Twentieth Wednesday of Ordinary Time

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.’

No matter when we come to Jesus, we will be welcomed. Some of us may have labored in the vineyard of souls since we first understood what it meant to know, love, and serve God and His children. Some of us may have just begun to do God's Will after many years of idleness. Others of us might struggle our entire lives with conforming our wills to God. However, in the eyes of God, all that really matters is that we accept His invitation to follow Him into the vineyard and do the work He assigns us. If we do this, then no matter when or how we came to work for God, we will be rewarded with eternal life. This is not to say that we can act immorally for all of our lives and then at the last moment seek forgiveness for our sins as a get out of jail free card. This will never work. The only way we can be fruitfully employed by God is to seek Him with truly contrite hearts and then do His Will in good conscience. Then and only then can we consider ourselves co-workers in the vineyard of souls and heirs to the kingdom.

Are we seeking to be employed in the vineyard of souls? What sins and imperfections do we need to overcome in order to do God's Will more perfectly? Are we serving God and others because it is the right thing to do or because we expect something in return?

O Lord, lead us into your vineyard and give us a just wage for all the works we do therein.

Amen.