Daily Catholic Lectio
Wed, 20 August ‘25
Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time, Wednesday
Saint Bernard, Abbot and Doctor of the Church – Memorial
Judges 9:6-15. Matthew 20:1-16
The Last Shall Be First
1. False Leadership: The Thornbush That Chokes Life
Scripture: Jotham compares Abimelek to a thornbush—a plant that takes but never gives, blocking the growth of others (Judg 9:14-15). His parable warns against leaders who seek power for themselves rather than serve God’s people.
Church’s Teaching: Christus Dominus (11) reminds us that true authority in the Church is service, not domination. Leadership without service becomes like the thornbush—useless and harmful.
Pastoral Application: We too can fall into “thornbush” leadership—whether in families, parishes, or communities—when we seek control rather than service. God calls us instead to servant leadership, building up others rather than draining them.
2. God’s Justice and Mercy in Tension
Scripture: In the parable of the workers (Matt 20:1-16), God shows both justice and mercy. The first workers receive a fair wage; the last receive unexpected generosity. What looks unfair in human logic reveals the abundance of divine mercy.
Church’s Teaching: The Catechism (CCC 1996) speaks of grace as a free gift, not something we earn. Saint Bernard, whom we remember today, insisted that salvation depends not on our merit but on God’s love.
Pastoral Application: We rejoice when God’s mercy falls on us, but we grumble when it falls on others. The vineyard challenges us to celebrate God’s generosity everywhere, trusting that His justice and mercy are never in conflict but held in His heart.
3. The Last Becoming First
Scripture: Jotham, the youngest son spared from massacre, becomes the first to speak truth. The last workers in the vineyard receive the full wage. Jesus overturns worldly logic: “The last shall be first, and the first last.”
Church’s Teaching: Lumen Gentium (8) teaches that the Church herself is called to follow Christ in humility and poverty, lifting up the lowly. Saint Bernard lived this truth—through simplicity, contemplation, and service, he influenced popes and peoples alike.
Pastoral Application: In daily life, being “last” may mean letting others go first, choosing humility, or trusting God’s hidden rewards. When we humble ourselves in service, God exalts us in His Kingdom.
Conclusion
From Jotham’s parable to Jesus’ vineyard, the Word today calls us to reject thornbush power, rejoice in divine mercy, and embrace the paradox of the Kingdom—the last shall be first. Like Saint Bernard, let us join humility, charity, and contemplation, so that in choosing to be “last,” we may be counted first in God’s sight.
In sum, today’s Word reminds us that true leadership is not like a thornbush that chokes life, but service that gives life. In the Gospel, Jesus teaches that God’s justice and mercy meet in surprising ways—the last shall be first, and the first last. Saint Bernard shows us that humility, love of neighbour, and deep prayer lead us to greatness in God’s Kingdom.
Fr. Yesu Karunanidhi
Archdiocese of Madurai
Missionary of Mercy
Yesu Karunanidhi 
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