Posted by The WORD in other words (2017) by Father Vicente Uy SVD – Holy Name University, Tagbilaran City
25th Week in Ordinary Time
There are many forms of giving. There is a kind of giving that we call charity, and there is also a kind of giving that seeks attention and recognition. In today’s Gospel, however, Jesus presents two other forms of giving: justice and generosity.
When money is given in exchange for a service rendered, such as payment for a contracted job, it is a matter of justice. A person receives what is due. But when something is given beyond what is required by law or custom, it becomes an act of generosity. Such giving is not based on obligation or transaction; it flows ex abundantia cordis—from the abundance of the heart.
This is how today’s Gospel (Matthew 20:1-16) should be understood. The owner of the vineyard was generous to all the laborers he hired because each of them needed work in order to earn their daily bread and support their families. When evening came, those who had worked from early morning received the wage they had agreed upon. Therefore, no injustice was done to them.
Their complaint arose because those who had worked only one hour received the same wage. Yet the vineyard owner reminded them: “My friend, I am not cheating you. Did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage?” (Matthew 20:13). The first workers received exactly what justice required. The others received more than justice demanded; they received generosity.
Could the owner have paid the latecomers proportionately according to the hours worked? Certainly. But he chose otherwise. Does that make him unjust? Not at all. Rather, it reveals his freedom to be generous: “Am I not free to do as I wish with my own money? Are you envious because I am generous?” (Matthew 20:15).
The deeper message of the parable is that God is both just and generous. As the prophet Isaiah reminds us: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord” (Isaiah 55:8-9). If we judge God solely by human standards of fairness, we will often fail to understand His ways.
God gives us not only what we deserve but often what we need. His mercy exceeds our merits. This is why even the good thief, who turned to Jesus at the last moment, was promised Paradise (Luke 23:42-43). Salvation itself is not earned; it is first and foremost a gift of grace.
Going further, Jesus invites us to imitate this divine generosity. If God is generous with us, we too must be generous with others, especially with the poor, the forgotten, the last, and the least. As Jesus teaches: “Give, and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing, will be poured into your lap” (Luke 6:38).
Why do we sometimes find generosity difficult? Perhaps because we see everything as a transaction. We think: “You work, I pay; no more, no less.” We remain within the limits of justice and rarely venture into the territory of mercy and generosity.
During the 51st International Eucharistic Congress held in Cebu in 2016, Archbishop Thomas Menamparampil offered a profound insight:
“When you run short of generosity, come closer to the poor. They will teach you. They will instill generosity in your hearts.”
Indeed, the poor often teach us what truly matters. They reveal that life’s greatest riches are not possessions but relationships, gratitude, sharing, and trust in God.
May we therefore learn from the generosity of the vineyard owner and from the boundless generosity of God Himself. Let us strive not merely to give what is due, but to give from the abundance of our hearts. For mercy, generosity, and love are the true signs of those who have experienced the goodness of God.
Prayer
Lord, You are both just and generous. Teach me to look beyond strict calculation and to give from the abundance of my heart. Free me from envy and selfishness, and make me attentive to the needs of the poor and forgotten. May I reflect Your generosity in my words, my actions, and my daily life. Amen.
One comment