Last weekend we had a moment to meditate upon the mercy of God, with a particular reference to some of the last lines of the Lord’s prayer: that we ask God to be merciful upon us even as we are merciful to those who sin/trespass against us. What then is the depth of the mercy of God? Divine Mercy. We talk about it very much on the second Sunday of Easter, which has been appointed as Divine Mercy Sunday. We are told by Mother Church that the mercy of God is beyond anything that we as human beings can conceive. That sentiment comes across very nicely in our first reading this weekend from the prophecy of Isaiah, for God here says that His ways are not our Ways.
“Seek ye the Lord, while He may be found, call upon Him, while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unjust man his thoughts, and let him return to the Lord, and He will have mercy on him, and to our God, for He is bountiful to forgive. For My thoughts are not your thoughts: nor your ways My ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are exalted above the earth, so are My ways exalted above your ways, and My thoughts above your thoughts.”
Prophecy of Isaias, 55: 6-9 [link]
We are impatient, impulsive creatures, quick to anger, sometimes malevolent, often unable to forgive well. But God says to us, I do not wish to see the destruction of the sinner, rather I would that he turn to Me and be saved, for I will take pity upon him in his contrition.
And that contrition is very, very important – that sorrow for sin, by which we allow the Holy One to purify our souls. We must never fear this Father God of ours. We see this sentiment in the psalm we have responded to this morning, which says that He is kind and full of compassion.
He hangs upon the cross in our churches, in our homes, He does not level an accusing glare upon us whose sins have thus transfixed Him to that cross. Rather, we see the Ancient of Days looking down upon us from that horror, slow to anger, abounding in love (as the psalm says), just in all His deeds, close to those who call to Him from their hearts. The Sacred Heart of our Lord is a generous heart. It tells us a parable about itself in our gospel story this weekend.
“‘The kingdom of heaven is like to an householder, who went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard. And having agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And going out about the third hour, he saw others standing in the market place idle. And he said to them, Go you also into my vineyard, and I will give you what shall be just. And they went their way. And again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did in like manner. But about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing, and he saith to them, Why stand you here all the day idle? They say to him, Because no man hath hired us. He saith to them, Go you also into my vineyard. And when evening was come, the lord of the vineyard saith to his steward, Call the labourers and pay them their hire, beginning from the last even to the first. When therefore they were come, that came about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny. But when the first also came, they thought that they should receive more: and they also received every man a penny. And receiving it they murmured against the master of the house, saying, These last have worked but one hour, and thou hast made them equal to us, that have borne the burden of the day and the heats. But he answering said to one of them, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst thou not agree with me for a penny? Take what is thine, and go thy way: I will also give to this last even as to thee. Or, is it not lawful for me to do what I will? is thy eye evil, because I am good? So shall the last be first, and the first last. For many are called, but few chosen.'”
Gospel of S. Matthew, 20: 1-16 [link]
Let’s interpret the parable. The kingdom of heaven – the Church of Christ – is presented to us as a vineyard to be worked for its owner. The owner is Christ. He calls every one of us to minister in some way or other to the Church, which is the vineyard. Most of you minister as parents and grandparents, although you may have further responsibilities as shepherds in a social or parochial respect. A handful of us are Religious or ministerial priests, and we minister in our own ways.
We come in at different stages in the life of the Church. The ancient Hebrews under the guidance of the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, entered the service of the vineyard long ago. Let’s say (per the parable) at the third hour, which is nine o’clock in the morning. The Israelite nation under the guidance of Moses entered the service of the vineyard a little later, maybe about the sixth hour, which is twelve o’clock noon. The Apostles entered the service of the vineyard later (at perhaps the eleventh hour, which is five o’clock in the evening), under the guidance of our Lord, and they drew the rest of us with them, with the assistance of their successors, the bishops and priests of the Church.
What is the wage of this labour we undertake, as representatives of Christ in this world that mostly dislike Him, as shepherds of the souls given to our care, whether they are our children and grandchildren, or indeed our fellow-Christians? Would Moses ask for more remuneration than the Apostles, or they more than us? What will the good and generous Father and master of the vineyard – of the Church – give to us? Well, let’s try not to think about appropriate wages, because He will give us all the same denarius at the twelfth hour of this world: an eternal life with Him in heaven. His ways, as the prophet says, are not our ways, and he is not likely to measure out wages as we do.
Instead we focus upon the work, which is the care of souls. As workers of the vineyard of the Church, we become instruments of His love. S. Paul has something to say about this in the second reading this weekend: Paul says that he would love to die and be with Christ in heaven, but he knows how important his presence is to the churches that depend on him as their shepherd. For their sake, he will suffer horrible things and remain alive. He will provide the guidance they need, give them a model of good behaviour, carry them to eternal life. Shall we do the same in the service of the Church?
“According to my expectation and hope; that in nothing I shall be confounded, but with all confidence, as always, so now also shall Christ be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death. For to me, to live is Christ; and to die is gain. And if to live in the flesh, this is to me the fruit of labour, and what I shall choose I know not. But I am straitened between two: having a desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ, a thing by far the better. But to abide still in the flesh, is needful for you. And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide, and continue with you all, for your furtherance and joy of faith: That your rejoicing may abound in Christ Jesus for me, by my coming to you again. Only let your conversation be worthy of the gospel of Christ: that, whether I come and see you, or, being absent, may hear of you, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind labouring together for the faith of the gospel.”
Letter of S. Paul to the Philippians, 1: 20-27 [link]
Catholic Louth and Mablethorpe 