‘It’s never too late’ is a common saying that fits the gospel we hear. But a rather different saying may be found in the first reading – ‘carpe diem’ – grab the opportunity today, for you do not know how long it will be available.
The readings are available online here.
Isaiah 55:6-9
These verses are close to the end of the second prophet whose words are collected in chapters 40-55 of the book named ‘Isaiah’ after he first prophet of that name; scholars use the name Second Isaiah (or ‘Deutero-Isaiah’). This message was to the exiles in Babylon who had been transported in the 6th century BCE by Nebuchadnezzar when he defeated Jerusalem. Second Isaiah’s prophecies have a universality and poetic quality that have made them favourites of Christians, and they are often used in the liturgy. This selection may be taken as a general call to anyone who may be wavering, weak in faith or practice or anxious about their sinfulness. At the time he wrote, Second Isaiah was speaking to exiles, and may have felt some urgency in the words ‘while He is still to be found’ – warning the wavering exiles to make the decision to return and rebuild the wasted city of Jerusalem while they had permission to leave. A possibility is that the prophet was referring to the frequent call in the Hebrew Bible to ‘seek the Lord’ in the Temple. Often in this book, God’s call to all, and not just Hebrews, is emphasised and so God may be found anywhere.
Second Isaiah may also have observed that exiles had slipped from living by the Law, and so the reminder that God is always ready to forgive. ‘My thoughts are not your thoughts’ is a good expression of how far from us the full reality of God is, but in the context it may be specially about ‘rich in forgiveness’. There is a human weakness for holding on to blame for wrongs against us, or any grievance, finding it hard to forgive. People often ask for ‘justice’ against wrongdoers and also seek personal revenge. God in contrast is ready to forgive even before we even ask.
Psalm 144/145:2—3, 8-9,17-18
This is an ‘alphabetic’ psalm in Hebrew as each line starts with the letters of the alphabet. This is lost in translations, but it explains why the order of ideas seems arbitrary. Our verses today are drawn from various parts of the Psalm sharing the theme of God’s love, and fits well with the first reading. The Lord ‘kind and full of compassion, abounding in love’ is like a refrain throughout the Old Testament.
Philippians 1:20-24
The liturgy draws on this Letter for the next four weeks. The background, as described by Brendan Byrne, SJ in the New Jerome Biblical Commentary, is this: Philippi is named for the founder, Philip II of Macedonia, and was an important and prestigious Roman colonia. The beginning and end of St Paul’s mission there is described by Luke in Acts 16:11-40 but it does not detail how long Paul spent there. Since the close community he writes to was so devoted, he likely worked there for some time. Women were prominent in the community from the beginning and some are named in the Letter.
St. Paul writes while he was a prisoner, likely in Ephesus, not too far from Philippi which would make possible the travel between the two cities as it appears in the Letter. Paul had an especially close relationship with this church he had founded, and he writes warmly and personally to them. Still he felt the need to continue to teach and encourage them, and ‘unity’ is a major concern.
In today’s reading, Paul is uncertain about what will be the result of his imprisonment – release or execution. He explains how he sees good in either case. The last verse we hear begins a new section, with his usual style of advice on Christian living. The whole reading is full of what matters most to Paul at all times: Jesus Christ and union with him in mind and heart.
Matthew 20:1-16
I use the commentary by R. T. France to discuss this difficult parable, found only in Matthew. This section is framed between two sayings of ‘the last being the first’ although the liturgy does not include the first one (Matthew 19:30). This paradox reversal is a reminder that God’s actions do not always meet our expectations.
The parable begins as do many of Jesus’ teachings with a recognizable situation, but like many of his stories, it shortly leads to surprises. Those listening to Jesus would understand the situation of the time when there were no welfare benefits for the unemployed. Those who did not find work would no money to support themselves and family. (In our times, similar destitution still happens in rich societies, especially now with the disruption of the cost of living crisis.) The word used in the translation – ‘idle’ – France says should not be taken as often today, meaning deliberately doing nothing. Rather – as they themselves explain – they are not working because no one has hired them when they wanted to work. This much at least some of the first listeners could have understood and probably had sympathy for. Then comes the shock of the reward: all get the same pay.
France writes, ‘The reader instinctively sympathizes with the aggrieved workers. It doesn’t seem fair.’ While the landowner is “technically correct” that the first workers got what they agreed for, why do we still feel that something is wrong?’ This is not an employment practice we would commend today! ‘But the kingdom of heaven does not operate on the basis of commercial convention. God rules by grace, not by desert.’
It is very easy to fall in with the idea that God ‘owes’ us a reward for any good we do, our service, but while God does promise abundant returns, people forget that God’s offer of love and salvation is pure gift. None of us has done anything to deserved forgiveness. Still we are tempted to feel we have ‘earned’ something for accepting that grace and trying to live as God asks – and to look down on those we think less worthy. The parable, France says, call us ‘to re-examine how far [our] reactions are still governed by human ideals of deserving rather than by the uncalculating generosity of the kingdom of heaven…. The blessing of eternal life is the same for all. Some are not more saved than others.’
Like Luke’s parable of the ‘Prodigal Son’ (15:11-32) Jesus calls us to rejoice in God’s generosity, to be happy that even those whose repentance comes late in the day will be received by a loving Father. If God is generous to others (as the lord says of himself in the parable) we should rejoice, for God has also been generous to us in our failings.
Joan Griffith
Suggestions for prayer or reflection
Like last week’s Gospel, the theme of spiritual and psychological generosity continues this week – God’s generosity, but one which we should strive to imitate. This parable illustrates that God’s generosity is not paid out ‘per hour’, according to what we think might be deserved. This little story triggers our own gut instincts about what we think we and others deserve; whether our private thought is ‘it’s not fair, they don’t deserve it’ or we inwardly think we don’t deserve things because we’re never quite good enough.
While modern psychology might urge us to have better self-esteem and self-worth, Jesus’ parables take a different tack: frankly our anxieties about being good enough, or what we and others do or don’t deserve, are just irrelevant. It is all swept away by God’s infinite love, welcome, and giving. This is much more liberating than struggling to improve our self-esteem, or trying to be less begrudging towards other people.
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- Who do I identify with in this parable – and why?
- Do I struggle with feeling good enough, or feeling I don’t do enough? Do I feel guilty or anxious when good things come my way?
- Do I resent good things coming to others, especially if they don’t seem to deserve it?
- Can I be still, let go of all these thoughts and impulses, and let God’s generosity bless me in any way He chooses? What happens if I forget myself and other people, and just focus on the presence of God?
Gwen Griffith-Dickson