Sep 20 Sun
What must I do to reach eternal happiness?
This parable of the workers in the vineyard is like the parable of the prodigal son. The owner of the vineyard is like the father; the first-hired laborers are like the older brother, and the last-hired laborers are like the prodigal son. The first-hired laborers are upset by the landowner's behavior, and the elder brother is upset by his father's behavior. Both think they are being treated unjustly.
The parable of the prodigal son focuses on God’s unconditional love, while this parable focuses on God’s generosity. God’s goodness is for every one of his children: all we have to do, with His help, is to turn to Him.
God offers eternal life and happiness to everyone who turns to Him. That is generosity.
We should not compare ourselves with others. One reason is that we lack sufficient knowledge even of ourselves to know how much merit we have in God's eyes. Have we really borne the day's burden and the heat?
We also don't know the others' standing. This is why Our Lord says, "the last will be first, and the first will be last." Thus, we must turn away from our evil ways and do the "fruitful labor," the good work, set before us.
A second reason we should not compare ourselves with others is that we can become falsely proud and, consequently, upset at God’s generous love. We have to remember that God’s ways are not our ways; He is all Wisdom.
How should we conduct ourselves to be worthy of the gospel of Christ?
Aiming at the final end for which we have been created, but are not guaranteed to reach: beatitude; that is, eternal life.
How can we reach it? There are two ways, and the second builds on the first.
The first is to stop sinning, and the second is to start loving.
The first way of reaching the beatitude for which we have been created, which pertains to every human being, is to STOP SINNING, through right conduct freely chosen, with the help of God’s law and grace. Everyone must do what is right and just. The basic moral law is written in every human heart, so everyone is capable of knowing it. God also offers everyone sufficient grace to do what is right to be saved.
On the other hand, we also have the grace of the sacraments to give us strength to freely choose and to act with right conduct, and then to begin again when we fail.
The second way is to START LOVING God above all things and your neighbor as yourself.
Our Lord importantly modified love of neighbor, adding: “as yourself.” In his new law of love, He directed us ‘to love one another as He has loved us,’ that is, without limit, with a sacrificial love.
“Most people who have personal problems, St. Josemaría would say, have them because they selfishly think too much about themselves. Give yourselves, give yourselves, give yourselves! Give yourselves to the others, serve the others out of love for God: that is the way. It is so effective that God rewards it with a humility filled with joy."