Reflection for Wednesday August 20 Memorial of Saint Bernard, Abbot and Doctor of the Church: Matthew 20:1-16

Gospel: 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.”

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Reflection:

Do you, every once in a while, question the decisions of God in your life?

There are moments when His ways seem puzzling to us—when His plans don’t match our expectations. Yet God thinks differently from how we think, and His decisions are not based on our limited understanding.

In the parable of the workers in the vineyard, it seemed at first that the landowner—who represents the Lord—was unfair. He paid the same wage to those who worked all day and to those who worked only a few hours. Naturally, we might ask: Was he unjust to the ones who labored longer, or was he simply generous?

The truth is, the landowner was both generous and faithful. He gave each worker exactly what was promised. It did not matter to him who came first and who came last. What mattered was his commitment to the agreement, and his willingness to bless everyone equally.

So it is with God. We often measure, compare, and count. He does not. We hold back; He gives without limits. We discriminate; He embraces all without distinction. For the Lord, what is important is not how early or how late we respond to His call, but that we respond at all.

God does not dwell on the weight of your sins. He does not count how many years you may have wandered away. What matters to Him is the moment you turn back, the moment you say yes to His invitation of love and repentance. His mercy is never too late, His generosity never runs dry.

Perhaps you feel unworthy. Perhaps you think you’ve come too late to His vineyard. But to God, it is never too late. The door of His mercy remains open, the call of His love never ends.

Would you respond to God’s call today? —Marino J. Dasmarinas