Saint Matthew tells us that Jesus went far and wide to the
towns and synagogues of Galilee preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven. In fact, Jesus uses the phrase “the kingdom
of heaven” over thirty times in Matthew’s Gospel, it was at the heart of his
preaching. Sometimes he’s bluntly
telling people to repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand, sometimes he
uses parables to explain what the kingdom of heaven is like—as he does in today’s
Gospel.
Not so long ago we heard that the kingdom of heaven is like
a merchant selling everything he owns in order to obtain the pearl of great
price, or how the kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, or the parable
where the kingdom of heaven is like a man who sows seed in a field, and his
wheat grows alongside weeds, and only at harvest time are the two
separated.
Sometimes Jesus’ parables describe the urgency we need in
turning away from our sins, sometimes they teach us about what it means to be a
Christian in a largely non-Christian world.
Largely, his kingdom of heaven parables and teaching explain how we are
to act in this life in order to prepare for the next—the requisite actions and
attitudes we need in this life in order to obtain the everlasting life he died
to obtain for us.
The parable in today’s Gospel begins at dawn with a
landowner hiring laborers for his vineyard promising them a daily wage. Then at nine, noon, three, and then at five
o’clock, at the end of the work day, he hires more laborers and pays them all the
same wage.
This offends our sense of justice a bit. It seems unfair that those who worked less
should receive the same wage at those who toiled throughout the whole day.
We sympathize with the laborers hired at dawn that the
labors hired at 5 o’clock, who only worked a twelfth of the day, should only
receive a twelfth of the wage.
The landowner then took the disgruntled workers aside to
explain his action. The landowner
explains that the demands of justice indeed have been satisfied. The laborer consented to a day’s wage and has
been paid a day’s wage.
Justice requires that he pay a wage commensurate to the work
rendered. The landowner did not have to
pay the late arrivals the full days wage. But, it’s his money, he can do with
it what he wants. If he wishes to be
generous, he is surely free to do so.
The vineyard adds a cautionary question: “Are you envious
because I am generous?”
Envy. St. John
Vianney said, “I do not believe there is a more ugly and dangerous sin than
envy.” St. John Climacus said, “Nothing
is so divisive as envy, which is a deadly evil, in a certain sense more deadly
than greed. A greedy person is happy
when he gets something. An envious one
is happy, not when he himself gets something, but when someone else does not.”
There is nothing that strips us of joy and gratitude quicker
than envy and an attitude of entitlement.
Envy is a failure to appreciate the good things we have received.
When we see the neighbor’s new car and begin to think evil
thoughts about him, we are committing envy.
Envy can easily turn into malice, which is why it must be stopped in its
tracks with an act of humility immediately.
Envious thoughts can turn into malicious words and actions, if we don’t
make our peace.
In this parable, Jesus teaches us to emulate not the envy of
the disgruntled laborer, but the generosity of the landowner. The landowner is lavishly generous with the
latecomers. And this teaches us
something about the kingdom of heaven.
The kingdom of heaven is a lavishly free and generous gift on the part
of God.
In a sense, all of us are those laborers who came at the end
of the day. Have any of us really spent
every waking moment fully and totally from the beginning of our lives in God’s
service? Unless your name is Mary of
Nazareth, the answer to that question is no, for you, for me, for
everyone. All of us are latecomers
because all of us have sinned. Yet, the
invitation to repent and believe in the Gospel is made to everyone.
The opposite of envy is humble gratitude. The greek new Testament word for gratitude is
Eucharistia. At the Eucharist, we first
and foremost give God humble thanks for the gift of our salvation. Jesus Christ’s labor of love, his
self-sacrifice on the cross, without which the gates of heaven remain closed
for all of us. Secondly, at the
Eucharist we thank God for the gift of life, for the blessings which fill that
life.
This is why it is good to come to Mass a few minutes
early. We kneel in prayer and we collect
all of the things we are thankful for, all of our petitions, that they can be
offered along with the Eucharistic sacrifice on the altar.
And really, is there anything more lavishly generous than
the beautiful gift of the Eucharist. Every
time Mass is celebrated Christ is giving himself to us for our salvation. He is giving his body and blood that we may
be strengthened in holiness and come to eternal life.
Blessed Mother Theresa of Calcutta said, “"When Jesus
came into the world, he loved it so much that he gave his life for it. He wanted to satisfy our hunger for God. And
what did he do? He made himself the Bread of Life. He became small, fragile and
defenseless for us. Bits of bread can be so small that even a baby can chew it,
even a dying person can eat it."
That's truly extraordinary generosity.
Nothing strips our hearts of peace and joy faster than
envy. For the joy of the kingdom of
heaven is not found in getting our own way, being the one in control. The joy of the kingdom is not obtained
through iphones, new gadgets, new cars, athletic trophies or storing up
treasure on earth.
Nothing fills us with true joy like humble gratitude for the
lavish, generous love God has for each of us.
At this Mass Jesus Christ pours himself out in love for our
salvation. By his sacrifice, may our
hearts be purified of all envy and be filled with humble gratitude, that we
know and experience the true joy of the kingdom of heaven for the glory of God
and salvation of souls.
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