Join Father Dominic Holtz from Rome, Italy, with A Word of Hope for the 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time. Today's gospel is the parable of the landowner and the workers in the vineyard: those hired at the first hour, the third, the sixth, and all the way to the eleventh, and the surprising twist that every one of them received the same wage.
But Father Holtz points to a curious detail in the ending that's easy to miss. The landowner doesn't answer the grumbling crowd. He speaks to one worker, calling him "my friend." And when he defends his generosity, he doesn't point to the latecomers in general. He points to "this last one," a single, concrete person.
Why does that matter? Because it's all too easy to dodge responsibility when we hide inside an aggrieved group ("I'm not speaking for myself, I'm speaking for all of us"), and just as easy to resent people in the abstract ("I hate it when people do this"). The landowner won't allow either. He asks: this man, are you envious for him?
The gospel, Father Holtz reminds us, doesn't think in generalities. God is concerned with every concrete thing He has made, in all its particularity. He promises something to each and every one of us, is generous to each and every one of us, and asks us to care for each of our brothers and sisters in their particularity. And that means He cares for you, not generally, but you in particular.
⏱️ **Timestamps**
0:00 – Greeting from Rome
0:13 – The parable of the workers in the vineyard
0:27 – The twist: everyone paid the same wage
0:42 – Something curious about the ending
0:54 – The landowner speaks to one worker: "my friend"
1:08 – "This last one": pointing to a particular person
1:36 – What's going on here?
1:52 – Hiding behind an aggrieved group
2:09 – It's easier to resent people in general
2:20 – The landowner won't let it pass
2:41 – "This man, are you envious for him?"
2:53 – The gospel doesn't deal in generalities
3:05 – God cares for each of us in our particularity
3:27 – He wants His mercy and generosity for you
3:39 – A word of hope
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📖 Today's Gospel: Matthew 20:1-16a
📅 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time
📍 Recorded in Rome, Italy
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