<div dir="ltr"><table style="font-size:13px;min-width:100%;border-collapse:initial" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0"><tbody><tr id="gmail-m_5353970326450880214layout-row14475" class="gmail-m_5353970326450880214layout gmail-m_5353970326450880214layout-row gmail-m_5353970326450880214widget gmail-m_5353970326450880214_widget_html gmail-m_5353970326450880214style14475" style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255)"><td id="gmail-m_5353970326450880214layout-row-padding14475" style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255);padding:30px 30px 0px" valign="top"><table style="font-size:13px;min-width:100%" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0"><tbody><tr><td id="gmail-m_5353970326450880214html_div14101" width="590" align="left"><p style="margin:0px;outline:medium none;padding:0px;color:black;font-family:Avenir Next;font-size:20px;font-weight:500;line-height:1.25;text-align:center;text-transform:uppercase">25th <span class="gmail-aBn" tabindex="0"><span class="gmail-aQJ">Sunday</span></span> in Ordinary Time, Cycle A</p>
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<table style="font-size:13px;min-width:100%;border-collapse:initial" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0"><tbody><tr id="gmail-m_5353970326450880214layout-row14476" class="gmail-m_5353970326450880214layout gmail-m_5353970326450880214layout-row gmail-m_5353970326450880214widget gmail-m_5353970326450880214_widget_html gmail-m_5353970326450880214style14476" style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255)"><td id="gmail-m_5353970326450880214layout-row-padding14476" style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255);padding:5px 30px 0px" valign="top"><table style="font-size:13px;min-width:100%" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0"><tbody><tr><td id="gmail-m_5353970326450880214html_div14102" width="590" align="left"> <p style="margin:0px;outline:medium none;padding:0px;color:rgb(237,119,34);font-family:Avenir Next;font-size:18px;line-height:1.25;text-align:center;text-transform:uppercase">Matthew 20:1-16A</p>
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<table style="font-size:13px;min-width:100%;border-collapse:initial" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0"><tbody><tr id="gmail-m_5353970326450880214layout-row14481" class="gmail-m_5353970326450880214layout gmail-m_5353970326450880214layout-row gmail-m_5353970326450880214widget gmail-m_5353970326450880214_widget_html gmail-m_5353970326450880214style14481" style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255)"><td id="gmail-m_5353970326450880214layout-row-padding14481" style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255);padding:30px 30px 0px" valign="top"><table style="font-size:13px;min-width:100%" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0"><tbody><tr><td id="gmail-m_5353970326450880214html_div14107" width="590" align="left"> <p style="margin:0px;outline:medium none;padding:0px;color:black;font-family:Sorts Mill Goudy;font-size:18px;line-height:1.5">Friends,
the parable that Jesus tells in today's Gospel is one of the most
unnerving, disturbing and confounding of all. We know the outline of the
story well:<span style="background-color:rgb(208,224,227)"><b> a landowner goes out to hire workers for his field, hiring
some first thing in the morning and then others at different times
during the day. Then, at the close of work, he pays each the same wage.</b></span></p>
<p style="margin:0px;outline:medium none;padding:0px;color:black;font-family:Sorts Mill Goudy;font-size:18px;line-height:1.5"> </p>
<p style="margin:0px;outline:medium none;padding:0px;color:black;font-family:Sorts Mill Goudy;font-size:18px;line-height:1.5">I
would like to offer two reflections on this puzzling story. First, we
should remember that <span style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)"><b>God's ways are not our ways. </b></span>Does <span style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)"><b>this story
represent </b></span>an undermining of justice? No, rather, <span style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)"><b>a showing forth of the
justice that flows from God's vision of things.</b></span></p><span style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)"><b>
</b></span><p style="margin:0px;outline:medium none;padding:0px;color:black;font-family:Sorts Mill Goudy;font-size:18px;line-height:1.5"><span style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)"><b> </b></span></p>
<p style="margin:0px;outline:medium none;padding:0px;color:black;font-family:Sorts Mill Goudy;font-size:18px;line-height:1.5">Here's
a second perspective: We sinners are very susceptible to a
reward-centered understanding of our relationship to God. Tit for tat. I
do this; then you better do that. But this is very juvenile, very
primitive.</p>
<p style="margin:0px;outline:medium none;padding:0px;color:black;font-family:Sorts Mill Goudy;font-size:18px;line-height:1.5"> </p>
<p style="margin:0px;outline:medium none;padding:0px;color:black;font-family:Sorts Mill Goudy;font-size:18px;line-height:1.5"><span style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)"><b>We've
been invited to work in the vineyard of the Lord. That is the greatest
privilege imaginable, to participate in the Lord's work.</b></span> Why are we
fussing about rewards? And <span style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)"><b>how liberating this is! I don't have to spend
my life <span style="background-color:rgb(234,209,220)">worrying and comparing</span>. I can live.</b></span></p>
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