11-Sep-2011 Dear Friend, A cry we often hear from people’s lips is: “It’s not fair!” We tend to believe that the way we are treated is not fair; we are not getting what we deserve. Other people seem to get all the benefits they don’t deserve. It’s not fair! Deep down we have to admit that we are not happy when people get more than they deserve. The truth is God is not fair! He gives all more than they deserve! Have a grateful weekend thanking God for his goodness to all peoples! Fr. Jude Sunday Reflections: Twenty-fifth Sunday–“My ways are not your ways?” 18-Sep-2011 Isaiah 55: 6- 9 Philippians 1: 20-24, 27 Matthew 20: 1-16 In today’s first reading from the book of Isaiah the last two verses draw our attention and tie up with the message contained in the gospel parable of the labourers in the vineyard. “My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways”, says the Lord. God is completely different from what we human beings imagine and we often create and imagine our God to be petty and parochial like we ourselves are. Isaiah will remind us that we are both at opposite extremes and the more we believe, the more we draw close to God, the more our attitudes, our behaviour and our lives should reflect the God we believe in. Amazing Grace The man who wrote the hymn Amazing Grace has been a slave trader and had taken part in the most inhuman and cruel treatment of people. He called himself a wretch who deserved nothing but contempt and punishment but instead found himself pardoned and raised to a position of trust and responsibility. How could he otherwise describe it but as Amazing Grace? Many people seem to feel poor always because they never give themselves to the cause of God, whereas, people like John Calvin felt that his life was always rich because his one purpose in life was to serve the Lord. Therefore when the physician told him that he must cease from working so much or he would die because he had a complication of a painful disease, he replied, “Would you have my Master come and find me loitering?” No servant of God can get tired of serving the Lord. He may be tired in the service, but never tired of it. Vima Dasan in ‘His Word Lives’ In the Gospel we have the parable of the landowner who goes out to hire labourers to work in his vineyard and makes a deal with them with regard to their wages. The Gospel does not tell us why he went out at regular intervals almost till the day was done and invited labourers to come and work for him promising to reward them. When evening came and the time for receiving their wages all the labourers were in for a surprise. Those who had work for only an hour received a full day’s wage. But the real bomb shell came when those who had worked the whole day also received the same day’s wage and they protested and grumbled against the landlord. “It’s not fair! We have worked more that those who came in at the last minute, we have shouldered the burden of the entire day and why should we not get paid for it? Surely we deserve more than we received.” At the outset we have to say that the parable is not a moral lesson in labour relations! How could the landowner, who obviously stands for God in the parable, treat his dependants in such a shabby manner? What could come as a shock to us is that the whole thrust of the parable is that nobody can bargain with God, or claim the right to a reward from God. What Jesus is here stating in a rather striking way is that God is not in the business of bargaining, that eternal life is a sheer gift that comes from God’s generosity. In today’s gospel we have a fantastic insight into the wisdom of reversal of values which is at the heart of the Kingdom of God. The context in which it was originally told must have been a complaint of Jesus’ opponents that he was paying more attention to outcasts than to the respectable members of society. If the parable referred to the Pharisees complaint at Jesus’ generous treatment of sinners, then it means that Jesus is treating sinners, the latecomers into the kingdom with the same mercy as he has for those who have borne the burden of the Law. Winners all! On every side, people are more conscious of their rights with less concern for the real needs of others. The unemployed, the homeless, the less fortunate experience themselves more and more excluded by the better off. Those who have want more. Such attitude was there from the beginning, apparently. While Adam and Eve had everything they needed, they were tempted to desire something extra with disastrous consequences. The early workers in the vineyard were not satisfied with their agreed wage and begrudged the latecomers a similar wage. Today’s gospel is a stern reminder to be aware of the destructive selfishness that can so easily take over our hearts. We tend to ignore the fact that we have no claim to this world’s goods over and above our brothers and sisters at home or elsewhere. Creation and life itself are God’s gifts, given for all equally. Talents and work opportunities are not entitlements to self aggrandizements but rather make one responsible for building a better world for all. No matter how small is the contribution we make to our neighbour’s welfare, it