As I sit down to write it occurs to me that it’s been two months since my last post.  Time flies when you’re having fun!  Since June I’ve road-tripped about seven thousand miles and I hope to write soon about some of the blessings received on both sides of the windshield.  But, mostly, I’ve been busy at my new job trying to find ways to evangelize and bring people to Jesus through other people.  I told a friend the other day that, for the first time in a couple decades, I look forward to going to work every morning!  I am blessed!

Just because I haven’t written doesn’t mean I’ve not been inspired through reading Scripture and daily meditation.  Quite the contrary, my prayer life has been amazing.  But, I’ve put other things of importance ahead of writing.  Let’s see if I can fix that tonight.

In today’s Gospel from Matthew, Mt 20:1-16, Jesus tells his disciples the parable of the landowner hiring the laborers for his vineyard.  He hires some in the morning and then more every three hours during the day.  The last hired, at five o’clock, received the same daily wage at six o’clock as those who were hired first thing in the morning.  Those laborers who worked all day grumbled about the unfairness of it all, comparing their labor to those who only worked one hour.  The landowner reminded them that they were paid what they had agreed on and asked them, “Am I not free to do as I wish with my own money?  Are you envious because I am generous?” 

Can you imagine that scene?  How would you feel if you were one of the laborers hired early and had worked hard all day only to be paid the same as someone who’d not yet broken a sweat?  If you’re like me, you’d have grumbled, too.  And we both would have succumbed to the deadly sin of envy.  

Envy is the vice of finding sorrow in the good fortune of someone else.  It can also be the feeling of joy at someone else’s misfortune.  It’s the vice associated with comparing one’s self to another.  And, when we grumble about the unfairness, we are directing our complaint to God.

As I read this passage this morning I recalled a moment some twenty-one or twenty-two years ago.  My youngest daughter, Grace, was five or six years old.  She had lost a tooth and placed it under her pillow in hopes of finding money left by the Tooth Fairy when she awoke the next morning.  The “Tooth Fairy” was, I think, very generous with the dollar he left under her pillow.  But, when Grace awoke and found the dollar, she threw it across the room and exclaimed, “Hannah (her best friend) got five dollars for her tooth!”, and, sobbing, buried her head back in her pillow.

Of course, Grace was too young to really understand the concept of finding joy in another’s good fortune; and too young to understand, appreciate and be grateful for the blessings generously bestowed upon her that others may not receive.  She was too young to understand that we have to combat the vice of envy with the virtues of gratitude and generosity. She was only five or six years old. 

Sadly, many folks haven’t improved much by the time they reach 25, or 40, or 65 years old.  They often still feel envious over someone’s larger and fancier house, of their new high performance car, of their luxurious vacation, or simply that they have more friends and get more likes on their social media account.  I think, though, that I’ve made some progress now that I’m 66.  I find that I am happy for another when they receive special recognition, or when it seems that luck has found them instead of me.  I’m happy with my state in life and don’t desire more than I need.  Through grace, I know that I am loved and that the Lord has been super generous to me, more so than I deserve.  And, I know it’s His business to decide the blessings He gifts to each one of us.  He’s free to do as He wishes with His own graces.  It’s not for me to compare what others receive to what He gives me.

Well, to be honest, maybe It’s more truthful to say that I feel that way most of the time. 

Oh, I didn’t mention that my daughter Grace not only received a dollar that morning for her tooth, but she also received the truth about the Tooth Fairy.

And the Easter Bunny.

And Santa Claus.

And then I went and had a talk with Hannah’s dad. 

“Gracious and loving God, thank You for all the blessings You so generously bestow on me. I know that I do not always say ‘thank You’.  Help me to always be joyful and sincerely grateful over another’s good fortune and the blessings they receive from You, knowing that You willed it out of love for them.  May I always rejoice in the many ways that You bless all Your children.  Amen.”

(Envy, Unfairness, and Grace was first published on the blog Reflections of a Lay Catholic)

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