It’s never too late to respond to God’s invitation!
Homily preached September 24, 2023
by Monsignor Michael Deering

A popular movie star, who had pleased audiences for nearly 50 years, lay dying in a California Hospital. He knew that heavy drinking and hard living had taken their toll on him and that his body was being eaten up with disease. He knew that in spite of all his fame and fortune, he was helpless in bringing back his good health.

Then one morning, a Catholic Sister visited the old Actor in his hospital room and asked if there was anything she could do to make him comfortable. The Actor replied that he didn’t know what else she could do.    So the good Sister offered,

“I could pray for you. You know it’s never too late to pray.”

He replied, “I don’t know what good prayer will do; I’ve led a pretty rough life.” The Sister told him that the Catholic Church believes that we can help people

get to Heaven by praying for them … that there’s always hope.

A few days later, the Actor called for that Sister to visit him and tell him more about what it meant to be a Catholic. Over the next few days... John Wayne, the popular movie star who was dying, learned what it meant to be Catholic.

And he was baptized ... right before he died!

How’s that... for riding off peacefully into the sunset?

Yes, the Old Duke, John Wayne, did ... what he so often did in the movies ...

but this time for real ... he went off peacefully ... to where the Son never sets!

Here was a guy ... who by his own admission ... led a pretty rough life ...

and then on his deathbed ... he receives the Birthright into Eternal Life!

Recall that Baptism washes away not only Original Sin but also all Actual Sin!

This means that after Baptism, his soul had the same aroma of sanctity ...

as that of a newborn baby ... who had never committed an Actual Sin!

This true story is a “real-life” example ... of the Laborer in Jesus’ parable,

who went out to work in the vineyard ... late in the day ... and yet still received

the same wage as those who had gone out to labor at the break of dawn. 

To all of us, this just doesn’t seem fair. We immediately think of how he should have had to labor longer for that reward.    But God’s ways are not our ways!

We heard this in our First Reading where God said through the Prophet Isaiah:

“As high as the heavens are above the earth, so high are my ways above your ways.”

And thank goodness for that!

The truth is that God’s gifts are freely given to ... all who draw upon them. 

Grace isn’t something we earn ... it’s something we accept and cooperate with.

Grace is pure gift that we receive simply by being open to it and asking for it!

When Jesus said, “I came that you would have life and have it to the fullest.”

He was revealing His desire that everyone come to spend Eternal Life with Him!

He calls everyone to come into the vineyard so everyone can come to the Banquet.

Some will come early ... and some will come late.

Should it really matter to us ... who comes ... and when?

Is God cheating us?        Not in the least!              God doesn’t owe us anything.

And God doesn’t have to play by our rules.  This is His world!

He’s the Landowner of all!  And as He said today,  “Am I not free to do as I wish?”

God certainly is free to do as He wishes ... with His grace ... with His gifts.

And if we truly carried the heart of Christ within us, then we’d think just like Him

and we’d want everyone to make it into the Kingdom of Heaven ...

regardless of how long or short... they had labored in the vineyard!

So, put aside any judgments that you may have concerning ...

who you think is eligible for Heaven.     God wants them all!

And pray for the conversion of all souls ... so that all people ...

can receive the same Eternal Wage … entry into the Heavenly Banquet.

That’s the whole point of the Gospel today.    God is saying: “Come to Me!

I’ll take you at 8 in the morning ... and ... I’ll take you at 5 in the afternoon.

I’ll take you at age 25 ... and  ...  I’ll take you at age 75.”

All you need to do is say “Yes!” to my invitation to come and work in my vineyard.

Now for those of us who have already entered into God’s family through Baptism, His call is to continue laboring for Him to build up the Kingdom of God on earth.

And this leaves us in somewhat of a struggle  ... the very struggle ...

that St. Paul wrote of in his letter to the Philippians proclaimed in our 2^nd Reading:

“For to me life is Christ, and death is gain.

(yet) if I go on living in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me.

and I do not know which I shall choose. I am caught in between the two.

I long to depart this life and be with Christ, for that is far better.

Yet that I remain in the flesh is more necessary for your benefit.”

Oh what a beautiful passage to mediate on!

And to know that Holy Apostle Paul wrestled with the same dilemma that we do!

Yes, if we die in Christ we will merit Eternal Life with Jesus.

But as long as we’re here ... in this time and place ...

we’re called to build up the Kingdom of God on earth.

Our purpose ... our Baptismal commission ... is to steer our soul to Heaven ... and

take as many others with us as we can!

Oh, there are so many who have not been baptized into Christ ...

and there are so many, who after Baptism ... have taken a side-trip away from Christ.

Yes, there’s great work to be done here in God’s vineyard on earth ...

and if we’re alive and breathing ... then God’s desire is for us to labor for souls!

Are there people in your family or circle of friends that have been away from God for a while?             If so ... you could be God’s chosen instrument to invite them back!

This past Thursday, I called some people who I hadn’t seen at Church to check on them ... were they sick or injured ... how are they. Well, one man told me he’d been away from Church for 3 months and was feeling very low and hesitant to come back.

I encouraged him to come back and start again. The very next morning, Friday, he was there at 6:45 morning Mass ... and afterward asked to go to Confession. Wow!

You too can be an instrument of God to bring people back to Him and His Church!

Sometimes people turn away from the Church because they’ve been poorly treated by someone in the Church.        Don’t let this keep them away.

        Encourage them to come back and try again.

Another reason why people stay away from God & the Church is because of fear. Fear whispers the oldest & biggest lie of all ... the lie that says,

“it’s too late ... you’re not good enough ... you could never be forgiven”.

Over the years, I’ve had the chance to minister to several hospital patients who felt unworthy to approach God in their hour of need. They would say things like: “I haven’t prayed in 30 years, so calling on God now just wouldn’t be right.”

Well maybe not from your perspective, but it sure is OK from God’s perspective!

That’s the whole point of Jesus’ parable of the Landowner going out at 5 different times during the day looking for laborers who would go into his vineyard!

Some agreed to enter the vineyard at 7am, some at 9am, some at 12 noon, ...

some at 3pm & some at 5pm.    And what did the Landowner do?

He rewarded them all the same!

For those of us who have been laboring for the Lord for many years,

there’s no need to become upset with Jesus’s parable ...

as if we’re being cheated out of something. 

There’s no greater reward that we could ever receive, than the reward of Eternal Life!

And that’s the very reward that’s in store for us ... if ...

we accept ... and remain true to ... Jesus’ invitation to labor for Him.

So be at peace and remain committed to laboring for the Lord.

You will receive the reward of Eternal Life  ...if you persist to the end.

Yes, with urgency of heart, let’s make sure that our families and friends ...

take up God’s invitation to enter His vineyard ...

     so that they too may receive the same reward ... before the day is done!

As Isaiah announced in our First Reading:  

“Seek the Lord while he may be found. Call on him while He is near.”

There’s a time limit to this! Everyone needs to enter ... while there’s still time.

Don’t ever forget the true story of the last days of John Wayne’s life ...  

     how he received the Sacrament of God’s love and forgiveness on his deathbed.

It’s a powerful example of the truth that we prayed in our Responsorial Psalm:

“The Lord is near to all who call upon Him.”

John Wayne humbly called upon God  ... and on that day,

he won the greatest Academy Award of his life, the Gift of Heaven!

   It was an Award that The Heavenly Director was pleased to bestow upon him!

          Amen!