Fr. Dan Kirby previews the readings for the Twenty-Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, including Matthew 20:1–16 and Jesus' parable of the workers in the vineyard. He explains that the parable is not about equal pay for equal work but about God's generous love, which is available even at the last hour. Drawing on the life of Saint Martin de Porres, the "Martin of Charity," Fr. Dan offers everyday ways to be instruments of God's generosity through our time, talent, and treasure.
Fr. Dan Kirby of Norwalk joins the Catholic Morning Show to prepare listeners for Mass this Sunday, September 20, the Twenty-Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time. He walks through how each of the readings shows the generosity of God:
Fr. Dan begins with the story of a small statue of Saint Martin de Porres that found its way into his office. He traces the Diocese of Des Moines' devotion to the Dominican saint back to Bishop Edward Daly, a fellow Dominican who championed Martin's canonization in 1962. Remnants of that devotion can still be seen in statues at the Basilica of St. John and at St. Ambrose Cathedral, and in the Saint Martin de Porres Guild in Council Bluffs, which made bandages from old bed sheets for the poor in Peru. Fr. Dan explains how Martin, a man of mixed race who faced prejudice his whole life, became a witness against racism and a model of generosity. Saint John XXIII called him "Martin of Charity."
Fr. Dan defines generosity, a fruit of the Holy Spirit, as "giving of self out of love from the heart for the good of others." He encourages listeners to live it daily through a smile, a helping hand, a word of encouragement, forgiveness, the corporal and spiritual works of mercy, and prayer for others. He closes with Saint Ignatius of Loyola's Prayer for Generosity.
Heard on the Catholic Morning Show, weekdays at 7 a.m. Central on Iowa Catholic Radio. More at IowaCatholicRadio.com.
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