“And when evening was come, the lord of the vineyard saith to his steward: ‘Call the labourers and pay them their hire, beginning from the last even to the first.’ When therefore they were come, that came about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny. But when the first also came, they thought that they should receive more: and they also received every man a penny. And receiving it they murmured against the master of the house, saying: ‘These last have worked but one hour, and thou hast made them equal to us, that have borne the burden of the day and the heats.’ But he answer said to one of them: ‘Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst thou not agree with me for a penny? Take what is thine, and go thy way: I will also give to this last even as to thee. Or, is it not lawful for me to do what I will? Is thy eye evil, because I am good?’ So shall the last be first, and the first last. For many are called, but few chosen.”
In the evening, the lord of the vineyard pays the workers: “Thou shalt pay him the price of his labour the same day, before the going down of the sun, because he is poor, and with it maintaineth his life” (Deuteronomy 24:15), and so Jesus does in the evening of one’s life and of this world, and through the angels will give to those who labored for love and give them their proper reward. Or, because Jesus is both the door and the shepherd: “I am the door of the sheep” (John 10:7); “I am the good shepherd” (John 10:11), it can be intimated that Jesus is both Lord and Steward, being supreme in majesty as Lord: “I beheld therefore in the vision of the night, and lo, one like the son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and he came even to the Ancient of days: and they presented him before him. And he gave him power, and glory, and a kingdom” (Daniel 7:13-14), but directly interacting with His people as Steward and Servant: “Even as the Son of man is not come to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a redemption for many” (Matthew 20:28). Thus, it is Jesus who calls the laborers: “The sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out” (John 10:3), and gives the reward of love’s labor. To the last He gives the day’s reward, because they worked with all they had, that is, in giving their whole heart for love, even when called in the late hour of life. It is not in man’s power to live longer or shorter than the time he is given: “And which of you by taking thought, can add to his stature one cubit?” (Matthew 6:27), and to think on one’s glory in comparison to another is wasteful, when all are siblings in the family of God: “But let every one prove his own work, and so he shall have glory in himself only, and not in another. For every one shall bear his own burden” (Galatians 6:4-5), thus the one that zealously loved from his youth into old age and the one who lived a short life of grace that was filled with fire are both beautiful, and to be lauded in their own respects, rather than weighed against each other: “Wisdom is justified by all her children” (Luke 7:35). Or, to bear the burden of the day is to be at war against temptation, weakness, and failure, and then see a young one in Christ living amidst the rose petals of blooming love, which rather than being an occasion of murmuring, should inspire the worker to reinvigorate their love and shine brightly alongside them: “Fulfil ye my joy, that you be of one mind, having the same love, being of one accord, agreeing in sentiment” (Philippians 2:2). Thirdly, this can mean that all the great saints of the Old Testament, who labored heavily under the Law for righteousness and virtue look with jealousy on the fact that you can simply be in love and acquire greater riches than what they so rigorously pursued: “And I will give thee hidden treasures, and the concealed riches of secret places: that thou mayest know that I am the Lord who call thee by thy name, the God of Israel” (Isaias 45:3). This, then, is a call into the love story rather than a dry obedience to the commandments: “O senseless Galatians, who hath bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been set forth, crucified among you? …Are you so foolish that, whereas you began in the Spirit, you would now be made perfect by the flesh?” (Galatians 3:1-3). The murmuring can also be that of envy, of seeing another flourishing while one labors in seemingly fruitless toil, not realizing that Jesus has promised nothing but the cross, and that one does not deserve salvation, visible success, or the slightest consolation in prayer, but that these are freely given by the Giver of divine gifts as He pleases, yet one should not despair in this cas: “Give praise, O thou barren, that bearest not: sing forth praise, and make a joyful noise, thou that didst not travail with child: for many are the children of the desolate, more than of her that hath a husband, saith the Lord” (Isaias 54:1), which means that the lowly, seemingly fruitless person with no office for the salvation of souls can bear more spiritual children by devoted, humble prayer even through periods of aridity and darkness than the one who is given the position to harvest abundantly: “The barren hath borne many: and she that had many children is weakened” (1 Kings 2:5). Another translation, rather than “penny” is “denarius,” which was a day’s wages that bore the image of the king, and so too should one realize they have the image of the King stamped upon them: “And I live, now not I; but Christ liveth in me” (Galatians 2:20), and what more could one desire than a union of love, heart, and mind with God Himself in one’s own being? Salvation is yours, Jesus is yours, the mysteries of the kingdom and any devotion you desire are all open to you, Theophila: “The king hath brought me into his storerooms” (Canticle 1:3), therefore drink them in with joy: “Drink, and be inebriated, my dearly beloved” (Canticle 5:1), not looking to what others are doing or comparing yourself to others, but rejoicing in what is given to you and immersing yourself in divine love: “The Lord is the portion of my inheritance and of my cup: it is thou that wilt restore my inheritance to me” (Psalm 15:5). When someone looks with envy at the good things of another, the eye of love is not with them, but to look with joy on the love story of another is heavenly, especially when this is greatly benefitting the Church: “Rejoice with them that rejoice” (Romans 12:15). Finally, there can be a lesson that the Lord goes out in the morning of the lives of all, wishing to draw them into the love story from their very youth: “For the promise is to you, and to your children, and to all that are far off, whomsoever the Lord our God shall call” (Acts 2:39), but always looks through the window of their life that they may open the door to Him: “Behold he standeth behind our wall, looking through the windows, looking through the lattices” (Canticle 2:9). Jesus concludes by saying that the first shall be last and the last first, because many fall into routine in the life of grace, or prefer aspects of the faith to a relationship of love with Jesus, and their beauty loses its luster. However, many that have been rescued from the depths of sin, not wanting a single blot to return to mar their beauty, work with greater diligence and zeal than those that have had the faith for their entire lives. You are always called to a deeper love, Theophila; do not wait to be hired, but do the greatest act of love you see in front of you, and immerse yourself in the beauty of God: “Stay me up with flowers, compass me about with apples: because I languish with love” (Canticle 2:5), knowing that your efforts will not be without a lovely reward. Finally, that many are called and few are chosen means that many come to the faith and profess it in words, but who will live a life worthy of heavenly celebration? Ah, Theophila, the Lord desires great saints, ones that love Him intimately and show it in story-worthy lives, and to pray for this grace is a prayer He will not refuse: “For every one that asketh, receiveth” (Matthew 7:8). St. Maximilan Kolbe’s first rule of life was: “I must become a saint, and a great saint,” and is the rule offered to all that would choose to follow Jesus in love.