{"id":5924,"date":"2026-09-17T20:14:11","date_gmt":"2026-09-17T20:14:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/inquietar.com\/lectio-divina-25th-sunday-in-ordinary-time-the-last-will-be-first\/"},"modified":"2026-09-17T20:18:29","modified_gmt":"2026-09-17T20:18:29","slug":"lectio-divina-25th-sunday-in-ordinary-time-the-last-will-be-first","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/inquietar.com\/en\/lectio-divina-25th-sunday-in-ordinary-time-the-last-will-be-first\/","title":{"rendered":"Lectio Divina 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time: The Last Will Be First"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

<\/p>\n

\n

25th Sunday in Ordinary Time \u00b7 Matthew 20:1\u201316<\/p>\n

The last will be first<\/em><\/h1>\n

Grace is received, not earned<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

This Lectio Divina for the Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time<\/strong>, Year A, leads us into Matthew 20:1\u201316<\/strong>. The landowner keeps returning to the marketplace, calling workers into his vineyard and giving each one the same denarius. Through Lectio, Meditatio, Oratio, Contemplatio and Communicatio, we receive the Word in the Augustinian Recollect spirit, in personal prayer and in community.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

01<\/strong>\u00a0 Lectio<\/span>
\n02<\/strong>\u00a0 Meditatio<\/span>
\n03<\/strong>\u00a0 Oratio<\/span>
\n04<\/strong>\u00a0 Contemplatio<\/span>
\n05<\/strong>\u00a0 Communicatio<\/span><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

Invocation<\/p>\n

Come, Holy Spirit<\/h2>\n
\n

Come, Holy Spirit,
\nthrough whom every faithful soul
\nthat believes in Christ is made holy
\nand becomes a citizen
\nof the city of God.<\/p>\n

Come, Holy Spirit;
\nmake us receptive to God\u2019s prompting.
\nKindle your fire within us,
\nenlighten us and lift our hearts to God.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Saint Augustine (En. Ps. 45, 8 \u00b7 Serm. 128, 4)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

The Gospel<\/p>\n

Matthew 20:1\u201316<\/h2>\n

Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time<\/p>\n

\n

Jesus told his disciples this parable: \u201cThe kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out at dawn to hire workers for his vineyard. After agreeing on the usual daily wage, he sent them into the vineyard.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

He went out again in the morning and saw others standing idle in the marketplace. \u2018You too go into my vineyard,\u2019 he said, \u2018and I will pay you what is right.\u2019 He went out again at noon and later in the afternoon and did the same.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Near the end of the day he found others still standing there. \u2018Why have you been here all day without work?\u2019 he asked. \u2018Because no one has hired us,\u2019 they replied. He said, \u2018You too go into my vineyard.\u2019<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

When evening came, the owner told his manager to call the workers and pay them, beginning with the last and ending with the first. Those hired at the final hour each received a full day\u2019s wage. The first workers therefore expected more, but they too received the same amount.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

They complained: \u2018These last worked only one hour, yet you have made them equal to us who carried the burden of the day and the heat.\u2019 The owner answered, \u2018Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did we not agree on the wage? Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give the last the same as you. Am I not free to do as I wish with what is mine? Or are you envious because I am generous?\u2019 So the last will be first, and the first will be last.\u201d<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

The Gospel of the Lord<\/p>\n

Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n
01<\/div>\n

Lectio<\/p>\n

What the text says<\/h2>\n

Saint Augustine \u00b7 Sermon 87, 6\u20137<\/p>\n

\n

No one should delay entering the vineyard on the assumption that the same denarius will be given whenever they arrive. The promise is certain, but we are never told to postpone our answer. Each group went when the landowner called. The reward rests in his generosity; the moment of response still matters.<\/p>\n

You may be promised the denarius even at the final hour, but no one has promised that your day will last that long. Why delay following the one who calls when the reward is sure but the length of your life is not? Do not let postponement rob you of the gift God longs to give. Go when he calls.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

Saint Thomas of Villanova<\/p>\n

God\u2019s kingdom is not measured by the length of time but by the spirit and fervour of the heart. Let the first avoid pride and the last refuse despair: all are offered the same gift.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

Reflection<\/p>\n

The most costly denarius in history<\/h2>\n
\n

The landowner goes out at dawn, in the morning, at noon, late in the afternoon and when the day is almost over. No one is invisible to him. His repeated search reveals a God who never tires of calling and for whom no life is too late.<\/p>\n

This parable is not a lesson in payroll. Jesus is speaking about grace. The denarius stands for communion with God, a gift that cannot be divided or calculated by the hour. Everyone who enters the vineyard receives the Lord himself.<\/p>\n

The first workers do not complain because they were underpaid. They resent the fact that the last received the same good. Comparison turns our relationship with God into an account of merit and makes us forget the joy of having been called at dawn.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you envious because I am generous?\u201d The question reaches the place where faithfulness becomes a claim to superiority. Another person\u2019s good no longer delights us and begins to feel like a threat.<\/p>\n

