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Photo of laborers in a vineyard.
Photo of laborers in a vineyard.

Laborers in the Vineyard

A recent Gospel reading tells the story of the laborers in the vineyard, and how the owner paid those who only worked one hour exactly what he paid those who worked all day long. Naturally (in human terms) the latter got angry with a perceived injustice, and the owner wondered why they couldn’t recognize and accept his generosity to the others.

The “Give Us This Day” reflection was an eye opener for me! Paul Holmes laid out God’s gospel lesson: if the work we do to get into heaven doesn’t “matter,” it must be because we can’t earn heaven! Heresy!!!

Why? Because we have been taught that in most of life’s arenas we all must work to achieve a goal; we don’t expect to succeed by way of some kind of handout – we have to earn what we want. And in our religious training we have all learned exactly what we must do to gain heaven!

But what do we do with God’s incredible generosity to the deathbed “penitent” or “convert?” They seemingly can slide under the pearly gates at the last minute while we’ve spent decades being kind and compassionate, avoiding occasions of sin, praying all the time, trying to worship God in many ways?

Again, Jesus seems to be saying, “You can’t earn heaven!!”

Well, what if one message of this gospel is not to worry about attaining eternal happiness? What if Jesus is telling us that heaven can exist here on earth now, in our hearts, in our families and friends, in our giving and receiving God’s compassion? It feels as though Jesus is saying be kind now, be happy now, be grateful now, be aware now, be ALIVE NOW!! And he will take care of the rest.

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More from Writers' Corner

How Will We Find Our Way Home cover.

How Will We Find Our Way Home

Inspired by something her dear friend asked Sr. Alice the day before she passed away, the book is a collection of Sr. Alice’s poems written over a period of time, and often reflective of questions that creep into our ordinary lives as we make our way in the day’s challenging climate.

Tracing Thin Places

In the hustle and bustle of our lives we are often challenged to pause and discover “thin places.” As referred to by Celtic Christians, thin places are those rare locales where the veil between heaven and earth is lifted.

We Walk the Road Together.

We Walk the Road Together

Sr. Lori DeGiorgio’s We Walk the Road Together invites you deep into the hard experiences of people seeking a safe and more hopeful life in the United States. The photos of migrants’ poignant moments seem to mirror those of Jesus on his road to Calvary.

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