Posted by The WORD in other words (2018) by Fr Bernard Espiritu SVD – New Zealand
Wednesday 20th Week in Ordinary Time
In a US “Home Depot,” it was not uncommon to find a group of men at the carpark. Far from being indolent, they were actually mostly skilled builders, handymen, or skilled gardeners waiting to be offered work, undocumented migrants who were willing and ready and making themselves visible. This contemporary reality helped me understand the Gospel story we reflect on today.
The crucial point of the Gospel is how the story ended. Why did the person who worked least get equal pay with those who worked more? Seemingly unjust but really not. The owner kept his words to those who worked more.
The controversy came when he showed mercy to those who worked least? We note that “the usual daily wage” was just enough to provide a small family with the essentials of living. If he who worked least received lesser than “the usual daily wage,” someone in his family would miss a meal.
This Gospel story helps me continue to understand, appreciate and live what Pope Francis said during the Holy Year of Mercy: “The temptation…to focus exclusively on justice made us forget that this is only the first, albeit necessary and indispensable step…. without a witness to mercy, life becomes fruitless and sterile, as if sequestered in a barren desert.
The time has come for the Church to take up the joyful call to mercy once more. It is time to return to the basics and to bear the weaknesses and struggles of our brothers and sisters.
Mercy is the force that reawakens us to new life and instils in us the courage to look to the future with hope.” Mercy comes from a generous heart. And when a generous heart becomes compassionate, enhancement of life happens.
