Envy is venom that corrodes souls, and it is more noxious still when it revolts against spiritual favours granted by God to neighbour, a moral vice called envy of fraternal grace.
Gospel – Twenty-Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Jesus told His disciples this parable: 1 “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a landowner who went out at dawn to hire laborers for his vineyard. 2 After agreeing with them for the usual daily wage, he sent them into his vineyard. 3 Going out about nine o’clock, the landowner saw others standing idle in the marketplace, 4 and he said to them, ‘You too go into my vineyard, and I will give you what is just.’ 5 So they went off. And he went out again around noon, and around three o’clock, and did likewise. 6 Going out about five o’clock, the landowner found others standing around, and said to them, ‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’ 7 They answered, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You too go into my vineyard.’ 8 When it was evening the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Summon the laborers and give them their pay, beginning with the last and ending with the first.’ 9 When those who had started about five o’clock came, each received the usual daily wage. 10 So when the first came, they thought that they would receive more, but each of them also got the usual wage.
11 And on receiving it they grumbled against the landowner, saying, 12 ‘These last ones worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us, who bore the day’s burden and the heat.’ 13 He said to one of them in reply, ‘My friend, I am not cheating you. Did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage? 14 Take what is yours and go. What if I wish to give this last one the same as you? 15 Or am I not free to do as I wish with my own money? Are you envious because I am generous?’ 16a Thus, the last will be first, and the first will be last” (Mt 20:1-16a).
We often find that a Gospel passage to be commented on is more easily understood by stepping into its context of place and time, and analysing the conduct of the public and the psychological reactions of the protagonists.
The setting in which Jesus tells the parable
The parable of the labourers in the vineyard was given by the Divine Teacher during His final journey as He was returning to Jerusalem. It was a crucial moment. Reaching the apex of His miracles—unequivocal proof of His divinity—Jesus had resurrected Lazarus. And for the sake of prudence, in view of His enemies’ ire, He had resolved to withdraw from Jerusalem. After an interval, He had set out again for the Holy City, where He would solemnly enter on Palm Sunday. It is along the route of this final journey that we encounter Him.
At that time, long before Gutenberg, there was evidently no press, let alone radio, television or internet. We are so familiar with these means of communication that we have difficulty imagining how news could have spread then. Actually, transmitted by word of mouth, information spread rapidly, especially when it was of a sensational character. For example, news of the intense activity of St. John the Baptist, which shortly preceded that of Jesus, had spread across the country and even beyond its borders, causing a stir among the people and deep uneasiness in the Sanhedrin. That was only the beginning. From the day that the Precursor had baptized his first penitents, Israel had been convulsed by a swelling wave of unusual and impressive events. And this series of occurrences would culminate in the resurrection of a person who had been dead for four days.
However, just as astonishing as these miracles were the Master’s teachings. His words fell like a refreshing rain on parched land, the arid world of that time which included the Chosen People. There we find a psychological climate rife with curiosity and restlessness; the people’s attention was riveted upon the smallest details of Jesus of Nazareth’s sermons. This explains the fact that so many people flocked to Him; the Evangelists even mention the large crowds, as at the crossing of the Jordan (cf. Mt 19:1-2), on the return from Galilee to Judea. On the other hand, Jesus’ doctrine and His activity triggered great apprehension among the scribes, Pharisees and doctors of the Law. As the fame of the Divine Master grew, they plied Him with ever more captious and seemingly unsolvable questions, but these attacks only served to provide Him with opportunities to expound on His divine teachings, which constitute the foundation of Catholic doctrine. Thus, the teaching of one new doctrine created a climate for the explanation of another, in a wonderfully natural succession.
Tightly woven doctrine
We see this happen in the cited return trip to Jerusalem, prior to Palm Sunday. On this occasion, Our Lord pronounced the indissolubility of the marriage bond and the beauty of virginity (cf. Mt 19:3-12). This created a favourable atmosphere for Jesus to invite all to be part of His future Church.
The sequence of the Gospel narrative includes His encounter with the children: “Let the children come to Me, and do not hinder them; for to such belongs the Kingdom of Heaven” (Mt 19:14).
Our Lord declares that the one who makes himself like a child will be the first in the Kingdom of Heaven, indicating the need for men to humble themselves to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
The episode of the rich young man follows, highlighting, for all time, one of the major obstacles to full and total adhesion to the Church: attachment to worldly goods (cf. Mt 19:16-22). Jesus’ teaching, stemming from the young man’s rejection of His call, provoked an interjection from Peter. His exceedingly communicative nature spurred him to ask: “Lo, we have left everything and followed you. What then shall we have?” (Mt 19:27). Jesus’ reply reveals how He was preparing public opinion to receive His call. With divine clarity, He responded: “Every one who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for My name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life” (Mt 19:29). As the “hundredfold” refers to the present life, Our Lord’s wording leads us to the simple conclusion that we are promised two distinct rewards: one on earth, the other in eternity. This offers great encouragement to all followers of Christ, to never stray from the right path.
