Word to the Wise
Wednesday, August 19, 2020 - Wednesday in the 20th Week in Ordinary Time
[Ezek 34:1-11 and Matt 20:1-16]"'These last ones worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us, who bore the day's burden and the heat.' [The Landowner] 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." [Matthew]
The fundamental lesson of the parable in today's gospel scripture may be stated in a question: Is God governed by our expectations? Each laborer in the parable agrees with the landowner about the daily wage from the outset. Each one receives the same amount, but those who worked longer believe they should be give more simply because they worked longer. They based their expectation on what they observed of the other workers. If those later workers had not been there, would the earlier workers have grumbled? Obviously not! Parents know well how their children are like hawks looking for the least bit of favoritism! "IT'S NOT FAIR!!!" But there is no favoritism at work in this parable. The early workers got what they agreed to. The generosity of the landowner determined what the others got. The first workers are envious of the later ones and envious of the landowner who was in a position to be generous!
I think many of us at one time or another see someone who has a certain talent or resource that we want and do not have and wonder: "Why did God give him/her that talent or resource and not me. Haven't I been a good and faithful servant?" But God is not governed by our expectations. In many cases, we fail to notice the very gifts that God has given to us because we are so focused on what God has given to others. This puts us in a position of alienation from both God and neighbor!! Our response to the call to discipleship cannot be conditioned on someone else's response, nor conditioned on the way that call is made to others. AMEN