Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings, 09-20-2020

For your reading, reflection, faith-sharing, comments, questions, discussion.

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Matthew
	English: Douay-Rheims	Latin: Vulgata Clementina	Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000)
	Matthew 20
1.	THE kingdom of heaven is like to an householder, who went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard.	Simile est regnum cælorum homini patrifamilias, qui exiit primo mane conducere operarios in vineam suam.	ομοια γαρ εστιν η βασιλεια των ουρανων ανθρωπω οικοδεσποτη οστις εξηλθεν αμα πρωι μισθωσασθαι εργατας εις τον αμπελωνα αυτου
2.	And having agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard.	Conventione autem facta cum operariis ex denario diurno, misit eos in vineam suam.	και συμφωνησας μετα των εργατων εκ δηναριου την ημεραν απεστειλεν αυτους εις τον αμπελωνα αυτου
3.	And going about the third hour, he saw others standing in the market place idle.	Et egressus circa horam tertiam, vidit alios stantes in foro otiosos,	και εξελθων περι τριτην ωραν ειδεν αλλους εστωτας εν τη αγορα αργους
4.	And he said to them: Go you also into my vineyard, and I will give you what shall be just.	et dixit illis : Ite et vos in vineam meam, et quod justum fuerit dabo vobis.	και εκεινοις ειπεν υπαγετε και υμεις εις τον αμπελωνα και ο εαν η δικαιον δωσω υμιν
5.	And they went their way. And again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did in like manner.	Illi autem abierunt. Iterum autem exiit circa sextam et nonam horam : et fecit similiter.	οι δε απηλθον παλιν εξελθων περι εκτην και ενατην ωραν εποιησεν ωσαυτως
6.	But about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing, and he saith to them: Why stand you here all the day idle?	Circa undecimam vero exiit, et invenit alios stantes, et dicit illis : Quid hic statis tota die otiosi ?	περι δε την ενδεκατην ωραν εξελθων ευρεν αλλους εστωτας αργους και λεγει αυτοις τι ωδε εστηκατε ολην την ημεραν αργοι
7.	They say to him: Because no man hath hired us. He saith to them: Go you also into my vineyard.	Dicunt ei : Quia nemo nos conduxit. Dicit illis : Ite et vos in vineam meam.	λεγουσιν αυτω οτι ουδεις ημας εμισθωσατο λεγει αυτοις υπαγετε και υμεις εις τον αμπελωνα και ο εαν η δικαιον ληψεσθε
8.	And when evening was come, the lord of the vineyard saith to his steward: Call the labourers and pay them their hire, beginning from the last even to the first.	Cum sero autem factum esset, dicit dominus vineæ procuratori suo : Voca operarios, et redde illis mercedem incipiens a novissimis usque ad primos.	οψιας δε γενομενης λεγει ο κυριος του αμπελωνος τω επιτροπω αυτου καλεσον τους εργατας και αποδος αυτοις τον μισθον αρξαμενος απο των εσχατων εως των πρωτων
9.	When therefore they were come, that came about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny.	Cum venissent ergo qui circa undecimam horam venerant, acceperunt singulos denarios.	και ελθοντες οι περι την ενδεκατην ωραν ελαβον ανα δηναριον
10.	But when the first also came, they thought that they should receive more: and they also received every man a penny.	Venientes autem et primi, arbitrati sunt quod plus essent accepturi : acceperunt autem et ipsi singulos denarios.	ελθοντες δε οι πρωτοι ενομισαν οτι πλειονα ληψονται και ελαβον και αυτοι ανα δηναριον
11.	And receiving it they murmured against the master of the house,	Et accipientes murmurabant adversus patremfamilias,	λαβοντες δε εγογγυζον κατα του οικοδεσποτου
12.	Saying: These last have worked but one hour, and thou hast made them equal to us, that have borne the burden of the day and the heats.	dicentes : Hi novissimi una hora fecerunt, et pares illos nobis fecisti, qui portavimus pondus diei, et æstus.	λεγοντες οτι ουτοι οι εσχατοι μιαν ωραν εποιησαν και ισους ημιν αυτους εποιησας τοις βαστασασιν το βαρος της ημερας και τον καυσωνα
13.	But he answering said to one of them: Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst thou not agree with me for a penny?	At ille respondens uni eorum, dixit : Amice, non facio tibi injuriam : nonne ex denario convenisti mecum ?	ο δε αποκριθεις ειπεν ενι αυτων εταιρε ουκ αδικω σε ουχι δηναριου συνεφωνησας μοι
14.	Take what is thine, and go thy way: I will also give to this last even as to thee.	Tolle quod tuum est, et vade : volo autem et huic novissimo dare sicut et tibi.	αρον το σον και υπαγε θελω δε τουτω τω εσχατω δουναι ως και σοι
15.	Or, is it not lawful for me to do what I will? is thy eye evil, because I am good?	Aut non licet mihi quod volo, facere ? an oculus tuus nequam est, quia ego bonus sum ?	η ουκ εξεστιν μοι ποιησαι ο θελω εν τοις εμοις ει ο οφθαλμος σου πονηρος εστιν οτι εγω αγαθος ειμι
16.	So shall the last be first, and the first last. For many are called, but few chosen.	Sic erunt novissimi primi, et primi novissimi. Multi enim sunt vocati, pauci vero electi.	ουτως εσονται οι εσχατοι πρωτοι και οι πρωτοι εσχατοι πολλοι γαρ εισιν κλητοι ολιγοι δε εκλεκτοι

