LABOURERS IN THE VINEYARD September 20, 2026

      The story of the Labourers in the Vineyard appears stranger each time it is read. That every man receives the same reward surely does not hold true of eternity. Nor can we conclude from the story that God does not render to every man according to his works, for it is written in scripture that He does. What then, we may well ask, is this story really telling us?                             

      The householder expressly asks the grumblers whether he has not the right to be generous. What he gives to the late-comers, therefore, is not an expression of wages which they have earned or of the justice which applies to masters and servants; rather it is an expression of his own generosity, that free generosity- and here we are coming to the point of the whole story- that incalculable mercy, that grace which cannot be reckoned up in terms of wages and justice, that generosity and mercy which ultimately prevails between God and man.

      All of us, young and old alike, are really latecomers. Yet God is willing to give us everything if we will only accept it- ourselves and Himself and life without end.              

~ Fr. Paul Dobson.   

Stewardship Sunday - 20 September 2026

        Stewardship is not constructing a perfect life of service; it is fidelity to the hour we are living—being present to the One who is ever loving, present and active in my life and surroundings.

        When we are present to God, intentionally and loving, generosity follows abundantly. The vineyard is not abstract; it is here—in our parish, our homes, and the quiet responsibilities that fill our days. God places us beside one another with different gifts and burdens. Part of stewardship is receiving our own call and also recognizing, honouring, and making room for the call of another.

     Being present to graces offered asks, “What is being asked of me right now?” rather than “How much should I give?”. We are moved not by comparison, but compassion; not by obligation, but love. The Master goes out repeatedly to call workers, marking the day with divine initiative. Each hour—early or late—spent in the vineyard is time with him, and no moment is spiritually insignificant as Gerard Manley Hopkins wrote: “The world is charged with the grandeur of God.”

        To remain. To abide. To accept the hour given without comparison. To trust the Lord who calls us, even when we don’t understand. This is the Gospel’s quiet invitation today: return to the present moment and receive the concrete reality of your life again—not as something to measure, but as something entrusted. In the end, the wage is not the point. The gift is that we are invited to live, work, rejoice, give thanks, and love in the presence of the Lord and Master— in the end, he himself is the true gift.     

            Excerpt From:  Homily of His Eminence Frank Cardinal Leo,

                           Metropolitan Archbishop of Toronto.