[00:00:05] Hello, my name is Sally Moriarty-Flask. Welcome to: From His Word to Our Hearts, my weekly Bible Study podcast. Together we will explore the readings to be proclaimed at the Catholic Mass on Sunday, September 20, 2026, the 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time.
This week's episode is entitled: Laboring in God's Vineyard. And in these readings, we are reminded that God is both charitable and fair, generous and just. We do not always understand his ways, cannot fully understand his ways, but understanding God is not necessary if we are to follow him.
As we journey through the readings this week, consider the following:
Jesus’ Parable of about Laborers hired to work in a vineyard teaches us that God never gives up on any of us, no matter how many times we ignore him, no matter how many times we turn away from him, no matter how many times we reject him, he will always pursue us… out of love. God created us out of love; he created us to be with him for all eternity. So, let's live - as Paul tells us to - in a manner worthy of Jesus. Let's embrace our role as laborers in God's vineyard, because the salary we will receive, the reward we will be given, will be amazing!
Let's begin in prayer:
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Heavenly Father, we praise you and we thank you for your unending goodness to us. We may never understand why you pursue us even when we run from you, why you are merciful to us even when we are undeserving of your mercy, or why you love us even when we are difficult to love. Help us to accept with gratitude all the good gifts you have in store for us. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
[00:02:24] Now that we've opened our hearts in prayer, let's listen to what God is telling us in the Scriptures. Our Gospel this week is from Matthew 20: 1-16.
[00:02:36] “[Jesus told his disciples this parable:] ‘For the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the market place; and to them he said, “You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.” So they went. Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same. And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing; and he said to them, “Why do you stand here idle all day?” They said to him, “Because no one has hired us.” He said to them, “You go into the vineyard too.” And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, “Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.” And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius. Now when the first came, they thought they would receive more; but each of them also received a denarius. And on receiving it they grumbled at the householder, saying, “Those last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.” But he replied to one of them, “Friend, I am doing no wrong; did you not agree with me for denarius? Take what belongs to you, and go; I choose to give to this last as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?” So the last will be first, and the first last.’”
[00:04:46] Last week we were in chapter 18 of Matthew's Gospel; this week the Lectionary has taken us to chapter 20. What we missed, by skipping over chapter 19, is that Jesus has left the region of Galilee… he has entered the region of Judea beyond the Jordan, meaning he has concluded his Galilean ministry and is now headed toward Jerusalem… for the last time.
Jesus is still teaching in parables. In fact, this parable - which is only found in Matthew - is the last parable Jesus will teach his disciples before they reach Jerusalem. And that arrival looms just around the corner… Jesus reaches Jerusalem in the very next chapter of Matthew's Gospel.
So, let's listen to what Jesus has to say in this parable - spoken to his original disciples, but also spoken to us, his modern disciples…
“For the kingdom of heaven”
Remember, the point of Jesus' parables is to teach about the kingdom, which Jesus says…
“is like a householder who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.”
The NAB says: at dawn, which is pretty early in the morning. This also means that the workers hired first will put in the longest day’s labor. Labor. Now, the term “laborers in the vineyard” is a common metaphor for discipleship and, while Jesus may be using that term metaphorically, the book of Deuteronomy in the Torah says quite clearly that workers are to be paid each day for their labor. So, this householder is doing exactly what the law prescribes.
“After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard.”
The NAB doesn't actually specify an amount - it just says the usual daily wage. But if we think back to last week's episode, we learned that a typical day's wage was one denarius. And a denarius was a Roman coin, minted in silver. So, the householder agreed with those laborers for a fair daily wage before he sent them off to work in his vineyard. I will include a picture of a denarius on my Instagram post this week so everybody can get an idea of what that coin actually looked like.
“And going out about the third hour”
I know we've talked often about how time was measured in biblical times. So, you may recall that the day was divided into 12 hours beginning at dawn, which was usually around 6 am and lasting until sunset, which was about 6 pm. So, the third hour would be three hours after dawn or around 9 o'clock. The NAB actually says 9 o'clock.
“he saw others standing idle in the market place;”
That's what day laborers would do… they would go to the marketplace and wait to be hired. These laborers may have shown up a little late, or maybe they were distracted and just didn't hear the first call.
“and to them [the householder] said, ‘You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.’”
