A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to Matthew (20:1-16)
Jesus told his disciples this parable:
“The Kingdom of heaven is like a landowner
who went out at dawn to hire laborers for his vineyard.
After agreeing with them for the usual daily wage,
he sent them into his vineyard.
Going out about nine o’clock,
he saw others standing idle in the marketplace,
and he said to them, ‘You too go into my vineyard,
and I will give you what is just.’
So they went off.
And he went out again around noon,
and around three o’clock, and did likewise.
Going out about five o’clock,
he found others standing around, and said to them,
‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’
They answered, ‘Because no one has hired us.’
He said to them, ‘You too go into my vineyard.’
When it was evening the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman,
‘Summon the laborers and give them their pay,
beginning with the last and ending with the first.’
When those who had started about five o’clock came,
each received the usual daily wage.
So when the first came, they thought that they would receive more,
but each of them also got the usual wage.
And on receiving it they grumbled against the landowner, saying,
‘These last ones worked only one hour,
and you have made them equal to us,
who bore the day’s burden and the heat.’
He said to one of them in reply,
‘My friend, I am not cheating you.
Did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage?
Take what is yours and go.
What if I wish to give this last one the same as you?
Or am I not free to do as I wish with my own money?
Are you envious because I am generous?’
Thus, the last will be first, and the first will be last.”
Reflection: Today’s Gospel is titled “The Workers in the Vineyard.” It is a pretty popular Gospel. Some of you may be familiar with it, and probably even heard it before several times. The Gospel is loaded with a lot of happening drama, if I may say. Some workers show up early to work, while others show up later, and other workers show up just before the end of the day. In our human thinking, we would say that the wages paid shall be according to the work performed. Right? Well, not to the landowner in this Gospel, and that caused a lot of drama, negative emotions, spirits, among some of the workers. A spirit that it is very relatable to human nature and causes one to sin gravely; envy!
The Catechism of the Catholic Church addresses envy, under the Tenth Commandment, “You shall not covet your neighbor’s goods”, in paragraphs 2538 through 2540. It defines envy as a capital sin involving sadness, when seeing another person’s goods and a strong, unfair desire, to make them one’s own.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church lists envy as a capital sin, because it generates other sins and vices. It involves sadness, at the sight of another person’s blessings or goods, paired with an immoderate desire, to make them one’s own. And, it is deeply tied to pride, viewing another person’s success or status, as a personal threat or decline.
However, a mild or brief spirit of envy that is resisted or repented of, is generally considered a venial sin. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 2539, envy becomes a mortal sin, when the hatred or resentment grows, to the point of desiring serious injury, destruction, or grave harm toward the person who is envied. Also, there is a difference between Envy and Jealousy. Catholic moral theology, draws a sharp distinction between these two spirits, based on the nature of the desire, and its moral outcome. Allow me to state a couple examples, to hopefully help clarify the difference, between envy and jealousy:
- JEALOUSY: “I want what you have, or I want to protect what is mine.” This spirit focus is on possession.
- ENVY: “I want you to lose what you have because it hurts my ego.” This spirit focus is on destruction.
What can we do to overcome envy? Our Catholic tradition offers specific spiritual and psychological remedies, to combat the vice of envy. The following are some of them:
Cultivate Kindness: Actively wish well for the person you envy. Pray specifically for their continued success, health, and happiness to break the cycle of resentment.
Practice Humility: Envy is born from pride. Acknowledge your own specific gifts and limitations without comparing your life’s path to others.
Foster Gratitude: Routinely give thanks to God for your unique blessings. Shifting focus to personal abundance starves the feeling of lack that drives envy. Rejoice in Others’ Good: Train the mind to practice rejoicing in the good of the neighbor. View the community as one body, where one member’s success, elevates everyone. Utilize Sacramental Grace: Frequent the Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession) to receive grace to heal deep-seated patterns of comparison and bitterness.
Action of the Day: Rejoice in others’ good fortune. Ask the Holy Spirit and the Blessed Virgin Mary, to bring someone blessed with more than you, to mind. Then say a prayer that God continues to bless them.
Audio Reflection:
Thank you. God bless.