far beyond ours, ‘His thoughts and ways are higher than ours.’ We have prejudices, favorites and expectations; but for God whose love is pure, sees all as his children of one Kingdom, ‘forgiving and merciful’ without alloy. The first readings offer the same message of God’s thoughts. Isaiah announces the generous and beneficent thoughts of Yahweh to the People. People were liberated from Babylonian exile. The Persian ruler, Cyrus, destroyed them in the war and released the Israelites to return to Judea. Since they were struggling to accept the long exile they had gone through, Isaiah gave them the hope of the Lord. This allowed them to complete the restoration of the temple, where they then experienced the restoration of their life and city. If we have three children do we show our love equally to everyone? Do we relate to all equally in our working place and in our church communities? Do we include with fraternal affection and show equal sharing to the RCIA candidates? Lee Ho-Jin, a 62 year man father of one of the victims from the Sewol Ferry tragedy in which 280 young people were killed earlier this year in South Korea, desired and was offered Baptism by Pope Francis during his recent visit to their country. The Holy Father, in his accommodation and willingness to baptize and confirm him, is a clear sign that Lee is in full communion with the Church and the grace of the Lord. Thus through Lee, we see that the Holy Father is the Land-owner who sees the best in all of us. We shall acknowledge the equal caring of our Lord and make efforts to recognize the best in others by offering our best self-image of the loving God. In the words of St Peter Julian Eymard, “The brotherly love of Jesus surpasses anything we can think of” for “The Eucharist is the leveler that makes all men truly equal.” Thus Our Lord in remaining with us in His Body and Blood draws us by the chains of His love, uniting all as brothers at His divine Banquet, wherein our hearts are enjoined in the breaking of bread that will lead us to live as brothers in the world. -Amen. 
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