Notice that no amount is specified during this exchange. The householder simply says that he will pay whatever is right… meaning that he will pay his workers based on what he feels is both fair and generous.
[00:08:59] “So they went.”
[00:09:00] Those day laborers decided it's better to receive at least some payment rather than stand around all day in the marketplace and get nothing.
“Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same.”
The NAB says: around noon and around 3 o'clock respectively. That corresponds to what we've already learned… six hours after dawn would be noon and nine hours after dawn would be 3 o'clock. And remember, Jesus is using this parable to teach about the kingdom of heaven, not about fair wage practices in biblical times!
[00:09:42] So, he is saying that God constantly invites people to the kingdom, constantly invites people to conversion, constantly invites people to follow him… and that means those who have not yet encountered God, those who have not yet heard Jesus’ words in the Gospel, those who have heard the Gospel but have not yet responded, even those who have heard and responded but may have faltered along the way.
This is not only an invitation to dedicate oneself to God, but for those of us who have already done so, it is an invitation to RE-dedicate ourselves to God… at different stages in our lives, at different points along the way. No matter where or when we are called, this is a reminder that it is a privilege to work in God's vineyard.
“And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing; and he said to them, ‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’”
We've all heard that old cliché - about waiting till the 11th hour to do something, meaning that we've waited until it was almost too late. Well, this is where we get that expression. The NAB says about 5 o'clock, so that tracks. Eleven hours after dawn would be about 5 o'clock.
And we can all picture that setting, can't we? The sun is low on the horizon. it has sort of a soft golden glow, the sky takes on a pinkish tinge, the light becomes softer and more diffuse, signaling that the end of the day is not too far off. But the householder has still not given up on finding more workers for his vineyard… meaning that God is still inviting his creatures to join him in his kingdom.
At this point, however, just so that everyone is clear… the householder does ask: why? Why are they still there? Why haven't they yet responded?
[00:12:08] Are these individuals actively rejecting the landowner? Are they rejecting God's invitation? Or are they maybe just hard of hearing?
“They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’”
[00:12:24] So, hard of hearing… distracted by the world… stepping out for a smoke… whatever the reason, they have not yet heard the invitation.
No one has preached God's word to them. And that is our responsibility! It is the duty of those who have heard the good news of Jesus, those of us who have heard the Gospel, to share that message with others.
[00:12:53] In Romans 10, Paul says: “how can they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how can they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone to preach? And how can people preach unless they are sent?”
[00:13:15] Another very good reminder to us that - as workers in God's vineyard - we share the responsibility of bringing others to God.
“He said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too.’”
[00:13:31] With those words, we have reached the end of the hiring portion of this parable. Which means payment comes next!
[00:13:41] “And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.’”
[00:13:52] That would have been unusual in biblical times. It would have been more typical for those who were hired first to be paid first.
“And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius.”
Again, the NAB says: those who started about 5 o'clock received the usual daily wage, which we know would have been a denarius. Now, we also heard that the only workers that expected to receive a full day's wages were the ones hired at dawn. That was the only time an actual amount was mentioned! In every other exchange, the householder simply said he would pay whatever was right. Imagine their surprise when those workers received the full day's wage for just about an hour's work!
“Now when the first came, they thought they would receive more; but each of them also received a denarius.”
The NAB says they got the usual daily wage… meaning they received what was right and just and fair. Those of us who are called Cradle Catholics - those who were baptized as infants, who have grown up in the faith - we are the ones this parable refers to as “the first.”
The ones called early in the morning, the ones called at dawn to labor in God's vineyard. Because when we were baptized, our parents and godparents agreed on our behalf that we would be workers in God's vineyard. And every year during the Easter season, we renew for ourselves those promises initially made by others for us. So, it's no longer someone else's responsibility… it has become our responsibility, it continues to be our promise - our responsibility!
[00:16:05] “And on receiving it (the denarius) they grumbled at the householder,”
And this is when we typically side with those workers and become outraged because we think the householder has been unfair. In our minds, we're thinking - those guys didn't work as long as us others did, why should they get paid the same amount?
But this is where we have to be reminded that Jesus is NOT talking about money! He is talking about the kingdom of heaven… he's talking about spending eternity in God's presence! So, from that perspective, how could there be more? How could any reward be greater than that? But the workers in the parable say…
[00:17:01] “These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day in the scorching heat.”
