Working in the Vineyard: Joy or Burden? by Joan Watson

Here’s the Key Memo on Afghanistan That the Biden White House Ignored Last Month, by Matt Vespa
August 20, 2021
‘Protect Our Freedom’: Thousands Across US Protest COVID Vaccine Mandates, by Raymond Wolfe
August 20, 2021

By Joan Watson, Integrated Catholic, Aug. 20, 2021

Joan Watson was born and raised in Lafayette, Indiana, but college and graduate school took her to Virginia, Ohio, and Rome. …

“What if we instead showed that those laborers in the vineyard had it better than the idlers in the market?”

Joannie WatsonIn the Gospel readings this week, we have been hearing about what it means to follow Christ. Lessons on the commandments and parables about the kingdom in a sense culminate in the first reading for Sunday’s liturgyJoshua asks the people to make a decision: choose today whom you will serve. They insist they will serve the Lord  (Joshua 24).

Perhaps when we reflect on the idea of following Christ, we are faced with a choice: to serve now or to wait. Wedged between the commandments and call to true discipleship in Matthew’s Gospel is a parable read earlier this week – the laborers in the vineyard (Mt 20:1-16). This parable can be hard for cradle Catholics. It’s easy to view ourselves as the early workers, those who were hired first and had to work in the heat of the day. Perhaps it’s easy to be jealous of those who came at the end but received the same payment. …

Continue reading >>>>