Don Dolindo on Christ's Parable: Called to Work in God's Vineyard
Practical Wisdom for Working in God's Vineyard No Matter When You're Called
The vineyard of our souls
In Matthew Chapter 20 of the Bible, Jesus Christ tells the parable of a vineyard owner hiring workers at different hours of the day yet paying all the same wage that evening. This intriguing story has captured the imagination of Scripture readers for ages. In his masterful commentary on this passage, the Servant of God Don Dolindo Ruotolo unpacks profound yet practical lessons from Christ's vineyard parable. Don Dolindo illuminates how this text contrasts God's radically generous grace with human ideas of transactional fairness. Diving deep into the wisdom embedded within this rich Biblical story, Don Dolindo's commentary illuminates how God's lavish generosity stands ready to reward even the “eleventh-hour” laborers.
At its core, this parable contrasts God's generous grace with mankind's ideas of strict justice. The vineyard owner represents God, calling people to work in His vineyard (the Church) at different stages of their lives. Whether called early or late, all receive the full reward of heaven through God's mercy, not human merit. As Don Dolindo explains, "The call is grace, and the reward is mercy from the owner of the vineyard, so that everyone receives the same money, meaning everyone reaches Heaven by divine goodness."
Don Dolindo sees this parable spanning all of salvation history of God’s vineyard workers in "the election of grace and mercy." This should encourage us that it's never too late to begin working for God. Whether we feel our lives have been full of idleness or diligent labor for Him, salvation is a pure gift. As Don Dolindo writes, "Divine mercy is infinite" and "love compensates for what has not been done in the course of life."
Yes, salvation is unmerited grace. But as Don Dolindo explains, we still have a role to play in responding to God's call. Using the metaphor of the vineyard, Don Dolindo notes that while God invites all to work for Him, tragically, "many had idled at home before loafing in the square, and were late." We should not take grace for granted by procrastinating in our response.
Don Dolindo laments the many ways people today idle their time away in meaningless pursuits instead of laboring for eternal rewards. From silly entertainments to superficial conversations, so much of life is lived "in the square of life, lost in so many foolishnesses." Yet even if we've wasted years in futile jobs or hollow amusements, "let us use what remains to be able to gather the eternal fruit of divine mercy."
Our part is responding promptly when God calls us to work for Him. What does this look like today? Don Dolindo suggests even small acts like embracing little mortifications, performing humble good deeds, and taking advantage of the sacraments and other means of grace. By answering God's call in tiny ways each day, we allow rivulets of grace to flow through the capillaries of our souls. Little efforts, when done with love, allow God to radically transform our lives over time.
So let us rise early every morning to labor in God's vineyard! We all have a role to play in this divine field - no matter if we arrive at dawn or dusk. As Don Dolindo declares: "We work for the soul, and therefore we work for the glory of God, because this is the most beautiful work we can do." Our reward comes not from human effort but from the Lord of the vineyard who calls us. May we respond promptly to His call with willing hearts, ready to work.
As Don Dolindo declares in his commentary on Matthew 20, "God calls us to work in His field, and He is content even with the little that we give Him, as long as it is given with love," reminiscent of Jesus' words that "whoever gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he shall not lose his reward." (Matthew 10:42). We can have confidence that "the grace of God is like capillary sap; it passes through the small channels and through them reaches our entire life," (Don Dolindo's Matthew 20 commentary) much as Jesus used the metaphor of a mustard seed to show how the smallest seed grows into the greatest of shrubs (Matthew 13:31-32). Even "the small mortifications, the small renunciations, the humble good works that cost so little" (Don Dolindo on Matthew 20) have power through God's grace to produce tremendous fruit, as Scripture declares that "He who confers benefits will be amply enriched, and he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed." (Proverbs 11:25). Don Dolindo warns in his Matthew 20 exposition that "the occlusion of one of these conduits of grace can produce the thrombosis of the spirit," because when God calls us even in "small things" we must listen, or else decay sets in; as Jesus taught, "everyone to whom much is given, of him much will much be required" (Luke 12:48). Therefore, "if we have wasted so much time in life, let us use what remains to be able to gather the eternal fruit of divine mercy" (Don Dolindo's words on Matthew 20) and respond to God's call, for "Behold, now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation." (2 Corinthians 6:2).
O Mary, Queen of Apostles and Queen of Heaven and Earth, we come before you seeking your heavenly intercession. As Don Dolindo wrote, “The earth is like a vineyard owned by the Heavenly Father, and in this vineyard, men were called as workers of good, to receive the reward for their labor in eternity,” just as Jesus declared “my Father is the vinedresser” (John 15:1). Help us respond promptly when the Master calls us into His harvest at diverse hours and seasons, whether “in childhood, adolescence, youth, manhood or old age,” for the Son of man is coming at an hour we do not expect (Matthew 24:44). May we never be “idle all day long” in the marketplace, oblivious to God’s invitation. No matter if we arrive early or late, equip us all for labor in the fields, working while it is day, for the night comes when no one can work. Fortify us by your example, O noble Queen who humbly answered God's call at the dawn of the “fullness of time” (Galatians 4:4-5). Empower us to work with diligence to reap a bountiful eternal reward through God’s abundant grace. In your maternal care, lead us ever deeper into Divine Mercy. Amen.