Jesus narrates a parable about Workers in a Vineyard (Matt 1:16)
The Vineyard Owner goes out in search of workers and hires some in the morning.
At midday he goes out again and hires more. Nearing the end of day, he goes out one last
time and seeing some standing idle, he invites them to work in the vineyard as well.
At the end of the day, the Owner instructs his foreman to pay all the workers beginning
with the last and ending with the first. He pays them all the same wage.
When the workers who started from the beginning of the day receive their pay, they
expect to receive extra and complain.
The owner chides them saying,
“I am not cheating you. Did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage? Take what
is yours and go. What if I wish to give this last one the same as you? Or am I not free to
do as I wish with my own money? Are you envious because I am generous?’ Thus, the
last will be first, and the first will be last.”
Recall that Jesus began this parable saying “The kingdom of heaven is like…”
We can take this to mean that he is speaking about how the kingdom of heaven is
different from any kingdom on earth.
In the kingdom of heaven everyone receives the same reward, regardless of how long
they worked. The vineyard is the world. And the hours that workers labor in the vineyard
is usually interpreted as signifying how long people have served God’s will with their
lives. Recall how stern Jesus was regarding his Father’s will (Matt 7:21) “Not everyone who
says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will
of my Father.”
Some are corresponding to grace and doing the Father’s will from early in life, others
start later. But whether one starts serving Christ earlier or later in life is not really
the point, the point is that all receive the same reward.
What is the reward? Well, it is God’s love. Heaven is a kingdom of love.
There everyone is equally and infinitely loved by God. Everyone is supremely happy
celebrating God’s love. There is no jealousy or envy for all is love.
In this sense, heaven is the same reward for all for God gives nothing less than
Himself.
However, there is a difference in our capacity to receive God’s love for merit has its place
in heaven.
Someone once said that each of us has a cup that we take with us to heaven.
Everyone’s cup will be filled completely. Nevertheless, some individuals have cups that
are larger than others.
The cup is a symbol of the human heart.
In heaven, everyone’s hearts will be completely full. No one feels slighted or is envious.
While God’s love is infinite, nevertheless we do receive his love according to the
capacity of our hearts.
As I said, everyone is loved the same in heaven for God’s love is infinite, He gives it
without measure. But those with bigger hearts simply have more with which they can
receive and return God’s love.
Their hearts have learned to love more fully and selflessly while on pilgrimage here on
earth.
Another example.
Our heart is like a mirror. Mirrors tarnish easily and tend to reflect lesser loves. But the
more we adore and love God the more polished they become and the better they receive
and reflect only his love.
There is this verse in the Solomon’s Song of Songs: “Many waters cannot quench love”
(8:7). To me these words mean that nothing under heaven can compare with God’s love.
This was the strength of the Saint Martyrs, for the love of God was the sole object of
their hearts. They were so filled with God’s love that they would not turn away from him
for anything… even to save their lives.
Whatever pain or fear that their persecutors perpetrated upon them was inconsequential in light of the love for God in their hearts.
St. John of the Cross wisely proclaimed that “Love is its own reward.”
Having already tasted the reward of heaven while in this life, the Saints sought nothing else.
The story goes that St. Therese of Lisieux contracted tuberculosis at the early age of 24.
Her sickness progressed with much coughing. The day finally came that she coughed
into her handkerchief and saw blood. She smiled filled with joy!
God could have healed her but he did not for she had reached the pinnacle of love and
her heart was ripe and ready for heaven.
Love is both the means to heaven and the gift of heaven itself.
We believe in and have tasted God’s love.
If God is love (Jn 4:16), then our challenge is to let God be God… to believe that he
could love each of us uniquely and specially.
“We can love God because he first loves us” (1 Jn 4:19).
The more we believe in God’s love the more we allow him to fill our hearts with his love.
The more we have to give others.
St. Francis of Assisi was delirious in the love of God.
There is the story of how one day he went all over town crying “Love is not loved!”
He wanted all to love God as he loved him.
In fact, when he would go about Assisi begging for alms, he would cry out, “Alms, for the
love of God!” He was not just asking people to give alms for the sake of their love for God.
Rather, he was promising them God’s love in exchange for those alms.
He was confident in the power of God’s love to touch them… in his love.
God loves through us!
I knew of a newbie priest who had difficulty asking the faithful in his parish to do
things for him. He knew it was not God’s will to pay them, for God had a higher purpose
in their volunteering. But he felt obligated to give them something but was unsure as to
what. He tells the story how that all changed as he matured in God’s love. He had
something to offer his parishioners in exchange for their volunteering. God’s love was
sufficient reward… and he had learned how to share it. He had many volunteers!
Love gives and receives without counting the cost.
Yet Jesus teaches us to give as we have received.
Did he not give us his commandment, “Love as I have loved you” (Jn 15:12)?
And how he has loved us! He gave his life that we might love as he loves.
When we love rightly, he loves through us. Oh, that we could say like St. Paul
(paraphrasing) : “It is no longer I that love but Christ who loves through me” (Gal 2:20).
.
So how can we come to better love others as Christ loves? How can we come to love the
Father as Jesus loves him? How can we come to have bigger hearts with which to receive
and return God’s love?
There is an ordinary yet privileged way that we Catholics can increase our capacity to
love divinely.
There was a Eucharistic miracle in Lanciano, Italy, over a millennium ago.
A priest was doubtful of the Real Presence of Jesus in his celebration of Holy Mass.
Jesus decided to work a miracle for him and for us.
One day during the words of consecration, the bread turned to living flesh, and the wine
turned to real blood. Today, you can still go to Lanciano and personally see this miracle as
it is on display for all to adore.
The fact is that the flesh and blood have remained uncorrupted all these years.
A few decades ago, a team of Catholic pathologists and scientists were given permission
to analyze the Eucharistic species of the Lanciano miracle. They determined conclusively
that the host was human flesh, living flesh! Furthermore, they found that it was muscle
tissue, heart muscle. It was as if God had cut a slice out of his own heart.
The point is that in every Holy Communion God feeds us his very heart!
Every minute we spend adoring his Heart and every moment in Holy Communion makes
our hearts reflect his likeness.
A last word about Jesus’ saying at the end of his parable of the Workers in the Vineyard.
Recall what he said: “The last shall be first and the first shall be last.” Can he not be
talking about love?
Regardless how quickly one arrives at love, love always makes the last first and itself last.
That’s how Jesus loves.