Septuagesima Sunday 31.1.21 One hour in the sun
God is generous in His dealings with the human race. The vineyard owner in today’s Gospel says: why be envious because I am generous? (Mt 20,15)
If we are not sufficiently grateful for God’s blessings we might then be grudging of His blessings to others.
The Jews, for instance, did not think that God should be generous to the Gentiles.
The early workers in the parable thought they were hard done by, even though they received what they had agreed upon.
And we might resent that others with whom we would find fault might achieve Heaven before us. We are doing the ‘work’ while they reap the reward.
All these positions amount to a kind of grudging mercy to others. There is enough for all; God's mercy is infinite and eternal, and freely given to those who have any inclination to seek it.
We pray for exactly this to happen, that God would save those presently far from Him.
From another angle again we could see ourselves as the late workers, insofar as so many have been before us.
There have already been twenty centuries before us where people have been labouring to get things into place.
We benefit from all this. Think of all the missionaries, the catechists, the priests and religious etc. that have put things in motion for our benefit. All the martyrs and saints. All there for our inspiration and imitation.
And God Himself has been with us all this time, inspiring each generation to pass on His reality to the next.
All the heavy lifting had been done for us - the creeds have been settled; the sacraments established – all we have to do is agree!
The key events have already happened: Christ has come; has lived among us; has died, risen, ascended. All this before we arrived.
He has paved the way for us, guided the Church, protected us from storms.
Now it is our time in the sun; the torch is in our hands. Our one hour of labour can be to hold on to the Truth we have received, and then pass it on to those who come after us.
Or are we going to complain instead? Yes, there are many negatives. But they only impede the work of the Church; they do not mean that the work itself should be abandoned.
God does not start things to abandon them midway. His word does not return to Him empty (Is 55,11).
We need less complaining, and more thanksgiving - realizing how fortunate we are to be included in God's generous plans.
Why do we have to work at all? It is God's way of preparing us for eternal life.
If we imitate the pattern of life Our Lord has shown us, then we are formed in His image. We take on His mind and heart; we become more generous, self-sacrificing, wiser etc, and more ready to dwell with Him for ever.
Our ‘work’ for Him takes many forms according to vocation and circumstance.
Each of us is uniquely placed; we are not here by random chance. God has in mind particular things we can do for Him, things which will not happen if we refuse to do them.
We are tempted to leave it to others to do the work. No, each of us is called, and must respond to that individual call.
We are tempted to think we suffer too much. God knows what each of us can take, and what we need to iron out our faults and failings; thus to grow in virtue.
We might think others get it easier than we do. The same reasoning applies – I must concentrate on what I have to do, and hope others can do the same for themselves.
There will be a reward for all comers – early or late – who are faithful to the task in their time.
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