Sunday, September 20

Twenty-Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

On this Twenty-Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, we are invited to contemplate a truth that can sometimes challenge our human way of thinking: God’s generosity cannot be measured by our standards.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells the parable of the workers in the vineyard. A landowner goes out at different hours of the day–from early morning until nearly evening–to invite laborers into his vineyard. At the end of the day, he gives the same daily wage even to those who had worked only a short time. Those who had labored from the beginning complain, but the landowner asks them why his generosity should cause resentment.

Jesus is revealing the astonishing generosity of God’s grace. Some encounter Christ early in life, while others find Him after many years. Some have faithfully practiced the Catholic faith since childhood; others return to the Church after decades away. Still others may come to the Lord in the final hours of life. God’s mercy is not a wage that we can earn by accumulating years of service. It is a gift freely offered by a Father who desires to bring His children home.

How beautifully this Gospel speaks to our observance today of Catechetical Sunday. Each year, on the third Sunday of September, the Church recognizes those who carry out the important ministry of catechesis. Catechists are, in a special way, workers in the Lord’s vineyard. They plant seeds whose fruits they may never see. A lesson taught to a child, a prayer learned in religious education, preparation for First Holy Communion or Confirmation, a conversation with someone seeking to enter the Church–all may become instruments through which God works years later. Perhaps, most importantly, the catechists helps another person encounter Jesus Christ and His Church.

On this Catechetical Sunday, we offer our sincere gratitude to all those in our parish who participate in faith formation. We also thank our parents and grandparents, who remain the first and often most influential teachers of the faith within the family.

May God continue to shower His grace and blessing on our Parish family.