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Homily for Twenty Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

READ: (Isa 55: 6 -9; Phil 1: 20-24, 27; Matt 20:1-16)

REFLECT: Magnanimous God and Magnificent are his ways, always right and just…

Dear friends, today we are in the twenty fifth Sunday in Ordinary time. The liturgy of the word invites us to reflect on the magnanimity of God and magnificent ways of God that are always right and just. By experience we have known or learnt of understood that the ways and means of God amazes and amuses us, because the way we think is not the way God thinks, the way we act is not the way God acts. The different events that take place in human sphere of life are handled by God differently but fairly well for the good of us all. Whatever it may be or however the situations may be, God’s actions astound us of his unique and special deeds for us his children. As a creator God and righteous God, he makes sure that his children obtain the intended reward accordingly for oneself. So in the light of today’s liturgy of the word, I would like to share with you three points of reflection as how God amuses us with his magnanimity and magnificent ways and means, so right and just always. 

1. Manner of God: 

The great and profound mannerism of God by nature or by our experience is that God is all-powerful, all-knowing and all-present. The mannerisms of God or the manners of God give us a glimpse of how God is and how God acts with each one of us with the power, knowledge and ever-abiding presence he has. Today’s first reading from prophet Isaiah manifests one such important mannerism of God or the manner of God as how he deals with his people. The message is very clear from the first reading prophet Isaiah, that is, to seek the Lord; to call upon him; to forsake wicked ways and unrighteous thoughts; to return to the Lord; The reason for all these preceding preparation is to obtain the abundance of mercy from God for our sins. So we see the natural mannerism of God and the experiential mannerisms of God by us through our own experiences. However, God is beyond our concept and conception; God cannot be limited with our little minds or mindsets and come to a conclusive closure that God’s ways are these and these not. God is bigger and greater than what we think or imagine. 

That’s why prophet Isaiah speaks that God’s ways and thoughts are higher than heaven and earth. We all know the vastness of heaven and earth, the height between heaven and earth, the vastness and the height of them are quite high too. Such is the difference of our ways and thoughts with God too. It’s hundred fold better or greater than us. It is far greater, higher and wider than our ways and thoughts. God thinks as a possibility what we can feel or think as impossible. Such is the greatness and great acts of God for us. That’s the power of God’s mannerism or in manners that God works as a creator, sustainer and protector of us all. 

That’s what Pope Francis would say while speaking about the Isaiah 55: 6-9 very clearly tell us; “It is about allowing oneself to be astonished and fascinated by the thoughts and the ways of God which, as the Prophet Isaiah recalls, are not our thoughts and not our ways.” He further tells us that “Human thoughts are often marked by selfishness and personal advantages, and our narrow and contorted paths are not comparable to the wide and straight streets of the Lord. He uses mercy; do not forget this: He uses mercy; he forgives broadly and is filled with generosity and kindness which he pours forth on each of us. He opens for everyone the boundless territory of his love and his grace, which alone can give the human heart the fullness of joy.”

Yes, that’s how God deals with us, when we are ready to return to him. When we look at the background of today’s First reading from prophet Isaiah 55, we would understand the text better; the Jewish people were coming to the close of an exilic period that they were too tired and wearied of, heart-broken and shattered totally. The reason behind their exile was their sins of idolatry and disobedience to God during the Babylonian captivity. However, God did not want his people to be in exile forever rather with his arms open wide he welcomes them and offers them this golden opportunity to seek Him, Call Him, forsake wicked and unrighteous thoughts and return to the Lord, so that God can show his merciful love and compassion, the most important mannerism of God. 

Today, the Lord too welcomes us with his outstretched arms to embrace him and clasp his hands that show love and warmth. Today, what holds us on to sin and sinfulness of life is our own feelings and thoughts, which make us feel and think that our ways and thoughts are bigger or better or brighter than God’s ways and thoughts. Such feelings and thoughts only make us stagnated in faith rather than giving freedom to practice the faith that God has given us. So let us give up our petty ways and thoughts and rely on the mighty ways and thoughts of God and obtain life eternal in store for us. 

