HOMILIES

Dear Audience,
For better understanding of the spiritual message behind this homily I kindly remind you to first read and contemplate the biblical texts before reading or listening to my preaching - a human reflection on the Word of God!

Twenty Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Year A)

Sep 20, 2026

220

Listen Read

First Reading

A reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah (55:6-9)

Seek the Lord while He may be found, call Him while He is near. Let the scoundrel forsake his way, and the wicked his thoughts; let him turn to the Lord for mercy; to our God, who is generous in forgiving. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord. As high as the heavens are above the Earth, so high are my ways above your ways and my thoughts above your thoughts.

(P) The word of the Lord.
(R) Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalms of David (145:2-3, 8-9, 17-18)

(R) The Lord is near to all who call upon Him.

Every day will I bless you, and I will praise your name forever and ever. Great is the Lord and highly to be praise; His greatness is unsearchable. (R)

The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness. The Lord is good to all and compassionate toward all His works. (R)

The Lord is just in all His ways and holy in all His works. The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth. (R)

Second Reading

A reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Philippians (1:20c-24, 27a)

Brothers and sisters: Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me life is Christ, and death is gain. If I go on living in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. And I do not know which I shall choose. I am caught between the two. I long to depart this life and be with Christ, for that is far better. Yet that I remain in the flesh is more necessary for your benefit.

Only, conduct yourselves in a way worthy of the gospel of Christ.

(P) The word of the Lord.
(R) Thanks be to God.

Gospel

A reading from the Gospel according to Matthew (20:1-16a)

Jesus told his disciples this parable: "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, the landowner 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, the landowner 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." When it was evening the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, "Summon the laborers and give them their pay, beginning with the last and ending with the first." When those who had started about five o'clock came, each received the usual daily wage. So when the first came, they thought that they would receive more, but each of them also got the usual wage. And on receiving it they grumbled against the landowner, saying, "These last ones worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us, who bore the day's burden and the hear." He said to one of them in reply, "My friend, I am not cheating you. Did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage? Take what is yours and go. What if I wish to give this last one the same as you? Or am I not free to do as I wish with my own money? Are you envious because I am generous?" Thus, the last will be first, and the first will be last."

(P) The Gospel of the Lord.
(R) Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Homily

Once a group of boys found a bag of walnuts in a field. Unable to agree on how to divide the nuts among them, they took the bag to an elder in their village and asked his help. The man smiled and asked the boys, "How would you like me to distribute the nuts among you? Should I divide them God's way or man's way?" The boys enthusiastically shouted in unison, "We want God's way!" The man nodded, opened the bag, and began distributing the nuts. To the first boy, he gave two handfuls. To the second boy, he gave a single handful. To the third boy, he gave just five nuts. To the fourth boy, he gave the remainder, nearly half the bag. The boys looked at the man in confusion and protested that it is unfair. The man calmly replied, "My children, you asked me to distribute them as God would and I did." And he further explained, "This is exactly how God distributes wealth in the physical world. He gives a great abundance to some, a tiny amount to others, and leaves some others with little or nothing, expecting those who have received much to share with others, especially those who have less or nothing. Had you chosen man's way, I would have divided them all equally."

Today's gospel, Matthew (20:1-16), shows that God's mercy and justice are rooted in boundless generosity and unearned grace, transcending human arithmetic and calculations of strict fairness. To fully understand the text, we must go back to the 19th chapter where Jesus speaks about sacrifices, rewards and eternal life. When a rich man asks Jesus how to gain eternal life, Jesus tells him to sell his possessions, give the money to the poor, and follow Him, but the man loves his great wealth too much to let it go. Jesus then said that it is very hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven because material wealth often creates a false sense of security and a divided heart that resists surrendering to God, Matthew (19:16-24).

At this juncture, Peter asks Jesus, "Lord, we have left everything and followed you. What then shall we have", Matthew (19:27)? Here, Peter was very likely looking for a proportional reward or special status that matched the scale of their immense personal sacrifices. In response, Jesus promises that the disciples will share in His reign, sit on thrones and judge people, alongside a hundredfold return of everything they give up, such as houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and lands, and eternal life, Matthew (19:28-29). Jesus concludes by noting that "many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first," reminding the disciples that spiritual status in the kingdom operates differently than worldly status, Matthew (19:28-30).

