Kingdom Workers

August 18, 2010
Wednesday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time

Matthew 20: 1-16

Employment, salary, security of job, opportunity to work, just wage, bonus, increments, fairness in employment, employer-employee relationships etc are terms that we chew on each day. Indeed, these are to us more than mere terms –these are basic experiences of life which shape our daily living. In the parable of the workers called to work in the vineyard, Jesus is proposing the nature of the Kingdom of God which primarily rests on the generosity, kindness and justice of God. This parable alludes to the nature of God and His mission in which He has called us to participate.

Work: To work is the right of every person. One of the first commandments man has received after the fall was the command to work: “Earn your bread by the sweat of your brow” (Gen 3:17,19). God is the archetype of work. He is always at work in the universe. The kingdom of God is a project God has initiated which needs enormous labor for its fulfillment. Idleness, laziness and neglect of labor are crimes against the creator who has given us the call to work.

Opportunity to work: Even as we may not find the “ideal atmosphere and conditions” for work, we will never miss opportunities. Look around: God, who has created you, has prepared circumstances for me to work. I don’t have to lament and feel ruin my life for the lost opportunities in life. It could be that I have wasted the mornings (childhood), noon (early adulthood and middle age) and even find no sense of purpose in the afternoon (late adulthood) of my life. Even in the evenings of my life, if only I am willing I can hear the call of God to work in His kingdom: to be productive, useful, and fruitful. It is comforting to know that God has found me fit to work for Him. What a great feeling to realize that I can start over from where I am right now, no matter what little resources I may have, what my past life experiences might have been, and what little strength is left within me! With God’s call in our heart, we are bound to make it, and find our evenings and nights pleasant, rewarding and fulfilling.

Rewards assured: A laborer deserves his payment (Lk 10:7; 1 Tim 5:18). Our God is a just God. If ever there is something that clouds His justice, it is His generosity. Oh, yes! The generosity and kindness of God is so great that we find His justice incomprehensible. Nobody can outdo the generosity of God. And nobody can match His justice. His rewards are just and always fair. He does not give us what we deserve, but what we need. Often times I become, irritated, frustrated and impatient with the experiences of “unfair treatment” and “unjust rewards” from God. This is because I tend to compare myself with others. The promise is not that I will get more than what others have, but I will get what I need. God knows, He alone knows, my resources, strength and weaknesses. He knows my needs. Let me appreciate what I have received rather than feeling jealous of what others have. Comparing myself with others is the best formula for a dissipated, unhappy life.

Thought Capsule:

No one can go back and change a bad beginning,
but anyone can start now and create a successful ending.