Mt 20:1-16
Jesus told his disciples this parable: “The Kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out at dawn to hire laborers for his vineyard. After agreeing with them for the usual daily wage, he sent them into his vineyard.
Going out about nine o’clock, he saw others standing idle in the marketplace, and he said to them, ‘You too go into my vineyard, and I will give you what is just.’ So they went off.
And he went out again around noon, and around three o’clock, and did likewise. Going out about five o’clock, he found others standing around, and said to them, ‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’ They answered, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You too go into my vineyard.’
When it was evening the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Summon the laborers and give them their pay, beginning with the last and ending with the first.’ When those who had started about five o’clock came, each received the usual daily wage. So when the first came, they thought that they would receive more, but each of them also got the usual wage. And on receiving it they grumbled against the landowner, saying, ‘These last ones worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us, who bore the day’s burden and the heat.’
He said to one of them in reply, ‘My friend, I am not cheating you. Did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage? Take what is yours and go. What if I wish to give this last one the same as you? Or am I not free to do as I wish with my own money? Are you envious because I am generous?’ Thus, the last will be first, and the first will be last.”
In today’s Gospel Jesus is telling us to be careful about taking things for granted; that we watch out and not put too much emphasis on ourselves and miss the most important part of our existence: the graciousness of God.
In other words it's not up to the amount of work that is done or how much "heat of the day" is endured, or even how well the work is done. It all depends on God's call and invitation, and our acceptance of the invitation. Eternal happiness in the presence of our God is the ultimate wage. That's where we need to focus ourselves--not on grumbling against those we think don't deserve the wages for which we contracted.
To me the point of today’s Gospel is God's generosity in giving freely to those who don't deserve what they are graciously given (not by EARNING God's love). The response to such generosity should be GRATITUDE.
I often feel like one of the "eleventh hour" people who received the benefits of God's graciousness. There are so many others I know who deserve His gifts of love and mercy much more than I do, yet I am constantly showered with His graces. I hope I can live up to His expectations of me.
Jesus reminded me on a personal level today of His generosity and HIS gratitude when we put into practice what He has taught us.
I haven’t seen my “friend” at the Cathedral for a couple of months. I was hoping that he had found a job and was so hard at work that he would not have to humiliate himself by asking strangers for monetary assistance. He was there at Mass this morning. He was dressed in the cleanest clothes I think I’ve ever seen him wear and he looked good. I said hello and asked him how he was doing. He said he was released from jail last night. Then he told me that he had walked to the Cathedral from the jail! That’s about a 15-mile walk along the mean streets of South Stockton, which is not the most pleasant or safe area (putting it mildly). So I could empathize with him when he said he was hungry and could use some money for breakfast.
At first I wasn’t going to give him anything—I confess that at that point I was angry because I had given him money before and I was very disappointed that he doesn’t seem to want to get out of his situation, and I thought I was probably just throwing my money away. Then it occurred to me that I had just received Christ within me and that He never refuses anyone who asks for His help—can I do any less and still call myself a disciple? Normally I don’t carry cash, but Marilyn and I went to the coast this last weekend and I had a five-dollar bill with me, so I gave it to him.
Later in the day when I was getting ready to go home from work (about a 45-minute drive today) when a last-minute customer came in who needed a hitch put on his car. Usually, when I’m tired and at the end of my shift I just want to go home and I will tell the customer to make an appointment for the next day or send him to another store if it’s really an emergency. But for some reason I felt compelled to help this guy and train my new manager at the same time, so I agreed to install the hitch. Out of the blue, this customer came outside to where I was and put a small “wad” of cash in my pocket and said, “Thanks for being so kind and generous to me. Please go out tonight and have a drink on me.”
I don’t normally accept tips, but my hands were full with the task at hand and so I just thanked him and told him I’d be done in about 20 minutes. When the hitch was done, I went into the store to tell the cashier what to ring up and he said that the customer had also decided to rent a trailer from us because I was so accommodating at the last minute—another couple of hundred dollars of revenue!
At this point I went outside to clean up my work area and I checked out the tip. He gave me twenty-five dollars! That’s 5 times what I gave the guy at the church this morning. Since I was showing the new manager how to install the hitch and thence he was a help to me, I gave him ten of the dollars. I felt it was necessary to continue the customer’s generosity.
I can’t help but think that Christ is showing me in a practical way what His message is all about for us. We have to love one another and help each other without passing judgment on our neighbor. And He will repay us 5-, 10- or 100-fold or more.
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