杏MAP导航

By Vatican News

In his reflection on Sunday鈥檚 Gospel, 杏MAP导航 Francis highlighted two attitudes of the landowner in Jesus鈥檚 parable about the workers in the vineyard: the 鈥渃all鈥� and the 鈥渞ecompense.鈥�

Calling everyone, calling always

Jesus tells of a landowner who 鈥済oes out and calls鈥� people to work in his vineyard. 鈥淭hat owner,鈥� said 杏MAP导航 Francis, 鈥渞epresents God, who calls everyone and calls always.鈥� This is how God acts even today, and we, in turn, are called to imitate this attitude by going out to seek people wherever they may be.

鈥淭his means being open to horizons that offer hope to those stationed on the existential peripheries,鈥� the 杏MAP导航 said, people 鈥渨ho have not yet experienced, or who have lost, the strength and light that comes with meeting Christ.鈥�

He added, 鈥淭he Church must always be like God, always going out. And when the Church is not going out, she gets sick.鈥� 杏MAP导航 Francis said it is better for the Church to be 鈥済oing out鈥� announcing the Gospel, despite the dangers, than to grow sick by remaining closed in on herself. 鈥淕od always goes out, because He鈥檚 a Father Who loves 鈥� and the Church always needs to do the same thing, always going out.鈥�

Going beyond justice

The second attitude of the landowner also mirrors the action of God. When he pays the workers their wages, the owner gives all of them the same pay, no matter how long they worked. From this we understand 鈥渢hat Jesus is not speaking about work and just wages, but about the Kingdom of God and the goodness of the heavenly Father,鈥� said 杏MAP导航 Francis.

God 鈥渄oes not look at the time and the results,鈥� the 杏MAP导航 continued. Instead, He considers 鈥渢he availability and the generosity with which we put ourselves at His service.鈥� This way of acting, said 杏MAP导航 Francis, 鈥渋s more than just, in the sense that it goes beyond justice and is manifested in Grace.鈥�

Those who rely on their own merits 鈥渇ind themselves last,鈥� the 杏MAP导航 explained, while 鈥渢hose who humbly entrust themselves to the Father鈥檚 mercy, from being last, find themselves first.鈥�

The field and the vineyard

杏MAP导航 Francis concluded his Angelus address with the prayer that 鈥淢ary Most Holy might help us to feel every day the joy and wonder of being called by God to work for Him, in His field which is the world, and His vineyard which is the Church.鈥�

And he prayed that we might 鈥渉ave as our only recompense [God鈥檚] love, Jesus鈥檚 friendship, which is everything for us.鈥