Generosity that begets envy

Here is the text of the homily I prepared for this weekend's encounter with the people of God: a reflection on the generosity of God.

Generosity that begets envy

Close your eyes, if you dare, just for a moment.  Picture in your mind a time when you were happy; look around you and pay attention to the details: is there anyone else present with you? … What’s the weather like? … Are there any particular sounds or smells?  Rest in that place for just a moment, soak it in, revel in the feelings of contentedness. Give thanks to God for this brief moment of happiness … then open your eyes.

Can you believe that our God is that generous?  He created the scene, the memory that you just held in your mind.  He created the colours, the sounds, the people who were present … and he did all that just so you could enjoy a moment of happiness.  Sometimes, perhaps far too often, we forget that our God takes the time to prepare such wonderful things for us, and always in such intricate detail.

In today’s gospel, we find Jesus teaching his disciples about the boundless generosity of God.  As always, he uses images that they, and we, can easily comprehend: every one of the disciples would have been familiar with vineyards; they are dotted throughout the landscape.  Every one of the disciples would also have had a good idea about the amount of money that labourers could earn while they assisted with the harvest, and each one of the disciples would have been well aware of the number of such labourers who either travelled from place to place in search of work or went without work on more days than they would like to count.

The point of the parable is that each and every person has dignity.  Each and every person is entitled to work.  None of God’s beloved children is forgotten, left to sit by idly, excluded from his love, his care, his concern.  The divine landowner is always going out, searching for us, calling us to come and to join him in the vineyard.  Some of us hear this call early in the morning of our lives, others hear it at mid-morning, at noon, at mid-afternoon or even in the waning hours of the day.  Regardless of when we are called, Jesus is always willing to accept us.

The prophet Isaiah says that we should seek the Lord while he may be found.  Each day presents us with a new opportunity to seek the Lord, to discover his will for us, to hear his call to come into the vineyard.  If we accept his invitation, we should be prepared for surprises.  God’s thoughts are not our thoughts so sometimes disciples are placed in situations that we ourselves would not choose, yet every one of those experiences helps us to discover that we are never left alone.  God only ever desires what is good for us: that we should be the best of disciples, that we should know deep within us that we are loved, and that we should be so filled with the joy of knowing this love that we are willing to shout this good news from the rooftops and windows of our homes, from the sidewalks and coffee shops of our city, and from the desks and computers in our places of work.

Strive every day to live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ and Christ in turn will reward you because our God is so generous that his generosity even begets envy.