To Measure Beyond Measure As Jesus Does

Homily: Twenty-Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)

Matthew 20:1-16

20 September 2020

Fr. Ricky C. Montanez

I found my ruler! I was told I may need it when I take public transportation. The Department of Transportation (DOTr) recently recommended the implementation of a gradual reduction of seating distance between commuters inside PUVs. The one-meter distance recommended by WHO, would be reduced to 0.75m starting September 14, and 0.50m on September 28 according to DOTr.  Social media memes poked fun saying “Aside from face mask and face shield, commuters are now required to bring a ruler.” Thank goodness the President, heeded the heavy criticisms from medical experts and laid to rest that ludicrous proposal. In any case, I would have been ready. 😉

Today’s gospel parable about the labourers in the vineyard challenges the way we measure ourselves against one another. This manner of relating is often too calculating. We treat others according to how we think they should be treated. We give them what we think they deserve. It is not uncommon to hear ourselves say to one another “That serves you right!”, “You earned it!”, “You got what you deserve!”  We give only what is commensurate to what we can get in return. We demand rewards equivalent to what we believe we have merited for ourselves. That, for us, is just. This is why the first labourers begrudged the generosity of the landowner when he gave all of them the same compensation regardless of the number of work hours rendered. You and I can understand why the first hires felt they should have received more than those who only worked for an hour. I bet if we were there we would have sided with them, too. 

We have a tendency to think that God judges us in the way we judge ourselves. I know of a matron who declares she is surely heaven-bound when she dies because she had donated millions to the church, gone to mass daily and prayed her rosaries nightly. That’s what she believes she deserves. But those around her think otherwise because that same lady estranged her children and she would not forgive them. She is also engaged in unethical business and mistreated her “househelpers”. For that, some believe that God ought to condemn her. 

Fortunately for us, God does not treat us according to what we think we deserve. If he did, where would we find ourselves? As Psalm 130:3 reminds us, “If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?” “Saan tayo pupulutin?” In the passage from the Prophet Isaiah, the Lord Himself declares this, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways.” (Isaiah 55:8) God sees what is unknown to us. He sees with clarity what is in the heart and mind of a person and God’s response is always of love. This is a love we cannot define completely because of its failure to comply with logic. God’s unconditional love for us is undeserved— something we can never earn nor expect. It comes to fullness in Jesus. Recall John 3:16. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son and whoever believes in Him will not die.” How else could we be saved if God did not spare His Only Son for us sinners? God’s love is of total giving. It is not possessive. He does not force us to love Him, but should we choose to, then we need to accept His invitation to respond as He does, when we deal with one another. He asks us to try and see what He sees and to look upon one another with eyes of compassion. Let me give you two examples. The example of a conscientious employee and a noble teacher. 

The pandemic has resulted in many businesses closing down and many people losing their jobs.  The companies remaining in operation are barely surviving and some HR managers are recommending to the lucky ones who are still employed: “WORK LIKE YOU OWN THE COMPANY”   What does this mean? Adopted from a social media post, this is what it suggests… If you still have a job, count yourself lucky, and give back. It is not enough that you content yourself with giving the minimum required of you. Don’t count your hours. Don’t feel short-changed even if your salary does not match the hours you put in. Force yourself to look at the big picture and make a meaningful contribution that ensures the business thrives not just for you, but for the other employees and the clients and customers who depend on your products and services. Take care of it like it has taken care of you. Give back. Help it survive beyond this crisis.  It is not easy for business owners to sustain operations now. I know of entrepreneurs who are pulling out all the stops to keep their business from shutting down out of concern for their workers. Business owners can easily cut their losses by reducing their salaried employees but many strive to keep going because they know many families depend on them. So please, if you currently have a job, try not to complain so much and insist on your work-life balance. ‘Walang work-life balance ngayon. Walang balance ngayon.’ So many would willingly give up work life balance just to have the privilege to work. So, work like you own the company. When you save the company, you save yourself and your colleagues.

This October, basic education classes in the public schools are going to resume. The lack of access to gadgets and technology for online learning is reducing the rate of enrolment in the public schools, but it has not eliminated it altogether. Students do want to learn! The government is looking into broadcasting classes and lessons on radio stations for areas without internet. I’ve even heard of students preparing to literally climb mountains to get a better data signal so they can attend class.  In the same way, public school teachers are preparing themselves to go the extra mile for their students. Public school teachers in our country have been undervalued and underpaid for so long and yet they continue to give themselves fully to benefit their students. Just this morning, I saw a photo of teachers in Lanao del Norte traversing a perilous path to distribute learning modules to their students.  If they kept a record of all the sacrifices they made for their profession and demanded remuneration, we could not afford to pay them!  How do you measure kindness and a sense of mission? How do you equate a monetary value with the genuine love and compassion they have for their students? I am a teacher myself, and I know why they do what they do. This love, this selfless love, is what God invites us to practice.   

Finally, St. Paul reminds us as he reminded the Philippians “to conduct (ourselves) in a way worthy of the Gospel of Christ.” (Philippians 1:27) As disciples of the Kingdom, we are called upon to afford our brothers and sisters the same kind of generosity, the same kind of love, the same kind of mercy shown to us by our gracious God— a love without measure.  May we as a people of faith become persons of generous giving to one another!