20TH WEDNESDAY HOMILY OF THE ORDINARY TIME — YEAR A
HOMILY THEME: GOD’S GENEROSITY: A STORY OF UNFAIRNESS!
BY: Fr Deotacious Chikontwe SMA
Judg 9:6-15; Psalm 21:2-7; Matt 20:1-16
Introduction
My dear friends in Christ, today is Wednesday of the 20th Week in Ordinary Time Year C, and the Memorial of Saint Bernard, Abbot and Doctor of the Church.
Today’s readings are a little bit like two sides of a coin.
From our First Reading
The first reading, presents us with a strange and ancient tale—the parable of the trees seeking a king. The useful trees—the olive, the fig, and the vine—say no. They prefer to give their fruit to God and people. But the useless, thorny bramble says yes. It wants power and threatens to destroy everyone with fire. This is a simple story about how wanting power can lead to ruin.
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From our Gospel Reading
Now, let’s look at the Gospel. Jesus tells a story about a man who owns a vineyard. He hires workers early in the morning and agrees to pay them a fair day’s wage. Then, at different times throughout the day—even just an hour before quitting time—he hires more workers.
At the end of the day, everyone gets paid the same amount.
The workers who started first and worked all day are angry. They complain, “These last ones only worked for one hour, and you paid them the same as us! We worked all day in the hot sun!”
This story isn’t about how to run a business. It’s about God’s way of doing things, which is very different from ours.
The landowner is like God, and the payment is like God’s gift of eternal life. The people who worked all day are like those of us who have followed God for a long time. The ones who came late are like people who find faith late in life, or who turn to God in their last moments.
The complaining workers believed they deserved more because they worked harder. They were looking at things in a way that says, “I deserve more than you.” They couldn’t be happy for others without feeling cheated themselves.
But God’s love isn’t something we earn. It’s a free gift. The landowner asks, “Am I not allowed to do what I want with my own money? Or are you jealous because I am generous?”
This is the main message: God’s love and mercy are for everyone. It doesn’t matter if you have served God your whole life or if you just came to Him. His gift of salvation is for everyone who accepts it.
Saint Bernard and his vocation
Today we also remember Saint Bernard. He was a very important and dedicated man of God. He could have been proud of all his hard work, but he knew that everything he did was only possible because of God’s grace. He reminds us that we are saved not by how much we work, but by accepting God’s free and generous love.
Conclusion
So, let’s ask ourselves: Do we ever feel like the complaining workers? Do we compare ourselves to others and think we are better or more deserving? If we do, we are thinking like the world, not like God.
Let’s instead be grateful for God’s incredible love for all of us. Let’s be happy for every person who finds a place in God’s family, no matter when they get there.
Have a Blessed Wednesday everyone
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