CHAP. 20

20:1–16

1. For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an housholder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard.

2. And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard.

3. And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the market-place,

4. And said unto them; Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way.

5. Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise.

6. And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle?

7. They say unto him, Because no man hath hired us. He saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard; and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive.

8. So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the labourers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first.

9. And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny.

10. But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny.

11. And when they had received it, they murmured against the goodman of the house,

12. Saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day.

13. But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny?

14. Take that thine is, and go thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee.

15. Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good?

16. So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen.

REMIGIUS. To establish the truth of this saying, There are many first that shall be last, and last first, the Lord subjoins a similitude.

PSEUDO-CHRYSOSTOM. The Master of the household is Christ, whose house are the heavens and the earth; and the creatures of the heavens, and the earth, and beneath the earth, His family. His vineyard is righteousness, in which are set divers sorts of righteousness as vines, as meekness, chastity, patience, and the other virtues; all of which are called by one common name righteousness. Men are the cultivators of this vineyard, whence it is said, Who went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard. For God placed His righteousness in our senses, not for His own but for our benefit. Know then that we are the hired labourers. But as no man gives wages to a labourer, to the end he should do nothing save only to eat, so likewise we were not thereto called by Christ, that we should labour such things only as pertain to our own good, but to the glory of God. And like as the hired labourer looks first to his task, and after to his daily food, so ought we to mind first those things which concern the glory of God, then those which concern our own profit. Also as the hired labourer occupies the whole day in his Lord’s work, and takes but a single hour for his own meal; so ought we to occupy our whole life in the glory of God, taking but a very small portion of it for the uses of this world. And as the hired labourer when he has done no work is ashamed that day to enter the house, and ask his food; how should not you be ashamed to enter the church, and stand before the face of God, when you have done nothing good in the sight of God?

GREGORY. (Hom. in Ev. xix, 1.) Or; The Master of the household, that is, our Maker, has a vineyard, that is, the Church universal, which has borne so many stocks, as many saints as it has put forth from righteous Abel to the very last saint who shall be born in the end of the world. To instruct this His people as for the dressing of a vineyard, the Lord has never ceased to send out His labourers; first by the Patriarchs, next by the teachers of the Law, then by the Prophets, and at the last by the Apostles, He has toiled in the cultivation of His vineyard; though every man, in whatsoever measure or degree he has joined good action with right faith, has been a labourer in the vineyard.

ORIGEN. For the whole of this present life may be called one day, long to us, short compared to the existence of God.

GREGORY. (ubi sup.) The morning is that age of the world which was from Adam and Noah, and therefore it is said, Who went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard. The terms of their hiring He adds, And when he had agreed with the labourers for a denarius a day.

ORIGEN. The denarius I suppose here to mean salvation.

REMIGIUS. A denarius was a coin anciently equal to ten sesterces, and bearing the king’s image. Well therefore does the denarius represent the reward of the keeping of the decalogue. And that, Having agreed with them for a denarius a day, is well said, to shew that every man labours in the field of the holy Church in hope of the future reward.

