August 20, 2025 // Memorial of Saint Bernard, Abbot and Doctor of the Church
Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: Matthew 20:1-16
Reflect on the Word //
The baby on one hip, I stirred the soup on the stove after adding a splash of cream. The toddler was begging for a snack while I assured him that dinner would be ready any minute and offered some veggies to munch on while he waited (he vehemently declined). The timer on the oven beeped at me that the rolls were ready. The six- and eight-year-old decided that the kitchen was the best place to play soccer. Weary from playing “obstacle course” while cooking, I ushered the family to the dinner table.
At dinner, I listened to my daughter’s pre-teen drama, I ooohed and ahhhed at the right places as my sons talked about their new game. My husband and I told the kids about—what they call—the olden days in which we grew up. And after bedtime, I attempted an actual adult conversation with my husband. I gave my energy, time, love, and expertise to my family and patients all day. And I was exhausted. With the hum of the day in my veins, I attempted to fall asleep and, of course, insomnia hit. I placed myself in the presence of the Lord and in His gentleness and care; I imagined Him wrapping His arms around me and lulling me to sleep.
“What if I wish to give this last one the same as you? [. . .] Thus, the last will be first, and the first will be last" (Matthew 20:14-16). These words in today’s Gospel bring me comfort in knowing the Lord will pour His love back into me after I’ve poured myself into my family and work. I am the nine o’clock laborer, and the noon laborer, and the three o’clock laborer, and the five o’clock laborer (and let’s be honest, the 12 a.m. and 3 a.m. laborer too).
We pour and labor and toil all day in our homes, our jobs, our communities, and our parishes. Yet, we still have more to give, because the Lord in His perfect generosity does not forget us. Wherever and whenever we labor in His vineyard, we are first in His eyes in the Kingdom of Heaven, and He will always give us what we need to give more.
Relate to the Lord // Where do you need more grace to love and serve today? Ask Him and receive.
Dr. Samantha Aguinaldo-Wetterholm is a wife and mom to four little ones and practices dentistry at a public health community center for low income families in the Bay Area, California. She (unashamedly) thinks ice cream is its own food group and does not leave the house without wearing sparkly earrings. She was a contributing author to All She Had. and our children’s devotional prayer book called Rise Up. Find out more about her here.
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