Gratitude, not envy

My reflection today is about the wealthy landowner who at the end of the day paid everyone the same daily wage, even though some only spent an hour laboring. (Matthew 20:1-16)

In Jesus’ parable, the landowner went out in the morning and hired some workers.  Then he went out again 3 hours later, then 3 more hours, then 3 more.  And each time there were more hands waiting to be hired.  What He didn’t say is why the landowner didn't hire them all the first time.  I wonder why there would be more to hire each time he went out to the marketplace.  Was it because they slept late?  Did they not have the proper “skill set?”  Were they attending other “interviews” when this landowner came to hire?  Worst of all, were they just lazy and not looking for work after all, but merely making an appearance to avoid embarrassment?  The more I think about it, I realize that none of these questions matter.

What does matter is that the landowner felt so passionate about each and every worker's well-being that he constantly sought out more and more so none would be left out with his daily wage.  And he wasn't judgmental as to the reason why the man hadn't been hired until the last hour of the day.  He was happy that the laborer finally did show up and could share in the landowner's generosity.

At first, this experience would tempt anyone to envy.  Envy is a sort of sadness or anger at the good fortune of others.  Perhaps we can all understand the envy of those who put in a full day.  They worked for the full twelve hours and received their full pay.  But they were envious because those who worked only an hour were treated by the landowner with much generosity receiving a full day’s wage.

It’s important 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, which is the graciousness of God.

It's not the amount of work that’s 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.

I tried to put myself into this parable and reflect upon how I would experience this generous action of the landowner toward others.  Would I see his generosity and rejoice for those treated so well?  Would I be grateful for them because they were given this special gift?  Or would I, too, find myself envious and upset?  In all honesty, I think most of us would struggle with envy in this situation.

But that realization is a grace.  It’s a grace to become aware of the ugly sin of envy.  Even if we’re not actually put into the position of acting upon our envy, it’s a grace to see that it’s there within us. 

I realize that I am sometimes each of the laborers talked about in this parable.  There are days that I’m very ardent in my prayer life, evangelical endeavors, and works of mercy then—more often than not—I’m lazy in those efforts. It’s on those days especially that Jesus comes to me sometimes several times in one day in my thoughts and in my interactions with others to remind me that it's never too late to agree to work in His vineyard and receive the “usual daily wage”, even though others have been more diligent than I have been.

And how do we “work” in God's vineyard?  There’s a trendy saying: “You have ONE job”.  That job is to love.  Scripture is abundantly clear that the highest Law (or the “labor of the kingdom”) is to love God with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength.  And the second is like it: to love our neighbor and even our enemies as we want to be loved (Deuteronomy 6:4–5; Matthew 22:36-40; Luke 10:27).   And, just like farm work in a vineyard, this job isn’t easy.  It will weary our bones, test our patience and at times even cause us seemingly impossible suffering and heartbreak.  But at the end of our days no matter when we started and if we’ve done our one job right, a loving God will send His Son to welcome us and pay us our “usual daily wage” of everlasting joy in the presence of our Creator.

Though 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.

One particular day comes to my mind of when Jesus reminded me on a personal level of His generosity and His gratitude when we put into practice what He has taught us.

When I would attend the 6:30am daily Mass at the Cathedral years ago, there was a homeless man who used to sit on the steps by the front doors and ask for money.  I’m sorry to say I ignored him most of the time, sometimes even going out of my way to avoid seeing him.  Then one day, he wasn’t there.  I was prayed that he had found a job and was so hard at work that he wouldn’t have to humiliate himself by asking strangers for monetary assistance anymore.  

A couple of months later I saw him again.  He wasn’t sitting on the steps this time; rather, he was attending Mass!  He was dressed in the cleanest clothes I think I’d ever seen him wear and he looked good.  I said hello and asked him how he was doing.  He said he had been released from jail the previous night and 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 (to put 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 didn’t seem to want to get out of his situation, and I thought I was probably just throwing my money away.  But it occurred to me that I had just received Christ within me in the Holy Eucharist and that He never refuses anyone who asks for His help.  Could I do any less and still call myself a disciple?  I only had a five-dollar bill with me, so I gave it to him.

Later that day as I was getting ready to go home from a rather long day at work, a last-minute customer came in who needed a hitch put on his car.  To be honest, my usual response to the customer would have been to tell him to make an appointment for the next day or send him to another store if it was an emergency.  But something (Someone?) compelled me to stay late to help this guy and train my new manager at the same time, and I agreed to install the hitch.  About half-an-hour later, the customer came outside to where my trainee and I were and put a small wad of cash in my pocket saying, “Thanks for being so kind and generous to me. Please go out tonight and have a drink on me.”

To be clear, I didn’t normally accept tips, but my hands were full performing the task at hand, so I 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.  That rental added another couple of hundred dollars of revenue to the day’s receipts. 

I went back to the hitch bay with my co-worker to clean up our work area and put away the tools.  That’s when I remembered the bills the customer had put into my pocket.  He had given me five $5 bills, which was five times what I had given the guy at the church that morning.  Since the new manager had helped to install the hitch, I gave him ten dollars and gave another ten dollars to the cashier who had stayed late to help us both, as well.  I felt it was necessary to share in the customer’s generosity and gratitude.

As I think back on it, Christ was showing me in a practical way what His message is all about for us. We’re called to love one another and help each other without passing judgment on our neighbor.  If we’re faithful to that Commandment, He will repay us 5-, 10- or 100-fold or more.  And, if we’re really lucky—through His mercy, we’ll be welcomed at the end of our lives by Jesus with the words, “Well done, my good and faithful servant…. Come, share your master’s joy.” (Matthew 25:23)