“Let them turn to the LORD to find mercy; to our God, who is generous in forgiving.” – Isaiah 55:7
As a child I used to count down the days until Christmas, eagerly awaiting the arrival of presents under the tree. When that glorious morning would finally dawn, my two younger siblings and I would rummage through the packages in search of those that bore our names.
My dad likes to recall how if, God forbid, my brother or sister received more packages than I, that I would become irate at the “injustice”. Not fair! Not fair! I thought.
The workers in this Sunday’s Gospel, who had spent the whole day out in the fields, had similar feelings of envy toward their colleagues, who had labored only a little but received the same reward.
It wasn’t fair, but it was just. The landowner had given the first workers what they deserved – the wages they had agreed upon. Yet, because he was generous, he gave the latecomers more than they deserved.
This parable illustrates the mystery of God’s generosity. Ultimately, everything we have, everything we are, is a gift from God and a reflection of His boundless grace. Quite often the reasons why He gives us particular joys or struggles remain hidden, because as we learn from the prophet Isaiah, His thoughts are not our thoughts and His ways are not our ways. God’s ways are beyond ours “as high as the heavens are about the earth” (55:9).
For this same reason, the parable also admonishes us to not become jealous of the generosity God has shown to others. The error of envy is its assumption that an increase in another’s well-being somehow lessens our own, which is simply untrue. Jesus has commanded us to love one another, which means that we should rejoice at another’s good fortune rather than be upset.
Instead of harboring feelings of spite, we ought to remember the many undeserved things that God has given us and be grateful. The best thing we can do to show our appreciation is to be generous toward others just as He has been toward us. With that in mind, let us give to others with the same attitude of Venerable Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen who said, “Never measure your generosity by what you give, but rather by what you have left.”
Gracious God, you have given us all that we have, in accord with your wisdom and generosity. With gratitude we rejoice in the mystery of your abiding love and praise you for the good things you have given our neighbors. Teach us to give to others as you have given to us. Amen.