GREGORY. (ubi sup.) The third hour is the period from Noah to Abraham; of which it is said, And he went out about the third hour; and saw others standing in the market-placeidle.

ORIGEN. The market-place is all that is without the vineyard, that is, without the Church of Christ.

PSEUDO-CHRYSOSTOM. For in this world men live by buying and selling, and gain their support by defrauding each other.

GREGORY. (ubi sup.) He that lives to himself, and feeds on the delights of the flesh, is rightly accused as idle, forasmuch as he does not seek the fruit of godly labour.

PSEUDO-CHRYSOSTOM. Or; The idle are not sinners, for they are called dead. But he is idle who works not the work of God. Do you desire to be not idle? Take not that which is another’s; and give of that which is your own, and you have laboured in the Lord’s vineyard, cultivating the vine of mercy. It follows, And he said unto them, Go ye also into my vineyard. Observe that it is with the first alone that He agrees upon the sum to be given, a denarius; the others are hired on no express stipulation, but What is right I will give you. For the Lord knowing that Adam would fall, and that all should hereafter perish in the deluge, made conditions for him, that he should never say that he therefore neglected righteousness, because he knew not what reward he should have. But with the rest He made no contract, seeing He was prepared to give more than the labourers could hope.

ORIGEN. Or, He did not call upon the labourers of the third hour for a complete task, but left to their own choice, how much they should work. For they might perform in the vineyard work equal to that of those who had wrought since the morning, if they chose to put forth upon their task an operative energy, such as had not yet been exerted.

GREGORY. (ubi sup.) The sixth hour is that from Abraham to Moses, the ninth that from Moses to the coming of the Lord.

PSEUDO-CHRYSOSTOM. These two hours are coupled together, because in the sixth and ninth it was that He called the generation of the Jews, and multiplied to publish His testaments among men, whereas the appointed time of salvation now drew nigh.

GREGORY. (ubi sup.) The eleventh hour is that from the coming of the Lord to the end of the world. The labourer in the morning, at the third, sixth, and ninth hours, denotes the ancient Hebrew people, which in its elect from the very beginning of the world, while it zealously and with right faith served the Lord, ceased not to labour in the husbandry of the vineyard. But at the eleventh the Gentiles are called. For they who through so many ages of the world had neglected to labour for their living, were they who had stood the whole day idle. But consider their answer; They say unto him, Because no man hath hired us; for neither Patriarch nor Prophet had come to them. And what is it to say, No man hath hired us, but to say, None has preached to us the way of life,

PSEUDO-CHRYSOSTOM. For what is our hiring, and the wages of that hiring? The promise of eternal life; for the Gentiles knew neither God, nor God’s promises.

HILARY. These then are sent into the vineyard, Go ye also into my vineyard.

RABANUS. But when they had rendered their day’s task, at the fitting time for payment, When even was come, that is, when the day of this world was drawing to its close.

PSEUDO-CHRYSOSTOM. Consider, He gives the reward not the next morning, but in the evening. Thus the judgment shall take place while this world is still standing, and each man shall receive that which is due to him. This is on two accounts. First, because the happiness of the world to come is to be itself the reward of righteousness; so the award is made before, and not in that world. Secondly, that sinners may not behold the blessedness of that day, The Lord saith unto his steward, that is, the Son to the Holy Spirit.

GLOSS. (non occ. sed vid. Raban.) Or, if you choose, the Father saith unto the Son; for the Father wrought by the Son, and the Son by the Holy Spirit, not that there is any difference of substance, or majesty.

ORIGEN. Or; The Lord said to his steward, that is, to one of the Angels who was set over the payment of the labourers; or to one of those many guardians, according to what is written, that The heir as long as he is a child is under tutors and governors. (Gal. 4:2.)

REMIGIUS. Or, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself is the master of the household, and also the steward, like as He is the door, and also the keeper of the door. For He Himself will come to judgment, to render to each man according to that he has done. He therefore calls His labourers, and renders to them their wages, so that when they shall be gathered together in the judgment, each man shall receive according to his works.

