REFLECTION FOR THE 25TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, YEAR A

 

GOD IS GENEROUS

Fr. Ugochukwu Ugwoke, ISch

Readings: Isaiah 55:6-9, Philippians 1:20c-24.27a, Matthew 20:1-16

 

In the gospel reading of today, we hear about the parable of the laborers in the vineyard. It is a story of a harvest in which a land owner invited several groups of workers at different times of the day to work in his vineyard and after work, paid them on equal terms and not according to the number of hours that each had worked. As a result, the first group to be hired and who apparently had worked more hours than the rest of the workers felt unfairly treated and started to grumble and to complain. This leaves us with two questions: did the owner of the vineyard treat them unfairly and were there justifiable grounds for their discontentment?

Let us not forget that before the first group of workers was hired, there was an agreement on the wage to be paid for a day’s job- one denarius (Matt. 20:2) and that was exactly what they received. In practical terms therefore, they were not cheated. So, their complaints were more about what was given to others. They felt that having put in more hours than the rest, the wages of those who came later and worked for lesser number of hours would not have been the same with theirs. They felt that those who came later were undeserving of their payment and they that were hired earlier deserved more. They quarreled not because they were not given enough but because others were made equal with them. This is where the problem lies.

This parable is intended to represent to us the kingdom of heaven and so, the notion of the kingdom of God as a family is central to fully understanding it. What the workers did not understand is that the kingdom of God (the vineyard) is a family more than a society. The norms of behavior, of contribution and reward in a family are different from those in the wider society. While the society is characterized by we-and-them mentality, rivalry, competition and the survival of the fittest, the family on the other hand is characterized by a spirit of cooperation rather than competition.  If those who had arrived earlier had seen those who came later as members of the same family working in the same place and for the same purpose, instead of grumbling, they would have rejoiced with them over the ‘unmerited’ favor they received. The question then is, in the Church today, do we see ourselves as a family with a common purpose or do we see ourselves as groups of unrelated competitors with different agenda?

Also, the parable beautifully paints the Catholic or the universal nature of the Church. The call to faith comes to different people at different times but there is no priority given to anybody on the grounds of race, color, class or sex. God never turns away those who are willing to work for Him who for no fault of theirs has not been hired. We are all laborers in God’s vineyard and what is important is to do one’s duty well and get paid. Do not disturb others or be jealous of God’s lavish generosity towards others. God’s rewards are not earned but are gifts, given to us freely and as the first reading states, our ways of thinking and of doing things are different from the thoughts and the ways of God.

Lastly dear friend, we have to bear in mind that our own share of God’s blessings does not diminish when God shows his generosity to others. God or the Church is not anybody’s personal property. God is debtor to no man and we do not own the right to dictate to God how He is to treat His people or dispose of what is his own. What God does for others should never be the standard with which we can measure God’s kindness and generosity towards us. May the Lord grant us the grace to accommodate others and to be satisfied with the things that He offers us. Amen.