Readings: Isaiah 55:6-9; Psalm 144; Philippians 1:20-24; Matthew 20:1-16
Grace and peace to you, dear brothers and sisters in the Lord.
Today is the 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A. We have very beautiful readings before us, with profound lessons for our lives.
Jesus tells a striking parable in the Gospel: the parable of the workers in the vineyard. It is a parable many people find difficult to justify. Yet, even in that difficulty, the wisdom of God is revealed.
The dominant message of the parable for me is this: do not compare your life with that of others.
Those who were hired early in the morning received the just wage agreed with the master. They should have been grateful. But when they saw others being treated generously, gratitude left their hearts and was replaced by anger. The blessing, success and progress of others should never make us sad.
St. Paul says in the Second Reading: “Avoid anything in your everyday lives that would be unworthy of the Gospel of Christ.” Jealousy, envy, bitterness and anger at the progress of others are not worthy of the Gospel.
Let us also sympathise with the workers who protested. They expected the master to extend the same generosity to them. From a human point of view, it was a logical expectation. But the master had other plans. He reminded them that he was free to do what he chose with his own resources.
This teaches us something fundamental about our relationship with God. We are often angry with God because of our expectations. We expect God to act in the way we consider right, fair or timely. But God acts according to infinite wisdom and eternal providence. His plans are far beyond our comprehension. When things do not go our way, we may be tempted to call God unjust, whereas we are the ones who do not yet see the whole picture.
Perhaps the master knew something about those hired last which the others did not know. Perhaps he paid them according to their need and not only according to their labour. That is grace. But the master did not explain himself. We do not need to invent explanations where God has chosen to remain silent.
God does not always explain Himself to us. But one day, we shall understand that all His ways are perfect, just and blameless. As the First Reading says: “My thoughts are not your thoughts, my ways are not your ways.” God does not always do what we want, but He always does what is best. His wisdom is incomprehensible; His ways are unsearchable. We are called to trust Him, rather than demand that every part of His plan must make sense to us immediately.
I would also like to draw two encouragements from this powerful parable.
I. For those who are waiting
Some labourers stood in the marketplace from early morning, ready and willing to work. They watched others being hired while they remained there; others were chosen, but they were not. Yet they stayed; they kept hoping. They did not go home, they did not give up.
My message today is for someone who is waiting. You are watching your mates move ahead, advance in life, marry, have children, find work, build homes, succeed in their careers or fulfil their dreams. Meanwhile, you feel unseen, forgotten and left behind.
The message of today is this: God has not forgotten you. You are still in the plan of the Master. Your waiting will not be in vain. People may appear to have gone ahead while you seem stagnant, but God will reward your faithful patience in His own time.
Receive this in faith: your Creator has not forgotten you. The Master is still coming with your own blessing.
II. It is never too late
Those who were still waiting at the eleventh hour may have thought it was too late to be employed. Yet they were called, employed and generously rewarded.
This message is for someone who thinks it is too late.
Perhaps you think it is too late to change, to repent, to be forgiven, to correct your mistakes, to return to the Lord, to fulfil your purpose, to pursue a worthy dream, or to become a better husband, wife, father, mother, sibling or priest. Perhaps you think you have wasted too much time, gone too far, or become too lost to begin again.
But the Lord is saying to you: the Master is still calling, even at the last hour.
If it was not too late for the thief on the cross to be saved in his final hour, then it is not too late for you. As long as you are alive, God has not given up on you. This is the call of the First Reading: “Seek the Lord while he is to be found; call to him while he is near.” Return to the Lord.
St. Paul says: “For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” But it was not always so for him. He had once persecuted the Church. Grace found him. Grace told him he was not too far gone. And Paul did not give up on himself.
So, dear brother, dear sister, Jesus is calling you: calling you to start again; calling you to a new life, a new beginning, a new story and a new ending.
Will you respond?
Sermon preached by Fr Emmanuel Baraka-Gukena Okami on September 20, 2026