Wednesday of Week 20 in Ordinary Time (Year II)
Ezekiel 34:1-11 | Psalm 22:1-6 | Matthew 20:1-16
Today’s Gospel features the Parable of the Generous Landowner, a story that most non-Christians (and quite a few faithful) find fundamentally unfair. “Surely,” they cry, “those who work longer should receive more?”
Of course, in salvation terms, we understand this parable to mean that when we enter the kingdom of God, we will all be on equal terms, and we shall want for nothing. It matters not whether we’re cradle Catholics, or initiated as working adults, or come to God in our dying days – our inheritance is the same.
“But…but…” some sputter, “you mean a wicked man can convert on his deathbed and be saved despite his long life of fornication and indulgence?”
Yes. Even notorious child-killer Adrian Lim and his co-conspirators repented in the end, and may yet join us in heaven to sing God’s praises, because it’s God’s decision as to who to admit into His eternal kingdom. He knows literally everything there is to know about each of us, especially our sincerity in claiming to be His spiritual children. Our judgement of each other’s Christian qualifications or “length of time served” are irrelevant at best, and may even hurt our chances at eternal life.
✞ ✞ ✞ ✞ ✞
Being Catholic can sometimes be difficult when we’re surrounded by non-believers who lead lives of willful indulgence. It can become even more difficult to remain faithful when we are reminded that, at the eleventh hour, these “bloody pagans” can choose to recognize and repent all their sins, and receive a “free pass” to eternal life. It’s as if we slogged painfully through the marathon to heaven, only to be pipped to the finish line by some debutantes chauffeured in a limousine.
We, in effect, play the dutiful elder brother in the Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32), but we all know how that story ended: the father chose to be as generous as the landowner in today’s Gospel, bestowing love and mercy upon the good-for-nothing son who did so little to deserve it, and much to warrant outright disownment.
Likewise, God wants us all to join him in His heavenly kingdom, not on our individual merits, but by His infinite grace. To that end, He sent His only Son to redeem all mankind, and the Holy Spirit to guide us all in our earthly journey. All He asks of us is true repentance and a wholehearted conversion to love of Him and of each other, demonstrated as best we can in our daily lives.
So instead of being jealous of those who convert at the last minute after a lifetime of unmitigated hedonism, let us be thankful for all the sheep who return to the Lord’s flock, and continue to be steadfast witnesses to God’s redeeming love.
Because, first or last, the only thing that really matters is that we all get There.
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be Thy name.
Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those who trespass against us,
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil. Amen.