Homily 18th September, 2011 Twenty - fifth Sunday of the Year - A
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We had a Deanery retreat at Ormiston on Friday night and Saturday and representatives from parishes in the deanery gathered to have a time of prayer and reflection.
The opening scripture for this time of retreat was very pertinent. It was St Paul to the Ephesians, chapter three:
14 For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15 from whom every family[a] in heaven and on earth derives its name. 16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
And Our Lord spent his ministry teaching his disciples (and us) about how we might be able to (in some small way) grasp the unimaginable depths of God's generosity, love, forgiveness and care. It is quite beyond the human concept. this parable, this weekend, is attempting to convey a taste of that depth and breadth of God's love and generosity and inclusion....
The Gospel this weekend is truly wonderful. Our Lord teaches us this parable to open up for us what is really the unimaginable depths of God’s generosity, love, kindness and care.
The opening scripture for this time of retreat was very pertinent. It was St Paul to the Ephesians, chapter three:
14 For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15 from whom every family[a] in heaven and on earth derives its name. 16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
And Our Lord spent his ministry teaching his disciples (and us) about how we might be able to (in some small way) grasp the unimaginable depths of God's generosity, love, forgiveness and care. It is quite beyond the human concept. this parable, this weekend, is attempting to convey a taste of that depth and breadth of God's love and generosity and inclusion....
The Gospel this weekend is truly wonderful. Our Lord teaches us this parable to open up for us what is really the unimaginable depths of God’s generosity, love, kindness and care.
God’s ways are truly wonderful and they are in marked contrast with many human attitudes. This parable of the generous landowner and the workers in the vineyard really challenges us to accept a new way of thinking and acting that does not measure up what we can get from things – like one who keeps a balance sheet of what they have gotten and what they have given.
In Jesus’ time, and even in this day and age, many people seem to asses what they should put their energy and time into by what they can personally benefit from it. In many ways, there is nothing wrong with an attitude of ‘win-win’ where everyone ends up benefitting from a situation. The only trouble is, in this world there are many people who are severely disadvantaged and in need. And all things are not equal. In a world where people get something only if they can give something of equal value back, there are many people who are in a dire situation because they are so poor or disadvantaged that they are not seen as being able to benefit anyone – so they miss out. They don’t fit into the system and are left on the margins. Jesus went out to the margins and searched for these people and made special effort to ensure that they too were included in his Kingdom. This is what the generous landowner is doing. The workers who were left without any days work after the eleventh hour (still a term we use today) would have gone without a days food. The landowner knew this and also knew that the harvest is plentiful and the labourers few, so he gave them what they needed - a days food (pay). Not that they ‘earnt’ it, but that they NEEDED it. And in any case, when it comes to God’s gifts none of us have really earned God’s favour and love, it is freely and generously given and its offered to all.
God is generous and kind. God gives us love and care and invites us to be part of his family because God is generous and loving, not because we have earnt it. Jesus wants us to have that same generosity and welcome to others around. They too are welcome because God is loving, forgiving and generous to them, as God is to us as well.
What a wonderful and quite revolutionary attitude. A world-changing attitude.
What would the world be like if everyone was striving to outdo eachother in hospitality, welcome, generosity and giving, and less about what do I get out of this? But how is this benefitting me? What can you give me? Why did he get that, I should have gotten more.. and so on….
To summarise this gospel… a writer once said….
“the world asks, HOW MUCH did the landowner give ? But Jesus invites us to ask the better question? WHY did the landowner give as he did, (not how much did he give)?”
The answer is.. because God is generous, God is loving. God gives us what we NEED.
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REFERENCES:
· FR. PAUL W. KELLY
· Mark Link. Vision. Praying Scripture in a contemporary way. Year a.
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