Today’s readings give us two different views of ourselves. In Ezekiel, we are sheep, and in Matthew’s Gospel, we are laborers. Today’s society doesn’t really have a very high opinion of either one of those. Sheep are considered brainless followers, easily fooled or told what to do by others. Laborers often are considered uneducated, uncouth or socially beneath the norm. Being called a sheep is a putdown, as is being called a common laborer. Isn’t it funny, then, how God, in His sacred Word, honors us by calling us His sheep and His laborers?
The difference, of course, is the point of view. In a self-centered world, being told what to do or allowing ourselves to be led by some authority, especially one that might restrict what we want to do, is an insult. But God is looking at us from an infinitely higher vantage point. Sheep are not a gang of fools to be duped and bullied, they are a group in need of care and nurturing. In fact, the reading from Ezekiel shows God chastising the shepherds for failing to properly care for the sheep. Proper care, when it comes right down to it, does require boundaries — a fenced pasture, for example — but modern society doesn’t like someone else putting those boundaries in place.
And then there’s Matthew’s view of Jesus’ parable, where God is the landowner in need of laborers. Think of that: God needs us! There’s work to be done, and we’re just the ones to do it. This isn’t volunteer work, these are paid positions. Ah, but once again, modern society wants to dictate the terms. Never mind the glorious generosity of the reward, why do these latecomers get the same reward as those of us who were out there sweating all day long?
The question is, then: What exactly do we deserve? In Ezekiel, God says we deserve care, nurturing, healing, protection. In Matthew, Jesus says we deserve payment for what we do. But we don’t get to dictate the generosity of the One paying us. We should recognize our place and rejoice in having such a high opinion held of us, that we might actually deserve anything at all from an almighty God.
It all boils down to the reason we exist at all. God created us out of love and loves us completely. He seeks nothing more than a relationship with us where we also love Him completely. Modern society also struggles with what true relationship should look like. In our pride and collective disobedience, too often we fail in what should be a fairly simple scenario: God loves us completely and we should love Him in the same way. Luckily, He wants to help us with our end of the bargain. Let us always pray for the grace to love the way we should. Because, what does God deserve? Our everything.
Daily Reading
Saturday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time
Reading 1 1 Cor 1:26-31 Consider your own calling, brothers and sisters.Not many of you were wise by human standards,not many were powerful,not many were of noble birth.Rather, God chose…
Saint of the Day
Saint Raymond Nonnatus
Saint Raymond Nonnatus, delivered by cesarean after his mother’s death, is the patron saint of expectant mothers and midwives.
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