In this Gospel passage from Matthew 20: 1-16, the Lord explains that the last workers called (a veiled reference to the Gentiles) were paid the same as the first (Israel) because they made the effort, even though it was late in the day, to work in His vineyard.
On a personal level this applies to us, too.
God’s call: don’t delay in responding to His invitation.
God’s payment: the abundant generosity of His mercy, forgiveness, and Sacramental grace.
Our response to God: love, praise, and thanksgiving.
Even though we may understand this, there is still the nagging question: “Have I responded to Christ’s call to work in the vineyard of my own soul?”
How fruitful have I been?
How fruitful will I be?
Christ’s efforts on our behalf takes us by surprise; but as the prophet Isaiah reminds us: God’s thoughts are not our thoughts, nor are our ways God’s ways.
Notes on the images: The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard image is from the Codex Aureus Epternacensis. It is an illuminated book of the Gospels (Latin Vulgate). The Codex Aureus was written/illuminated by monks of the Benedictine Abbey of Echternach (within Luxembourg) circa AD 1040. It is presently located in the National Museum in Nuremberg, Germany. The image below is the portrait of St. Matthew which appears in the pages preceding the Codex’s text of the Gospel of St. Matthew.
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