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.”
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
Can we measure the breadth and width of God’s love
for us? No, because God’s love for us is not bound by any form of measurement.
God loves us infinitely no matter who we are and no matter the sins that we
have committed.
The landowner in our gospel which represents God
solicitously invited in so many instances workers to work in His vineyard. He
did not care about the time that they present themselves for work. What was
important for God was they respond to His invitation to work for Him in His
vineyard.
The love of God for us is so immense that He wants
us to go to Him irrespective of who we are. He continuously invites us to
a new life with Him. We are precious to God we are dearly loved by God that’s
why His invitation is always there for us, it’s ours to take anytime!
Many of us may say that we are not anymore worthy of
this immense love of God because of our sinfulness. No, the more sinful we are
the more that we become worthy of this great love of God. We must therefore
respond to this invitation of God for us to go to His vineyard so that we could
renew our lives and walk away from all of our sinfulness.
Will you respond to this invitation of God? - Marino
J. Dasmarinas
No comments:
Post a Comment