Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time
There’s a saying that goes something like this: “the ocean of God’s love is bigger than a thimble of the human mind.” Isaiah tells us that God’s “thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways.”
In today’s parable, the vineyard owner proves to be very generous to his workers. Even to the point of stirring the envy of those who worked the longest. The owner replies to their protests, “Are you envious because I am generous?” Because of my goodness? As if to say, “are you seeing my generosity through the lens of the ‘the evil eye’ of envy?”
Today’s story is more about the goodness of God than about hiring and paying policies. We seek to understand the ways of God. Many times, God’s ways puzzle us. And as Isaiah states, the truth is, God’s ways are not our ways. The owner of the vineyard had nothing against any of the people hired. He was being good to all of them. Giving them work. Allowing them to make a living. The puzzle is that he was SO generous, it seems to some. Good to all and even more generous than expected.
Our salvation is God’s gift. It is not something we earn, achieve, or merit by working extra hard. God’s generous love and goodness know no bounds. They are poured out lavishly on all of us. Even this is hard for us to comprehend. We see God sprinkling his goodness over us when a better image might be God drenching us with his saving love.
In many cases, God’s ways are hard for us to comprehend. So we respond as we humans can – with disbelief. We think, “It can’t be,” “Why?,” “How can it be?” Or we compare one to another: “he or she is more blessed than I am; why do I miss out?” None of the comparing makes any sense either. Because God’s ways are not our ways, nor are our ways God’s ways, even though we are called to strive to make God’s ways our ways.
Oh, we’re called to do good, to be generous, to be loving, to be forgiving, to be understanding, to be fair and just and holy, because we have been so blessed by God. We have received, in abundance, a life beyond what we can measure in our tiny measuring cups. That is what God gives us. That’s what this is about.
Each of us is given this gift – in different shapes and sizes – but there’s no real comparison that can be made. Our envious eyes are nearsighted if and when we start comparing because God’s ways are not our ways.
Reflection by Fr. Peter Ullrich, OSB
Posted in Articles for Lent, Daily Reflections, Lenten Resources