Okay, so… we were baptized as infants… we've been Catholic Christians our entire lives… we've borne God's burden and endured the scorching heat… we've had a lifetime of carrying our own crosses, of bearing our burden for the sake of the Gospel.
But we've also had a lifetime of blessings… a lifetime of attending Mass… a lifetime of being fed by Jesus’ Body and Blood in the Eucharist… a lifetime of receiving God's grace in the Sacraments… all to be given the reward of the kingdom. But - all of a sudden - that's not enough?? That's not good enough? That's not worth our time and effort?
[00:18:05] “But [the householder] replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for a denarius?’”
Instead of “I am doing you no wrong” the NAB says: “I am not cheating you” - because the laborers DID agree to work for the usual daily wage. And truly, when we put this in its proper context - in the context of the kingdom, in the context of being in God's presence for all eternity - that reaction is atrocious, ungrateful, selfish… but very human. Then the householder - our heavenly Father continues…
“Take what belongs to you, and go;”
Meaning, I have opened my kingdom to you, be welcome in it! But he continues…
“I choose to give to this last as I give to you.”
In other words, God has created every human being for union with him, so everyone who accepts God's invitation to follow him - to work in his vineyard - also has God's kingdom opened for them, and they are welcome in it!
[00:19:31] The householder drives this point home, saying…
“Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?”
[00:19:46] The only correct and appropriate response to that question is: God can absolutely do what he wants with what belongs to him and we will never resent - or doubt or begrudge - his generosity. Because when we work for the Lord, when we are laborers in his vineyard, he gives us an abundance of divine gifts and graces that sustain us along the way.
[00:20:17] Sometimes in ways we recognize - like the Sacraments…
But sometimes in ways we don't, things like…
simply waking up every day, sunshine - or rain, family, friends, beloved pets, a roof over our heads (if we are lucky enough to have one), a way to support ourselves (if we are lucky enough to have one), music, art, the beauty of nature.
Gifts and blessings that we receive every day and yet forget - or neglect - to be thankful for!
[00:21:02] “So the last will be first, and the first last.”
[00:21:07] This Parable may be found only in Matthew, but that sentence is found in all the Synoptic Gospels. And it emphasizes that it doesn't matter if we are the first ones through the door or the last, because we're still in the kingdom - we're still in God's presence for all eternity. There is NO greater reward… there is NO greater destiny!
[00:21:40] So, we cannot begrudge God his generosity because he is abundantly generous to us… he is abundantly merciful to us… he is abundantly loving to us.
[00:22:01] We don't have to understand his ways (and we'll hear that in the next Scripture reading), we just have to follow him… not always perfectly, sometimes with hesitation, but always with love… and the salary we receive - the reward we will be given - will be amazing!
[00:22:29] That takes us to our First Reading, which is from Isaiah 55: 6-9.
[00:22:36] “Seek the LORD while he may be found, call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that he may have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, says the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
This Passage is from 2nd Isaiah (chapters 40 to 55), which was written during the Babylonian Captivity to provide hope, encouragement, and consolation to exiles - fellow exiles of the prophet - who were discouraged, disillusioned, and fearful that they would never return to Jerusalem. This passage is from the last chapter of 2nd Isaiah, and it extends to the exiles and an invitation to turn back to God and receive his grace; it is a call to repentance and to attend the Lord's heavenly banquet.
This passage demonstrates that God is both transcendent (meaning not of this universe), and imminent (meaning that he created and sustains the universe and that he abides with his people).
[00:24:22] Earlier, in chapter 49 of 2nd Isaiah, God assures the exiles that he will never forget them. In fact, verse 16 says: “upon the palms of my hands I have engraved you” and when Christians read those words, we think immediately of Jesus who still bears the marks of the nails with which he was Crucified in the palms of his hands - marks that he accepted on our behalf through the suffering he endured for our sakes.
[00:25:06] This passage is part of a larger passage that Catholic Christians hear every year at the Easter Vigil. It is the sixth Old Testament reading, as a matter of fact, and it is also heard on the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord during Cycle B.
Here in Cycle A, we have heard pieces of that entire passage… the very end of it (verses 10 & 11) we heard on the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time and the beginning of that reading (verses 1-3) we heard on the 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time. This Sunday we hear part of the middle (we heard verses 6-9). Verses 4 & 5 are never proclaimed as a separate reading.
