Growing up with 5 boys in our family, we wore plenty of “hand me down” clothes. We saw a pattern in the way the oldest were treated. Jim, number 4, seemed to get preferential treatment. The oldest 3 would wear out the clothes so that by the time clothes got to Jim they were well worn and not suitable to wear. We would complain that “Jimmy got everything” because his clothes were new and ours weren’t.
We would complain “it’s not fair,” every time Jimmy needed clothes to replace the worn-out outfits we wore. “It’s not fair,” we would moan in envy when new clothes were purchased for him.
In today’s gospel we hear the complaint of the day laborer. To our way of thinking the payment should be pro-rated based on how long we worked. Why hadn’t anyone hire these workers? Perhaps they were ill or maybe they were just lazy. At any rate, the kingdom of heaven welcomes everyone. God’s mercy and acceptance has no restrictions.
How can I be more appreciative? Even when we think we’re getting the short end of the stick we realize we’re a lot better off than others. Just this week we have reasons to be thankful. Others have had to deal with fires in California, tornados, floods, and more.
Deacon Tom Carter
