Friars Corner: Holy Spirit, fill us with more wisdom to understand your goodness

Fr. Bob Hilz, TOR

Is 55:6-9; Ps 145:2-3, 8-9, 17-18; Phil 1:20c-24, 27a; Mt 20:1-16a

Come, Holy Spirit, fill us with more of our Baptismal and Confirmation gifts of wisdom and understanding.

The readings this weekend show a little of God’s blessings to his faithful people. In Isaiah 55:1-5 (not included today) God invites, “All you who are thirsty, come to the water! You who have no money come, receive grain and eat.” Then today we are told to “Seek the Lord while he may be found.” Come to God who is just yet forgiving and generous.

God’s ways are as high as the heavens are above the earth, his thoughts that far above our thoughts. Psalm 145 instructs us to praise, bless and thank God for all his blessings. God is good to all yet just in all his ways. He “is near to all who call upon him, to all who call upon him in truth.”

The landowner’s generosity

In today’s gospel, Jesus tells the story about the landowner who goes out at various times of the day to find unemployed workers for his vineyard. He makes a contract to pay them for their daily work. The owner goes out at various times of the day and finds other idle people with no work. He also makes an agreement to pay them for their work. The owner goes out about five o’clock and employs more workers.

At the end of the day, the landowner begins to pay his workers from last to first. All receive the same daily wage. Those who had worked all or most of the day expected more pay yet received the same daily wage. The owner was very generous to all his workers. Jesus makes the point that God is like the generous landowner. He wants to be more than generous with us who work to spread his kingdom.

Jesus’ generosity

Jesus mentions his generosity in other passages like: Matthew 11:28, “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy and my burden light.”

Let us be faithful disciples and workers in Jesus’ vineyard. We shall find more than enough reward for our labors. Let us continue to ask for God’s Divine Mercy on ourselves, our government, the ongoing war in Syria, and the great threats of North Korea. God, please seal and protect us from all harm.

Have a safe week,

+ Fr. Bob Hilz
(© 2017 Fr. Bob Hilz, TOR)