5 minutes reading time (917 words)

Lesson [25th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A]

Sunday, 24 September 2023

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Jesus Christ Is Extraordinarily Generous

Christ himself is the generous landowner in this parable, and the lesson he wants us to learn is that his generosity goes beyond even our widest comprehension. This is why in the First Reading God tells us that "My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways."

To pay these hired workers a full day's wage for only a few hours of work is the epitome of generosity. There is no other reason for it; he does it simply because he is generous; he is deeply concerned about these men and capable of helping them.

Palestine's day laborers at that time had no steady work and no steady income. They were hired on a day-to-day basis. The workers still waiting to be given work late in the day were probably resigned to another hungry evening for themselves and their families.

Only a man with a truly generous heart would take the trouble to put them to work with only an hour remaining till sundown. And only an extraordinarily generous man would pay them the full day's wage!

That's Jesus. Jesus Christ is extraordinarily generous; the history of salvation is the story of his boundless giving. First, he gives life, then after original sin he gives hope for salvation, then with the Incarnation he gives redemption, and finally, to those who faithfully work in his vineyard, he gives everlasting heavenly bliss.

And it doesn't stop there. Strictly speaking, we deserve none of those gifts. And yet, just as the landowner gave the laborers real work to do in his vineyard, even if the reward far outweighed the work, Christ too allows us to make a real contribution to the eternal happiness of ourselves through prayer, self-sacrifice, and service. Jesus Christ is a volcano of generous love.

Mother Teresa's Efficiency Strategy

What makes the saints so remarkable is that they are brilliant reflections of God's extraordinary generosity. They, like the landowner in the parable, like our Lord himself, give without counting the cost.

Like the sun, they shine forth God's goodness tirelessly, in their words and their deeds, because they themselves are constantly being filled with that same goodness.

Mother Teresa of Calcutta was an eloquent example of this. When she visited the many convents that she had founded, even though she was the Superior General of the Order, she had a habit of getting up early on the last day of her visit (early being 4:00am or so) and washing the convent's bathrooms before the rest of the nuns woke up.

Fr Sebastian Vahakala, a priest connected to her Order, explains how he learned Christian generosity from her: "One day I was working at the home for the dying in Kalighat, Calcutta.

"The Corporation Ambulance brought in a man. I looked at him and recognized him straightaway, as he had been to our home several times.

"So, I told Blessed Teresa that there was no sense in taking him in again, as he would go out when he might feel a little better [he was taking advantage of their generosity].

"Blessed Teresa looked at me and said: 'Brother Sebastian, does this man need your help now or not? It does not matter that he was here yesterday or not, or that he is going to come back again tomorrow. We do not have yesterday anymore, nor do we have tomorrow yet; all that we have is today to love God and serve the poor.'"

That's just a little glimpse of the kind of supernatural generosity that continuously overflows from God's heart, towards each and every one of us.

Doing Real Work for Christ's Kingdom

God's generosity truly is beyond comprehension. And yet, one of its most remarkable manifestations is often overlooked. The landowner in the parable gave those workers real work to do in his vineyard, even if the reward far outweighed the actual amount of work.

Christ does the same thing with us. He allows us to make a real contribution to the eternal happiness of ourselves and our neighbours through loving him, serving others, and building up the Church. This is one of the biggest differences between Christianity and many other religions.

In eastern religions, for example, where they believe in reincarnation, human actions on earth have no lasting effect. If someone acts rightly, they will dissolve out of existence and be absorbed into nothingness after death - escaping existence and escaping suffering.

But those who act wrongly, according to reincarnationism, are simply recycled into some other form of existence, and the recycling continues until they finally get it right and are then dissolved into Nirvana. That false doctrine drains human activity from any real meaning.

But in Christ, our actions really do have meaning. We are members of his Mystical Body; we are his hands, feet, eyes, and mouth. When we serve those around us, we are serving Christ and storing up an eternal treasure in heaven.

When we stay faithful to Christian principles even under pressure, humiliation, and persecution, we are glorifying God and adding to our heavenly reward. When we help others come closer to Christ through our words, prayers, and example, we are increasing the everlasting joys of heaven for them and for us.

This is the privilege Christ has generously given us by making us his fellow workers in God's Kingdom. Today, let's thank him for it, and let's promise that this week, we'll do our best to live up to it.