Ezekiel 34: 1-11,
Ps 23:1-3a.3b-4.5.6,
Matthew 20: 1-16a Full Readings
Are You Contented?
Actually, it may be very rare to find a contented person because most of us are always in competition with each other and this makes anyone who is contented a special person. Being contented in what we have, who we are and in everything we have achieved is a strong pillar in our journey towards spiritual maturity, because contentment brings gratitude to God while having in mind that even what we have is not our right but is by the mercy God. A non contented person will always be in a competition with everyone even with himself and most probably will be full of envy and jealousy toward those who may be have more than he has. This is where Satan enters in us and makes us walking devils. Today's gospel teaches us to be contented in what God God has given us and made us as a step forward to holiness and gaining eternal life.
In a world filled with concepts of justice, rights and equality, everyone would take the parable of the land owner and his tenants as unfair. Imagine the two tenants: one who comes to the vineyard early in the morning and the one who comes to the same vineyard at the last hour of the day, doing the same work and then they get same pay at the end of the day. This, in our daily life, is unfair. But Jesus went beyond our human thinking and understanding to teach us, through this parable, how God treats each one of us. God's vineyard is always open for everyone to come in and to each one, he shows his full love, kindness and mercy.
God waits for each soul to enter his vineyard with infinite patience. He invites us constantly to participate in his life and his mission. God celebrates each soul who enters. Remember Jesus' parable of the lost sheep where the shepherd leaves the ninety nine and goes to look for one, and when he finds it, he makes a big party. But we can be quick to mete out judgment upon those who have delayed. Let us reflect in this parable on the heart of the Father and pray that we may have a heart like his, one that anticipates with hope the coming of others into the vineyard and rejoices in the beneficent goods that the Lord desires to pour out on all.
Jesus desires that we understand this fundamental truth. Humility is the prerequisite to entering into his Kingdom. No matter where we come from, whatever our past, recognizing his welcoming arms and the gift he readily bestows on us wins us a great reward. This is humility: living in the truth of who we are before God and who God is for us. Humility allows us to take first place in his eyes because we acknowledge that we have been received into God’s grace and that everything is an undeserved gift. Lack of this humility, even if we have done everything right, makes us lose heaven.
A story is told of a woman who did everything well in this world, and everyone credited her that she was good; indeed she was righteous. She raised her children in righteousness and holiness and they also became good. Little did people know that there is a dangerous habit she was hiding, a habit of egoism and not wishing others succeed as her. When she died, she was thrown into hell. Later, when her daughter died also, she was welcomed in heaven by the Angels and the first person she was looking for was her mum, to hug her and indeed thank her for raising her well and at the end earning heaven. To her surprise, her mum was not there, she ran to ask God where her mum was and God told her she was in hell. The daughter complained and could not understand why of all people her mum was in hell. Then God took her to the hell gate to show her why her mum was in hell. He ordered one Angel to throw a rope down and pull her mum up. When her mum caught the rope and started pulling her self up, many people held the rope to pull themselves up also. On noticing them, the mum told them that God has not called them but her alone and then she pushed them down from the rope by her legs. God then told her daughter that: "This is why your mother is in hell."
If only we could wish others well as we are or even more than we are, if only we could be happy for other people people's successes, we could take this parable as a very important guide in our spiritual journey. When we consider the parable in this light, our hearts, far from being burdened by jealousy, are set on fire to zealously invite other souls to the vineyard so that they, too, can receive this totally gratuitous and unwarranted gift of God. God's offer of eternal life is open to anyone who comes in at any time and so there is no need to be jealous of one another for all of us if we are pleasing to God shall get eternal life.
The only thing we should avoid is to make God not to be contented with us, that is if we cannot fulfil our duties and mission given to us by him every day. In the first reading, we see that God was not contented with the shepherds of Israel to whom he had entrusted his flock because some of them were busy pasturing themselves instead of pasturing the flock, some of them were feeding on the flock and may be some of them were eating the sheep in the flock. Don't we see such situations in our time too: pastors feeding on their flock, taxing people much money for empty promises and miracles to fill their stomachs, others stealing church money, others going to the underground world to get power in order to move the crowd and perform miracles? Do we think God is happy with us? Pastors and shepherds of the souls, be warned lest God will show us his wrath for misleading his people. Let us not put God's name in vain.
Let us Pray
Lord Jesus, pour out your blessing on all whose hearts are hardened: those who refuse to welcome you into their lives, those who say they are Christian but do not live with your generous and merciful heart, and me when I close myself off to rejoicing with you for your bountiful goodness and mercifulness you show to others. Amen
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