The Sunday Sermon Archive

Dear Friend,

"Is it not lawful for me to do what I will? Is thy eye evil because I am good? . . . For many are called but few are chosen."

How basic and simple is the concept of fairness, but yet how completely misunderstood. A first glance the parable in today's Gospel would leave just about everyone thinking the same way as the weary workers who bore the burden and heat of the day. And this is probably the very reason that Our Lord presented the parable in this way. He is trying to get us to realize how clouded and confused our judgments truly are.

Most of us have developed and maintained the idea that fair means equal. But reality shows us that equal in this life is very seldom fair. This false concept of equality has done much to undermine and destroy morality and right order.

All the world around us has gradually but surely adopted a Communistic or Socialistic idea of equality. The false concept of equality of the sexes is one of the more glaring abuses facing us in today's society. Any objective and honest person can look at a man and woman side by side and see that they are not equal.

Men and women may be equal in the fact that they both have immortal souls and are created in the image of God, but when considering physical attributes it becomes obvious that they are not equal. They do not have equal body structure, strength, thoughts, interests, desires, etc. Regardless of how they adopt a "uni-sex" form of dress or adornment, they are still quite different. God did not intend nor did He create us as simple carbon copies.

And if we are not equal then it is only logical that we not try to treat everyone equal. To do so would be most unfair and unjust.

And with this in mind we can begin to see the injustice and immorality of the anti-culture that has invaded our societies. We witness the emasculation of men and de-femination of women. Both are an insult to God, the creator of both male and female. It is an attempt to claim that God does not know what He is doing, or that He made a mistake. What blasphemy!

Instead of recognizing our created differences and thanking Him by developing and putting to good use the unique talents that He has given us, we attempt to destroy all uniqueness and establish a most boring and monotonous uniformity. Our "society" is attempting to have us all live identically as objects coming out of the factory door: each one as nearly identical as can be.

God rewarded them equally even though they had not all labored equally. This at first appears to be an injustice. But, then we are called upon to examine the situation a little more carefully.

The man who worked all the day long, had agreed upon the day's wage. It was a fair and just wage for the day's work. It was what the man needed for the support of himself and his family. So we see that this man was not cheated in any way.

The man who worked the least part of the day could have justly been given a part of a day's wage rather than the entire day's wage, but the master (God) knew that this man too needed a full day's wage to support himself and his family. And so, this master (God) opted to be generous to this poor man who did not have the benefit of receiving the ability to give a full day's labor.

No one was cheated, and no one was unfairly treated so why the jealousy? If God choose to give this one more and that one less, and He is always just, then why do we feel hurt or slighted? Is it not because of our greed? Therefore, is it not we that are evil rather than God?

God has called upon each of us to be ministers of the things He has given us. And as ministers we should be fair to all but, generous or charitable to those who are most in need. We must each do what we can within our abilities to assist each other, not overly concerned with mathematical "equity", but motivated by love, goodness, and generosity. This everyone has been called to, but there are few who take it up. Hence: "Many are called but few are chosen."

Franciscan Benefactor Seraph Subscription Vocations Have you remembered God?