Are you envious because I am generous? Mt 20:1-16a
The parable of the workers in the vineyard shows how much our way of thinking differs from that of God. The grievance of the workers, who worked the longest, came from comparing themselves with those who came last and from the expectation of a better wage. The source of this was self-centered thinking. If they could see from the good side what the latter experienced, theycould rejoice over it, then they would have no problem. Egocentrism makes us think only about ourselves and our own interests.
Let us see that liberalism is based on such self-centered thinking. I think it is so effective in managing the society because we are ruled by egocentrism. The success of liberalism shows the power of this thinking. If the principle of thinking changed, economic liberalism would be utterly useless.
At the same time, you can see how being self-centered leads to human degradation. One is unable to understand true spiritual values, including God and his love for us. In the Old Testament, in the Book of the Prophet Ezekiel (cf. Ez 34: 1-11), due to the leaders of Israel being self-centered it caused the fall and the Babylonian captivity and brought anger. Instead of caring for the welfare of the sheep, the shepherds sought their own welfare. The sheep, for them, were only a means of gaining their own glory and fortune. God turned against such a shepherd and finally saw that he himself must provide for the good of all people:
Israel's experience showed how, guided by our human logic we are completely unable to lead others to God and his kingdom. God alone can lead to this kingdom. There is a need for a complete change of thinking. This does not mean that we must adopt some unknown logic of thinking. God's logic is simple and we know well. All you need is to truly focus and think about true good which becomes possible when we get rid of being self-centered that arises from fear. Such thinking is also a great obstacle in religious life because it prevents us from seeing what is most important, God's mercy. What is most important in our lives, we receive for free thanks to God's love. And only when we are able to accept it as a gift of love, can we enter into an authentic relationship with God, one of love. Are you envious because I am generous? (cf. Mt 20:15) As an accountant we can't get anything done with God. Only in love we can meet Him.
Until Tomorrow
fr. george