The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to be wise and generous as we are open to care and compassion that our culture may not appreciate or recommend.
The reading from the Book of Judges is the Parable of the Trees.
* [9:9] Whereby gods and human beings are honored: olive oil had a variety of cultic uses (e.g., Lv 2:1, 6, 15; 24:2), and it was also used in the consecration of priests and kings for office (e.g., Ex 30:25, 30; 1 Sm 10:1; 16:13).
* [9:13] Cheers gods: wine was part of a number of types of offerings in the Israelite cult (cf. Ex 29:40; Lv 23:13; Nm 15:7, 10), and it was also used widely in the worship of foreign gods (cf. Dt 32:37–38; Is 65:11). (Judges, CHAPTER 9 | USCCB, n.d.)
Psalm 21 is thanksgiving for Victory.
* [Psalm 21] The first part of this royal Psalm is a thanksgiving (Ps 21:2–8), and the second is a promise that the king will triumph over his enemies (Ps 21:9–13). The king’s confident prayer (Ps 21:3–5) and trust in God (Ps 21:8) enable him to receive the divine gifts of vitality, peace, and military success. Ps 21:14 reprises Ps 21:2. When kings ceased in Israel after the sixth century B.C., the Psalm was sung of a future Davidic king. (Psalms, PSALM 21, n.d.)
The Gospel of Matthew presents the parable of the Labourers in the Vineyard.
* [20:1–16] This parable is peculiar to Matthew. It is difficult to know whether the evangelist composed it or received it as part of his traditional material and, if the latter is the case, what its original reference was. In its present context its close association with Mt 19:30 suggests that its teaching is the equality of all the disciples in the reward of inheriting eternal life.
* [20:4] What is just: although the wage is not stipulated as in the case of those first hired, it will be fair.
* [20:8] Beginning with the last…the first: this element of the parable has no other purpose than to show how the first knew what the last were given (Mt 20:12).
* [20:13] I am not cheating you: literally, “I am not treating you unjustly.”
* [20:14–15] The owner’s conduct involves no violation of justice (Mt 20:4, 13), and that all the workers receive the same wage is due only to his generosity to the latest arrivals; the resentment of the first comes from envy.
Kimberly Grassmeyer comments that we understand that God, too, has made a promise to us - one that we are welcome to accept early, accept late, or reject altogether.
But we might also wonder what our faith is "worth" to our God? The sporadic or late-comer faithful among us might arguably fall short of an ideal: we likely see ourselves among the group of later-hires in the landowner's day. But the landowner still provided a full day's wages, even though these workers arguably could not have expected such pay. In a group of (faith) laggards who sometimes fear that we may not be deserving of some of God's graces, or maybe even God's ultimate promise, might we hope that God will make such a generous place for us, also? The lesson teaches us that we can. We can even move beyond hope to trust God will. "The last shall be first."
Others of us, early in life, learned and experienced deep faith; we know that God is with us and we trust that God will have a place for us in the Kingdom of Heaven. The most faithful among us rarely waiver in daily prayer, rituals, beliefs and behaviors: these are the group of the landowner's early, day-long workers. So in answer to the earlier question of what about these folks? What was "in it for them" to be always faithful? Is God being generous to them? The parable explains to this group that while "the first shall be last", there is no question whether there will of course be room: they will receive their full day's pay. But why ONLY the day's pay? We have to recognize the fulfillment of God's promise is as generous as God can be! There is NO MORE generosity, no BETTER generosity; NOTHING ELSE MATTERS. (Grassmeyer, 2023)
Don Schwager quotes “Christ our householder,” author unknown, from the 5th century A.D.
"The householder [in Matthew's parable - chapter 20] is Christ, to whom the heavens and the earth are like a single house; the family is as it were the multitude of creatures both angelic and earthly. It is as if he built a three-storied house: hell, heaven and earth, so that those struggling may live upon the earth, those conquered below the earth, those conquering in heaven. We too, set in the middle, should strive not to descend to those who are in hell but ascend to those who are in heaven. And in case perhaps you do not know which one you ought to shun or which one you ought to aspire to, he has given you as it were a little taste of both while you live between light and darkness: night as a taste of hell, daylight as a taste of heaven." (excerpt from an incomplete Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew, HOMILY 34) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 20:1-16 invites us to recall the landowner’s words, which echo God’s attitude: “Are you envious because I am generous?” (Matthew 20:15). The truth is that God offers no less than everything—his whole self—to all of us. There’s no “more” or “less” in his kingdom! He never runs out of goodness, and when it looks as if someone is receiving more, that doesn’t mean there’s less for us. In Christ, each of us has all we need. That’s more than enough.
In the end, that’s what the workers in the parable missed out on. Their hearts couldn’t rejoice in the master’s generosity because they were measuring who got how much. But you don’t have to miss out. Today, acknowledge God’s abundant compassion and look at other people with his merciful gaze.
“Heavenly Father, I rejoice in your great generosity!” (Meditation on Matthew 20:1-16, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler fleshes out the attempt of one of the sons of Gideon, Abimelech, who tried to make himself a judge and king and the proclamation of Jotham about choosing a leader among the trees. The workers in the vineyard is a parable of judgement like others in Matthew. Friar Jude reminds us of the generosity of God , beyond measure, that desires everyone to be saved.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces author and minister Dominique DuBois Gilliard who identifies the relational emphasis of God’s justice. This rightness of relationships on every level is known as shalom, which is juxtaposed to the state’s understanding of justice. Shalom calls Christians to view and pursue justice in light of God’s original intent. It summons us to live within the confines of covenantal community, where we actively pursue communal flourishing, consider the interests of others (particularly “the least of these”), and prioritize the restoration of righteous relationships in the face of harm. Crime is never merely an individual breaking the law; it is always a communal transgression that fractures shalom.
Restorative justice gives shape to a communal ethic that is conciliatory in spirit and just in nature. It provides a structure for conflict resolution that facilitates truth telling, accountability, forgiveness, and restitution. The restorative nature of God’s justice is woven throughout Scripture. Divine justice induces relational rightness between hostile parties, the holistic reintegration of exiled individuals, and economic and systemic restitution in the face of harm. Throughout Scripture, God works amid brokenness, restoring victims, communities, and offenders. [1] (Rohr, 2023)
We are nudged by the Spirit to practice generosity that is based on addressing the needs of the people we are invited to care for on our journey.
References
Grassmeyer, K. (2023, August 23). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved August 23, 2023, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/082323.html
Judges, CHAPTER 9 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved August 23, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/judges/9?6
Matthew, CHAPTER 20. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved August 23, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/20?1
Meditation on Matthew 20:1-16. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved August 23, 2023, from https://wau.org/meditations/2023/08/23/765650/
Psalms, PSALM 21. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved August 23, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/21?2
Rohr, R. (2023, August 23). Communal Restoration — Center for Action and Contemplation. CAC Daily Meditations 2023. Retrieved August 23, 2023, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/communal-restoration-2023-08-23/
Schwager, D. (n.d.). Do You Begrudge My Generosity? Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved August 23, 2023, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2023&date=aug23
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