In the parable of the workers in the vineyard, the landowner asks, “Are you envious because I am generous?” Jason Quino McCreery, SJ, reflects on the times when our envy prevents us from seeing the gifts that God has given to us. Based on the readings for Sunday, September 20, 2020.
God beholds each of us with mercy. Can we do the same?
Hi, I’m Jason Quino McCreery, and this is my One-Minute Reflection.
If I can be honest right now, I must admit that the end of today’s parable haunts me. The landowner says to the laborers, “are you envious because I am generous?” I have to admit, “Yes, I sometimes am.”
I can see the good things God has given to other people, and I will think, “why not me? Why am I not as patient as my brother Jesuit? Why did you give to my married friends happiness, but to me loneliness?” But I know those thoughts do not come from God. Because I, like the laborers, become envious of God’s generosity to someone else. But when I do that, I become blind to God’s mercy for me.
I have received far more than what I think is deserved to me. Isaiah says, “let the wicked [forsake] his thoughts; let him turn to the Lord for mercy.” It is beyond me to understand why. But I do know that my own envy is quite limited, and God’s generosity is boundless.