[00:25:56] So, let's listen to what Isaiah has to say in this part of that reading…
“Seek the LORD while he may be found,”
Before the Babylonian exile, God would have been found in the temple.
Isaiah is saying that - during the exile - it is only possible for the Lord to be found because he allows himself to be found.
“call upon him while he is near;”
[00:26:26] The Lord is near when his people turn from their evil ways, their infidelities, and when they repent and seek his mercy.
“let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts;”
[00:26:43] In other words, turn away from unjust actions, abandon wicked behavior, start working for the good of all people.
[00:26:54] “let him return to the LORD, that he may have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.”
The wicked man, the sinner, will only be restored to right relationship with God through proper repentance. God's ways are more complex… his mercy is more abundant than any actions humans can conceive.
[00:27:27] “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, says the LORD.”
[00:27:35] God's ways, God's wisdom, his mercy and generosity, transcend human understanding.
[00:27:46] “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
God is intimately close to his creation, while at the same time totally other - totally alien, totally beyond our human comprehension.
[00:28:12] Nothing within the range of human experience will bring about understanding of God and his ways. But I do have to admit - given recent efforts to return to space flight, to again attempt travel beyond our earthly home (something that I and all of those in my generation grew up with) - that those words from Isaiah called to mind the speech made by then President Ronald Reagan on the day the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded back in 1986.
[00:28:50] In his remarks, he quoted the poem “High Flight” by John Gillespie McGee, Jr. saying that those seven astronauts: “slipped the surly bonds of Earth to touch the face of God.”
The vast majority of humans will never reach outer space, but we can all seek God.
Most of us will never float in zero gravity, but we can live in a manner worthy of Jesus.
Most of us will never bounce across the lunar surface, but we can all serve as laborers in God's vineyard…
with the assurance that one day we will “slip the surly bonds of earth” and come face to face with God in his heavenly kingdom.
[00:29:48] That takes us to our Responsorial Psalm, which is Psalm 145, and the refrain is:
“The Lord is near to all who call upon him.”
And here are the verses:
“Every day I will bless you, and praise your name for ever and ever. Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable.”
“The LORD is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in mercy. The LORD is good to all, and his compassion is over all that he has made.”
“The LORD is just in all his ways, and kind in all his doings. The Lord is near to all who call upon him, to all who call upon him in truth.”
This Psalm, like last week's Psalm, is a Hymn of Praise and while God is still the subject of this Psalm it has a slightly different focus.
[00:30:54] This Psalm celebrates God's saving deeds and his divine perfection - expressed through his goodness, mercy, power, righteousness, kindness, and nearness. This Psalm is another one of those Hebrew Acrostic Poems - meaning that each line in the Psalm begins with a successive letter in the Hebrew alphabet.
I know I've said that about a number of different Psalms… so, for the sake of completeness, let me say that there are nine different psalms that are Hebrew Acrostic Poems. So, no… I'm not confused and simply repeating myself, because, yes - there really are several Psalms that are structured as acrostic poems.
And if we think back to our passage from 2nd Isaiah, I said that the prophet's words demonstrate for us that God is both transcendent and imminent… well, this Psalm certainly reinforces that.
[00:32:04] In the first stanza, the Psalmist says that God's greatness is unsearchable… meaning that it is beyond human understanding - in other words, transcendent.
[00:32:18] Then in the third stanza, the Psalmist says the Lord is near to all who call upon him - in other words, imminent.
[00:32:28] Our lowly human nature will never be able to understand God and thankfully, as both 2nd Isaiah and the Psalmist assure us, there's really little to be gained by the attempt.
[00:32:42] We do have to love God, we do have to worship him, but we don't have to understand him.
[00:32:51] God loves us and he wants us to be with him… and that is a great reward… that is enough for us.
[00:33:06] That takes us to our Second Reading, which is from Philippians 1: 20c-24, 27a.
[00:33:16] “[Brothers and sisters:] Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If it is to be life in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ.”
[00:34:06] As promised back in June, we did finally reach the end of our passages from Romans last week, and now we have moved on to Philippians.
[00:34:17] This is the first of four passages we will hear from Philippians this Fall. And you may recall that Philippians is one of Paul's Captivity Letters, possibly written between 60 and 62 AD during his first imprisonment in Rome when he was kept under house arrest at the home of a Roman soldier.
