Gospel: Matthew 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.”
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Reflection:
God
thinks differently from how we think and God decides not based on how we decide.
It seems that the landowner is unfair this is
for the reason that He payed the workers the same amount regardless of how much
time they’ve labored in his vineyard. Was he really unfair to the other workers
who worked for longer hours?
The landowner
was simply generous and fair for he paid everyone based on what they’ve agreed
upon. It did not matter to him who worked early in
the day and who worked late in the day. What was important for him was he paid
justly and generously to everyone who worked in his vineyard.
We can’t
help but compare God’s generosity compared to ours if at all we are generous.
If God doesn’t count the cost we count the cost and if God is generous we are
often times not generous. If we discriminate God doesn’t discriminate whomever
we are, what is important for God is we respond to His invitation.
God doesn’t
look at how sinful we are, God doesn’t look at how early and late we respond to His call of repentance. What is important for God is we respond to His call of
renewal no matter how late. All of us whomever we are are being invited by God to walk away from
our sins and follow Him.
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