Generosity expressed in equality and inclusivity
Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Readings: Isaiah 55:6-9; Psalm 145, R. The Lord is near to all who call upon him.; Philippians 1:20c-24, 27a:- Gospel – Matthew 20: 1-16a
Our Gospel for this Sunday is another Parable on the Kingdom of Heaven. As we reflect on the three points I will offer, there is an overarching question I would like us to think of: Can we establish such a “kingdom” in our communities and our society?
The setting of the landowner going to the marketplace to hire laborers for his vineyard was very familiar to the people during the Lord’s time. It was common practice.
That said, our first point for reflection is about God’s generosity, the most common interpretation of the parable, but this time viewed as a generosity expressed in equality and inclusivity. Then we look at a very related theme of not having a sense of entitlement.
Then the third point is the last line of the Gospel: “Thus, the last will be first, and the first will be last.”
A kingdom that is just and equitable
The parable narrates how at the end of the day, all five groups of laborers received the same wage despite the disparity in the length of work hours.
This was the generosity of God, founded on justice, i.e., there was an agreed just wage and workload—expressed in providing equal opportunity for all. This latter point was, in my reflections, one of the powerful messages of the parable. The Kingdom of Heaven is a Kingdom for all that is just and equitable.
It is also clear that this parable was addressed to the Chosen People, the batch of laborers hired. In the end, they failed to see this gift because of a sense of entitlement.
This was one of the greatest evils that distorted the practice of religion—that, by the time the Messiah came, they no longer recognized him. They dictated the terms of redemption rather than allowing Jesus to enter their life.
No sense of entitlement in heaven
Sadly, to this day we witness how much a sense of entitlement has inflicted the scourge of corruption, injustice, and inequality on people.
Through the parable, the Lord’s message was clear: No sense of entitlement in the Kingdom of Heaven. On the one hand, this was a warning not just for the Chosen People but for all of us.
On the other hand, it is also an invitation for us to build an authentic community. The Ignatian ideal of community comes to mind—a union of hearts and minds. It is a union rooted and grounded in God’s mission.
It is a shared dream, a shared sense of purpose, and a shared mission to build the Kingdom of Heaven that is just and equitable.
A time of great upheavals
The final characteristic of the Kingdom is that it seeks the last and the least. “Thus, the last will be first, and the first will be last.” This completes the vision of the Kingdom of Heaven.
Pope Leo XIV put it in a very clear, succinct way. The Church’s social teachings need to shift the perspective from the center, as Pope Leo XIII did when he issued the first social encyclical, “Rerum Novarum,” to the periphery.
This is the Kingdom proclaimed by Jesus, the good news to the poor. It is a time of great “upheavals.”
“He has shown might with his arm, dispersed the arrogant of mind and heart. He has thrown down the rulers from their thrones but lifted up the lowly. The hungry he has filled with good things; the rich he has sent away empty.” (Luke 1: 51-53)
“Yes, we can” (and we ought to)
The same message of “upheaval” is proclaimed in the Beatitudes. “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5: 3-12)
This is the Kingdom of Heaven. Can we establish such a “kingdom” in our communities and our society?
I say not just “yes, we can,” but also “yes, we ought to.”
We begin in our own homes and with our family. These are the building blocks of the Kingdom of Heaven, which is proleptically present in our midst. It is already, but not yet. It is already present in our midst but needs to be built closer to the vision of God’s Kingdom.
As the Lord proclaimed, “… the kingdom of God is in your midst.” (cf. Luke 17:21). We must build it according to what God envisioned it to be and how it is to be built.
