God’s Abounding Mercy

In the parable of the landowner and the workers in the vineyard, Jesus paints a beautiful picture of God’s abounding mercy and love beyond man’s comprehension. In this scene we clearly understand the verse from Isaiah 55:8 “My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways.”

Fr. Dom in his sermon on the parable explained that God does not reward according to merit unlike men who calculate and pay according to what one deserves.

“When one loves,
one does not calculate”.

St. Therese of Child Jesus

God is depicted as the landowner here who is generous and gives what one needs rather than what one deserves. The Landowner goes out seeks those without any work even in the last hour and provides them with a job and pays them the same wages. This is our God who loves us all those who have followed him from the beginning and also those who seek his mercy in the last hour as the thief hanging on the cross seeking heaven. God does not bless us according to our deeds but rather from His infinite goodness, wisdom and love.

Jealousy rears its ugly head among those who feel they have labored more than the late comers. It is said that “jealousy is when you count someone else’s blessing instead of your own”. Fr. Arul during the sunset mass said that we should not envy the blessings others receive but be grateful for what we have. Gratitude is the sign of noble souls and gratitude turns what we have into enough (Aesop).

Fr. Dom also related his experience of two senior citizens who in their simplicity have donated what they have regularly to the church fund because of their grateful heart. They feel they have more than enough. “The charitable man never envies those who have more earthly goods, greater talents or better success. Charity makes a man more God like for God is love” (My Daily Bread, by Anthony J. Paone, S.J, 1954).
SR