ORIGEN. But the first labourers having the witness through faith have not received the promise of God, the lord of the household providing some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect. (Heb. 11:40.) And because we have obtained mercy, we hope to receive the reward first, we, that is, who are Christ’s, and after us they that wrought before us; wherefore it is said, Call the labourers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first.

PSEUDO-CHRYSOSTOM. For we always give more willingly, where we give without return, seeing it is for our own honour that we give. Therefore God in giving reward to all the saints shews himself just; in giving to us, merciful; as the Apostle speaks, That the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy; (Rom. 16:9.) and thence it is said, Beginning from the last even unto the first. Or surely that God may shew His inestimable mercy, He first rewards the last and more unworthy, and afterwards the first; for of His great mercy He regarded not order of merit.

AUGUSTINE. (de Spir. et Lit. 24.) Or; The lesser are therefore taken as first, because the lesser are to be made rich.

GREGORY. (ubi sup.) They get alike a denarius who have wrought since the eleventh hour, (for they sought it with their whole soul,) and who have wrought since the first. They, that is, who were called from the beginning of the world have alike received the reward of eternal happiness, with those who come to the Lord in the end of the world.

PSEUDO-CHRYSOSTOM. And this not with injustice. For he who was born in the first period of the world, lived no longer than the determined time of his life, and what harm was it to him, though the world continued after his leaving it? And they that shall be born towards its close will not live less than the days that are numbered to them. And how does it cut then labour shorter, that the world is speedily ended, when they have accomplished their thread of life before? Moreover it is not of man to be born sooner or later, but of the power of God. Therefore he that is born first cannot claim to himself a higher place, nor ought he to be held in contempt that was born later. And when they had received it, they murmured against the goodman of the house, saying. But if this we have said be true, that both first and last have lived their own time, and neither more nor less; and that each man’s death is his consummation, what means this that they say, We have borne the burden and heat of the day? Because to know that the end of the world is at hand is of great force to make us do righteousness. Wherefore Christ in His love to us said, The kingdom of heaven shall draw nigh. (Matt. 4:2.) Whereas it was a weakening of them to know that the duration of the world was to be yet long. So that though they did not indeed live through the whole of time, they seem in a manner to have borne its weight. Or, by the burden of the day is meant the burdensome precepts of the Law; and the heat may be that consuming temptation to error which evil spirits contrived for them, stirring them to imitate the Gentiles; from all which things the Gentiles were exempt, believing on Christ, and by compendiousness of grace being saved completely.

GREGORY. (ubi sup.) Or; To bear the burden and heat of the day, is to be wearied through a life of long duration with the heats of the flesh. But it may be asked, How can they be said to murmur, when they are called to the kingdom of heaven? For none who murmurs shall receive the kingdom, and none who receives that can murmur.

CHRYSOSTOM. But we ought not to pursue through every particular the circumstances of a parable, but enter into its general scope, and seek nothing further. This then is not introduced in order to represent some as moved with envy, but to exhibit the honour that shall be given us as so great as that it might stir the jealousy of others.

GREGORY. (ubi sup.) Or because the old fathers down to the Lord’s coming, notwithstanding their righteous lives, were not brought to the kingdom, this murmur is theirs. But we who have come at the eleventh hour, do not murmur after our labours, forasmuch as having come into this world after the coming of the Mediator, we are brought to the kingdom as soon as ever we depart out of the body.

JEROME. Or, all that were called of old envy the Gentiles, and are pained at the grace of the Gospel.

HILARY. And this murmur of the labourers corresponds with the frowardness of this nation, which even in the time of Moses were stiff-necked.

REMIGIUS. By this one to whom his answer is given, may be understood all the believing Jews, whom he calls friends because of their faith.

PSEUDO-CHRYSOSTOM. Their complaint was not that they were defrauded of their rightful recompense, but that the others had received more than they deserved. For the envious have as much pain at others’ success as at their own loss. From which it is clear, that envy flows from vain glory. A man is grieved to be second, because he wishes to be first. He removes this feeling of envy by saying, Didst thou not agree with me for a denarius?

JEROME. A denarius bears the figure of the king. You have therefore received the reward which I promised you, that is, my image and likeness; what desirest thou more? And yet it is not that thou shouldest have more, but that another should have less that thou seekest. Take that is thine, and go thy way.

REMIGIUS. That is, take thy reward, and enter into glory. I will give to this last, that is, to the gentile people, according to their deserts, as to thee.

