Generosity and Gratitude

By Emily Schmid

One characteristic of some European countries that baffles and frustrates Americans is the lack of orderly lines. While in Poland for World Youth Day, I was waiting somewhat patiently in a museum when a group of Italian pilgrims began letting their friends cut in front of the long queue behind them. After the third or fourth person joined them, the crowd grew restless. Thankfully, a Polish guide intervened and, based on the hand gestures, firmly told the newcomers to go to the back. Those of us waiting felt that justice had been served. We had been there longer and had earned the right to enter first!

We can therefore understand the frustration of the laborers in this weekend’s Gospel. In Matthew 20, Jesus tells of a landowner who hires workers for his vineyard throughout the day. At the end of the day, every worker receives the same wage, regardless of when they began. Those who had worked the longest were angry. Why should those who worked less receive the same reward? It did not seem fair.

Yet the first workers were not treated unjustly. They received exactly what the landowner had promised them. Their anger began when they compared their reward with what someone else had received.

Jesus uses this parable to challenge our understanding of grace. When we treat grace as something to be earned and compared, God’s generosity can appear unfair. But God’s generosity toward another person does not diminish His generosity toward us. The lifelong disciple has not been cheated, and the latecomer has truly been welcomed. A soul who encounters God on their deathbed can receive the same mercy and promise of eternal life as a soul who has faithfully followed Jesus throughout their life. Rather than resenting this, we should rejoice! God’s mercy is inexhaustible, and every soul has the opportunity to be united with Him.

God never stops seeking people and inviting them into His vineyard. He calls each of us and gives us different gifts with which to evangelize, form, and serve others. St. Thérèse of Lisieux reminds us, “If every tiny flower wanted to be a rose, spring would lose its loveliness.” The variety of our gifts allows the vineyard to flourish.

The proper response to God’s generosity is gratitude. Gratitude helps us recognize what we have received and frees us to rejoice when someone else receives grace. This week, keep a list of what you are grateful for. Pay attention not only to how much God has given you, but also to how gratitude changes the way you see His generosity toward others.