90 My Monologues & Musings : Workers in the Vineyard (Mt. 20)
Dear Jesus,
Your narration of the parable of the Workers in the Vineyard has many messages meant for everyone irrespective of one's time and place.
Thank you, Jesus!
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Dear Workers in the Vineyard,
There must have been lots of unemployed men like you, looking around for someone to hire you all, right?
No wonder some of you were still idling away even at the eleventh hour.
You all must have been happy to have been hired at all.
I would be honoured to listen to your innermost feelings and emotions before and after being hired. I would love to listen to the representatives from the first and the last group.
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Musings of one of those hired first....
"I am one from the first batch.
I was very pleasantly surprised to get One Denarius. How generous a Master he is!
He gave us a full day's wage as promised by the Owner.
Slowly I come to realize that the parable is not just to teach the basic lessons on just wages. It is meant to open up the caring approach of God.
We had been anxiously waiting from very early in the morning hoping to be hired. As we were chatting, there came an owner of one of the vineyards. He looked very gentle.
He offered us a denarius each as our wage of the day.
It was very unusual to be offered a denarius each without any haggling over the amount. That was very generous of him! He looked very mature as well as very sure of himself. We were happy and started to work in his vineyard. Then at different times of the day, like the late morning, around noon, and even late in afternoon he brought small groups of labourers to work in his vineyard.
In the evening when the day's work was wounded up, starting with the group which was hired last and ending with the first group which was hired, everyone was paid a denarius each.
The rest of us couldn’t believe our eyes! Even though they had to put in just an hour's work so, they too were given a denarius each, a very generous wage indeed!
And we thought, at this rate, we would be payed much more as we had been working all day long!
We thought to ourselves:
How good and generous an owner he is!
Wish we could work for him everyday!
When our turn came,we were eagerly waiting to receive much more than a denarius. To utter shock and disappointment we too were given just a denarius each our day's wages.
Oh, boy! how could he ever do that to us?
Did he forget the fact we were there working the whole day and not just for a couple of hours?
Didn't he give a denarius each to those8 who came late in the afternoon and worked just for a couple of hours?
How could ever give us just a denarius for working the whole day?
How could he place us on par with those who worked just a couple of hours and pay us too a denarius?
Is it just?
Is this the remuneration for working the whole day?
Where is social justice?
Doesn't he know if an honest hard worker is not adequately rewarded he is killing his initiative and enthusiasm to work hard?
If we were to be called for work again, doesn't he think that we will not beinclined to work hard?
Because whether we work hard or not, whether we work the whole day of not, we are going to be paid just a denarius!
True, we had agreed to work for a denarius a day. But how could he ever justify himself to pay the same amount to those who worked the whole day and those who worked just for a couple of hours?
He should have given less to those who worked just a couple of hours, right?
We felt cheated!
The owner is cruel and merciless holding to the contract he made with us!
Even when we tried to explain he is adamant.
He accuses us of being jealous because others are getting more than ourselves.
Later on as I reflected on the parable Jesus narrated using us as the main characters in the story, I began to ask with myself:
Is Jesus that naive or narrow minded to insist on the literal application of Justice?
Was this the sole purpose of his parable?
Anything more to it?
It began to dawn on me that his main purpose was to highlight and attack the human attitudes of overblown self importance. It was very visible in the Pharisaic leadership.
The Pharisees were convinced that they alone are the sole inheritors of the Kingdom. No one else is entitled to it, especially those outsiders, the non-Jews.
Jesus wanted to make it clear the Kingdom can never be claimed as an entitlement.
It is basically a gift bestowed!"
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Musings of the one hired last....
I am one of those hired last:
"I represent those non-jews who accepted the invitation of the Lord to enjoy the fruits of the Good News. Unlike the Jews we were not chosen and prepared from the beginning!
Oh, Lord, how blind have i been!
Thank you for opening our eyes and hearts which were filled with arrogance and envy!
Thank you for making us aware that your Kingdom can be availed by anyone who is well disposed with repentance and who is open to humility.
Those who were hired at the last hour were such people, right, Lord?
I want to be like them!"
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Thank you, dear friend, for sharing your musings!
Dear Jesus, My Lord and My God,
Thank you for your parable with which you try to help me to look at myself and identify the the parts of me who is like the workers who were hired first and who grumbled when they learned the latwr comers too were given a denarius.
Jesus, My Lord and My God,
Very often I am like them.
A part of me is green with envy when others around me are successful and well appreciated.
Jesus, My Lord and My God,
I just can't when those who are junior and are younger to me go up the ladder.
I just can't stand it!
I just can't take it!
I just can't swallow it!
I need to be and I want to be more humble and accepting the good in others!
Jesus, My Lord and My God,
Thank you, for your:
Unconditional Love of me!
Unlimited Patience with me!
Untold Forgiveness for me!
Amen
JoAchen
Wednesday, 14th October, 2015
Dear Reader,
These Reflections are neither pure exegetical interpretations nor highly theological explanations.
They are a part of my journaling as a Prodigal Priest trying to make my way back to the home of our Heavenly Father.
As i keep holding you in my prayers, I request you to include me in yours.
Thank you!
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