It is precisely at this point of the Gospel that the parable of the workers in the vineyard opens, by which Jesus rounds off yet another phase of instruction for His followers, including those of the future.
The figure of the vineyard
Jesus told His disciples this parable: 1 “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a landowner who went out at dawn to hire laborers for his vineyard. 2 After agreeing with them for the usual daily wage, he sent them into his vineyard.”
Contrary to what is often supposed, the region which currently encompasses Palestine and Israel was richly fertile at the time of Our Lord. Its arid and desolate landscapes of today are the consequence of two thousand years of conflict and devastation. But Sacred Scripture attests to it being a land that “flows with milk and honey” (Nm 13:27), as well as boasting superb olive oil and excellent vineyards (cf. Nm 13:23-24)—surely a sign of God’s blessing.
The cultivation of grapes involved two main work periods during the year: early spring, when the vineyards were prepared for flowering, and autumn, when the grapes were harvested. On both occasions, an influx of extra workers was required, permanent workers being relatively few. We see, then, in this parable, the landowner going out to find workers, hiring some out of necessity and others out of the pure desire of offering them a way to earn a wage.
3 “Going out about nine o’clock, the landowner saw others standing idle in the marketplace, 4 and he said to them, ‘You too go into my vineyard, and I will give you what is just.’ 5 So they went off. And he went out again around noon, and around three o’clock, and did likewise. 6 Going out about five o’clock, the landowner found others standing around, and said to them, ‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’ 7 They answered, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You too go into my vineyard.’ 8 When it was evening the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Summon the laborers and give them their pay, beginning with the last and ending with the first.’ 9 When those who had started about five o’clock came, each received the usual daily wage. 10 So when the first came, they thought that they would receive more, but each of them also got the usual wage.
The work was divided into four shifts from sunrise to sunset, with a shift change every three hours, from six in the morning to six in the evening. However, in this parable of the winegrower, the last labourers worked from only five to six in the evening, constituting a fifth group. The wage, as we saw, was the usual one.
The explanation
11 “And on receiving it they grumbled against the landowner, saying, 12 ‘These last ones worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us, who bore the day’s burden and the heat.’ 13 He said to one of them in reply, ‘My friend, I am not cheating you. Did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage? 14 Take what is yours and go. What if I wish to give this last one the same as you? 15 Or am I not free to do as I wish with my own money? Are you envious because I am generous?’”
The renowned exegete Louis Claude Fillion1 interprets this parable with the clarity, conciseness and objectivity typical of the French style. He explains that various Gospel commentators agree that parables contain certain details that serve merely as adornment. In the present instance, many commentators lose their footing in their efforts to ascribe symbolic significance to each detail.
With this in mind, Fillion seeks to point out the main idea in the parable: “It seems to be that God, represented by the rich landowner, faithfully fulfils His promises to those who serve Him, and that He gives to everyone, without exception, at whatever point in their lives they have begun their work, a just compensation for all of their labour.”2
This man, however, distributes his gifts as he sees fit. This is the main stumbling block for some exegetes: at first sight, it seems unjust of the owner of the vineyard to pay the same salary to all workers regardless of their time spent at work.
Fillion emphasizes that, in the narrative, no one is overlooked at the time of the payment, and hence there is no cause for complaint. St. Thomas is of the same opinion: “In things which are given gratuitously, a person can give more or less, just as he pleases, provided he deprives nobody of his due, without any infringement of justice.”3 Returning to Fillion, he completes his reasoning with a sentence of key importance, to which we will later return: “Each should be satisfied with what he receives and express gratitude, without casting an envious eye on those who earned more.”4
God’s call
16a “Thus, the last will be first, and the first will be last.”
In concluding his observations, the French author points out another relevant lesson contained in this parable: “Not everyone begins to work on their salvation and sanctification at the same point in life. Some do so from the first hour, that is, from childhood; others start in their youth; others in maturity; and yet others begin when the signs indicative of death have set in. Blessed are the workers of the first hour, who have only lived for God! Blessed also are those who, having heard at whatever time of life the call of grace, correspond with it and hasten to encounter their Saviour, in order to work with and for Him!”5
As stated at the opening of this article, during this phase of His preaching, Jesus was preparing the ground for the calling of His future followers. As is seen in this parable, God calls everyone to perfection, despite the fact that He does so at varying times and circumstances. No one should be discouraged if they have long put off concerning themselves with their salvation, for God’s mercy has a reward reserved for everyone. However, it is also necessary to respond to Jesus’ call promptly and decisively. None of those summoned to labour in this parable suggested starting at a later hour, but went to work immediately. Nor did anyone decline. This is how we must act: we must not delay our “yes” to the Master’s call.
