Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 133

Yet that I remain in the flesh
is more necessary for your benefit.

Today's Old Testament reading from the Prophet Isaiah and the Gospel of Saint Matthew remind us of God's sovereign authority over us. 

• Isaiah says, For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the LORD. 
• Saint Matthew's parable challenges us, "Are you envious because I am generous?'"

Given those readings I find Saint Paul's attitude all the more refreshing. He has found his place in God's service with his dedication to the well being of others. He is not cowed by God's sovereign majesty; nor does he make much of his own divine authority in the Church. 

Rather, although he is writing from prison and tempted to hope he might die in the wretched place and be delivered instantly into Paradise, he prefers release from prison that he might return to Philippi. 

In either case he is open to God's will. His fate doesn't matter that much to him; but, given his druthers he’druther be on the Gospel Road again. 

The great Italian poet Dante put it succinctly, "In his will is our peace." 

This gospel may sound sour to American ears. The Catholic Church has a history of championing workers’ rights to a living wage; and our sympathy may lie with those who labored the whole day in the hot sun and were paid no more than those who arrived in the cool of the evening.

We also have a tradition of challenging authority. In fact, we're supposed to be able to change our leadership with national, state and local elections. "Throw the bums out!" we say; although the bums are demonstrating a remarkable ability to stay in place.

The landowner in Saint Matthew's story won't even respond to the workers' complaints. He replies to only one man. He owes the workers nothing but what he has paid them. "Take what is yours and go!" he says with considerable contempt. The point of this parable is not God's contempt for his people. It is rather his generosity and freedom.

Precisely because the story is hard to swallow, it smacks us with God's sovereign freedom and superabundant generosity. We're not used to seeing such behavior; wealthy people are usually parsimonious; even their generosity is self-serving. The landowner in this story sneers at the whole lot of them. We need other stories to show us God's more genial side, and there are many in the scriptures.

Isaiah reminds us of God's sovereign freedom and strange ways when he says,

For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
nor are your ways my ways, says the LORD.
As high as the heavens are above the earth,
so high are my ways above your ways
and my thoughts above your thoughts.

This should remind us of Jesus’ rebuking Saint Peter, which we heard recently, “Get behind me, Satan! You are thinking not as God thinks but as men!”

I find it helpful to look at the universe around me when I think of God’s generosity. The  stars in the sky; the fruit on a tree; the sand on the seashore, the bugs in a swarm; the power of the wind: they speak of overwhelming abundance. If they are not infinite they are far beyond my counting. They are quite literally as high as the heavens are above the earth; and that measure seems to increase exponentially every time a scientist studies the data – which is also expanding exponentially!

So who am I to complain if I don’t get as much as I want? Do I have standing in God’s courtroom, especially when I cannot finish an inventory of the gifts I’ve been given? Saint Paul from his prison cell just wants to do more for the Lord. He knows intimately the Lord’s mercy for he has received the good as well as the bad. He never suffered a stress or misery which was not compensated, and he knew plenty of both.

Isaiah was told, “They will look but not see; listen but not hear.” This parable challenges us to open our eyes and see again God's generosity.