Things to talk about:

• Does treating people fairly mean treating everyone the same? Why or Why not?
• Why were the workers who started early in the day angry?
• What effect does envy or jealousy have on a friendship?
• In the story, the landowner wanted to make sure that no one was standing idle. What lesson is Jesus trying to teach us about this?

Things to do:

• Donate a food item you love to the St Vincent de Paul Food Pantry..

• Make slow cooker Mac and Cheese – let the slow cooker do the cooking while you focus on time with your family. Click, for recipe.

Closing Prayer

Lord, we thank you for your generosity. Help us to see others they way you see them and not judge by our standards, but by yours! If we all have enough, there is enough for everyone.

Catholic Insights

“My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways, my ways, says the Lord.”

In this Gospel, Jesus illustrates this same divine mercy in the parable of the workers in the vineyard. The daily wage for laborers was enough for a small extended family of several adults and children to purchase bread and vegetables for the day’s meals with a bit left over. The vineyard owner was making sure all his laborers could eat regardless of the work they did. His concern was for the effects of the wage. Jesus teaches us that God’s mercy is not a currency to be earned but a generous gift to support the life of any who humbly ask for it. This is a hard lesson in our culture. Only by trusting in Christ and living his Gospel will the truth of God’s Word make any sense. The first will be last, and the last will be first.

Did you know… that the US bishops’ document Economic Justice for All states that the economy is one of the primary places we live our faith? Deciding where to work, how to spend our money, which products we buy, and what charities and causes we support shows our commitment to loving our neighbor and building local and global communities guided by justice and peace.