Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Have you ever seen something on social media that made you immediately jealous? Maybe all of your friends posted a beach trip on the day you had to babysit or maybe your cousin sent you a snap of the new car they got for their birthday. Meanwhile, you’re still driving an old Honda Civic with a cracked windshield. With everything we see on social media now, it’s so easy to be envious of what other people have sometimes. For me at least, I’m always comparing myself with others and I find myself wanting things I don’t have. Even though I should be appreciative of what I already have in my life, jealousy blinds me from seeing that I already have what I need. We see a similar story unfolding in this week’s Gospel.
In Sunday’s reading from Matthew, we hear about a landowner who hired laborers to tend to his vineyard. As the story progresses, we see him hire more people that he met throughout the day. At the end of the day, he decided to pay everyone the same amount, regardless of how long they worked.
After reading this Gospel the first time, I found myself siding with the workers who complained that they got paid the same amount as the workers who only worked for an hour. Even though they worked the entire day, it didn’t seem fair to them that the landowner paid them all the same since the earlier laborers did more work…right? That’s what I thought too. Until I put myself in their shoes. What bothered me in this situation? It was because I was jealous of the other workers who didn’t work as long as I did. They had more free time and worked less hours yet still earned the same amount of money as me. Why would the landowner give them the same amount of money as me? I read it over again and this time from the perspective of the workers who started later in the day. I found myself appreciative of the money I earned, even though I didn’t work as long. I was grateful for the generosity of the landowner for giving me a chance to work and earn money for my family. I realized that despite all of their differences, the landowner saw their need for work and gave them what they needed.
In the same way, God sees all of us equally. No matter our differences, He provides us with all that we need – His love and forgiveness. In the times when we get fixated on what other people have, let’s all challenge ourselves to look at what God has already given us. When we feel like we have to work longer than other people to earn God’s love, remember that He gives it to all of us freely and unconditionally. He loves us all the same, even when we can’t see that love for ourselves. Let’s take the time this week to thank God for all the blessings He has given us. Both the ones we see and the ones we don’t often take the time to appreciate.