A Heartfelt Homily on Matthew 20:1-16 : Embracing the Unchosen

A Heartfelt Homily on Matthew 20: 1-16 that reminds of the boundless love of God who seeks the forsaken and calls us into His embrace…

Praise be to Jesus Christ

A little boy once went to buy a pet. Among the puppies, he chose the one with a broken leg. The shopkeeper told him, “This puppy may never walk properly, no one has wanted it. If you really want it, I will give it for half the price.” But the boy replied, “No, I will pay the full price. I too have a broken leg. I know the pain, and I will care for it better than anyone else.”

The Gospel today carries the same tenderness in the words, “Because no one has hired me.” These are the words of those workers who were left behind, who stood waiting all day while others were taken. Nobody considered them worthy. Nobody wanted them. Yet the master of the vineyard went again at the eleventh hour and brought them in. 

How many times in our life do we feel like that unwanted puppy, or like those laborers. In families, sometimes a child feels less loved, an elderly parent feels ignored, a spouse feels unimportant. In prayer, we may feel forgotten, standing silently before God and saying in our heart, “No one has called me.” But today’s parable assures us that our God does not overlook anyone. His eyes search again and again for those still waiting. Approaching the departure Jesus gave us a promise “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age”(Mt.28/20). In every tabernacle He waits for us even we forget to consider Him, He search even we deny Him, He cares even we do not bother …

The Old Testament gives us examples. David was forgotten in the field while his brothers stood before Samuel. Yet God chose him to be king. Joseph was left behind in prison, but God lifted him up to save his people. Moses was tending sheep in the desert, but God called him to lead Israel. God always sees the one who is forgotten by others. He always lifts the lowly. As Mother Mary sang: “He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful” (Lk.1:52-54). 

Saint Teresa of Calcutta used to say, “The greatest poverty is to feel unwanted and unloved.” The workers in the Gospel knew that poverty. The boy with the broken leg knew it too. But God does not let that poverty remain. He comes to give us dignity, not because we are strong, but because we are His. If Jesus has judged on pour features ,what merit we owe before him, It is not our credit but His grace that made as considered and loved.

In our families, this parable invites us to notice those who feel left out. A kind word to the one who is silent, a little time for the one who is lonely, a place at the table for the one who feels unwanted. That is how our home becomes the vineyard of the Lord, where everyone is valued.

The master gave the last workers the same wage as the first. This teaches us that God’s reward is not based on hours of work but on His mercy. Heaven is not a salary we earn. It is a gift He gives because He loves us. The first and the last, the strong and the weak, the wanted and the unwanted, all receive from the same generous hand.

So when you feel forgotten, when you whisper with sadness, “Because no one has hired me,” remember the boy who chose the broken puppy. God is like that. He sees your wounds, He knows your pain, and that is exactly why He calls you into His vineyard.

Lord help me to Care the weak

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God Bless…