Early Calls and Late Calls
Homily on the 25th Sunday in O.T.; 20 September 2026, Maryville Chapel, Talamban
There was once a girl named Jane. She was born to a very good Catholic family. And grew up to be a woman of finest beauty. When she was 21 years old, she got married to a wealthy gentleman. She felt blessed by God not only with a good and responsible husband but also with good health, honest wealth, and six beautiful children.
One day, however, after a chain of misfortunes began to strike her down, she realized that the good life on earth has its own shadows. She actually lost her mother when she was only 18 months old. And then, two other deaths in the family followed – her stepmom and her own sister. Fast forward, after getting married, her first two kids died in their infancy. The worst tragedy happened when her husband was accidentally killed by a gunshot, thus making her a widow at only 28 years old. For years Jane lived in pain as she could not bring herself to forgive the man who was responsible for the untimely death of her husband.
One Sunday morning while attending Mass she heard the bishop preach about the love of God. She was awestruck by his homily. After the Mass she felt different. Her brokenness started to heal and she started forgiving the people who have hurt her in the past. Soon she got inspired to make a vow of virginity for the rest of her life. And so, after entrusting her children to their grandfather and their uncle, she left home and became a nun.
Brothers and sisters, I guess the life story of the woman mentioned above has made an impression on you especially the sudden turnaround in her life. But I’m sure it has also triggered an interesting question. Can a woman – married or single – be called by God to a second virginity? Do late vocations really exist in the Church?
Today’s gospel (Mt 20:1 – 16a) presents to us Jesus narrating a parable about the Kingdom of God. His purpose I believe was to teach us a specific lesson: every Christian has a particular vocation and mission in life. When God calls, we should respond. In the parable, the vineyard owner saw how much work was needed to be done. And so even before sunrise he was already out hiring workers, inviting them to come and work in his vineyard in exchange for a just wage.
The parable didn’t specify what type of work the hired men had to do. It could be preparing the ground, or maybe planting the grape seeds, or installing safety and security structures such as the fence, the ditch, and the watch tower. It might include pruning the vine and cutting out dry leaves and branches. Perhaps, it might already be harvesting time and the grapes needed to be gathered as quickly as possible, lest they get spoiled or stolen by thieves. The frequency of hiring additional workers gives the impression that the work in the vineyard was so vast and so urgent. As a matter of fact, the owner had to go back and forth several times in order to recruit laborers. And one hour before closing time he again went out to hire more people who had been idle all day.
The good news is this: by sunset, all of the workers received a fair and just wage. It’s a bit surprising that those who came to work much later received more than what they deserved, including those who worked only for one hour. What could this parable be teaching us about Christian life and mission? What could Jesus be really telling us, his disciples, who are trying to following him and serve him faithfully? I’d like to share with you three points: the mission, the call, the reward.
First, the MISSION: in the Church there is a vast work needed to done. It can be preaching God’s Word and teaching the ignorant; it can be reaching out to non-Christians, teaching catechism or deepening the faith of those already baptized; it can be forming new communities, building new structures or managing people; it can be healing the sick, or serving the poor, the needy and the oppressed; it can be guiding, accompanying and shepherding the young; it can be praying for others and celebrating the liturgy and the sacraments. I have mentioned only some of the innumerable tasks to be done in our parish community, and in various parts of the world. Just imagine, two-thousand years had not been enough for the Church to complete the mission entrusted to her by the Lord. On the contrary the work to be done only kept multiplying.
This leads us to the second message of the parable, the CALL: the Lord still calls many to come and work in his vineyard even today. And he calls everyone, from the young ones to the not so young. He calls even those who are once-upon-a-time-young. In other words, he calls children, youth, young adults, middle-aged and even the senior citizens and the elderly.
Salesian Brother Tony, my batch mate, was already in his 40s when he resigned from his job and became a novice in 1984. Another confrere, Bro Alex, applied to work as a missionary in Pakistan only when he reached 60 years old.
My Italian friend named Fr Piero was ordained a priest in his 50s only after becoming a widower. He actually a started as a lay minister in their parish. Then his bishop offered to ordain him as a permanent deacon. Years later after the death of his wife, his bishop invited him to consider being ordained a priest. And he said YES. And so, three years ago, when I had a trip to Italy, I met him again and concelebrated in his Sunday Mass. Despite his advanced age he continues to be active in the ministry of saving souls.
Now, some of you might consider your current profession as your mission from the Lord – as for instance, being a housewife, a teacher, a doctor or a nurse. That’s fine! Then, strive to persevere in what you do well. There are others, in fact, who became active in the parish or village community quite late in life, particularly after retirement. Brothers & sisters, what the Lord is trying to say is that age does not really matter when it comes to serving God and his beloved people.
Therefore, if until now you still do not know your real calling and mission in life, or if you are not yet actively serving in your parish Church or community, I believe it is high time that you reflect deeply on this matter.
This brings us to the third lesson of today’s parable, the REWARD: everyone who works in the vineyard of the Lord will definitely receive a fitting reward, way beyond what he or she truly deserves. Those who were hired from midmorning up to mid-afternoon and before sunset didn’t expect to receive a full day’s wage despite being called late to work. This manifests how good the Lord really is. He can never be outdone in his generosity, especially to us who are striving to serve him faithfully and selflessly.
There is, however, a particular attitude, which the Lord does not like from those who work in his vineyard. And that is the sense of entitlement. The first batch of laborers agreed to receive the usual daily wage. However, at the end of the day, when they got the same pay as those who worked only part time, they complained as though they deserved to receive more. They failed to see that the vineyard owner was not only just and fair to them, but also generous with those who came last.
Could some of us be like them, working with the attitude of the first batch of laborers? We could be serving the Lord for the wrong reasons. We could be serving the Church for years but with selfish motives. Let us spend some quiet time to reflect and pray on this matter.
Let me end by sharing with you the continuation of the life story of Jane. Some years after Jane’s husband died, she made a decision to stay single and embrace a second virginity for the rest of her life, so she could serve the Church with her whole heart. In the year 1610 with the help of her spiritual director, Bp. Francis of Annecy, she founded a religious congregation called the Visitation Sisters of Holy Mary whose mission was to take care of the poor, the sick and the needy. It was the first ever religious order for women whose members were not confined within the cloister. The members could go out to visit the sick, the aged, the poor and the dying. It was the long desire of Jane to follow the example of the Virgin Mary who, after the annunciation, went out to visit and serve her cousin Elizabeth.
The story you just heard is actually the life story of one of the more popular saints in the Church, St Jane Frances de Chantal. And the bishop who guided her to discover her late vocation in life was no other than St. Francis de Sales, the Patron saint of the Salesians of Don Bosco.
Brothers and sisters, singles and married, young professionals and retirees, with so much work to do in today’s field of mission, Jesus continues to call us even at the eleventh hour. If you hear his voice, or receive an early or late call, be brave and be willing to offer him your big YES. GiGsss!
