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First Reading: Jdgs 9:6-15
All the citizens of Shechem and all Beth-millo came together and proceeded to make Abimelech king by the terebinth at the memorial pillar in Shechem.
When this was reported to him, Jotham went to the top of Mount Gerizim and, standing there, cried out to them in a loud voice: "Hear me, citizens of Shechem, that God may then hear you! Once the trees went to anoint a king over themselves.
So they said to the olive tree, ‘Reign over us.' But the olive tree answered them, ‘Must I give up my rich oil, whereby men and gods are honored, and go to wave over the trees?' Then the trees said to the fig tree, ‘Come; you reign over us!'
But the fig tree answered them, ‘Must I give up my sweetness and my good fruit,
and go to wave over the trees?' Then the trees said to the vine, ‘Come you, and reign over us.' But the vine answered them, ‘Must I give up my wine that cheers gods and men, and go to wave over the trees?' Then all the trees said to the buckthorn, ‘Come; you reign over us!' But the buckthorn replied to the trees, ‘If you wish to anoint me king over you in good faith, come and take refuge in my shadow. Otherwise, let fire come from the buckthorn and devour the cedars of Lebanon.'"
Responsorial Psalm: Ps 21:2-3, 4-5, 6-7
R (2a) Lord, in your strength the king is glad.
O LORD, in your strength the king is glad;
in your victory how greatly he rejoices!
You have granted him his heart's desire;
you refused not the wish of his lips.
R Lord, in your strength the king is glad.
For you welcomed him with goodly blessings,
you placed on his head a crown of pure gold.
He asked life of you: you gave him
length of days forever and ever.
R Lord, in your strength the king is glad.
Great is his glory in your victory;
majesty and splendor you conferred upon him.
You made him a blessing forever,
you gladdened him with the joy of your face.
R Lord, in your strength the king is glad.
Gospel Reading: Mt 20:1-16
Jesus said to his disciples, "This story throws light on the kingdom of heaven. A landowner went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. He agreed to pay the workers a salary of a silver coin for the day, and sent them to his vineyard.
"He went out again at about nine in the morning, and seeing others idle in the square, he said to them: 'You, too, go to my vineyard and I will pay you what is just.' So they went.
"The owner went out at midday and again at three in the afternoon, and he did the same. Finally he went out at the last working hour-it was the eleventh-and he saw others standing there. So he said to them: 'Why do you stay idle the whole day?' They answered: 'Because no one has hired us.' The master said: 'Go and work in my vineyard.'
"When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his manager: 'Call the workers and pay them their wage, beginning with the last and ending with the first.' Those who had come to work at the eleventh hour turned up and were given a denarius each (a silver coin). When it was the turn of the first, they thought they would receive more. But they, too, received a denarius each. So, on receiving it, they began to grumble against the landowner.
"They said: 'These last hardly worked an hour, yet you have treated them the same as us who have endured the day's burden and heat.' The owner said to one of them: 'Friend, I have not been unjust to you. Did we not agree on a denarius a day? So take what is yours and go. I want to give to the last the same as I give to you. Don't I have the right to do as I please with my money? Why are you envious when I am kind?'
"So will it be: the last will be first, the first will be last."
Opening Prayer
God, you are high above us
and get nearer to us
than we are to ourselves;
you hate evil and yet you give a chance
to people who fail;
you know us as we are
and still you love us.
Teach us your surprising ways,
that your thoughts may become ours
and that we may generously share
with those around us all the good gifts
and the life you have given us
in the generosity of your heart,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Liturgy of the Word
First Reading Introduction
The first reading gives us a first attempt to establish a kingdom to give more stability to Israel than the system of the Judges, but the would-be king is rejected with an allegory that ridicules him.
Gospel Introduction
The parable of the laborers in the vineyard tells us, contrary to what we often hear, that God is not a bookkeeper. Of course, he loves those who lead exemplary Christian lives. But in his heart there is also room for the stragglers and latecomers as well as for the pioneers. God loves us and is generous to us, not because we are good but because he is good.
General Intercessions
– That Christians may contribute to our world a sense of giving out of pure generosity and goodness and a sense of celebration, we pray:
– That in our communities everyone may be accepted as he or she is; that we may not exclude any one from our love and that we may learn to forgive everyone, we pray:
– That those who are jobless, sad or bitter because they think they are useless and nobody needs them, that we may give them the chance to contribute to the good of society, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Generous Father,
in these signs of bread and wine
you give us, weak and tired as we sometimes are,
your Son as our companion.
We open ourselves to his strength and love.
May he help us in the heat of the day
to bear the burdens of our struggles
and to seek your will in all we do.
Grant this through Christ our Lord.
Prayer after Communion
Generous Father,
in this eucharist we have experienced again
that life and all that we are
is nothing else than a gift from you.
May the demanding word of your Son
stir us to accept and serve our neighbor
as you have accepted and loved us
without any merit on our part.
And may the body of your Son sustain us
to put your word into practice.
We ask you this in the name of Jesus the Lord.
Blessing
We have looked at God today as an unbelievably good God. For God, every person is valuable, also the weak and those we consider good for nothing. Everyone counts. May almighty God bless you all, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
