The Question at 5 PM : ‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’

GOSPEL THOUGHTS

*Ordinary Season:  Twentieth Week :  Wednesday*

*Gospel : Mt 20:1-16*

*First Reading : Jgs 9:6-15*

*Responsorial Psalm : 21:2-3, 4-5, 6-7*

*The Question at 5 PM :    ‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’*

*1) The Question at 5 PM*

The question *“Why do you stand here idle all day?”* comes from the Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard in Matthew 20:1–16. 

In the story, a landowner goes out at different hours of the day to hire laborers for his vineyard. 

He goes early in the morning, again at the third, sixth, and ninth hours, and finally at the eleventh hour—around 5 PM—just before the workday ends.

Going at 5 PM and asking this Question has a deep relevance and importance to our life. 

*2) The Element of Compassion and Inclusion*

At 5 PM, the workday is almost over. Yet the landowner still goes out looking for people who haven’t been hired. 

This shows a radical compassion—he isn't concerned only with productivity, but also with giving opportunity.

He asks, *“Why are you standing idle all day?”* not in judgment, but as an invitation: *“You still have worth. Come. There’s still work—and reward—for you.”*

Sometimes, people aren't given opportunities earlier in life—not because they’re lazy or unwilling, but because no one hired them. This parable acknowledges that

*3) Highlighting the Loneliness of the Unchosen*

By asking at 5 PM, the landowner draws attention to those left behind. 

They've been waiting all day, while others were picked. 

They represent the forgotten, the rejected, the last.

It’s easy to value early starters—the ambitious, the young, the quick. 

But this question at 5 PM shows God’s heart for the last and least. No one is too late for grace.

*4) Grace Is Not Earned by Time or Effort*

The parable ends with all the workers, including those hired at 5 PM, receiving the same wage. 

The landowner’s question reveals the aspect of God's grace.

It's not about how long you worked, but about the generosity of the giver.

The question at 5 PM exposes our tendency to judge worth by performance. 

But in God’s economy, presence and response matter more than timing.

*5) It Challenges Our Perception of Fairness*

The late-hour question provokes those who worked all day. 

It reveals a tension: if the 5 PM workers get paid the same, was all that extra effort wasted?

This question challenges our view of justice. Are we serving for reward, or out of trust and faithfulness?

*6) A Message of Hope*

Finally, the 5 PM question reminds us: it’s never too late. Even at the "eleventh hour"—near the end of the day, or of life—there is still a place, a calling, and a reward.

To the weary, the late bloomers, or those who feel forgotten: grace comes even at 5 PM.

The landowner asks this question at 5PM not earlier, reveals the heart of divine grace.

It’s not about how early you start, but that you say yes when you're called.

*7) God's Option for the Poor*

At 5 PM, the landowner's question—"Why do you stand here idle all day?"—reveals God's preferential option for the poor.

This approach of the Landowner shows that even those who are excluded, forgotten, or deemed 'too late' by society are still seen, valued, and invited into full dignity and participation in God's kingdom.

*Think about it*

*God bless you and your family. Praying for you and your dear ones*

*Fr Maxim DSouza*

*Jeppu Seminary*

*Mangalore*