Salvation is grace before it is reward. Faithfulness matters, but it never makes us better than those who arrive later. All of us live from a goodness we did not purchase, and all of us are invited to rejoice when another person finally finds a place in the vineyard.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n
02<\/div>\n

Meditatio<\/p>\n

What the Word says to me<\/h2>\n
\u201cYou too go into my vineyard.\u201d<\/div>\n

God\u2019s call is constant. It rises from a heart that seeks every person and always opens a way to respond. His voice asks for a free and committed answer, yet he never grows tired of returning to the marketplace.<\/p>\n

Can I still hear God calling me to work in his vineyard today?<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you envious because I am generous?\u201d<\/div>\n

Jesus brings our comparisons into the light. The Father does not rank his children. He welcomes them and rejoices whenever someone accepts his invitation, even at the end of the day.<\/p>\n

Do I need to be among the first, or can I rejoice when everyone is welcomed by the Father?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n
03<\/div>\n

Oratio<\/p>\n

What I say to God<\/h2>\n
\n

The one who created you without you
\nwill not save you without you.<\/p>\n

The one who made you without your knowing
\nwill not save you without your consent.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Saint Augustine (Sermon 169, 13)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n
04<\/div>\n

Contemplatio<\/p>\n

Keep me mindful of you, Lord<\/h2>\n
\n

In the silence\u2026<\/p>\n

Watch the landowner go out at dawn and return when the day is nearly over.<\/p>\n

Listen as he answers those who compare: \u201cAre you envious because I am generous?\u201d<\/p>\n

Let Jesus shed light on your comparisons, your demands and your need to prove yourself.<\/p>\n

Let him look at you<\/p>\n

\u201cI am generous.\u201d<\/p>\n

Remember what you have received, not because you earned it, but because God chose to give it.<\/p>\n

Remain<\/p>\n

Give thanks for the call and the gift. Pray slowly:
\n\u201cLord, teach me to rejoice in your goodness.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

To contemplate is to rest in the grace God offers to everyone.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n
05<\/div>\n

Communicatio<\/p>\n

In community<\/h2>\n

In him we are one<\/p>\n

\n

Share<\/strong><\/p>\n

Speak about what the Lord has stirred in the heart.<\/p>\n

Which word or moment touched me most?
\nWhere have I experienced God\u2019s freely given love in my life?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Discern<\/strong><\/p>\n

Listen together for what the Lord may be saying to the community.<\/p>\n

How can we become a community where another person\u2019s good brings joy instead of comparison?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Walk<\/strong><\/p>\n

Choose one concrete attitude for the coming week.<\/p>\n

What needs to change so that I live with greater gratitude?
\nHow will we celebrate the good God is doing in our brothers and sisters?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Restless, we answer;
\ngrateful, we serve;
\ntogether, we celebrate grace.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

Prayer<\/p>\n

\n

Thank you, my Lord,
\nfor all you have given me
\nand inspired within me in this moment.<\/p>\n

May my restless heart
\nnever cease to burn
\nuntil at last it rests in you,
\nthe one true love.<\/p>\n

May everything be for the greater glory of your name,
\nas we become one mind
\nand one heart directed towards you,
\nour God.<\/p>\n

Amen.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n
\n

Prayer<\/p>\n

For Vocations<\/h2>\n
\n

Lord our God,
\nlet the call of your voice reach many hearts.<\/p>\n

May they rise and learn to live as one in you.<\/p>\n

Prepare their hearts through your Word,
\nso that they may bring good news to the poor
\nand care for your abundant harvest.<\/p>\n

May all whom you call to Augustinian Recollect life
\nhear your voice
\nand have the courage to do your will.<\/p>\n

Amen.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

And now\u2026<\/p>\n

Let yourself be moved \u2192<\/a><\/p>\n

dejate.inquietar.com<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

PredicAR \u00b7 Augustinian Recollects<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Lectio Divina for the 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle A, on Matthew 20:1-16: God’s call, his goodness, and the grace that welcomes everyone.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":5925,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[342],"tags":[583,580,344,345,346,581,496,349,586,350,582,585,357,358,359,348,366,584],"class_list":["post-5924","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lectio","tag-1-16","tag-25th-sunday-in-ordinary-time","tag-augustinian-recollect","tag-augustinian-recollects","tag-cycle-a","tag-gods-grace","tag-gods-call","tag-inquietar","tag-last-and-first","tag-lectio-divina","tag-matthew-20","tag-parable-of-the-workers-in-the-vineyard","tag-predicar","tag-saint-augustine","tag-saint-thomas-of-villanova","tag-sunday-gospel","tag-vocations","tag-workers-in-the-vineyard"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/inquietar.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5924","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/inquietar.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/inquietar.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inquietar.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inquietar.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5924"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/inquietar.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5924\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5933,"href":"https:\/\/inquietar.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5924\/revisions\/5933"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inquietar.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5925"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/inquietar.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5924"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inquietar.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5924"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inquietar.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5924"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}