ORIGEN. Perhaps it is to Adam He says, Friend, I do thee no wrong; didst thou not agree with me for a denarius? Take that thine is, and go thy way. Salvation is thine, that is, the denarius. I will give unto this last also as unto thee. A person might not improbably suppose, that this last was the Apostle Paul, who wrought but one hour, and was made equal with all who had been before him.

AUGUSTINE. (de Sanc. Virg. 26.) Because that life eternal shall be equal to all the saints, a denarius is given to all; but forasmuch as in that life eternal the light of merits shall shine diversely, there are with the Father many mansions; so that under this same denarius bestowed unequally one shall not live longer than another, but in the many mansions one shall shine with more splendour than another.

GREGORY. (ubi sup.) And because the attainment of this kingdom is of the goodness of His will, it is added, Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? For it is a foolish complaint of man to murmur against the goodness of God. For complaint is not when a man gives not what he is not bound to give, but if he gives not what he is bound to give; whence it is added, Is thine eye evil because I am good?

REMIGIUS. By the eye is understood his purpose. The Jews had an evil eye, that is, an evil purpose, seeing they were grieved at the salvation of the Gentiles. Whereto this parable pointed, He shews by adding, So the first shall be last, and the last first; and so the Jews of the head are become the tail, and we of the tail are become the head.

PSEUDO-CHRYSOSTOM. Or; He says the first shall be last, and the last first, not that the last are to be exalted before the first, but that they should be put on an equality, so that the difference of time should make no difference in their station. That He says, For many are called, but few chosen, is not to be taken of the elder saints, but of the Gentiles; for of the Gentiles who were called being many, but few were chosen.

GREGORY. (ubi sup.) There be very many come to the faith, yet but few arrive at the heavenly kingdom; many follow God in words, but shun Him in their lives. Whereof spring two things to be thought upon. The first, that none should presume ought concerning himself; for though he be called to the faith, he knows not whether he shall be chosen to the kingdom. Secondly, that none should despair of his neighbour, even though he see him lying in vices; because he knows not the riches of the Divine mercy.

Or otherwise. The morning is our childhood; the third hour may be understood as our youth, the sun as it were mounting to his height is the advance of the heat of age; the sixth hour is manhood, when the sun is steady in his meridian height, representing as it were the maturity of strength; by the ninth is understood old age, in which the sun descends from his vertical height, as our age falls away from the fervour of youth; the eleventh hour is that age which is called decrepit, and doting.

CHRYSOSTOM. That He called not all of them at once, but some in the morning, some at the third hour, and so forth, proceeded from the difference of their minds1. He then called them when they would obey; as He also called the thief when he would obey. Whereas they say, Because no man hath hired us, we ought not to force a sense out of every particular in a parable. Further, it is the labourers and not the Lord who speak thus; for that He, as far as it pertains to Him, calls all men from their earliest years, is shewn in this, He went out early in the morning to hire labourers.

GREGORY. They then who have neglected till extreme old age to live unto God, have stood idle to the eleventh hour, yet even these the master of the household calls, and oftentimes gives them their reward before other, inasmuch as they depart out of the body into the kingdom before those that seemed to be called in their childhood.

ORIGEN. But this, Why stand ye here all the day idle? is not said to such as having begun in the spirit (Gal. 3:3) have been made perfect by the flesh, as inviting them to return again, and to live in the Spirit. This we speak not to dissuade prodigal sons, who have consumed their substance of evangelic doctrine in riotous living, from returning to their father’s house; but because they are not like those who sinned in their youth, before they had learnt the things of the faith.

CHRYSOSTOM. When He says, The first shall be last, and the last first, He alludes secretly to such as were at the first eminent, and afterwards set at nought virtue; and to others who have been reclaimed from wickedness, and have surpassed many. So that this parable was made to quicken the zeal of those who are converted in extreme old age, that they should not suppose that they shall have less than others.

Painting of the parable, by Patrick Paearz de Wet, mid-17th century

Saint of the Day - Saint Andrew Kim Taegon

The first native Korean priest, Andrew Kim Taegon was the son of Christian converts. Following his baptism at the age of 15, Andrew traveled 1,300 miles to the seminary in Macao, China. After six years, he managed to return to his country through Manchuria. That same year he crossed the Yellow Sea to Shanghai and was ordained a priest. Back home again, he was assigned to arrange for more missionaries to enter by a water route that would elude the border patrol. He was arrested, tortured, and finally beheaded at the Han River near Seoul, the capital.

