What if following Christ isn’t simply the road to our reward, but already part of the reward itself?
This week on All Set for Sunday, Scott and Jeff sit down with Fr. James Brockmeier to unpack the Twenty fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time and a Gospel that can challenge our very human sense of fairness.
In the Gospel, Jesus tells the parable of the laborers in the vineyard (Matthew 20:1–16). Some work all day. Others arrive with only an hour left. Yet the landowner gives each of them the same wage.
Our first instinct might sound a lot like the workers who started at dawn: Wait…how is that fair?
But Jesus is showing us something bigger: God’s generosity doesn’t operate according to our calculations. As Isaiah reminds us, God’s thoughts are not our thoughts, and His ways are not our ways (Isaiah 55:8–9).
Fr. James connects that generosity with St. Paul’s words to the Philippians: “For to me life is Christ, and death is gain” (Philippians 1:21). Paul longs for eternal life with Christ, but he also recognizes that life right now with Christ is already an extraordinary gift.
That changes how we see the vineyard.
The Christian life isn’t a long shift we begrudgingly work so we can finally collect our heavenly paycheck. Knowing Christ is itself the gift. Our families are changed by Him. Our work is changed by Him. Our communities are changed when we strive together for holiness, mercy, charity, and forgiveness.
Yes, following Christ requires sacrifice. But even the struggle toward holiness can be a gift because Christ is with us in it.
And when someone enters the vineyard late? We rejoice. They receive the same astonishing generosity of God, and we haven’t lost anything by having known and loved Him longer.
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🧦 Product Spotlight: Holy Communion Socks
This episode reminds us how easy it can be to take the incredible gifts of our Catholic faith, especially the Eucharist, for granted. Our Holy Communion Socks are a simple reminder that life with Christ is already a gift worth celebrating.
