Heaven is God’s generosity (HOMILY FOR WEDNESDAY OF THE TWENTIETH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME, YEAR II (ST. PIUS X - AUGUST 21, 2024)

HOMILY FOR WEDNESDAY OF THE TWENTIETH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME, YEAR II (ST. PIUS X - AUGUST 21, 2024)

Ezekiel 34:1-11; Ps.23; Matthew 20:1-16a

Heaven is God’s generosity

The parable of Jesus in today’s gospel powerfully projects the generosity of God in a manner that beats man’s imagination. However, it aims at improving our understanding about the kingdom of God. In God’s kingdom, what matters is love not time or input. When we try to subject God’s kingdom to time, it ceases to be eternal. When we subject it to human effort, it becomes a merited reward. If heaven is a reward for what we have done, then heaven needs to have degrees/categories because some persons will put in more effort than others.

Instead of seeing heaven as a reward, I would prefer to see it as the consequence of a deliberate choice – the choice to serve God. When we choose to be docile to the government of God, we become candidates for heaven. This is a cause-and-effect mechanism, and it is rightly just. However, not all get the opportunity to make this decision as early as possible. In today’s gospel, the men whom the householder called upon about the third, sixth, ninth and eleventh hour were people who have been available for work but had not been opportune to be employed. Explaining why they have been idle, they said “because no one has hired us”. Their situation is different from that of the five foolish virgins who were unprepared for the coming of the bridegroom (Matt.25:1-13).

God is the perfect judge because he alone is perfectly able to understand the human condition. God is merciful and generous. He bestows his graces on whomever he wishes. The reason why sometimes we grow envious of our neighbours’ good is that we evaluated them to be unqualified for the favour they enjoy. In the kingdom of God, no one is qualified; all were qualified.

Hence, the length of time we have served God as Christians and the effort we have put into building God’s kingdom, does not entitle us to heaven more than some others who have not done as much as we have. By implication therefore, length of time and contributions made are not criteria for holding offices/positions in the Church. Anyone who is available to serve can serve.

However, let us not fall into the temptation of deciding to delay our repentance since there seem to be nothing greater for those who have long repented. If we do so, then it will the case that we have extended the parable to include another group of labourers who were called upon by the householder but said that they were not yet ready work. Whoever says NO to the householder will never be invited to work in the vineyard.

Lastly dear friends in Christ, Jesus is teaching us today to be generous too with what we have. Be generous with your time, your presence, your treasure, your gifts. Do not always judge people worthy before you give to them. It is by giving out what is underserving that our actions really say something about the kingdom of God.

Remain blessed 🙌