Maybe

A Reflection for the 25^th Sunday Ordinary Time A

Isaiah 55:6-9; Psalm 145:2-3, 8-9, 17-18; Philippians 1:20c-24, 27a; Matthew 20:1-16a

As I was preparing, I studied the scriptures. I read homilies by priests and deacons with their reflections on today’s readings.

“Maybe”

I thought I should reflect on the same thing as many of them.   

I kept seeing the theme of generosity, goodness, and justice. It is in true generosity and goodness we will find justice. Justice is the gift of human dignity given with love. It is the gift of a decent life for each person.  This is a message that I truly love, but it is not what spoke to me.

“Maybe”

Something else was tugging at my heart.

When I read the parable in the Gospel, the writing of Isaiah, Paul’s letter to the Philippians, and even the Psalm something else spoke to me.

In the parable, the landowner went to hire the workers at the beginning of the day and he sent them to work in his vineyard.  He went at nine o’clock, saw others standing idle and sent them to work. He went at three o’clock and again saw workers standing idle. He sent them to work. He came back at the five o’clock, saw others standing around and asked “Why do you stand idle?”

Why do we stand idle?

This is an important part of the parable. Why did God want me to reflect on this?  I think we can look back on our lives and say “I think I have been there standing idle.”

I know that I can.

“Maybe,”

              I still am.

It’s not that we are not busy but we are idle. I looked up idle to see what it really means: lacking a purpose or effect; pointless.

“Maybe”

If we truthfully look at our selves, we are lack a purpose in our relationship with God. We’ve forgotten why we were created. Look at Paul, he was a busy man persecuting Christ in the Church, but idle in what was truly God’s work. Then, Christ called him to work. 

Paul states the purpose of his life simply, “Christ is Life”

In the parable, Christ is calling each of us as workers. Christ calls each of us to a full life; calling each of us no matter when we come - to a full days pay.

“Maybe”

We don’t realize that God’s creation continues. It will come to the fulfillment God has planned. No matter how smart humanity thinks it is because of our freewill.  No matter how much humanity denies God.  God and creation continues.

We are all participating in what is already happening. Some of us go to work in this vineyard early, some come later, and some may never come. They just stand idle.

No matter if we start to work early or just stand by idle, the way that we are participating is the reality of how we live our lives is how we present Christ to the world.

“Maybe”

We are like Isaiah who wrote “Seek while he may be found; call him while he is near” or the Psalmist who sang “Every day I will bless you.”  

“Maybe”

We are not there yet.

This “maybe” is why Jesus taught in parables, which is nothing more than a story used to teach.

“Maybe”

We should think about the parable lived out in our lives. 

No one wants their lives to be a parable of “Maybe.”  Where they ask, “Why were you idle?”  

“Maybe”

        If I wasn’t idle things would be different.

Now it kind of all goes back to the beginning of this reflection: the themes of generosity, goodness, and justice. Think about them in the parables each of us lives. Are they there? It is through Christ in each of us that they are there.

“Maybe”

We have made mistakes, but God is good, merciful and forgives. 

We can live the parable of our lives with in God’s mercy, generosity and goodness by sharing it with others. Then we will not be idle living our lives for the Lord.

o       We will not be idle being faithful to our spouse and children. 

o       We will not be idle doing Christ’s work in the Church and in the world. 

o       We will not be idle bringing justice and dignity to all people.

When our earthly work is over and we stand before the Lord to receive our pay, no matter if we have worked from the first hour or the last; we all receive the same reward. It will be nothing to complain about.

There is no maybe about it –

It will be a glorious reward.

Why do you stand idle?