THE WORD
Ez 34,1-11 / Mt 20,1-16
Jesus said to his disciples, “The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out at dawn to hire laborers for his vineyard. After agreeing with them for the usual daily wage, he sent them into his vineyard. Going out about nine o’clock, he saw others standing idle in the market place, and he said to them, ‘You too go into my vineyard, and I will give you what is just.’ So they went off. And he went out again around noon, and around three o’clock, and did likewise. Going out about five o’clock, he found others standing around, and said to them, ‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’ They answered, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You too go into my vineyard.’ When it was evening the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Summon the laborers and give them their pay, beginning with the last and ending with the first.’ When those who had started about five o’clock came, each received the usual daily wage. So when the first came, they thought that they would receive more, but each of them also got the usual wage. And on receiving it they grumbled against the landowner, saying, ‘These last ones worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us, who bore the day’s burden and the heat.’ He 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.
IN OTHER WORDS
What often catches attention in today’s Gospel is the landowner’s generosity, God’s generosity. It would also be good to reflect on the disastrous effects of envy or jealousy.
- Envy hinders us from seeing other people’s goodness/ giftedness.
I had a classmate in Christ the King Seminary who went through formation with difficulty but eventually graduated with honors in Theology. When a former classmate heard of this, he was aghast and sarcastically remarked: “Is this real?” When we let envy get in the way, we hardly see the capacity of others to improve. We seem to be imprisoned in our negative experiences.
- Envy hinders us from recognizing that we belong to a bigger family.
When we are envious we become so concerned with ourselves that we fail to accept that we belong to a bigger community where one’s success is also everybody’s and where the failure of one is also the failure of the whole group. Why can’t we rejoice in another’s excellence? Why can’t we accept that this person is also my brother or sister? In baptism, we were incorporated into God’s big Christian family where we now belong.
- Envy can be a sign of immaturity
With children, when you are present to one, you have to be present to the other, otherwise you are just instigating jealousy and chaos. When we were kids we could not allow that some were more privileged than us. Sometimes, though, we are still acting like kids. We don’t want to be called immature but could it be that we haven’t outgrown our immaturity?
No wonder, Jesus said in the Gospel, ‘Are you envious because I am generous? May we become generous too in everything just like the landowner in our Gospel.
- Fr. Gerry E. Paat, SVD | SVD Postulancy, Tagaytay City
The Word in other words 2016
An annual project of Logos Publications, The WORD in Other Words Bible Diary contains daily scripture readings and reflections written by priest, brothers, and sisters of the three congregations founded by St. Arnold Janssen (the SVD, SSpS, and SSpSAP). It hopes to serve as a daily companion to readers who continually seek the correlation of the Word of God and human experience.