Andrew’s father Ignatius Kim, was martyred during the persecution of 1839, and was beatified in 1925. Paul Chong Hasang, a lay apostle and married man, also died in 1839 at age 45.

Among the other martyrs in 1839 was Columba Kim, an unmarried woman of 26. She was put in prison, pierced with hot tools and seared with burning coals. She and her sister Agnes were disrobed and kept for two days in a cell with condemned criminals, but were not molested. After Columba complained about the indignity, no more women were subjected to it. The two were beheaded. Peter Ryou, a boy of 13, had his flesh so badly torn that he could pull off pieces and throw them at the judges. He was killed by strangulation. Protase Chong, a 41-year-old nobleman, apostatized under torture and was freed. Later he came back, confessed his faith and was tortured to death.

Christianity came to Korea during the Japanese invasion in 1592 when some Koreans were baptized, probably by Christian Japanese soldiers. Evangelization was difficult because Korea refused all contact with the outside world except for taking taxes to Beijing annually. On one of these occasions, around 1777, Christian literature obtained from Jesuits in China led educated Korean Christians to study. A home Church began. When a Chinese priest managed to enter secretly a dozen years later, he found 4,000 Catholics, none of whom had ever seen a priest. Seven years later there were 10,000 Catholics. Religious freedom came to Korea in 1883.

Besides Andrew and Paul, Pope John Paul II canonized 98 Koreans and three French missionaries who had been martyred between 1839 and 1867, when he visited Korea in 1984. Among them were bishops and priests, but for the most part they were lay persons: 47 women and 45 men.

NAVARRE BIBLE COMMENTARY (RSV)

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From: Isaiah 55:1-9

Epilogue: Invitation to Partake of the Banquet of the Lord's Covenant
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[6] “Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near; [7] let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. [8] for my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, says the Lord. [9] For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

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Commentary:

55:6-9. The Israelites are called to conversion. In order to return to their homeland, they must return to God, must “seek” him (vv. 6-7). And the Lord, who allows himself to be found and who does not judge in the way that men do, is willing and able to grant forgiveness (vv. 8-9). In other words, the call to repentance is grounded on the goodness of God who “will abundantly pardon” (v. 7). Man, for his part, should grasp this opportunity that God offers him. So, the words in this passage are a constant encouragement to begin and begin again in the pursuit of virtue: “To be converted means to ask for forgiveness and to seek out the strength of God in the Sacrament of reconciliation, and thus begin again, advancing step by step every day, learning to overcome ourselves, to win the spiritual battles that we face, and to give of ourselves joyfully, ‘for God loves a cheerful giver’ (2 Cor 9:7)” (John Paul II, Novo incipiente, 8 April 1979). And St Augustine, apropos of conversion, wrote: “Do not say: ‘Tomorrow, I will he converted; tomorrow, I will give thanks to God; and all my sins, today’s and yesterday’s, will be forgiven’. It is true that God promises forgiveness for your conversion; but He does not promise tomorrow for your delays” (Enarrationes in Psalmos, 144, 11).

The words of v. 8 are echoed by St Paul in Romans 11:33, and are a reminder to us of just how narrow-minded we can be and how we can fail even to imagine the great things that God has in store for us.

From: Philippians 1:18b-27

St. Paul's Own Circumstances
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[18b] Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed; and in that I rejoice. [19] Yes, and I shall rejoice. For I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, [20] as it is my eager expectation and hope that I shall not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. [21] For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. [22] If it is to be life in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. [23] I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. [24] But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. [25] Convinced of this, I know that I shall remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, [26] so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again.

Fight for the Faith
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[27] 0nly let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you stand firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel.

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Commentary:

15-18. "From envy and rivalry": we do not know whom he is referring to, but it does not seem to be Judaizers, as is the case in the epistles to the Galatians and the Romans. St Paul, who gives no thought to himself, rejoices as long as the Gospel is preached, even if the preachers have bad intention (v. 18). Christians should always be happy to see others working for Christ.

