Bulletin Insert

For The Bulletin Of ago. One challenge is that some of His September 20, 2020 stories are set deeply in the milieu of His context. The parable is not in fact making statements about modern labor law or the role of unions or day laborers. Instead, landowners in Jesus’ time had incredible power over workers and over their property. Perhaps because there were no labor unions, guest worker programs, or labor laws to protect workers, the landowner was able to act with impunity. This kind of power makes for an apt image of a powerful and unaccountable God. So, Jesus uses the character of the THE 25TH SUNDAY IN landowner in the parable to say that God ORDINARY TIME gives each his or her due at the very least, From Father Robert and He is generous with His resources. God There is an old joke about a Protestant being gives to each what He will, though not less led around heaven by St. Peter. They pass a than what He promised. room and St. Peter says, “Be quiet around this room.” To which the Protestant asks, In the early church this parable was often “Why?” Peter responds, “In that room are interpreted in terms of Jews and Gentiles, the Catholics, and they think they’re the with Jews being the early workers and only ones here.” Gentiles being those who came late. God gives each a share of His kingdom. All will Jesus was a master teacher. His parables likely be surprised by the generosity of God inspired and they were remembered in part and by who appears at the heavenly banquet. because they were simple stories that Ideally, no one group will think its members conveyed multiple layers of meaning. Each are the only ones to share in God’s story seems to have a variety of possible goodness. entry points, as does today’s gospel. Is the landowner truly just when he gives all the workers the same wage? What would unionized workers say about this practice? Why does the landowner distribute wages in the manner he does, with those who worked the longest receiving their pay last? Is he trying to incite a riot, or maybe inspire jealousy an envy? All of these questions and more may be conjured up by a quick reading of the parable. Not only was Jesus a master teacher, but we recall that He taught two thousand years 1 How do you feel about God’s justice as portrayed in the parable of the laborers in the vineyard? In what ways do you try to live out Jesus’ proverb, “The last will be first, and the first will be last”? Living The Paschal Mystery It’s probably the case that none of us enjoy being supplicants. WE all tend to work for a wage we consider just (if and when possible) and expect to be paid for our labor. When we see acts of generosity, it can be natural to expect that we might receive some of that generosity as well. It sounds strange to hear it said that someone is generous only About Liturgy: Opportunities To Serve with one group and not another. And such is In today’s gospel the landowner not only the seeming riddle of today’s parable. paid each person a full day’s wage but also gave everyone an opportunity to serve. In God is a just and generous giver. When we parish life, it is not unusual to see the same receive what we have from God, there is no people serving in liturgical ministry year room for complaint, jealousy, or envy. The after year. When such assignments gifts of God are given to whomever God seemingly become permanent, others have wills. Let us die to our own sense of who is fewer chances to serve in that ministry. just and worthy in God’s sight and leave room to be surprised by His generosity. Sometimes we might even see one minister None of us can predict the actions of God. performing multiple liturgical roles in the Listening to today’s parable in our own same Liturgy – serving as Lector, Adult historic context, what questions does it raise Acolyte, Intercessor, and Eucharistic for you? Minister. Whether this is done because of a lack of volunteers or simply out of habit, Today’s parable proclaims, “the Lord is near limiting such assignments to a few does not to all who call upon Him.” In your life of reflect a primary goal of Vatican II, which faith, when have you needed to call upon the was to show more clearly the diversity and Lord most fervently? necessity of all the members of the Body of Christ. St. Paul writes to the Philippians, “For me life is Christ, and death is gain.” Do you Regarding serving in multiple ministries identify with this statement? Why or why during the celebration of Eucharist, the not? Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy states: “In liturgical celebrations each person, lay 2 and ordained, who has an office to perform, reflections in your inbox every Monday, should do all of, but only, those parts which Wednesday and Friday from Aug. 31 to Oct. pertain to his/her office by the nature of the 4. rite and the principles of liturgy” (28). Yulimara Machin da Silva, an 8-year-old Regarding the length of service, Eucharistic girl, holds a giant leaf over her body as she Ministers are commissioned for a limited runs through the rain in the Esperança number of years designated by each bishop. Sustainable Development Project in northern There is no similar stipulation for other Brazil. It's a community that incarnated the liturgical ministries. However, it is good vision of Notre Dame de Namur Sr. Dorothy practice to regular invite new ministers to Stang that the people who live in the serve, which we do with our annual Ministry Amazon are its best defenders. Rather than a Faire, and veteran ministers to explore other wilderness without human inhabitants, the ministries or focus for a while on their jungle for Stang was an interconnected web primary ministry of being a member of the in which humans could live in a sustainable assembly. manner. Lens on Creation: A When I first traveled to the region where Stang was martyred, on assignment for martyr's legacy in the NCR, I was welcomed by Yulimara's family and the other poor folks with whom Stang Amazon had worked. As they showed me around Sep 14, 2020 their simple homes and farm plots, it was by Paul Jeffrey obvious that they saw themselves as an integral part of creation. They were the Spirituality jungle, and thus were prepared to defend it with their lives. Those who see the Amazon and other great forest lands as merely a commodity to be exploited for quick gain were threatened by Stang and the poor farmers she accompanied. So they arranged for her murder in 2005. Yet her killing wasn't an anomaly. In 2019, according to Global Witness, 212 land and environmental defenders were murdered — an average of four people a week. Yulimara Machin da Silva, 8, shelters For many of us in the global north, the word herself from the rain with a leaf. (Paul "nature" conjures images of Gore-Tex Jeffrey) jackets and the latest in portable water purifiers. Yet for many of the world's poor, Editor's note: This Season of Creation, join nature is their home. Stewardship is what award-winning photographer Paul Jeffrey they do to defend their livelihoods. Healing for "Lens on Creation" as he examines the the Earth is not a slogan, it is survival, for world through the lens of his camera and his faith. Sign up here to receive Jeffrey's 3 them and for all of us who share a common later, in 2001, the General Assembly planet. unanimously voted to designate the Day as a period of non-violence and cease-fire. The United Nations invites all nations and people to honour a cessation of hostilities For reflection and action: during the Day, and to otherwise commemorate the Day through education Where is the place with which you identify and public awareness on issues related to most closely, where you feel most "at peace.” (For more home"? What would you feel if it were information: www.un.org) threatened with destruction? How would you respond? How can you and your faith The Interfaith Peace Project has been a community stand in solidarity with people friend of the United Nations International whose lives are in danger because they Day of Peace for twenty years. Once again, defend the places where they live? we prepare for the observance of Peace Day, [Paul Jeffrey is a founder of Life on Earth September 21st, by observing these Eleven Pictures and lives in Oregon. You can Days of peace. follow him on Instagram.] Ever since the traumatizing events of September 11, 2020 September 11, 2001, the days between that sad day and September 21st have become THE INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PEACE sacred days for many throughout the World. Eleven Days of Peace This year we are offering eleven insights September 11 – 21, 2020 into peace gleaned from the great Spiritual Traditions of Humankind. We will send you a reflection each day with some suggestions as to how you might practice peace in all the affairs of your daily life. The philosophy of Peace Day is simple enough. If we can practice peace for twenty- four hours, we can commit ourselves to the practice of peace each and every day of our lives.

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