The Twenty fifth Sunday Ordinary Time (Cycle A)

The tie in between today’s reading: The First Shall Be Last and the Last First

Psalm 145:1-3; 8-18, Isaiah 55:6-9, Philippians 1:20-27, Matthew 20:1-16

Today’s reading in Psalm 145 sings the praises of the Lord’s character. The Almighty is merciful, gracious, and good. God is the universal provider, sustainer, and champion. He is righteous and kind in all His ways. Sounds great, but if you turn on the news, you’ll get a different picture. There is no escaping the reports of violence, scarcity, and suffering. Where is God in all of this? The answer can be found in the core of our reading in verses 10-13, where the Lord focuses on the better world of His kingdom to come.  To many, enduring the wait for heaven is no answer at all. “We need action now!”

With this as their rallying cry, many turn their backs on the Almighty and look to government to ease their sufferings. They want leaders to straighten out their problems and make this world a better place to live. Mankind has exhausted himself using the coercion of societies to remedy his misery. From monarchies to democracies to the idealistic tyranny of Woke, all attempts to create some degree of heaven on earth fail for the fundamental reason that we are all desperately flawed sinners. We have met the enemy and he is us. It’s time to reevaluate. In our Old Testament reading, Isaiah 55:8-9, God tells us that He doesn’t think like we do, act like we do, and has His Divine perspective on our situation. His plan is to redeem the individual to create a radically new world where love conquers. Maybe it’s time to have a little faith, go back, and listen to what the Lord has to say. At the same time, let’s keep in mind G. K. Chesterton’s quote that, “Christianity was not tried and found wanting. It was found to be difficult and so, left untried.”

In our gospel story in Matthew 20:1-16, the argument over wages reflects the common thinking that the harder we work for God the more He owes us. Our lives should be easier, happier, and prosperous almost to be envied. Not so! In this life, the promise of Christ to His sacrificial followers is the blessings of a holy life…and persecution, from which no one escapes (Mark 10:29-31). We have to accept a new application of “fair”. This gospel also challenges our assumptions of status and merit as the parable concludes with the strange statement: The first shall be last and the last first. It is obvious that heaven’s value system is different than ours. If we are going to live this upside-down world that we call Christianity, we need a reworked understanding to grasp it. St. Paul helps us out in our reading today in Philippians 1:20-27.

Paul had more than his share of hardships in serving the Lord. In his letter to the Corinthians, we get a rare glimpse of the mountain of sufferings that he had endured for the gospel’s sake (2 Corinthians 11:24-29). It is enough to make anyone quit being a disciple. Our epistle to the Philippians starts with the key to the Apostle’s dedication to the mission field: “For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21). In the rest of our reading, he mulls over the prospects of being with the Lord in the next life verses the necessity of the work at hand for Christ’s church. “Should I stay or should I go?” “Heaven can wait! I’m needed here!” So, he is more than willing to keep enduring the longer day in God’s vineyard, as in our gospel story, for the same pay as others (heaven), because his eyes are on Christ and not himself. He sees the forever value and the eternal weight of glory in what he is doing. Who’s arguing about wages now?

St. Paul has gone on to his reward and, make no mistake, there are rewards in heaven for discipleship. The real importance is on living for Christ now. If you place yourself first in this life, you are last in God’s eyes. Instead of saving your life, you could very well lose it (Matthew 16:24-26). The Lord wants us to be His workers in the fields of our day-to-day routines. With the corporal and spiritual works of mercies as our guide, we may not save the world, but we can make our part of it more heavenly. Living for Christ will show that instead of religion being a narcotic of despair, it is in fact, the elixir of life!  People will see that the God of Psalm 145 is real and listen to the Lord’s appeal in our reading in Isaiah 55:6-7:

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;
And let him return to the Lord,
And He will have compassion on him,
And to our God,
For He will abundantly pardon.

How about you? None of this can happen in your life without the saving and transforming work of the Lamb of God. Take the Father’s offer of forgiveness by faith in His Son’s sacrifice seriously. Make it central to your existence. Let the Holy Spirit guide you as He sends you out into your section of the Master’s field. Some will have it harder than others. Don’t worry about that. We’re not doing “fair” here. Stay focused! Stay strong! Finish your course so, that in the end, when it’s all over, you won’t be one of the last…when the saints go marching in.