Photo by AP
Word for the Week of September 21
25th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Time to sit down with the scriptures and begin to prepare for celebrating the Lord's Day this weekend, the 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time. Spend some time with the texts and background material on them and invite your kids to do the same.
This Sunday's familiar gospel story challenges American sensitivities about fairness and justice but the greater challenge in the parable comes from God's generous desire to open his kingdom to all.
The photo above shoes a contemporary scene of workers going into the vineyard... If you were in that photo, would you be heading out to work at dawn, at 9:00 in the morning, at noon, or at 3:00 or 5:00 in the afternoon?
-ConcordPastor
Tonite I have been planning a group Religious Ed class for 9th graders. I had been toying with a bible verse search and match as an activity. I thought it would give them practice looking up verses and more importantly becoming familiar with key phrases. Then I was inspired to offer a prize for the first group to complete their task. Then I thought, why not offer a really great reward for the winner but then proceed to give the same reward to all the students. Then we could read the Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard. I googled a few sites looking for insights regarding this parable and then finally, ready to put it and me to rest for the night, I looked at your site. Imagine my surprise and delight when I realized that the Gospel for this Sunday is that very same parable! I love it when God is tech savy! I am eager to read the background/commentary online as well as your homily. God Bless
ReplyDeleteYou made my day! So happy that something here has been helpful - and I think your idea is a great one!
ReplyDeleteAnd the Lord IS tech-savy!
Oh - we had some interesting discussions with this in our small faith sharing group this week.
ReplyDeleteAlways a challenging scripture.
As a worker who showed up in the vineyard late, I look at it differently, but that is no claim to goodness.
The planks in my own eye are many, I can assure you. But that is another part of scripture...
pax,
Fran