THE LAVISH GIVER
"The Lord
is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want" (Ps 23:1).
God
is so different from us that it is impossible to find a language or image to
describe Him. Sometimes we can take the wrong impression from human examples
about God, such as today's parable, unless we examine them closely. Many people
feel that the workers who labored all day in the vineyard got a raw deal. It
surely looks like they should have received greater pay than those who did only
an hour's work.
An
important element in the story is the fact that the first workers agreed on the
usual daily wage. Since they received this wage, no injustice was done to them.
But the key to the parable is found in the words of the owner of the estate:
"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" (Mt 20:14 - 15)? This story is not about justice or
the lack thereof, this story is about generosity.
The
truth is that we cannot earn anything from God as though our actions deserve a
payment from Him. God's gifts come from His goodness, not His justice. All that
God gives us is a gift, not a payment or a reward. Thinking that we can earn or
merit something from God is like trying to buy a major hotel chain with play
money, the kind they use when playing Monopoly. After all, how much does the
death of Jesus cost? What is the price of His Body and Blood? How much do you
have to pay to purchase everlasting life?
Ezekiel
condemned the kings and princes, the shepherds of Judah. The reason is that as
representatives of God they were to reflect His generosity. Instead they
thought only of themselves. God expects us to be unsparing in our love for Him
and in our service of others, but first we must understand as best we can what
God is like. Justice means giving in proportion to what has been received; for
example, a day's wage as a result of a day's work. But this is not God's
principle. Rather, He is generous with His goodness, giving freely and
abundantly to us simply because He loves us.
In
today's Responsorial Psalm we acclaim, "The Lord is my shepherd; there is
nothing I shall want" (Ps 23:1). Our heavenly Father allows His cup to
overflow with generosity, for our God is a lavish Giver! Are we willing to work
towards being lavish givers as well?