God, you're driving me crazy

25 ^th Sunday in Ordinary Time
 
The prophet Isaiah speaks God’s words today. “As high as the heavens are above the earth, so high are my ways above your ways and my thoughts above your thoughts.” Well, that’s done it. I spend all my life trying to get close to God and then he dumps this mystery on me. It is very unlikely that I will climb all the way to the summit of my spiritual Mount Everest in order to speak with God. Sometimes God, You drive me crazy. Stop being so far away from me! Paul is a bit far away in his letter today also. Clearly, he is completely in love with God. He has devoted his life to the service of God and that was not all flowers and candy bars. He had plenty of difficult days in his service of God, but he embraced them gladly. We remember that Paul said about himself, “I must decrease and Christ must increase in me.” Paul has this heavenly gaze about him. “I long to depart this life and be with Christ, for that is far better.” Paul lives with one foot in heaven already. The gospel teaches us a little bit about God’s way spoken of in the first lesson today. So, we are given the story of the land owner who hires workers to go into this vineyard and do some work. At different times of the day he comes upon workers waiting to be hired. The land owner gladly hires them all. Many hands make light work. The problem arises at the end of the day when the workers are paid their wages. Some of those who worked all day figure they should be paid more than those who came in later. We can see the logic. It is important to be fair. The land owner justifies by saying that he paid everyone the wages they agreed on. He also says that what he does with his own money is his business. The story reveals something about us. We are always looking over our shoulder. We are always watching what other people have. In nearly every confession I ever heard somebody tells me how jealous they are. Children play that game all the time. Everyone must have the same and be treated the same. Everyone has to play with the same toy. They must all wear the same clothes. They must all have the same ice-cream. Nobody is allowed favoritism, yet, we grab at favoritism every chance we get. I don’t like it when others get more or have more, but I want more every chance I get. I think about those workers who came late to the day and they got generous wages. Do I begrudge them affording chicken and two veg tonight for dinner when normally they would only be able to afford one Taco to be shared by all. God is generous. That is all we need to know. My ways are not your ways. 
With love, Fr. Pat