Twenty Fifth Sunday of the Year
September 20, 2026
Isaiah 55:6-9 Philippians 1:20-24.27 Matthew 20:1-16
A young man once stood outside a hospital room waiting for the results of an important examination. He had worked hard for years, sacrificed many comforts, and prayed that he would finally receive the opportunity he had been waiting for. When the results were announced, he had succeeded. He was overjoyed. But then he noticed something. His closest friend, who had studied for a much shorter time, had also been selected for the same opportunity. The young man felt disappointed. He thought, “I worked so hard. I sacrificed so much. How can he receive the same opportunity?”
That evening, he went home and told his father what had happened. His father listened quietly and then asked, “My son, when you were a child, I bought you a pair of shoes. Later, when your brother needed shoes, did you ask me why I was buying shoes for him?” The young man replied, “No, Father.”
The father smiled and said, “Because his receiving something did not mean you received less. You were both my children.”
Those words changed something in the young man's heart. The next day, he went to his friend, congratulated him sincerely, and said, “I am happy that you have this opportunity too.” Years later, he remembered that experience and said, “That day I learned that another person's blessing is not my loss.”
This is a lesson that all of us need to learn. We live in a world of comparison. We compare our achievements, our opportunities, our possessions, our ministries, our families, and even our spiritual lives. When someone receives something we desire, we can feel that our own blessing has somehow become smaller. Today's readings invite us to see life through the eyes of God rather than through the eyes of comparison.
The first reading from the prophet Isaiah gives us the foundation for understanding today's Gospel. God says, “My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways.” Human beings naturally think in terms of calculation. We ask who deserves more, who has worked harder, who came first, and who should receive the greater reward. But God's ways are different. His mercy is not limited by our calculations, and His generosity cannot be measured by our standards.
Isaiah therefore invites us to “seek the Lord while he may be found.” We are called to return to God because His mercy is abundant. Sometimes we may think that a person has gone too far, made too many mistakes, or wasted too many years. But God's mercy can reach places where human judgment sees no possibility.
The second reading from St Paul gives us another important perspective. Paul says, “For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain.” His life has become completely centred on Christ. He is caught between two desires. He longs to be with Christ, but he also knows that remaining alive means continuing his mission and serving others.
Paul's attitude is remarkable because he is not thinking primarily about what he can receive. He is thinking about what he can give. He says that remaining alive is more necessary for the sake of others. This is a sign of Christian maturity. We gradually move from asking, “What can I get?” to asking, “What can I give?” We stop measuring our lives against others and begin asking whether our lives are becoming a blessing to others.
Then Jesus gives us the Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard. A landowner goes out early in the morning and hires workers. Later, he goes out again at the third hour, the sixth hour, the ninth hour, and finally at the eleventh hour. Some workers have worked throughout the day; others have worked only a short time. At the end of the day, the landowner gives them the same wage. The workers who came first are angry. They complain, “These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us.”
Their complaint seems understandable from a human point of view. But notice what the landowner says: “Are you envious because I am generous?” The early workers were not cheated. They received exactly what had been promised. Their problem was that they were comparing themselves with others.
This is the heart of the Gospel. Comparison can rob us of gratitude.
We may be perfectly happy with our own blessings until we see someone else's blessings. We may be grateful for our work until someone else receives a promotion. We may be happy with our ministry until another person receives recognition. We may be content with our family until we compare it with another family.
The problem is not always what we have. Sometimes the problem is that we are constantly looking at what others have. Jesus asks us to change our perspective. God's generosity toward another person does not reduce His love for us.
There is also a beautiful message of hope in the workers who came at the eleventh hour. They remind us that it is never too late for God. Some people discover their faith early. Others return to God after many years. Some people change only after painful experiences. Some discover their vocation later in life.
The important thing is not simply when we began. The important thing is whether we are willing to respond to God's invitation today.
There are three important life messages for us today.
First, stop comparing your life with others. God has given each person a different journey, different gifts, different struggles, and different blessings. Your journey does not become less meaningful because someone else's journey looks different.
Second, learn to rejoice in the blessings of others. When someone receives an opportunity, success, forgiveness, or recognition, do not immediately ask, “Why not me?” Instead, learn to say, “Thank you, Lord, for blessing my brother or sister.” Another person's blessing is not your loss.
Third, never believe that it is too late to begin again. God's invitation remains open. Whatever your past may have been, there is always an opportunity to return, to change, to grow, and to serve.
Let us return to the young man and his father. The young man initially thought that his friend's success diminished his own. But his father helped him understand something profound: “His receiving something did not mean you received less. You are both my children.”
That is the message Jesus gives us today.
God does not love us less because He loves another person. He does not bless us less because He blesses someone else. His grace is not a limited resource. His love is not a competition.
Perhaps today we need to let go of a comparison. Perhaps there is someone whose success we find difficult to celebrate. Perhaps there is someone whose second chance we feel they do not deserve. Perhaps we have been looking so much at another person's life that we have forgotten to thank God for our own.
Today Jesus asks us, “Are you envious because I am generous?”
May we learn to answer with gratitude: “Lord, thank you for what you have given me. And thank you for what you give to others.”
When we truly understand God's generosity, we discover a beautiful freedom. We no longer need to compete for God's love. We can celebrate another person's blessing without feeling diminished. We can be grateful for our own journey and rejoice in the journeys of others. Because in the Father's house, there is enough love for everyone. And another person's blessing is never our loss. It is another reason to give thanks.
Happy Sunday