In today's gospel, through a parable, Jesus further illustrates that God's kingdom operates on divine grace and generosity rather than human calculations of fairness. The parable is about a landowner who hires workers at different times throughout the day - some at dawn, others around 9 o'clock, noon, 3 o'clock and some others about 5 o'clock, just one hour before quitting time. At the end of the day, the landowner begins paying the workers beginning with the last ones hired and going in reverse order up to the first group. He pays every worker the exact same amount - one full denarius (a standard daily wage) - regardless of how many hours they worked. When the 5 o'clock workers are called first and given a full day's pay, the workers who laboured all day from dawn expect to receive more. However, when the early workers realize everyone gets the same amount, they grumble against the landowner, feeling it is unfair. They argue that the landowner has made the late workers equal to them. The landowner defends his choice by pointing out that he paid the workers what they agreed upon and has the right to be generous with his own money. He rebukes them by asking if they are being envious or begrudging of his kindness to others. Jesus concludes the parable with the same words that ended the 19th chapter, though in a different order, "the last will be first, the first will be last" thus, connecting the parable to the conversation with the rich man and Peter.

What is the message for us?

The first group of workers had a clear contract for a standard daily wage. The intermediate groups were told that they would be paid, "what is fair" or whatever is right." The last group was given no promise of a specific wage; they were simply told to go to the vineyard. However, at the end of the day, the landowner displayed both justice and mercy without contradicting himself. By paying the first workers the exact standard daily wage they agreed upon, the landowner fulfilled his word and remained completely faithful to his contract. At the same time, by giving the later workers far more than they strictly "earned" or "deserved" for only a few hours of work, he ensured that their families had enough to survive, perfectly demonstrating his extraordinary mercy and generosity.

In the spiritual realm, God is like the landowner, who displays both justice and mercy without contradiction by fulfilling the demands of the law while simultaneously offering unmerited favour. God is always just and true to His promises, He never deprives anyone of what is fair or covenanted. His grace is not a wage earned by a merit system or a scoreboard of hours worked. It flows from His overflowing mercy. Salvation and eternal life are gifts of His generosity. Whether someone serves God for a lifetime or turns to Him at the very end of their life, God welcomes them with the same full measure of grace. For instance, the thief on the cross, Luke (23:39:43), whose life of service was limited to a moment of repentance and confession of faith in Christ, received the same saving grace as the apostle Paul who served Christ for many years, writing letters, planting churches, and enduring severe hardships for the faith.

Therefore, we shall also place our absolute faith in the unfailing word and character of God, knowing that He will keep His promises and deal with us out of profound grace and love regardless of whether we are following and serving Him since childhood or just recently, in prominent roles including positions like priests, ministry leaders or coordinators, or quiet, simple roles including actions like cleaning the church, praying privately, preparing meals, or raising children in faith at home.
No worker received less than what they earned or deserved. Yet, they allowed jealousy and resentment to eclipse their gratitude and joy when the landowner chose to be extraordinarily generous to those who worked less but needed a full day's pay for their family's survival just as much as they. They focused on what others received instead of celebrating their own provision and the owner's kindness.

Like the early workers, we too often fall into the trap of comparison, resentment, and jealousy. We constantly measure our physical, material, or emotional standing against others. We measure God's goodness and sovereignty by looking at what others have instead of appreciating our own blessings. We look at our own hard work, service, suffering, or sacrifices and expect a bigger reward than others. It is completely natural to feel this way. In our world, more effort equals more pay. We are also happy when God answers our prayers and grants us provisions. But when we see someone else, especially those whom we think are less worthy than us, get the same reward for a fraction of the time, effort or work or receives God's mercy, blessings, or forgiveness - whether late in life or after a troubled past - we feel it is deeply unfair. We question God's justice, fairness, and generosity instead of celebrating their good fortune.

As the Church founded by Christ or as the new people of God, we all can feel truly blessed and fortunate to have everyday gifts like good health, loving family, supportive relationships, a caring community, safety, employment, comfort, and peaceful moments. There is nothing wrong with that. However, we should avoid thinking that we are better than others, and that we can expect and demand heavenly favours more than others. If God is generous with us, He must also be generous to others. Therefore, let us "rejoice with those who rejoice," treating others' blessings as moments to praise God's kindness and generosity, instead of feeling envious, Romans (12:15).
True fulfilment in life and faith never comes from comparison, entitlement, or legalistic accounting. Instead, lasting peace and joy flow entirely from resting in God's generous grace, celebrating the blessings of others and freely sharing that grace rather than demanding more. Let us truly believe that God is always fair, faithful, and infinitely more generous than we can imagine. Let us thank God daily for all the gifts, resources, and opportunities including wealth, time, talents, knowledge, spiritual gifts, and the like, and use them well to benefit others and honour God.

(P) Amen.

God Bless You!

Content Options

to download the audio file Sign In » or Register ».
generate Google Translate Layout ».
share this homily via:

Top of Page

More Homilies this Month

Use the Prev or Next buttons to read or listen to the other homilies of the month.

« Prev Twenty Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Year A) Next » Twenty Sixth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Year A)