is ours to make. Tom Clancy in ‘Living the Word’ Last shall be first A VIP had been invited to perform the prize-giving ceremony. The first three runners home were waiting, all smiles, to take their places on the victory podium. The first sign that something unusual was about to happen was when the VIP said he wanted all the runners present at the ceremony. The runners were duly called, and all was now set. Then what did he do? He called the man who came in last and gave the gold medal to him. He gave the silver medal to the man who had come second last, and the bronze medal to the man who came third last. There were gasps of astonishment from the crowd, and sighs of embarrassment from the organisers. The mistake was pointed out to him. But he said, “This is the way I want it.’ Then he proceeded to give a warm handshake to each of the other runner’s right down to the man who came first. When the latter came forward he was very angry. ‘This is not fair!’ he exclaimed. ‘So you think it’s not fair? The VIP replied calmly. ‘I do,’ said the man. ‘I won the race. So I deserve to get the gold medal.’ ‘Friend,’ said the VIP, ‘haven’t you got enough already?’ ‘What do you mean?’ the man asked. ‘You’ve had the satisfaction of winning the race. You’ve had the applause of the crowd and the attention of the media. On top of all this, you’ve had lucrative contracts offered to you. Now consider the man who came last. He finished the race too. And what did he get for his efforts? Nothing. Would it be fairer if you got everything while he got nothing?’ With that the victor was reduced to silence. Still fuming, he turned and went away. The aim of this story is not to down-play the achievement of the winner but to make a point. It seems wrong that one person should get everything, while another gets nothing. I know this is exactly what happens in our world – the winner takes all. Flor McCarthy in ‘New Sunday and Holy Day Liturgies’ Work Parable The 1954 movie On the Waterfront is considered a classic in film making. It features Marlon Brando as longshoreman Terry Malloy, who gets locked in a brutal battle with the ruthless labour boss Johnny Friendly, played by Lee J. Cobb. The issue is the rights of the dock workers. Not only are the longshoremen being exploited by the ship owners, but they are also being shaken down by their own union leaders. With the help of Fr. Barry (played by Karl Balden) and Edie Doyle (played by Eva Marie Saint) Terry Malloy undergoes a transformation after his brother is murdered by Johnny Friendly's goons. From being a tough and uncaring street fighter, he becomes a crusader for his fellow workers ad testifies for them to the crime commission against their corrupt labour bosses. Today’s gospel also deals with a labour problem. At first it appears that the parable is setting up a model for management and labour relationships. Such is not the case. The parable by our Lord is more about the generosity of God than about working conditions. The story is more about the supreme goodness of God than about wage settlements. The punch line in the parable is the statement at the end: “I intend to give this man who was hired last the same pay. I am free to do as I please with my money, am I not? Or are you envious because I am generous?” In his book The Parables of Jesus, Joachim Jeremias says that today’s gospel portrays the behaviour of a large-hearted man who is compassionate and full of sympathy for the poor. Albert Cylwicki in ‘His Word Resounds’ Who the hell’s in heaven? God once strolled around heaven and was surprised to see everyone there. Hell, in contrast, was empty. Irked by God’s leniency, Fr. Pius protested. To pacify him, God ordered Peter to re-examine all those already admitted into heaven, whereupon Peter read the Ten Commandments aloud. “Whoever has broken these commandments,” announced God, “Shall dissociate from this celestial company and descend to hell!” As Peter read the commandments, one by one, people confessed their guilt and disappeared. When the fifth commandment was read, few were left, and after the sixth, everyone went to hell except Fr. Pius. Feeling lonely, God said, “Tell them all to come back!” Pius grumbled, “O God, that’s unfair! Why didn’t you tell me this before?’ Professedly pious Christians like Fr. Pius, you, and me, might find God’s ways woeful. But, that’s what the first reading asserts: “My ways are not your ways, my thoughts are not your thoughts!” God’s wondrous ways are revealed in today’s ‘parable of the generous landowner’ found only in Mathew’s gospel. Francis Gonsalves in ‘Sunday Seeds for Gospel Deeds’ May we think and act generously like the God we believe in!
Fr. Jude Botelho [email protected] PS. The stories, incidents and anecdotes used in the reflections have been collected over the years from books as well as from sources over the net and from e-mails received. Every effort is made to acknowledge authors whenever possible. If you send in stories or illustrations I would be grateful if you could quote the source as well so that they can be acknowledged if used in these reflections. These reflections are also available on my web site www.netforlife. net Thank you.
