Gospel Reflection - 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A


Matthew 20:1-16a

At first glance, this parable seems quite unfair – everyone receiving the same amount of pay whether they worked all day long or just an hour. However, what would we think if the parable read as follows:

There is a group of men & women who’ve been faithful Christians all their lives, treating others as they want to be treated, performing charitable acts of kindness & mercy, sharing their faith with others, & worshiping God in all they’ve done. At their deaths, God welcomed them into Heaven with open arms.

There is another group who’ve been faithful off & on throughout their lives. Just prior to their deaths, they were in the on again portion & had been living true Christian lives. God welcomed them into Heaven with open arms.

A third group lived selfish lives, never thinking of others. They were stingy with their income & resources, turning their backs on those who were truly in need. On their deathbeds, they had a healing experience & came to know God, repenting of all their past sins. God welcomed them into Heaven with open arms, just as He did with the other two groups of people.

The Kingdom of Heaven truly is like this! As sinners, we must acknowledge our sins, seek forgiveness from God, & atone for those sins. While the sooner we do this, the better, our merciful God will welcome us into His Heavenly Kingdom even at the moment of our deaths if we just turn to Him!

How does this alter your idea of the laborers receiving the same pay for different times of work?

To which of the three groups do you most relate?

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