Category: Uncategorized

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Gospel: Matthew 20: 1-16

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.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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A few years ago, I was called by a family to anoint their loved one. “He’s at the brink of death,” they said, “come quickly.”

When I arrived, I saw an American flag waving outside the home, with cars parked all over the street. I entered the house and saw a relatively young man lying peacefully on his bed in the living room with a black Vietnam Veteran hat on.

“Dad saw some awful things in the war,” one of his children said to me. Experiences that, on the one hand, engrained in him a strong sense of patriotism; but, on the other hand, left him with no faith in God.

It wasn’t until he reached his deathbed, that this man decided to make amends with God. I remember grabbing my oils, granting him absolution, and praying the prayer of commendation.

Shortly after I left, he went peacefully to meet his Maker. 

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In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells us that the reward for this man’s short journey of faith is no different than yours or mine.

Like the laborers chosen to work in the vineyard, whether we work all day, or just arrive at sunset, everyone is given the same wage: eternal life. 

That’s the goodness of God. 

May we thank the Lord for calling us into his vineyard, and pray for those standing idly in the marketplace, that God will give them all the gift of faith and the reward it brings:

Eternal life.

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Image credits: (1) In Christ Alone, Pinterest (2) Workers in the Red Vineyard, Vincent Van Gogh (3) Fearless Living

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Matthew 19:16-22

A young man approached Jesus and said,
“Teacher, what good must I do to gain eternal life?”
He answered him, “Why do you ask me about the good?
There is only One who is good.
If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.”
He asked him, “Which ones?”
And Jesus replied, “You shall not kill;
you shall not commit adultery;
you shall not steal;
you shall not bear false witness;
honor your father and your mother;
and you shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
The young man said to him,
“All of these I have observed. What do I still lack?”
Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go,
sell what you have and give to the poor,
and you will have treasure in heaven.
Then come, follow me.”
When the young man heard this statement, he went away sad,
for he had many possessions.

The Gospel of the Lord.

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This is the only time in Mark’s Gospel that the word “love” is used.

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Jesus looks upon this rich young man…and “loves” him.

He must’ve delighted in his zeal for religion, and in his effort to be, “perfect as his heavenly Father is perfect.”

But what happens when Jesus “loves” him? 

He peers into his heart, and invites this man into deeper holiness. “You are lacking in one thing,” Jesus says. “Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor…then come and follow me.”

The man walks away sad, “for he had many possessions.” Though he was pious, the Lord occupied second – not first – place in his heart.

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Like this rich young man, when Jesus looks upon us, he “loves” us. He sees our zeal for religion and all of the good works that we do. 

But he also sees those things that impede our spiritual growth. That’s what love does by nature; it seeks to remove things that block further intimacy.

So, what impedes my spiritual growth or keeps me from growing in intimacy with the Lord?

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Unlike the rich young man who walked away sad, may the Lord give us the grace to let go and follow him today.

Doing so makes us happier, holier people. 

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Image credits: (1) Christ and the Rich Young Ruler, Heinrich Hofmann (2) Daily Theology (3) Ibid., Heinrich Hofmann

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Gospel: Matthew 19: 3-12

Some Pharisees approached Jesus, and tested him, saying,

“Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause whatever?”
He said in reply, “Have you not read that from the beginning
    the Creator made them male and female and said,
    For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother
    and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh?
So they are no longer two, but one flesh.
Therefore, what God has joined together, man must not separate.” 
They said to him, “Then why did Moses command
that the man give the woman a bill of divorce and dismiss her?”
He said to them, “Because of the hardness of your hearts
Moses allowed you to divorce your wives,
but from the beginning it was not so.
I say to you, whoever divorces his wife
(unless the marriage is unlawful)
and marries another commits adultery.”
His disciples said to him,
“If that is the case of a man with his wife,
it is better not to marry.”
He answered, “Not all can accept this word,
but only those to whom that is granted.
Some are incapable of marriage because they were born so;
some, because they were made so by others;
some, because they have renounced marriage
for the sake of the Kingdom of heaven.
Whoever can accept this ought to accept it.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Today’s Gospel is tough. How do we understand it today?

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If your marriage is strong – if you’re living the ideal that our Lord sets before us – then give thanks to God… and to your spouse!

You’re an inspiration to many.

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If your marriage is on the rocks, know Jesus is with you. He wants your marriage to succeed just as much as you do.

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If you’ve endured the heartbreaking experience of divorce, then know that Jesus is still walking with you, he still loves you, and he still calls you to be his disciple.

We cannot avoid this unfortunate truth: sometimes relationships fail. It’s part of living in a fallen world.

But God never fails us. 

He is forever faithful, the Good Shepherd, who stands ready to place us on his shoulders when we fall and carry us forward. He’s a God who’s always looking for the next door to open.

The last thing the Lord would ever do is pick at our faults or rejoice in our failings. It’s simply not who he is. 

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As Christians, what the Lord asks of us is to extend the same mercy to others that he so often shows to us.

“For you shall be judged as you have judged,” Jesus says.

Instead of excluding those who’ve been deeply hurt already, perhaps today we can pray for the needs of many: couples who are firmly in love; couples who are struggling in their marriage; relationships that have ended; and those who hope to marry someday.

May the Lord guide us all along the path of healing and peace.

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Image credits: (1) KGW, How to Get Married During Covid-19 (2) Harvard Health (3) Brandon Cox