Mỗi khi chúng ta bị gắn cho cái danh từ là đồ thứ 'đạo đức giả' chúng ta thường bực tức và tự kiểm tra chính mình, xem xét lại bản thân của mình và những gì mình đã làm, phần lớn chúng ta không ai muốn bị gọi là kẻ đạo đức giả. Thường khi ra ngoài đường, sống giữa xã hội, chúng ta lo sợ về hình dáng bên ngoài của chúng ta, chúng ta sợ những gì người khác sẽ nói về chúng ta, về vóc dáng, cách ăn mặc nói chung là chúng ta sợ người ngoài nói về “bộ xương cách trí” của chúng ta trong lớp quần áo của chúng ta mặc bên ngoài. Chúng ta có xu hướng che giấu những cái mặt tối hay những cái xấu xa trong cuộc sống của chúng ta, cũng giống như việc chúng ta thích quét bụi bẩn của chúng ta ở mặt trên tấm thảm, còn che đậy đất cát ở bên dưới.
Tin Mừng hôm nay, Chúa Giêsu Kitô kêu gọi chúng ta hãy sống thật sự như những người thật đang sống với tâm hồn biết yêu thương và nghĩ tới người khác, mà không phải là sống như người chỉ biết sống trong cái vỏ tầm thường như những người vô đạo chỉ biết nghĩ đến mình, nghĩ đến với cái vỏ hào choáng bên ngoài để khoe khoang diện mạo, để dễ tiện việc kiếm lợi cho cá nhân của mình mà thôi. Vì thế hôm nay Chúa muốn chúng ta nên phải biết sẵn sàng cởi bỏ cái vỏ bề ngoài hay thói đạo đức giả của chúng ta, và biết chân thành ngay chính trong tâm hồn chúng ta, biết yêu thương người như Chúa đã yêu chúng ta?
Lạy Chúa, xin dạy cho chúng con có tâm hồn giống như Chúa, để chúng con có thể biết yêu theo cách mà Chúa đã yêu chúng con.
Whenever we encounter the word `hypocrite' we often are challenged to examine ourselves, mainly because we do not want to be hypocrites. We are concerned about our external image, about what others will say of us, about our skeletons in our closets. We tend to hide the dark side of our lives, we sweep our dirt under the rug. Christ calls us to be REAL loving and caring persons, not in a mediocre way but in an uncompromising real way – HIS WAY. Are we willing to strip off our hypocrisy, be sincere in our hearts, and love as he loves?
Lord, teach our hearts to become like yours that we may love the way you love
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.” Matthew 20:6–7
These are very generous words spoken by the landowner. As the parable explains, this landowner hired workers for his vineyard early in the morning, and then again at nine o’clock, noon, three o’clock and finally at five o’clock. But at the end of the day, he paid them all the same daily wage as if they had all been working since early morning. The ones hired first were upset thinking it was unfair that those who worked just an hour were paid the same wage as they were. But the landowner concludes, “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?” God, in His mercy, is generous beyond comprehension. But we, as fallen humans, are constantly examining whether we are getting our fair share and comparing ourselves to others. We tend to want more and more and easily become envious when we see others succeed or receive blessings that we do not have. For example, if someone is more popular than us on social media, or drives a nicer car, or has a bigger home, or goes on an expensive vacation, we often tend to notice with a sort of sorrow that we do not have what they do. And that is envy.
The cure for envy is wholehearted generosity. Not just generosity with our money but generosity with our affections and our ability to rejoice in the blessings that others receive. For example, if someone were to tell you that they were going on a nice vacation next month to a place you always wanted to go, how would you react? You might jokingly say, “Wow, I’m jealous!” Jealousy can quickly turn into envy, which is a form of sorrow over the blessings another has that you do not. And that sorrow over the blessings of another can subsequently turn to anger.
These workers in the vineyard who worked all day and received the same amount as those who worked only one hour could have responded by congratulating the later workers and could have even jokingly said, “Lucky you, I wish I would have shown up at five o’clock!” But instead, they grumbled and tried to interfere with the generosity of 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.” Again, this is envy, in that their sorrow over the generosity of the landowner led them to try to interfere with the blessing the others received.
Whenever you notice this form of unholy sorrow within you, take notice. It means that you lack a selfless generosity toward others. And if you see God blessing another in spiritual riches, try to generously rejoice in that. Offer praise and thanks to God for His goodness. Don’t dwell on yourself and dismiss every temptation to compare. In many ways, everyone of us is represented by those who worked only one hour and received the full daily wage. This is because we could never earn the grace of salvation. The one and only reason we are able to receive the gift of eternal salvation and every other grace given to us by God is because God is infinitely generous. Therefore, the goodness and generosity of God must be our constant focus, and we must rejoice in that generosity when it is given to us and when it is also given to others.
Reflect, today, upon any tendency you have toward envy. Think about the blessings that others have been given that you have not. Sincerely look at your interior reaction to that and pray that God will grant you the gift of being able to be generous in your rejoicing in those blessings. Every blessing given by God must be the cause of our joy, no matter if those blessings are bestowed upon us or upon others.