Jesus says this quite clearly in the Gospel: "'Teacher, we saw a man casting out demons in your name, and we forbade him, because he was not following us.' But Jesus said, 'Do not forbid him; for no one who does a mighty work in my name will be able soon after to speak evil of me. For he that is not against us is for us' " (Mk 9:38-40). The basis of this teaching lies in the fact that an apostle is only an instrument of God in the service of souls; he has no proprietary rights over souls. "[Let us remember] that souls belong to God; that no one on earth has that right of ownership over souls; and that the Church's apostolate, by which it announces and brings about salvation, is not based on personal prestige of individuals but on the grace of God" ([St] J. Escriva, Friends of God, 267).

19. His imprisonment for preaching Christ, and even his pain at others' preaching out of rivalry, does not take away the Apostle's peace; for he realizes that this pain identifies him with Christ. "And the reason for this is that when we do any good action that promotes the salvation of others, this makes for our own salvation" (St Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on Phil, ad loc.). St James makes the same point: "whoever brings back a sinner from the error of his way will save his own soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins" (Jas 5:20).

20. "Christ will be honored in my body": whether he lives (because that will allow him to keep up his apostolic work) or whether he has to face martyrdom: in either case he is able to bear witness to Christ.

Every Christian is linked to Christ through Baptism (cf. Rom 6:5) and this union is strengthened by the Eucharist (cf. 1 Cor 10:16-17). A believer, therefore, should aspire to identify with Jesus to such an extent that he can say with the Apostle, "it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me" (Gal 2:20). Everything anyone has is a gift from God; and a Christian's life in the body, with any suffering he experiences, and even death, identifies him in some way with Christ's own life: this identification is the goal of every Christian.

21-26. St Paul expresses a desire to "depart" and be with Christ: the Greek verb he uses has the sense of casting off (like a boat before it leaves harbor) or upping stakes (like an army decamping): he sees death as a liberation from earthly ties, which allows him immediately to "be with Christ". These words indicate that those who die in grace do not have to wait until the Last Judgment to enjoy God in heaven. This was the teaching of the Church, based on Sacred Scripture, at the Second Council of Lyons: "the souls of those who after holy Baptism have acquired no stain of sin at all, and those who having incurred the stain of sin are cleansed...are received immediately into heaven" (Profession of Faith of Michael Paleologue).

The Apostle is in two minds. But his desire to be with Christ does not inhibit his generous work for the good of souls: he wants to stay in the world, in order to continue working for the conversion of the Gentiles and to look after the Christian communities which he has founded, which are going from strength to strength.

In spite of his uncertainty about his future, St Paul is inclined to think that he will be allowed to continue his work to the spiritual advantage of the Philippians and the other churches.

21. Death is "gain", because, for a person who dies in the grace of God, it means entering into the joy of the Lord, seeing him face to face (cf. 1 Cor 13:12) and enjoying "what no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him" (1 Cor 2 9). This desire to enjoy God in heaven caused St Teresa of Avila to say: "I am living and yet I am not really living, for I place my hopes on such a higher life that I am dying because I do not die" (Poems, 2).

"Christ himself, our teacher of salvation, shows us how useful it is to leave this life; when his disciples became sad because he told them that he was going away, he said to them, 'If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I go to the Father' (Jn 14:28), thereby teaching them that, when those we love leave this world, we should rejoice rather than be sad" (St Cyprian, De Mortalitate, 7). Faith shows us that death is the definitive step into eternal life. However, to have a well grounded hope of attaining that goal we need to remember that for us "to live is Christ" here on earth also. For one thing, supernatural life is the life of grace, and this has been won for us by Christ; also, knowing and loving Christ should be our life-purpose. A Christian has to try to see that his life is fruitful in terms of holiness, and that he uses all ordinary events and all his activities to draw others towards Christ.

"So, if you have encountered Christ," John Paul II exhorts, "live for Christ, live with Christ, and bear witness to him; proclaim this in the first person singular: 'For me to live is Christ.' That is what true liberation also consists of--proclaiming Jesus Christ freed from attachments and present in men who are transformed and become a new creation" (Homily, Santo Domingo Cathedral, October 1984).

