20190821
IMITATING
THE GRACIOUSNESS OF GOD
21 AUGUST, 2019,
Wednesday, 20th Week, Ordinary Time
|
First reading
|
Judges 9:6-15 ©
|
|
The tale of the trees and their king
|
All the leading men of Shechem and all
Beth-millo gathered, and proclaimed Abimelech king by the terebinth of the
pillar at Shechem.
News of this was brought to
Jotham. He came and stood on the top of Mount Gerizim and shouted aloud for
them to hear:
‘Hear me, leaders of Shechem,
that God may also hear you!
‘One day the trees went out
to anoint a king to rule over them.
They said to the olive tree, “Be our
king!”
‘The olive tree answered them,
“Must I forego my oil
which gives honour to gods and men,
to stand swaying above the trees?”
‘Then the trees said to the fig tree,
“Come now, you be our king!”
‘The fig tree answered them,
“Must I forego my sweetness,
forego my excellent fruit,
to stand swaying above the trees?”
‘Then the trees said to the vine,
“Come now, you be our king!”
‘The vine answered them,
“Must I forego my wine
which cheers the heart of gods and men,
to stand swaying above the trees?”
‘Then all the trees said to the thorn
bush,
“Come now, you be our king!”
‘And the thorn bush answered the trees,
“If in all good faith you anoint me king
to reign over you,
then come and shelter in my shade.
If not, fire will come from the thorn bush
and devour the cedars of Lebanon.”’
|
Responsorial Psalm
|
|
Psalm 20(21):2-7 ©
|
O Lord, your strength
gives joy to the king.
O Lord, your strength gives joy to the
king;
how your saving help makes him
glad!
You have granted him his heart’s desire;
you have not refused the
prayer of his lips.
O Lord, your strength
gives joy to the king.
You came to meet him with the blessings of
success,
you have set on his head a crown
of pure gold.
He asked you for life and this you have
given,
days that will last from age
to age.
O Lord, your strength
gives joy to the king.
Your saving help has given him glory.
You have laid upon him majesty
and splendour,
you have granted your blessings to him
forever.
You have made him rejoice with
the joy of your presence.
O Lord, your strength
gives joy to the king.
|
Gospel Acclamation
|
Ps118:135
|
Alleluia, alleluia!
Let your face shine on your servant,
and teach me your decrees.
Alleluia!
|
Or:
|
Heb4:12
|
Alleluia, alleluia!
The word of God is something alive and
active:
it can judge secret emotions and thoughts.
Alleluia!
|
Gospel
|
Matthew 20:1-16 ©
|
|
Why be envious because I am generous?
|
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘The kingdom
of heaven is like a landowner going out at daybreak to hire workers for his
vineyard. He made an agreement with the workers for one denarius a day, and
sent them to his vineyard. Going out at about the third hour he saw others
standing idle in the market place and said to them, “You go to my vineyard too
and I will give you a fair wage.” So they went. At about the sixth hour and
again at about the ninth hour, he went out and did the same. Then at about the
eleventh hour he went out and found more men standing round, and he said to
them, “Why have you been standing here idle all day?” “Because no one has hired
us” they answered. He said to them, “You go into my vineyard too.” In the
evening, the owner of the vineyard said to his bailiff, “Call the workers and
pay them their wages, starting with the last arrivals and ending with the
first.” So those who were hired at about the eleventh hour came forward and
received one denarius each. When the first came, they expected to get more, but
they too received one denarius each. They took it, but grumbled at the
landowner. “The men who came last” they said “have done only one hour, and you
have treated them the same as us, though we have done a heavy day’s work in all
the heat.” He answered one of them and said, “My friend, I am not being unjust
to you; did we not agree on one denarius? Take your earnings and go. I choose
to pay the last comer as much as I pay you. Have I no right to do what I like
with my own? Why be envious because I am generous?” Thus the last will be
first, and the first, last.’
IMITATING THE
GRACIOUSNESS OF GOD
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Jdg 9:6-15; Ps 21:2-7; Mt 20:1-16 ]
We have a calculative
mind. Our
sense of justice is derived from our own needs and interests. We see
everyone as equal in every way except in dignity. We presume that
everyone is like us in terms of privileges, opportunities, health, resources
and work. Yet, the truth is that although we are all equal in dignity
before God, we are all endowed with different gifts and resources. So it
is not quite true that we all compete on equal footing and therefore have equal
opportunities.
Justice for us is
fairness. What we sow is
what we reap. We feel that just because we have worked harder than others
or longer than others, we should be paid more. This was the complaint of
the labourers who were employed at the third hour when they saw that those who
were hired at the eleventh hour were paid the same wage as they had
received. They grumbled to the landowner, “‘The men who came last have
done only one hour, and you have treated them the same as us, though we have
done a heavy day’s work in all the heat.”
This parable may be
applied to the situation of life in Jesus’ time. The scribes and
Pharisees were also complaining that Jesus welcomed sinners. In their minds, because they had been more
faithful to the laws, they expected to be treated more differently by God and
given greater blessings than those who were converted later. During the
time of the Christian community of Matthew, this same attitude prevailed.
The Jewish Christians were not happy that the Gentile Christians received the
same treatment, considering that they were late comers to the faith.
