Kingdom-bound… Everyone?

HOMILY: Twenty-Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Matthew 20:1-16 24

September 2023

Fr. Ricky Cañet Montañez, AA

Time flies so fast. Parents caring for their new-born are told to cherish each moment because before they know it, their kid is no longer a baby. Lovers, feel there just aren’t enough hours in a day to spend with each other.  We want to accomplish so much and squeeze in all we need and want to do because life is short! These are all echoed by the sayings — “Time is Gold!”, “The early bird catches the worm.”, “Daig ng maagap ang masipag.” All prove there is value in being first, in getting ahead. Yet there are those who still love to procrastinate. “I will do it tomorrow.” (“Bukas na lang.”) “I’ll do it later.” (“Saka na lang.”) As if, there is always time. My friend never likes to be the first to arrive at a party. You can’t rush her. She is suffering from DES or Dramatic Entrance Syndrome. She says, whether she’s first or last, she’ll still be fed and she’ll still be able to take home what was reserved for her as giveaway or party favour. The important thing is, she will come.

In the gospel this Sunday, Jesus tells His disciples a parable about a landowner and the workers he hires for his vineyard. He goes out at dawn, at 9 AM, at noon, at 3 PM and even at 5 PM to hire people to work for him. The only strange thing is that the compensation was the same for everyone. The first ones he hired complained because they had to work harder than those who came later. If we were those early hires, wouldn’t we feel the same way? It is unfair, right? It is just right that those who worked longer should be paid more.  If it happened now, the Union will surely dispute it or it will be reported to the National Labour Relations Commission (NLRC). 

If this is what we focus on, then we are missing the point of the parable entirely! In the text, Jesus’ first words are “The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner…” (Matthew 20:1) So the focus is on the Kingdom of Heaven. And what can we learn about the Kingdom? We can learn three things from the parable about the Kingdom. First, the Kingdom is bountiful; it is a kingdom of wealth. The fact that the landowner kept on hiring workers throughout the day means the land is vast and the harvest is bountiful. The harvest is even deemed too much for the most diligent worker to handle. Second, there is room for everybody. Everyone is welcome!  The workers who are called to work at different times of the day represent the different stages in life when we have responded to the call of Jesus to “Follow Him”. We can assume that the early birds are those who, in their youth, have already decided to follow Jesus and serve Him as their Lord and Saviour. Those hired at noon are likened to those who repent at mid-life, and perhaps the ones hired at 5 PM are those who are converted in their old age or when they are about to die. There is hope for all to belong to the Kingdom of God. The important thing is, we respond, when He calls. Third, we learn that God is an insane-Giver. His generosity does not make sense at all! He pays all the workers the same wage, regardless of the effort they put in. In the text the landowner declares: “Am I not free to do what I wish with my own money?” (Matthew 20:15) Isn’t this right? If we own a business, would we allow someone to interfere with how we run it? It’s just that God is so generous. Isaiah reminds us that God is not limited in His thinking as we are. “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.” (Isaiah 55:8-9)

Before the Ascension, Jesus tells His disciples: “In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places; if there were not, have I told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” (John 14:2-3) The same promise is extended to us, who follow Him. Don’t we all feel lucky? Despite this promise, let’s remember that it is not enough that Someone is patiently waiting for us. We must be ready to respond to the Lord’s call. At the start of the homily, I mentioned that society puts a premium on those who work to be ahead of everyone else. It is good if we have that sense of urgency in responding to Christ’s invitation to live out the values of the Kingdom. Even if we fail at first, God still gives us many opportunities to repent of our sins and to choose Him. The problem is we don’t know the time of our passing. Some die young. Some die in midlife. Some die in their old age. We won’t know exactly when our time will end. We cannot assume that we can always put off for tomorrow what we can and must be doing today. What if we run out of time? How else will we repent or change to make amends? It’s a shame if we are left behind because of all the procrastinations.

The Kingdom of Heaven is too sweet a deal for us to pass up. God is such a generous and patient Father who is eager to embrace us and welcome us into an eternity in His Kingdom. He will never force us. He waits with anticipation when we will respond to His call.  The chances we have are not endless but we should not wait too long or else we could lose a golden opportunity. When the time comes, hopefully not anytime soon… “See you there.” My prayer is for everyone to be on board! (Ang dasal ko, sana all!) 😉