2.              Manner of human life:

Unlike the mannerism or manner of God, the mannerisms or manner of us human persons vary and dwindle or fluctuate. It is because of our human nature that we are enclosed with. However, if we are absorbed or gripped by the divine spirit or divine fiber, we human will be able to work wonders and do all things possibly well with an aid and assistance of God and his spirit in our lives. That’s what St. Paul tells us the in second reading from his letter to Philippians. He exhorts us to honor Christ by the life that we live or the death we face it as a destiny. He shares that he is caught between the two forces or desires. They are the desire to be of the flesh and the desire to be with Christ. 

Yes, these are two sides of human nature or human mannerism we can say; the flesh and the spirit; the flesh all that’s worldly and the spirit all that’s godly. We as humans are caught between these two powerful forces of flesh and spirit. However, the spirit of God would overpower the flesh and grant us freedom from all desires and divisive forces of the world, provided we choose ways to be with God, because the spirit of God has more power than the flesh of human desires. Consequently, the way we live would bear fruit or become worthwhile in the sight of God or Christ. Indeed, St. Paul is readily openly utters that to live is for Christ and to die is a gain for him, because of the union with Christ he would enjoy. Death for Paul was a gain because he would see the Lord, enjoy him, and no longer endure the difficulties he was called to bear on earth. Therefore, for sake of Christ, Paul was ready to live and even to die. Such is the commitment and love for Christ he had. 

Similar perspectives or change of life can take place in us too when we arrive at the benchmark of spiritual pilgrimage, the climax of our journey, we will be able to say or live like St. Paul with joy, giving oneself up, making room for every bit of pain or gain and without being frightened of the death we would face. Because, when we centralize our lives in Christ, the perspectives of human life change, the mannerisms or manners of human behavior too change. We won’t be really worried whether we live or die, because all would aim to live for Christ and die for Christ. For such an aspect of life, we need to realize our calling as Christians and live by it as envisaged by Christ. 

That’s what Paul would say at the end of the second reading, “Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.” Yes, St. Paul was very clear and aware of the ethical and moral demands placed by the Gospel of Christ and never allowed anyone to get away from the ethical demands of life in Christ. So our life as a Christian needs to be practical and ethical. It needs to inspire others, bring people to God by the life we live on earth. It does not matter where we are, how we are but what matters is the standard of life as followers of Christ. It may be our homes, job places, schools, church, or neighborhood; we need to conduct ourselves as followers of Christ, worthy of the Gospel preached to us. 

The reason why St. Paul urges us or urged the Philippians has a situational background of people lived in Philippi at the time of St. Paul. The Philippians were able and could easily identify with Paul’s image. As we know that Philippi was a colony of the Roman Empire. Every Roman colony was a little of Rome planted in distant settings throughout the world. A Roman citizen, no matter where he was, never forgot that he was a Roman. So the Christians in Philippi understood Paul’s word. Therefore, St. Paul reminds the Christians in Philippi the common principles and actions that would exemplify our life as citizens of the kingdom and not at citizens of Rome or Roman Empire. 

Yes, similar things can happen to us, forgetting our Christian calling and identity as we are caught up with different situations and circumstances or caught up with two powerful forces of human life, the desire for flesh and desire for the spirit. So without diluting our calling and identity as followers of Christ with the other, we need to conduct ourselves as worthy of the Gospel of Christ. Just as Paul expressed his desire to be with Christ, we also need to express our desire to be with Christ, abandoning all that is flesh or all that disorients us from being a true follower of Christ. So that the life we live or the death that we face be worthwhile and worthy in the sight of God and one another. 

3.              Magnanimity of God: 

The Google gives us a clear meaning of magnanimity, “Magnanimity is the virtue of being great of mind and heart. It encompasses, usually, a refusal to be petty, a willingness to face danger, and actions for noble purposes.” Yes, magnanimous persons are raised on high for the wonderful gesture that they manifest to one another in whatever degree or dais of life. One of the important mannerisms of God is his magnanimity. The generosity of God is such at times we even feel jealous of God or angry about God’s acts. God shows his magnanimity or generosity equally well to all regardless one is weak or strong, poor or rich etc. The ways of God are different and acts are quite surprising and confusing too. But if we look at the ways of God, it is always perfect, just and right. Yes, the wisdom of God always wins without any suspicion and question. 