After all, they were the children and descendants of Abraham and the Chosen
People of God.
Many Catholics today
behave in the same calculative manner. They are envious of those who were baptized in
their old age, after having lived a reckless life, doing what they liked
without worrying about God’s wrath. Now that they are converted and
baptized, all the sins of their former life are forgiven. We feel it is
not quite fair because for us cradle Catholics, we had to keep the commandments
throughout our life, and to obey and worship Him. There are many things
that we could not do simply because they are against our Catholic moral
doctrines. We feel disadvantaged, like the labourers and the early Christian
community.
The truth is that if we
are not able to rejoice with those who rejoice, it is because we lack
generosity of heart. We
are selfish and inward-looking, caring for ourselves and not for everyone else,
unlike God who cares for all and everyone’s happiness and well-being because we
are all important to Him. The gospel makes it clear that God does not
think the way we do.
Firstly, God is gracious
and we have all come from Him.
So everything is grace. We should be grateful for the blessings we have,
whether it is our health, career, family or talents. Not all of us are
given the same amount for reasons that God only knows. So we have nothing
to boast about or make a claim to them. If God had not blessed us with
opportunities, we would not have been successful in life. That is why we
cannot claim credit or merits for our success and achievements. That we
have a job or a good career or healthy enough to work is a grace. That is
why we must not be like the disciples who thought that because they gave up so
much to follow Jesus, they should be rewarded as much.
Secondly, the ability to work is itself a
grace. To be able to start work early is already a grace. It is not
the end that counts but the journey is also important. So we should not be
counting the blessings of reward at the end, but the blessings we get along the
way are much more valuable than the prize at the end. Often, when we
think of achievements, we think of the rewards, whether monetary or recognition
we receive at the end of our work. But the truth is that the real joy of
life is in the work itself. As we work on a project, our minds are
stimulated, our energy level is heightened, and passion grows. In
the process of pouring our energy into what we are doing, we find meaning in
our life because we are contributing to society. As it is said, the great
thing about a journey is not in arriving but getting there in itself.
Thirdly, in God’s eyes,
we are all equal. He loves us all, regardless whether we were converted
earlier or later.
He loves us all equally, and desire that all of us share in His life and
love. Indeed, in heaven, all will receive the fullness of life and
love. This explains why the labourers were all given the same wage.
It does not matter whether we arrive earlier or later. What matters to
God is that all receive the fullness of life. Isn’t it true for parents as well
when it comes to their children? Every child is important to the parents,
whether the strongest and smartest or the weakest. In fact, parents would have
to worry more for the weaker children because they need more help and
assistance than those who are capable of looking after their own needs.
But no parent can be at ease or at peace unless all the children are able to
look after themselves and their needs.
This theme of service
and equality before God’s eyes is what the parable of Jotham seeks to inform
us. God
has blessed Israel with olive, fig and vine, symbols of God’s sweetness,
security and joy. That was why when they were asked to be king over
the people they declined, since God as their King had already blessed them
richly. Gideon and his 70 sons rejected kingship. Although
they were capable they rejected kingship. As far as they were concerned,
they were contributing their talents and services to the people according to
what God has blessed them with. They saw themselves as providing services
to the people. Their motive was not to control the people but to use
their talents for the good of all. They saw themselves as blessed by God
to empower others and not to make them their slaves or to control
them. Hence, the Olive tree accordingly answered, “Must I forego my
oil which gives honour to gods and men, to stand swaying above the
trees?” The fig tree also said, “Must I forego my sweetness, forego my
excellent fruit, to stand swaying above the trees?” And finally, the vine
said “Must I forego my wine which cheers the heart of gods and men, to stand
swaying above the trees?” In other words, Israel did not see the need of a
king to rule over the people since God was their king. Hence, Gideon and Nathan
warned the people not to have a king. They were to live in the
graciousness of God.
However, Abimelech, son
of Jerubbaal, sought to establish the monarchy for his own benefit and not for
the people of Israel. He
gathered his clan and murdered the 70 half-brothers of his in order to snatch
the throne from them. By so doing, in appointing him as the King, they
would be punished and suffered the consequences of making him king. He
was truly a thorn to the people. He brought Israel disaster and
suffering. Jotham warned them, “I say, you have acted in good faith and
honor with Jerubbaal and with his house this day, then rejoice in Abimelech,
and let him also rejoice in you; but if not, let fire come out from
Abimelech, and devour the lords of Shechem, and Beth-millo; and let fire come
out from the lords of Shechem, and from Beth-millo, and devour
Abimelech.” (Jdg 9:19f)
Leaders are servants,
not commanders. In the final analysis, leaders must work for the good of
the people. The
interests of their people must always come before their own. Leaders are
here to serve and improve the lives of their countrymen and not to control them
or make use of them for their advancement. A leader is called to imitate
God’s graciousness, by looking after everyone’s needs; especially the weak and
the poor. Everyone is important to the leader. He does not just
serve the rich and powerful. But he has a preferential care for the slow
and the weak, just as God paid the last labourer first. Those who are
rich and privileged have a duty to serve the poor and the weak.
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All
Rights Reserved
No comments:
Post a Comment