Envy, “the rottenness of the bones”
As we have seen, Fillion admonishes the envy welling up in the hearts of some of the vineyard labourers. And indeed, this parable provides a lesson regarding the inconsistency, irrationality and the malice of envy.
In what does the vice of envy consist? In the sadness caused by another’s good. Tanquerey underscores that the resentment caused by envy is accompanied by a constriction of the heart, which confines its activity and produces a feeling of anguish. The envious person experiences the good of another person “as if it were a resounding blow to his own superiority.”6 It is not difficult to perceive how this vice stems from pride, which, as the famous theologian Fr. Royo Marín explains, “is the disordered desire of one’s own excellence.”7 The Dominican makes a point of stating that envy “is one of the most vile and repugnant sins which a person can commit.”8
From among the various commentaries on this passage contained in the Catena Aurea, St. Thomas9 takes the fact that the labourers of the vineyard do not complain because they believe they were cheated out of the remuneration they deserved, but rather because the others received more than they merited. We see here the folly of the envious, who suffer more from the success of others than from their own losses.
Various sins stem from envy, including hatred, tale-bearing, scheming, detraction, calumny, and pleasure at the misfortune of others. It is at the root of many divisions and crimes, even within the bosom of the family. The story of Joseph of Egypt is a case in point. Scripture says: “But through the devil’s envy death entered the world” (Wis 2:24). This is the root of all evils in our land of exile. The first homicide in history was instigated by this vice: “And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, but for Cain and his offering He had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell” (Gn 4:4-5).
In our parable, envy is the motive behind the grumbling of the earlier labourers against the owner of the vineyard, who asks: “Are you envious because I am generous?” Envy is a sin with tragic consequences; through it, many angels became embittered on the first day of creation, and hence were cast from the heights of Heaven into the recesses of hell. They could not abide God’s infinite superiority, and perhaps likewise detested the divinity of Jesus and the predestination of His Mother to divine maternity.
The Gospels abound with accounts of the perfidy of the scribes and Pharisees against the Messiah. What was the cause of this deicidal hatred? Even Pilate “knew that it was out of envy that they had delivered Him up” (Mt 27:18).
The Book of Proverbs rightly affirms: “Soundness of heart is the life of the flesh: but envy is the rottenness of the bones” (14:30).
This vice has degrees. When it is directed at earthly goods—beauty, strength, power, wealth, and so on—it has greater or lesser gravity, depending on circumstances. But if its objects are the gifts and graces granted by God to one’s neighbour, it constitutes one of the gravest sins against the Holy Spirit: envy of fraternal grace. “Envy of the spiritual good of another is one of the most satanic sins that a person can commit, for by it one does not only envy and regret the good of a brother, but also the grace of God, which increases in the world,”10 comments Fr. Royo Marín.
These considerations should be deeply engraved on our hearts, prompting us to flee from this vice as from a deadly plague. Let us rejoice with the good fortune of our neighbour, and praise God for his liberality and goodness. Those who act in this way will note, in a short time, how their heart will find rest, their life will unfold in peace, and their mind will be free to fly to broader and more beautiful horizons. What is more, they themselves will become the object of the affection and special favour of our Heavenly Father.
In passing, it seems opportune to note that this rule applies not only to each Catholic, but also to the numerous spiritual families in the Church. The climate expressed by the Apostle in the following words should always and increasingly prevail amongst them: “Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (1 Cor 13:4-7).
Where the love of God reigns, envy vanishes.
Our very great reward
We are here on this earth in passing. Our destiny is the beatific vision in eternity: “In lumine tuo videbimus lumen — in Thy light do we see light” (Ps 36:9). Our intelligence will participate in the lumen gloriæ — light of glory—of God and it will be through this light that we will see Him face to face. He will be the same for everyone; hence the salary was the same for each one of the labourers of the vineyard in our parable.
But it is a wage that will ensure inexpressible happiness for all, for, as God said: “your reward shall be very great” (Gn 15:1). However, the essential condition for achieving this reward is fixed in true charity, and never in envy. ◊
Notes
1 Cf. FILLION, Louis-Claude. Vida de Nuestro Señor Jesucristo, vol. II: Vida pública. Madrid: Rialp, 2000, p.435.
2 Idem, ibidem.
3 ST. THOMAS AQUINAS. Summa Theologiæ, I, q.23, a.5, ad 3.
4 FILLION, op. cit., p.435.
5 Idem, ibidem.
6 TANQUEREY, Adolphe. Compendio de Teología Ascética y Mística. (Ed.4). Madrid: Palabra, 2002, p.455.
7 ROYO MARÍN, OP, Antonio. Teología Moral para seglares, vol. I (Ed.7). Madrid: BAC, 1996, p.488.
8 Idem, ibidem.
9 Cf. ST. THOMAS AQUINAS. Catena Aurea. In Matthæum, c.XX, v.1-16.
10 ROYO MARÍN, op. cit, p.264.