My most generous Lord, You bestow Your blessings upon all in superabundance. When I witness the ways that others are blessed by You, help me to foster a sincere gratitude for all that they have received. Help me truly rejoice in the many ways You bless all Your people. Free me from envy, dear Lord, so that I am not burdened down by that ugly sin. Jesus, I trust in You.
Opening Prayer: Lord God, you have promised to shepherd your sheep and care for your children. You fulfilled this promise by sending your Son to shepherd us. Help me with your grace to be a good shepherd in my family and lead my loved ones to eternal pastures.
1. Working in the Lord’s Vineyard: In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus tells many parables about the Kingdom of Heaven. Some of the parables speak about how the seed of the Kingdom is welcomed, grows over time, and welcomes people from all nations. Other parables speak about how there will be good and evil within the kingdom until the end of time. Today’s parable speaks about the end of the kingdom. The image used by Jesus in the parable is that of being contracted to work in a vineyard. Some people begin their work in God’s Kingdom at a young age; others respond to the call later in life. The parable stresses how what is important is responding to the call. Whether a person begins early or responds later in life is secondary to the fact that God is the one who takes the initiative and makes the first move, so to speak. Any good we have done in the Kingdom of Heaven has been empowered by divine grace.
Opening Prayer: Lord God, you have promised to shepherd your sheep and care for your children. You fulfilled this promise by sending your Son to shepherd us. Help me with your grace to be a good shepherd in my family and lead my loved ones to eternal pastures.
Encountering the Word of God
1. Ezekiel’s Image of the Shepherd: After reading in Ezekiel about God’s judgment of Israel and the nations, we now begin to read Ezekiel’s promise of salvation. This promise centers on a couple of images that we will contemplate during this liturgical week. Today, we look at the image of the shepherd and the sheep (34:1-31); on Friday, we will contemplate the raising of the dead to life (37:1-28). Both Moses and David were shepherds when they were called by God to lead his people. As the servant of God, Moses led the people out of Egypt and through the desert for forty years to the promised land. He provided water, bread, and quail for the people. He transmitted God’s law to them and was the mediator of the covenants of Sinai and Moab. David, as the king of Israel and as God’s servant, led the people to victory and established Jerusalem as his capital. He brought the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem and prepared everything for the Temple that his son would build. How can I imitate Moses and David as good shepherds?
2. The Promise of a Human-Divine Shepherd: Today, Ezekiel denounces the corruption and infidelity of Israel’s and Judah’s kings. In fact, only two Judean kings after David were good kings: Hezekiah and Josiah. The rest either went from being good to committing evil or were evil in almost everything they did. Instead of feeding God’s flock as good shepherds, they fed themselves. They were negligent, not strengthening the weak, not healing the sick, not tending to the wounded, not bringing back the stray, and not seeking out the lost. Instead of ruling and governing with gentleness and mercy, they ruled with violence, force, and harshness. Because of this, God declared that he himself would shepherd the people. He will feed them. He will strengthen them, heal them, tend to their wounds, seek them out, and bring them back into the fold. After declaring that he will save his flock and judge them, God promises to set up one shepherd over his flock. This one shepherd will be a descendant of David, his servant. This shepherd will feed God’s flock and be a prince among them. A covenant of peace will be established. The yoke of slavery will be broken and the people will no longer be consumed with hunger. On that day, “they shall know that I, the Lord their God, am with them, and that they, the house of Israel, are my people, says the Lord God. And you are my sheep, the sheep of my pasture, and I am your God, says the Lord God” (Ezekiel 34:30-31). How can I imitate the divine shepherd?
3. Responding to God’s Call to Work in the Vineyard: In the Gospel, we learn that God wants us to share in building up the Kingdom of God. All Christians share in Christ’s royal office through their baptism. We have been given the gift of royal freedom so that we may overcome the reign of sin within us. Together we work to establish justice in society; with the pastors of the Church, we cooperate through different ministries in building up the life of the Church (CCC, 908-912). One of the ways to read today’s Gospel passage is to see how some respond to God’s call at an early age and how they spend their entire lives working in God’s vineyard. Others respond later in life and dedicate themselves to the service of God’s kingdom. Christ, as we see in the parable, does not stop calling. He doesn’t give up. He patiently seeks out his sheep, respects their freedom, and welcomes them when they respond. God knows the history of each person, he knows their talents and strengths as well as their weaknesses and tendencies. He is free to reward us as he sees fit. We learn today that he is gracious and merciful, abounding in generosity. How have I responded to God’s call?
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, I can learn so much from you as the Good Shepherd and the Generous Landowner. I need to discern your voice amid the noise of the world so that you can lead me to good pasture and set me to work in the vineyard.
In the same way God will reward us as he wishes, whether we have served him all our life or only for part of our life. His generous reward of sharing life with him in heaven is freely his to give, when to give and to whom to give. No one is really entitled to heaven and God's rewards. Two things are important: first, that we do our work for God, and second, that we are ready for him when he comes to demand an accounting on how we have done our work in life.
We thank God for his goodness to us, completely out of his liberality, and live and pray so as to receive his reward of life with him for all eternity.
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