Wednesday of the
Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time
(Ezekiel 34:1-11; Matthew 20:1-16)
To turn green with
envy is to show a very sick complexion.
It is used to indicate the sickness of soul that imbues people who
resent the good fortune of others. They
cannot understand that they have no right to what others possess. They would rather sulk in their lack of some
desired good than be grateful for they have.
Envy colors some of the laborers in Jesus’ parable today.
Reading this parable, one must remember that Jesus is not
giving a framework for worker relations.
Trying to justify paying workers the same wage for different amounts of
work would be trying to square a circle.
Jesus’ intention lies elsewhere.
He wants to explain how God’s mercy extends to all people and will
ultimately meet everyone’s needs. Those
who worked the whole day receive a just wage.
They may be content that the owner of the vineyard paid what was agreed
upon. Those who work only the last hour but
receive the same wage should be grateful that they have enough to feed their
families. God dispenses graces freely,
but He does not deny anyone his Holy Spirit.
We ought to be careful that envy does not overtake us. It happens when we think too highly of
ourselves or too little of others. A much
healthier tack in life is to cultivate gratitude. We should daily recall God’s goodness and strive
to use our talents for the benefit of all.
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