August 19, 2009
Wednesday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time
Once the trees went to anoint a king over themselves. So they said to the olive tree, 'Reign over us.' But the olive tree answered them, 'Must I give up my rich oil, whereby men and gods are honored, and go to wave over the trees?' Judges 9:8-9
“Take what is yours and go. What if I wish to give this last one the same as you? (Or) am I not free to do as I wish with my own money? Are you envious because I am generous?' Thus, the last will be first, and the first will be last.” Matthew 20:14-16
Piety
I look to the faithful of the land; they alone can be my companions. Those who follow the way of integrity, they alone can enter my service. No one who practices deceit can hold a post in my court. No one who speaks falsely can be among my advisors. Each morning I clear the wicked from the land, and rid the LORD'S city of all evildoers. Psalm 101:6-8
Study
When the Lord wants to flag a lesson that is very important to the Christian way of life, he repeats it multiple times. Sometimes, he repeats it to different audiences (Jews and Gentiles) and other times he repeats it to the same people. One some occasions, the same lesson is taught in consecutive days in the Gospel. That is the case today as we hear another treatment of humility. “Thus, the last will be first, and the first will be last.”
In the Hebrew Bible, the reading from the Book of Judges lays down the contrast between royalty and regular people with the parable of the trees. The writer takes the olive tree, the fig tree and the grapevine as examples that he tries to elevate to a leadership role in the Church. He gets no where. One by one, the symbols to which he turns reject the offer of external royalty. They prefer to retain the unique value that they bear to others.
Matthew also gives us a gut-check on how our personal value of justice compares with the Lord’s value of equality. The workers perform the same service for different lengths of time but get the same wages because of the generosity of the Lord. The last are equal to the first.
Action
We like coming in first. First place holds a lot of mystique in
Things are quite different in Christianity where we try to imitate Christ who put himself last.
Life experiences sometime drive home the same lesson. As prices rise, confidence drops. People worry about the stability of their jobs, about paying their mortgages or rent, and more. They fear that they will be the first ones to be shown the door in corporate downsizing. After riding high in some responsible position, job security fades away.
Perhaps the Lord intends it to be that way. He forces us to stand on sandy, shifty soil waiting to see where we place our trust. How will we do in that test? Are we as contented with our role and our self as the trees are in the parable from the Book of Judges? Would we act like the buckthorn and jump at the chance to take over a leadership role? These trees are happy in accepting their God-given fate in life and not in living beyond their means.
Are we like the workers in the field who measured their worth against others and not a higher standard?
