18/09/2011 - 25th. Sunday in Ordinary Season - Year A
1Reading Is 55,6-9 Psalm 144 2Reading Phil 1,20-27 Gospel Mt 20,1-16
Last Sunday st. Paul was saying that we do not live and we do not die for ourselves,
but for the Lord. Today he shares with us his experience, or better his 'feeling'
from within. Is it better to live or to die? Faith makes him desire the joy of being
always with the Lord, without all the hindrance that life in this world bring with,
therefore to die. But the love for the Lord is accompanied and is expressed with
the love for the brethren: he therefore wishes that which is better for the comunities
founded by him. They still need him, his teachings and his exhortations, of his
example and of his presence: therefore he is ready to renounce again even to his
joy! The most beautiful present and most desireable is that which his faithful would
recieve, his comunities!
Thus we see in the apostle the fullfilment of the word of Jesus. Paul is like him
who has worked all day and has "borne the weight of the day and the heath",
but won't complain, even so he rejoice that the last to arrive are rewarded and
are to receive the same wage like him. The disciple's wage is to be with the Lord,
enjoying his presence, his love. He cannot desire more than this. Who enjoys the
love of the Lord carry in himself his same love for all the others, and for him
becomes joy and a triple reward in seeing other to receive the same grace. Who can
ever envy God's goodness? Would be a pity and risk to be excluded from enjoying
what he was to receive. Who enjoys God's goodness, enjoys really, and his joy grows
without measure every time he sees even a bit of the Father's love towards someone,
who ever may be.
The parable told by the Lord is addressed directly to his disciples lest they fall
in the same temptation in which the pharisees were falling. These thought that God
was to own them for what they were doing for him: purifications, sacrificial offerrings,
fasting, prayers, gifts. They use to believe that who does so much should receive
more than those who do little: in reality they were working for themselves, even
though, in words, they use to say that whatever they do, they do it for God. In
such a way they forget that God is love. To do something for God-Love it should
be only love, forgetting oneself, desire and will that his love is everywhere. On
the contrary they don't work for God-love, but for a different God, like the idols
of the pagans. To them one cannot say more than: "go, take what is yours and
go". We fix our eyes on the Father, who continues to look for, regardless age,
wants to experience him. He looks for those who want to work in his vineyard, that
is to love together with Jesus, and to also succeed to love for only few seconds
before one dies, receives love as a gift, receives God himself! The Father shall
always be near to those who start to do what he does, to love like him, to reveal
the contents of his heart and to spread the light of his face. The Father rewards
who work in his vineyard, that is there where his Son meets with his disciples,
in the Church, the visible portion of his Reign.
Isaiah helps us to place ourselves with all humility before God: his thoughts are
different than ours, greater and more deep, higher and more beautiful. Our thoughts
are tied up with this world and stink of superficiality and don't last long, don't
give joy and not even to create a temporary comunion. Our ways are short and laborous,
while those of God are new and rich in surprises. And therefore? Therefore "look
for the Lord, while he can be found, call him, while he is near". The sinner
too can pick up this way, even "the evil one" can hope: "Return to
the Lord and he will have mercy and to our God who forgives widely". God's
mercy reaches us, and reaches who ever takes a short step towards him: remember
the thief on the cross. Right in that moment Jesus wanted to fulfill this promise
of the prophet to make us see the face of God the Father. That face is present every
day, to keep alive the hope in us and in those whom we tend to judge and condemn.
Let us do like the Father, who desires to cover the whole world with his mercy.