Sunday Gospel: Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Matthew 20:1-6

On a first reading of this Gospel story, the reader is probably struck by the unfairness of the situation. The landowner has employed day labourers at different times throughout the day to work in his vineyard. However, come the end of the day, the landowner pays all the day labourers the same amount. Not surprisingly, the labourers employed at daybreak to work the whole day are upset that those who have only worked the last hour of the day are paid the same amount. The landowner reminds them that he is paying them what they agreed at the start of the day, and yet the reader is left uncomfortable about the whole arrangement.

Of course, this is the purpose of Jesus’ story! The key to the story is in the introduction. Most of the kingdom parables told by Jesus begin with a formulaic statement, ‘The kingdom is like …’ and this one is no different. What follows is almost always a description of an everyday event that is turned on it's head. In all of the kingdom parables recorded in the Gospels, Jesus describes a world order in which people respond in unexpected and sometimes confusing ways. His message is that the kingdom, or reign, of God turns expectations upside down. In the kingdom, people who are treated badly in this world are held in great esteem; the balance of power is turned upside down; and the usual order of things is challenged. The landowner’s final comment in the parable, ‘the last will be first, and the first, last’, is a perfect example of the challenging nature of Jesus’ kingdom parables. In the kingdom, those who hold themselves to be first in this world will be brought down, and those who are treated as least in this world will be exalted.

(Gospel Reflection by Greg Sunter)

Sacrament of Confirmation

Last night, we celebrated the first of our four Confirmation Masses at Holy Trinity, Curtin. It was a beautiful Mass, celebrated by Father John Woods, and although it was quite different to Confirmations held previously, all who attended agreed it was a truly moving celebration of the faith these five young people have. Tonight we will celebrate with two more candidates from our school at 6pm.

Three other Confirmation Masses have been scheduled, and will take place over the next week. Thank you to all of the parents for the wonderful job they did preparing their children during the Home Groups program.

God bless,

Stephanie Burns

Religious Education Coordinator