How would you feel if you worked for the entire day and received the same pay as a person who worked only for an hour? I guess we would be asking and complaining about the lack of justice. If we really see and examine through the eyes and filter of the world – its rule and standard of fairness and equality—this gospel this weekend doesn’t make sense. It is easier to understand the complaints of the laborers in this parable, who thought that since they had worked more, they were entitled to a bigger salary. It’s just fair. It’s just right. At first sight, it seems that Jesus wasn’t being fair. But, we should not forget that what the gospel is presenting to us here is the justice and standard of the kingdom of God, which is radically different from the world. In the standard of God, fairness is not an issue because God’s justice is based on his outpouring love for humanity. St. Therese of the Child Jesus said: God’s justice is his mercy.
Let me give an example for us to better understand this parable. There are two persons: one person is a devout and holy man, who is ever faithful to the will of God. All throughout his life, he was a man of great faith. The other person is a man who struggled to lead a life that is pleasing to God; a good part of his life was wasted to immorality and debauchery yet, in the end of his life, he realized that he needed to make things right with God, asking God for his great mercy and forgiveness. The first person (the good one) worked diligently in God’s vineyard (we may say that he worked more hours), ever faithful and true to his faith and received the reward of heaven at the end of his life. The second person – the one who struggled to lead an upright and moral life and yet in the end converted his life to God (we may refer to this second person as the laborer who only worked for a few hours) - also got the same reward of heaven just like the first person. Can we question God’s justice here? Can we say that only the first person is entitled to enter the kingdom of God because his entire life was pleasing to God, while the second person deserved less because he was a little bit late in his conversion? Of course not. None of us deserve anything from God; none of us could ever cause him to be indebted to us. Everything we have, even life itself, is a free gift that is graciously bestowed on us. In serving him, we receive much more than we ever give him. St. Teresa of Avila said, “We should forget the number of years we have served him, for the sum total of all we can do is worthless by comparison with the single drop of the blood which the Lord shed for us. The more we serve him, the more deeply we fall into his debt.”
Working in the vineyard of God is not a burden, but a privilege; it’s not a competition on whose working long or less hours for the kingdom, but rather to see that each one of us is called by God at different points of our lives. Some heard the call of conversion early, some in the middle stage, and others at the very end of their lives. The most important thing is that we respond to his invitation, and we rejoice whenever we see someone come to join us to work in God’s vineyard.
One issue that some people might raise when it comes to this parable, especially by those who have been very faithful and hardworking in God’s vineyard, is: If God will forgive my sins anyway at the end when I ask for his forgiveness, then why do good this early when I am still young, when I can still explore the worldly allurements? Why follow the commandments of God this early when I can just ask for God’s mercy when I am in the twilight of my life? The answer to that question lies on the fact that we follow the Lord and try our best to live out the Gospel, not for some big or huge reward in the end, but rather because we know that there is no greater joy than to live in the presence of God. And, the other thing is no one knows when our time will come when we have to depart from this world. Young age, good health, and security in life can’t really shield us from death. I remember a lady who told me that her husband had a very sweet deal before he died. She said that all throughout their married life, her husband had been very skeptical and even disrespectful of her Catholic faith. He was always challenging the teachings of the Church. But, a few days before he died, he asked for a priest and told the priest that he wanted to be baptized. So the priest asked him if he believed in the faith the Catholic Church professes. And, he said, yes. He was baptized and, after two days, he died. The wife complained that how fair is that he can enter heaven just like that because, as we all know, all of our sins are removed upon baptism. She said, “Father, I have been a Catholic all my life and have to work really hard to merit the kingdom of God, and I am not even sure that I will make it in the end.” Well, good for her husband that he was given some time. Not everyone, though, are blessed enough to have that window of time to really embrace conversion before death. That is why the call to conversion and the call to embrace the Gospel are so imminent. It is right here, now. As the prophet Isaiah exhorts in the first reading, “Seek the Lord while he may be found, call him while he is near.” This actually means that we have to seek the Lord every moment of our lives – because he is always there to be found, he is always near – nearer than we are to ourselves. And, the other thing too – we can never fool God. He is miles and miles ahead us – so we
better not play with our own salvation. It’s not something that we can afford to risk. It is really everything to us for eternity. Plus, we do what is right; we follow the Lord, not so much to compare ourselves with those other workers in God’s vineyard, but because we are convinced that this is what is asked of us by God, and this is where we can truly find our ultimate happiness and contentment. We do it for the sake of the glory of God and not to be better than others. Or, to be more exact, we don’t just do it for the glory of God, but rather for the greater glory of God. Let us ask ourselves: What is really our ultimate motivation in following the Lord? Is it because of the fear of hell? Or, to receive a reward in the end? Or, is it because we follow him because the fullness of joy can only be found in God? – Fr. Cary