27. The Greek term translated here as "let your manner of life be" has a more specific meaning--"Live like good citizens." The inhabitants of Philippi enjoyed Roman citizenship and were very proud of this (cf. p. 101 above). However, in addition to whichever positions they have in society, Christians are citizens of heaven (cf. Phil 3:20), and therefore they should lead a life "worthy of the gospel of Christ", like good citizens of the Kingdom of God, where Christ reigns as king (cf. Jn 18:37), by loyally obeying his laws--the new law of grace contained in the Gospel.

However, being a citizen of heaven is quite compatible with being a citizen of human society: "to acknowledge God is in no way to oppose the dignity of man, since such dignity is grounded and brought to perfection in God. Man has in fact been placed in society by God, who created him as an intelligent and free being; but over and above this he is called as a son to intimacy with God and to share in his happiness. (The Church) further teaches that hope in a life to come does not take away from the importance of the duties of this life on earth but rather adds to it by giving new motives for fulfilling those duties" (Vatican II, Gaudium Et Spes, 21).

A truly Christian life in the middle of the world speaks to all, Christians or no, of the presence of God and of his plans for the salvation of all mankind. Moreover, "what does much to show God's presence clearly is the brotherly love of the faithful who, being all of one mind and spirit work together for the faith of the Gospel (cf. Phil 1:18) and stand out as a sign of unity" ("ibid".). This is essential to the effort to spread the Kingdom of God, for "every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste" (Lk 11:17). The early Christians really did put this teaching into practice: they were "of one heart and soul" (Acts 4:32).

From: Matthew 20:1-16

The Parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard
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[1] "For the Kingdom of Heaven is like a householder who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. [2] After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. [3] And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the market place; [4] and to them he said, `You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.' So they went. [5] Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same. [6] And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing; and he said to them, `Why do you stand here idle all day?' [7] They said to him, `Because no one has hired us.' He said to them, `You go into the vineyard too.'

[8] And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, `Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.' [9] And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius. [10] Now when the first came, they thought they would receive more; but each of them also received a denarius. [11] And on receiving it they grumbled at the householder, [12] saying, `These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.' [13] But he replied to one of them, `Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for a denarius? [14] Take what belongs to you, and go; I choose to give to this last as I give to you. [15] Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity? [16] So the last will be first, and the first last."

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Commentary:

1-16. This parable is addressed to the Jewish people, whom God called at an early hour, centuries ago. Now the Gentiles are also being called--with an equal right to form part of the new people of God, the Church. In both cases it is a matter of a gratuitous, unmerited, invitation; therefore, those who were the "first" to receive the call have no grounds for complaining when God calls the "last" and gives them the same reward--membership of His people. At first sight the laborers of the first hour seem to have a genuine grievance—because they do not realize that to have a job in the Lord's vineyard is a divine gift. Jesus leaves us in no doubt that although He calls us to follow different ways, all receive the same reward--Heaven.

2. "Denarius": a silver coin bearing an image of Caesar Augustus (Matthew 22:19-21).

3. The Jewish method of calculating time was different from ours. They divided the whole day into eight parts, four night parts (called "watches") and four day parts (called "hours")--the first, third, sixth and ninth hour.

The first hour began at sunrise and ended around nine o'clock; the third ran to twelve noon; the sixth to three in the afternoon; and the ninth from three to sunset. This meant that the first and ninth hours varied in length, decreasing in autumn and winter and increasing in spring and summer and the reverse happening with the first and fourth watches.

Sometimes intermediate hours were counted--as for example in verse 6 which refers to the eleventh hour, the short period just before sunset, the end of the working day.

16. The Vulgate, other translations and a good many Greek codexes add: "For many are called, but few are chosen" (cf. Matthew 22:14).

Daily Word for Reflection -- The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries

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Other resources for this Sundays Readings:
Sunday Scripture Study for Catholics
The Sacred Page (Dr. John Bergsmas)—Is God Fair? The 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time Catholic Productions (Dr. Brant Pitre) – The Readings Explained (video): The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard
Catholic Productions (Dr. Brant Pitre) – The Readings Explained (video): The Imprisoned St. Paul and the Immortality of the Soul
LectioTube

words from the wise ““Do not say: ‘Tomorrow, I will he converted; tomorrow,”

Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Reading 1

Responsorial Psalm

Reading 2

Alleluia

Gospel