SUNDAY MASS
25th Sunday in Ordinary Time
23 September 5:00pm.
24 September 8:30am, 10:00am & 5:00pm.
Join us on this 25th Sunday in ordinary time where in the parable of the workers in the vineyard, Jesus teaches about God’s generous mercy
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Fr Anthony writes …
On the surface, the parable of the workers in the vineyard which we hear in our gospel today appears to be an offense to common sense. Those who work a longer day ought to be paid more than those who work just an hour or two. When viewed in this way, the landowner seems unfair. That is because we are reading into the parable our own preconceived notions of how fairness and equality should be quantified. The parable reminds us that although God owes us nothing, he offers abundantly and equally. We are occasionally tempted to think that our own actions deserve more reward, more of God’s abundant mercy, than the actions of others. But God’s generosity cannot be quantified or partitioned into different amounts for different people. When we think that way, we are trying to relate to God on our terms rather than to accept God’s radically different ways
MASS READINGS
Isaiah 55:6-9
A reading from the prophet Isaiah
Seek the Lord while he is still to be found,
call to him while he is still near.
Let the wicked man abandon his way,
the evil man his thoughts.
Let him turn back to the Lord who will take pity on him,
to our God who is rich in forgiving;
for my thoughts are not your thoughts,
my ways not your ways – it is the Lord who speaks.
Yes, the heavens are as high above earth
as my ways are above your ways,
my thoughts above your thoughts.
To indicate the end of the reading, the reader acclaims:
The word of the Lord
Ps 144:2-3. 8-9. 17-18. R. v.18
(R.) The Lord is near to all who call him.
1. I will bless you day after day
and praise your name for ever.
the Lord is great, highly to be praised,
his greatness cannot be measured. (R.)
2. The Lord is kind and full of compassion,
slow to anger, abounding in love.
How good is the Lord to all,
compassionate to all his creatures. (R.)
3. The Lord is just in all his ways
and loving in all his deeds.
He is close to all who call him,
who call on him from their hearts. (R.)
Philippians 1:20-24. 27
A reading from the letter of St Paul to the Philippians
Christ will be glorified in my body, whether by my life or by my death. Life to me, of course, is Christ, but then death would bring me something more; but then again, if living in this body means doing work which is having good results – I do not know what I should choose. I am caught in this dilemma: I want to be gone and be with Christ, which would be very much the better, but for me to stay alive in this body is a more urgent need for your sake.
Avoid anything in your everyday lives that would be unworthy of the gospel of Christ.
To indicate the end of the reading, the reader acclaims:
The word of the Lord
See Acts of the Apostles 16:14
Alleluia, alleluia!
Open our hearts, O Lord,
to listen to the words of your Son.
Alleluia!
Matthew 20:1-16
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner going out at daybreak to hire workers for his vineyard. He made an agreement with the workers for one denarius a day, and sent them to his vineyard. Going out at about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the market place and said to them, “You go to my vineyard too and I will give you a fair wage.” So they went. At about the sixth hour and again at about the ninth hour, he went out and did the same. Then at about the eleventh hour he went out and found more men standing round, and he said to them, “Why have you been standing here idle all day?” “Because no one has hired us” they answered. He said to them, “You go into my vineyard too.” In the evening, the owner of the vineyard said to his bailiff, “Call the workers and pay them their wages, starting with the last arrivals and ending with the first.” So those who were hired at about the eleventh hour came forward and received one denarius each. When the first came, they expected to get more, but they too received one denarius each. They took it, but grumbled at the landowner. “The men who came last” they said “have done only one hour, and you have treated them the same as us, though we have done a heavy day’s work in all the heat.” He answered one of them and said, “My friend, I am not being unjust to you; did we not agree on one denarius? Take your earnings and go. I choose to pay the last-comer as much as I pay you. Have I no right to do what I like with my own? Why be envious because I am generous?” Thus the last will be first, and the first, last.’
At the end of the Gospel, the Deacon, or the Priest, acclaims:
The Gospel of the Lord.
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First Friday
DEVOTIONS & MASS
1st September at 7:00pm.
Devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus with Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament followed by Holy Mass with the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick.
Also, the opportunity for Reconciliation.
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