The gospel reading of the day presents to us one such episode that manifests God’s generosity over us, the episode of a master, who hires laborers to work in his vineyard and a fair wage of one denarius, is equally paid to all the laborers. Although, at different hours of the day the master hires laborers he agrees them to pay a denarius per day. But the laborers thought to themselves that they would be paid differently according to the hours they worked. Here is what the twist of the episode, the master chooses to pay as per the agreement, a denarius per day to all the laborers. The laborers grumble for the act of the master and the master tells very clearly that he has not cheated anyone but paid each one according to the agreement. It is here that the Master asserts his choice, right, justice and generosity. Naturally, we all know that the master or the owner in the parable represents God and the laborers represent each one of us. So God as a master and owner of life has every choice, right over us and his choice and right over is always just and generous. 

Perhaps, human generosity is not to be compared with the generosity of God. Because, we as human beings manifest generosity expecting something in return for what we have done or what we do; it can be a personal gain or personal advantage; it can be selfish, but God’s act of generosity is free, flexible and he does not expect anything in return except our returning to God to heavenly home. He only wishes that we become part of the eternal life and salvation that God offered us through Jesus. Even today God offers us by ways of his goodness and graciousness to us. That’s why pope Francis very beautifully says about the parable of laborers in the vineyard, “the parable of the day laborers in the vineyard that Jesus recounts to explain two aspects of the Kingdom of God: the first is that God wants to call everyone to work for his Kingdom; the second is that, he wants to give everyone the same reward, that is, salvation, eternal life.” yes, God wants us to obtain eternal life and he wants everyone to be part of it. Therefore, God’s magnanimity or generosity has no limits or boundaries; we only need to be open to his ways. 

Moreover, if we look at the parable closely, the parable does not speak of injustice done to the laborers rather speaks of the generosity of God. Perhaps, equal pay for unequal work was totally unexpected, and regarded by the laborers as unacceptable, but the question is not about what is fair and just but God’s act of generosity as he is the owner and master of our lives. That’s why someone has very aptly said that this parable be called as the parable of the Land-owners’ generosity than the parable of the laborers in the vineyard. I think we could conceive of the same title of the parable too, because the generosity of God is more explicitly mentioned than the justice of God for a fair wage of the laborers. 

In the same line of thought, Pope Francis would invite us saying, “With this parable, Jesus wants to open our hearts to the logic of the Father’s love which is free and generous. Jesus wants to make us contemplate the gaze of that landowner: the gaze with which he looks upon each of the laborers searching for work and calls them to go to his vineyard. It is a gaze which is filled with attention, kindness. It is a gaze which calls, invites one to get up and begin a journey because he wants life for each of us; he wants a full, committed life, safe from emptiness and inertia. God excludes no one and wants each of us to achieve his or her fullness. This is the love of our God, of our God who is Father.”

Yes, the parable may not be a model for good management practices of workers in our day today set up but it only discloses the message, the real and intense nature of God, which is, “Generosity or Magnanimity.” Let us realize that God does not treat anyone unfairly rather he deals with us as he wishes with all the powers he has, but rightly and generously. He lavishly and leniently gives us more than what we deserve at times. That’s the magnanimity or generosity of God. 

If we look at our own lives, we would understand how God has been so generous to us in various ways at different point of times. If God has been so generous, what does it stop us from being generous to others? We can be generous to people in whatever capacities we can or the powers we hold in places where we work or live. Let this time be a time of enlightenment for us to be generous to people with whom we work and live, have and move our lives around. May the magnanimity of God enable us to be magnanimous and generous with one another in resources, talents and gifts that we received from God freely? It is not a question of asking ‘how’ but just beginning to be generous with all that we are and all that we have, for all that we are and we have are God’s magnanimity. 

RESPOND: 

Do we understand the profound mannerism and manner of God he works in our lives?

Do we realize our human mannerisms and do we try to come out of the desires of the flesh to the desires of the spirit of God?

Do we realize how magnanimous God is in our lives and be generous to people wherever we work or live?

Let us understand the manner of God he deals us with, transcend the manner of human life and be magnanimous with one another as God is generous to us always. Amen.  

God bless us all! Live Jesus!

Fr. Ramesh George MSFS

rameshvkmsfs@gmail.com

9500930968