Wednesday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time
“The word of God is living and effective, able to discern the reflections and thoughts of the heart.” This Gospel acclamation reminds us that as we pray God’s word, we do so eagerly – hungry for transformation. No other written text is living and effective! As we read God’s word today, let us allow it to read us. Let us ask this living word to lead us into greater self-awareness so that we might then seek the change that God desires to bring about in our hearts and minds. As we approach the Gospel today, let us allow it to convict us of our sin and self-absorption and bring us to a deeper humility, gratitude, and generosity.
Jesus’ parable today always cuts me to the quick. Holding this text up like a mirror, I can’t help but see myself as the laborers who are hired first. Our sinful human nature looks at those five o’clockers who received the same wage and cries out “it’s not fair!” There should be a bias toward the ones who worked all day, right? Paying everyone the same doesn’t follow conventional means of doing business. The landowner’s practice may not be fair, but it is just. The landowner behaves in a way that is principled, truthful, equitable, and righteous.
Perhaps like me, you identify with those hired first. You’re hard-working, you’re diligent, responsible, even quick, and obedient to do what is right. How do you view those standing idle in the marketplace? What is your opinion of them? Are you critical? Do you judge them? I find it interesting that Jesus specifically states that the landowner went out to look for people at 9:00am, noon, and 3:00pm. Those were the specific times when devout Jews went to pray in the temple. So, these idle ones not only weren’t working, but they also weren’t even praying as they ought. I can imagine that the Pharisees considered them to be irresponsible, lazy sinners. How do you see them?
So far, I’ve kept our focus mostly on the laborers. If we’re honest with ourselves, a good bit of our lives is taken up with selfish preoccupation. We spend a lot of time stewing about things that flow from our innate sense of entitlement. Similarly, our relationships become more about seeking to have our needs met by others than about serving their needs. Even in our discipleship we can develop an disordered attachment to our religious practices, such as prayer, attending Mass, or other disciplines. A self-centered posture makes those good things all about us.
Let’s flip our focus to the landowner. The landowner is lavishly, extravagantly generous! He is unconditionally charitable! He wants the very best for each one of these laborers regardless of their state in life or the current state of their hearts. As we begin to see ourselves standing on equal ground with our fellow humans, with our brothers and sisters in Christ, we fall to our knees in inexpressible gratitude for this lavish, extravagant love and generosity of our great God. We are all undeserving; I am undeserving of God’s love and mercy. Overcome with gratitude, let us return to the “irresponsible and irreligious” ones that were allowed to step forward first to receive their pay. Overcome with gratitude, let us exult in genuine joy that each one was seen, embraced, and graced by this extravagant One, regardless of when they came into relationship with him. Jesus says to us, “Are you envious because I am generous?” To be envious is a dangerous condition because when we envy, we willfully begrudge another’s success. As we humble ourselves and can more genuinely pray, “Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof” (Matt. 8:8), then we open the doors of our hearts wider to invite gratitude to rush in.
Gratitude sets us free from selfish preoccupation. As we keep our focus on God, the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ, and all that God has done for us, we become more grateful people. As gratitude builds within us, it becomes our way of life. Gratitude is a game-changer! Living lives of gratitude, we view ourselves and those around us much more gently, patiently, graciously, lovingly, and generously. A life of gratitude is a life in last place. Paradoxically, that last place becomes first place, not in a self-seeking way but as the fullness of joy. Being first in the Kingdom of Heaven begins in humility and expands to gratitude and generosity. Gratitude is a key steppingstone on our path toward sainthood. May God, the lavish, extravagant, and generous One, give us the graces we need today to grow in humility and to live lives of gratitude and generosity. Amen!
Elizabeth Wells