Reading 1 Is 55:6-9
Seek the LORD while he may be found,
call him while he is near.
Let the scoundrel forsake his way,
and the wicked his thoughts;
let him turn to the LORD for mercy;
to our God, who is generous in forgiving.
For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
nor are your ways my ways, says the LORD.
As high as the heavens are above the earth,
so high are my ways above your ways
and my thoughts above your thoughts.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 145:2-3, 8-9, 17-18
R. (18a) The Lord is near to all who call upon him.
Every day will I bless you,
and I will praise your name forever and ever.
Great is the LORD and highly to be praised;
his greatness is unsearchable.
R. The Lord is near to all who call upon him.
The LORD is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and of great kindness.
The LORD is good to all
and compassionate toward all his works.
R. The Lord is near to all who call upon him.
The LORD is just in all his ways
and holy in all his works.
The LORD is near to all who call upon him,
to all who call upon him in truth.
R. The Lord is near to all who call upon him.
Reading 2 Phil 1:20c-24, 27a
Brothers and sisters:
Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death.
For to me life is Christ, and death is gain.
If I go on living in the flesh,
that means fruitful labor for me.
And I do not know which I shall choose.
I am caught between the two.
I long to depart this life and be with Christ,
for that is far better.
Yet that I remain in the flesh
is more necessary for your benefit.
Only, conduct yourselves in a way worthy of the gospel of Christ.
Gospel Mt 20:1-16a
Jesus told his disciples this parable:
“The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner
who went out at dawn to hire laborers for his vineyard.
After agreeing with them for the usual daily wage,
he sent them into his vineyard.
Going out about nine o’clock,
the landowner saw others standing idle in the marketplace,
and he said to them, ‘You too go into my vineyard,
and I will give you what is just.’
So they went off.
And he went out again around noon,
and around three o’clock, and did likewise.
Going out about five o’clock,
the landowner found others standing around, and said to them,
‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’
They answered, ‘Because no one has hired us.’
He said to them, ‘You too go into my vineyard.’
When it was evening the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman,
‘Summon the laborers and give them their pay,
beginning with the last and ending with the first.’
When those who had started about five o’clock came,
each received the usual daily wage.
So when the first came, they thought that they would receive more,
but each of them also got the usual wage.
And on receiving it they grumbled against the landowner, saying,
‘These last ones worked only one hour,
and you have made them equal to us,
who bore the day’s burden and the heat.’
He said to one of them in reply,
‘My friend, I am not cheating you.
Did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage?
Take what is yours and go.
What if I wish to give this last one the same as you?
Or am I not free to do as I wish with my own money?
Are you envious because I am generous?’
Thus, the last will be first, and the first will be last.”
Catholic Fundamentalism Interpretation:
We human programs are told to gain access to The Loving Programmer while we can.
Those who are willfully disobeying His Programming Instructions should renounce their disobedience and start obeying. Those who are considering committing errors should turn from that (to making requests for access to The Loving Programmer).
The Loving Programmer is clear: “My abilities and desires are not yours, but mine. I am vastly more powerful than you can realize, and what I am doing is far above your ability to understand. You cannot begin to understand the fullness of My thoughts (unless, as with Isaiah,) I grant human programs access to Mine.”
R. The Loving Programmer keeps Himself near to human programs who try to access Him.
Every day, I will praise The Loving Programmer. He is great, and it is very important to praise Him. We cannot begin to find the fullness of His greatness.
R. The Loving Programmer keeps Himself near to human programs who try to access Him.
The Loving Programmer loves us, helps us, and wants us to recognize our errors so that our programs will be restored. He is good to all, and loves that He has programmed and downloaded, (especially us human programs).
R. The Loving Programmer keeps Himself near to human programs who want to access Him.
The Loving Programmer is always just in all ways, and all His Works are holy. He is quickly accessible to all who honestly try to access Him (with a view to restoring their own programs to obedience).
The Loving Programmer keeps Himself near to human programs who want to access Him.
Brothers and sisters:
The Program (Jesus Christ is The Program in perfect, obedient, human form) is magnified in me, whether I live or die (as long as I proclaim His Truth). To me, my very life is in The Program, and leaving my human body brings my soul closer to Him, infinite gain.
If I stay alive on earth, I do good works, helping others download The Program. Frankly, I don’t know which is better, living or dying. I want to leave this life and be with Him, for that is far better. But, it is more important for all the believers of all the ages to come that I stay here and provide insight as to helping human programs access and download The Program.
This Operating Instruction: Act according to The Operating Instructions He has given (Love God and neighbor).
The Program, Who came to earth as Jesus Christ in perfect, obedient, human form, told His disciples (of all ages) this parable:
“The Kingdom of Heaven is as if The Loving Programmer was a landowner who hired workers early in the morning. They agreed on the daily wage, and He sent them to work.
He went out looking for workers at nine A.M., and hired more, promising just payment.
Around noon, He hired more workers, and did the same at three o’clock in the afternoon, and again, near the end of the day.
He made a point to find out why the workers weren’t working, and were told that there were no other openings available, implying that they were waiting for The Truly Good Employer.
Less than an hour later, The Loving Programmer told a leading Programming Assistant, ‘Call the workers, and give them their pay. Start with the last, end with those who started working first.’
Those who’d worked barely a twelfth of their workday got the usual worker’s wage, in this case, entry into Heaven.
When the first workers came, they thought they’d get more, but they didn’t, and complained.
‘Were being treated unfairly. We worked all day in the sun, and they others didn’t. (We should get more.)
The Loving Programmer said, ‘You are still my friend, because you did come and do the work you were told to do, but you are not being cheated. You are getting into Heaven, too, just as we agreed. Take what is yours and go (in)
What business is it of yours if I give a higher hourly rate to the last, as long as you got your proper pay for the day’s work? Are you being envious because I am generous? (‘If you complain too much about what I do, and aren’t grateful for being treated well, yourself, you may be running a big risk.’ is implied.)
Thus, the last will be first, and the first will be last (but all are better off for having done the work!)”
