Newsletter 24th September 2023 (25th Sunday in Ordinary Time) (A)

SsPeterandPaul | September 22, 2023 | Parish Newsletter | No Comments

A Day of Thanksgiving is perfect opportunity to look at this particular aspect of our faith. We are called to be eternally and deeply grateful.

¨ How grateful to God are you?

Perhaps we all struggle in various ways with gratitude. It’s fair to say that we will never be grateful enough until we are perfected in Heaven. But, for now, it’s important to look at gratitude and to try to let it increase in our souls.

First, we will never be grateful unless we see clearly all that God has done for us. It’s so easy in life to focus in on all the struggles we face and, as a result, to get down, depressed, frustrated and even angry at times. What’s far more challenging is to look beyond the crosses and burdens we face each day to see the abundance of grace and mercy given to us by our Lord. Unless we see that mercy and grace, we will struggle greatly with authentic gratitude.

So on this Day of Thanksgiving , reflect upon this simple question:

¨ Do I see all God has done for me?

¨ Do I see His abundance of mercy alive in my life?

If you can humbly admit you struggle with total gratitude, you will have taken the first step to seeing more clearly and the first step to fostering the deeper gratitude you ought to have. Being grateful means you see the truth clearly. Be open to that truth and God will change your life as He fills you with joy!

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First Reading – Isaiah 55:6-9: Seek God while He’s close; abandon wickedness. Turn to the merciful Lord. His thoughts surpass ours, as heaven is above earth. His ways and thoughts are beyond ours.
Responsorial Psalm – Psalm 145: Daily I’ll bless and praise You, O Lord, forever. Your greatness is beyond measure. You’re gracious, merciful, slow to anger, kind, and just. You’re near to all who call upon You.
Second Reading – Philippians 1:20C-24, 27A: In life or death, I magnify Christ. Life means fruitful labor. Caught between longing for departure to be with Christ and staying for your benefit. Live worthily of the gospel.
Gospel – Matthew 20:1-16A: The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who hires laborers at different times. Those who worked only an hour received the same wage as those who worked all day. The landowner’s generosity teaches that God’s ways are not based on human standards of fairness.
The readings for the 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A highlight God’s generosity. In the first reading we are told that God does not think the way we think. The psalm praises God’s compassion, justice, and mercy. The second reading reminds us that we must labor to imitate Christ. And in the gospel Jesus tells the parable about the workers in the vineyard and the generous landowner who paid them all the same wage.