The last will be first, and the first will be last

by Fr. Jerome Cayetano  |  09/20/2026  |  The WORD in other words

The first reading today emphatically states that God is completely different from us humans. It says: “God’s ways are not our ways. God’s thoughts are not our thoughts.” This is aptly expressed and illustrated in the parable that we have heard today, which is the “Parable of the of the Workers in the Vineyard.” I suppose that this story is Jesus’ way of defending himself from his adversaries who criticized Him for giving more preferential love to the outcast than to the virtuous. He teaches that God is full of mercy and compassion to the poor and outcast, and that His generosity is based on His nature which we humans cannot merit.

Let’s go into some details about the parable. The vineyard is the Kingdom of God. Those who were working the whole day long are the Pharisees and elders. The workers who were working only since the eleventh hour are the tax collectors, known sinners, and the outcast. Those who worked for eight hours were expecting to get more money than the workers who just worked for a few hours. To their dismay, they received the same amount of salary money as those who worked for just a few hours. To them, it was unfair and the owner of the vineyard has done injustice to them. But be mindful that no injustice was done here since they agreed to be paid for a day’s work. It is just unthinkable and ridiculous for the owner of the vineyard to pay a whole day’s salary to the workers who just worked for 2 hours. The Jews, most especially the Pharisees, think that preference should be given to them because they God’s chosen people.

The point of the parable is that God is offering the Kingdom of God to sinners and gentiles on equal terms with the Jews. Why? Because God’s gift of salvation is universal. It’s for everyone, for every human being on this earth. And it is given as a gift, coming from the generosity and benevolence of God. God does not work on a merit system. According to this system, we must work hard for the grace that we receive from God. Yet, we humans cannot merit God’s grace and salvation. They come from God’s generosity and benevolence. What we can do is to hope for it and try our best to be worthy of it.

So when we come into the presence of God in our prayer, let us not parade our merits, entitlements, or the awesome good things that we have done. We must not put God in our debt. Everything comes to us as God’s gifts, motivated by His profound and unconditional love for us. Let us be grateful that God’s generosity is beyond measure and cannot be on par with us. What we can do is to imitate His benevolence and generosity in our small way, most especially on the dealings we have with others. Certainly, we cannot outdo His generosity and graciousness. Thus conversion, that is, a change of heart and mind, necessitates this kind of attitude.

Incidentally, St. Raphael Parish community has just launched their community fundraising drive. Let us be generous like the owner of the vineyard. Let’s share our blessings, not out of compulsion, but from our hearts and our benevolence.