Matthew 20:1-16

Ezekiel 34:1-11

Psalm 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6

Matthew 20:1-16

Jesus told his disciples this parable:

“The Kingdom of heaven is like a landowner

who went out at dawn to hire laborers for his vineyard.

After agreeing with them for the usual daily wage,

he sent them into his vineyard.

Going out about nine o'clock,

he saw others standing idle in the marketplace,

and he said to them, ‘You too go into my vineyard,

and I will give you what is just.’

So they went off.

And he went out again around noon,

and around three o’clock, and did likewise.

Going out about five o’clock,

he found others standing around, and said to them,

‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’

They answered, ‘Because no one has hired us.’

He said to them, ‘You too go into my vineyard.’

When it was evening the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman,

‘Summon the laborers and give them their pay,

beginning with the last and ending with the first.’

When those who had started about five o'clock came,

each received the usual daily wage.

So when the first came, they thought that they would receive more,

but each of them also got the usual wage.

And on receiving it they grumbled against the landowner, saying,

‘These last ones worked only one hour,

and you have made them equal to us,

who bore the day's burden and the heat.’

He said to one of them in reply,

‘My friend, I am not cheating you.

Did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage?

Take what is yours and go.

What if I wish to give this last one the same as you?

Or am I not free to do as I wish with my own money?

Are you envious because I am generous?’

Thus, the last will be first, and the first will be last.”

Opening Prayer: Lord God, you have promised to shepherd your sheep and care for your children. You fulfilled this promise by sending your Son to shepherd us. Help me with your grace to be a good shepherd in my family and lead my loved ones to eternal pastures.

Encountering the Word of God

1. Ezekiel’s Image of the Shepherd: After reading in Ezekiel about God’s judgment of Israel and the nations, we now begin to read Ezekiel’s promise of salvation. This promise centers on a couple of images that we will contemplate during this liturgical week. Today, we look at the image of the shepherd and the sheep (34:1-31); on Friday, we will contemplate the raising of the dead to life (37:1-28). Both Moses and David were shepherds when they were called by God to lead his people. As the servant of God, Moses led the people out of Egypt and through the desert for forty years to the promised land. He provided water, bread, and quail for the people. He transmitted God’s law to them and was the mediator of the covenants of Sinai and Moab. David, as the king of Israel and as God’s servant, led the people to victory and established Jerusalem as his capital. He brought the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem and prepared everything for the Temple that his son would build. How can I imitate Moses and David as good shepherds?

2. The Promise of a Human-Divine Shepherd: Today, Ezekiel denounces the corruption and infidelity of Israel’s and Judah’s kings. In fact, only two Judean kings after David were good kings: Hezekiah and Josiah. The rest either went from being good to committing evil or were evil in almost everything they did. Instead of feeding God’s flock as good shepherds, they fed themselves. They were negligent, not strengthening the weak, not healing the sick, not tending to the wounded, not bringing back the stray, and not seeking out the lost. Instead of ruling and governing with gentleness and mercy, they ruled with violence, force, and harshness. Because of this, God declared that he himself would shepherd the people. He will feed them. He will strengthen them, heal them, tend to their wounds, seek them out, and bring them back into the fold. After declaring that he will save his flock and judge them, God promises to set up one shepherd over his flock. This one shepherd will be a descendant of David, his servant. This shepherd will feed God’s flock and be a prince among them. A covenant of peace will be established. The yoke of slavery will be broken and the people will no longer be consumed with hunger. On that day, “they shall know that I, the Lord their God, am with them, and that they, the house of Israel, are my people, says the Lord God. And you are my sheep, the sheep of my pasture, and I am your God, says the Lord God” (Ezekiel 34:30-31). How can I imitate the divine shepherd?

3. Responding to God’s Call to Work in the Vineyard: In the Gospel, we learn that God wants us to share in building up the Kingdom of God. All Christians share in Christ’s royal office through their baptism. We have been given the gift of royal freedom so that we may overcome the reign of sin within us. Together we work to establish justice in society; with the pastors of the Church, we cooperate through different ministries in building up the life of the Church (CCC, 908-912). One of the ways to read today’s Gospel passage is to see how some respond to God’s call at an early age and how they spend their entire lives working in God’s vineyard. Others respond later in life and dedicate themselves to the service of God’s kingdom. Christ, as we see in the parable, does not stop calling. He doesn’t give up. He patiently seeks out his sheep, respects their freedom, and welcomes them when they respond. God knows the history of each person, he knows their talents and strengths as well as their weaknesses and tendencies. He is free to reward us as he sees fit. We learn today that he is gracious and merciful, abounding in generosity. How have I responded to God’s call?

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, I can learn so much from you as the Good Shepherd and the Generous Landowner. I need to discern your voice amid the noise of the world so that you can lead me to good pasture and set me to work in the vineyard.

Living the Word of God: When have I heard the call of God in my life? How have I responded to those calls? Can I imitate God’s generosity today in some way?