Kill that
envy before it destroys you.
First reading: Is. 55:6-9
Second reading Phil. 1:20c-24.27a
Gospel Mt. 20:1-16
Dear friends, for the past three Sundays, Jesus
has been teaching us ways to build a better Christian community. Two Sundays
ago, he gave us the task of fraternal correction. Last week Sunday, he told us to
forgive those who offended us. This Sunday, he gives us yet another wonderful
theme for the good of the Christian community and our personal wellbeing. It is
a call to avoid envy and recognize the needs of other people. This theme is
seen in the parable of the gospel of today. Hence, to have a good Christian
community, we must avoid envy.
Frankly speaking, the parable in the gospel of
today seems difficult to understand when we apply our standard of justice to
the action of the landowner. For example, if we say the landowner was being
generous to the last workers, why was he not generous to the first set of
workers too? At least it is assumed that they did the major part of the work.
So, his action could hardly be said to be fair if we look at it with ordinary
social terms. But the simple explanation of the parable is in the first reading
from the prophet Isaiah. He said: “my thoughts are not your thoughts,
nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord.” (Is. 55:9)
Friends, when we understand that
what the landowner paid to the first set of workers was what he actually agreed
with them, that is one denarius, we will realise that he committed no offense
against them. So, the reason for the negative reaction from the first set of workers
was not because the landowner did not pay them according to their agreement
with him, rather, it was because they received the same payment with those who
were employed late. In actual fact, they would have been happy if the landowner
paid less amount to the other people. Friends, that was where envy actually set
in. Their anger was not because of a breach of contract, but because of the
generosity of the landowner to those he wanted to help.
Dear friends, during the time of
Jesus, the daily wage of a Jewish worker was one denarius. Anything short of
that will make daily sustenance very difficult for the family of the worker.
So, what the landowner paid to the late workers was a wage sufficient for their
daily sustenance. He was looking at their survival instead of what they earned
from the work they did. Friends, this is
how the love of God is. God looks at our needs, not at our qualifications. But
on the part of the first workers, the needs of the late workers did not concern
them. They would have rather been happy if the late workers were paid something
less. Their joy would have been to see the late workers going home with less
means for daily survival. Friends, envy closes the eyes of those who harbour
them in their hearts to the needs of their neighbours and friends. Then, it
pushes them to desire to have a quality, possession, or other desirable
attributes belonging to someone else. It makes them to unduly seek to be
greater than others; to be good at the expense of other people.
An envious person is not happy
when everyone is the best or when everyone is doing well. He is not comfortable
when others are praised along with him. He is disturbed when good things are
happening to others. He is only happy when the world revolves around him: he
feels happy when he alone is the best; he enjoys it when he is rising and,
then, others are falling; he is happy if he is the first to get the good things
of life; so long as others remain less successful than him, he has no problem.
Do we have people who behave this way in our church or community? Do we have
those who get angry when other people are making progress in their talents and
businesses? Do we have those who are only happy when other people are in
difficulty? Do we have people who feel it is their right to be favoured? Do we
have people who malign those who are doing better than them? This type of life
cannot be called Christian. Envy destroys good community life. Therefore, dear
friends, Jesus invites us today to purge our hearts of envy if we want to build
up a good Christian community.
Fr. Isaac Chinemerem Chima
Pontificia Università della Santa Croce, Roma
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