Daily reflection _ The Lavish Giver

THE LAVISH GIVER
"The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want" (Ps 23:1).
Deacon John Ruscheinsky
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?