Steff, our Youth & Family Ministry Coordinator, wrote this reflection for National Day for Truth & Reconciliation and she wanted to share it with you. The official date for this is Sept. 30th.
The general idea of our gospel reading this week is that everyone comes to the vineyard, or faith, at different points in their lives. We might see it as unfair then, when Jesus says that our reward in Heaven is the same regardless of how long we have followed Him. But, Jesus also points out that the reward for longtime faith is indeed fair, the latecomers are receiving the same reward only by the grace of God. So if I, a lifelong follower of Jesus, have been treated justly, how could I reasonably complain that God is generous to others?
With our National Day For Truth and Reconciliation approaching, it is interesting that we are reading about “just” and “unjust” treatment. It is no secret that the appalling treatment toward our Aboriginal allies was unjust, to say the least. And it can be infuriating to think that most of the offenders were not held accountable or met with justice before their timely deaths. This seems so incredibly unfair. However, fortunately or unfortunately for us, we worship a God who isn’t “fair.” We worship a God who is gracious and merciful. How many of us would be in trouble if God gave us what we really deserved!? The punishment for our sin is death, but instead God gave us Jesus! I do struggle a bit writing this, because I cannot pretend that this makes everything easy to understand or digest. But when things are painful or hard to understand, that’s when our faith and trust in God is really put to the test.
As the ultimate “vineyard owner,” God will always be the Judge, and God will always show sinners grace and mercy. When things seem unfair, it’s quite possible that it’s because our human standards are obstructing our view of the world through God’s eyes. In these moments, my resolution is to show grace to others, pray a little harder, and try to trust God a little deeper.