[00:34:42] Remember, Paul established the church in Philippi during his Second Missionary Journey (which lasted from roughly 49 to 53 AD) and then made at least one return visit during his Third Missionary Journey (which lasted from about 53 to 57 AD).
[00:35:06] This letter has a very personal tone, and it is quite evident that Paul favored the Philippian community. In this letter, Paul expresses his thanks to his friends for their unwavering support and assistance as he encourages them to keep growing in their faith by imitating Jesus AND Paul!
[00:35:37] Just before this passage begins, Paul tells the Philippians that he will never be shamed by anything that happens to him, and he now states confidently that…
“Christ will be honored in my body,”
[00:35:54] By honored, Paul means that whatever happens to him will bring glory to Jesus.
“whether by life or by death.”
[00:36:07] Remember, Paul is a prisoner when he writes this letter. Granted, he was in pretty decent circumstances during his first imprisonment in Rome, and while that won't be the case in later imprisonments, Paul's current situation causes him to think philosophically about his future. He is awaiting trial before the Roman Emperor Nero and his future is uncertain. Paul is convinced, however, that his physical presence, his missionary activities, provide a manner in which Jesus will be glorified in the world… whether that is by Paul's continued preaching or by his death as a martyr.
[00:36:57] “For to me to live is Christ,”
[00:37:01] In essence, Paul is placing himself in God's hands… he is surrendering totally to Jesus. In his letter to the Galatians, Paul wrote: “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.”
[00:37:19] And Paul says…
“to die is gain.”
To be a martyr - to die for Jesus - will bring only gain to Paul because he knows that he will then be in God's presence.
“If it is to be life in the flesh,”
In other words, if Paul isn't sentenced to die.
“that means fruitful labor for me.”
Paul will be able to continue his missionary activities, he will continue to spread the good news of Jesus, continue to establish more churches, and - in that way - bring glory to God.
“Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two.”
Meaning that Paul isn't at all certain which fate he would prefer.
"My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.”
Paul's death - if he is to die - his martyrdom, will bring about an even deeper knowledge of Jesus, an eternal union with Jesus in the kingdom of heaven. And being in the kingdom with God, being in Jesus' presence forever, is the destiny for which we all hope.
“But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account.”
[00:38:53] Meaning that as long as Paul is alive, Jesus can continue to use him to encourage others, to spread the good news… not just to the Philippians, but to many other communities as well.
[00:39:11] “Only let your manner of life”
In other words, how we live, how we act, how we treat others, how we conduct ourselves, let that…
“be worthy of the gospel of Christ.”
[00:39:29] All Christians are citizens of this world, we all share this common home, and we are destined to be citizens of the kingdom. Therefore, the gospel (lowercase “g” gospel, meaning the good news of Jesus), from Paul's perspective, THAT gospel must guide our behavior.
Remember, accounts of Jesus' teachings, his parables, his miracles, his Passion, Death, and Resurrection were circulating primarily by word of mouth in Paul's time.
[00:40:10] Mark's Gospel was written around 60 AD - so Paul may have been aware of that by the time this letter was written… but the other Gospels were not yet in written form.
Paul, despite his current imprisonment and despite his earlier persecution of the Church, was a faithful and fruitful laborer in God's vineyard… so let's follow his advice and live in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, worthy of the good news of Jesus.
[00:40:52] Isaiah too, despite being an exile, was a faithful and fruitful laborer in God's vineyard… so let's follow his advice to repent and seek the Lord.
No matter where we are in our faith journey, whether we are a life-long Christian or a new convert, let's accept God's invitation to work in his vineyard, to be faithful and fruitful laborers.
Because God created us out of love, he created us to be with him for all eternity, so let's embrace our role as laborers in God's vineyard, because the salary that comes with that position, the reward we will be given, will be amazing!
[00:41:57] If you would like to reach out to me with questions or comments, send me an email at
[email protected]
Thank you for spending this time with me and until next we meet, may God shower his blessings upon you like a soft and gentle rain, and may he hold you safe and secure in the palm of his hand.
From His Word to Our Hearts is produced by SFS Audio Solutions.
The content of the show was assembled by me, Sally Moriarty-Flask.
Our music was composed by Jimmy Flask and is used with the permission of the composer. All rights reserved.
Information regarding references used in preparing the exegesis for this podcast is available upon request.
Thank you for listening and God Bless.
