It's never too late (single coin and smart working: Love)

(Mt 20:1-16)

In the atrium of the temple in Jerusalem, the portal creeper was a symbol of the gifts that the people were called upon to present to God: mutual acceptance, understanding, sharing... for the happiness of all.

Obviously, entering at the beginning of the day (that is, of our existence) into this logic of love is better than entering at the last hour.

Instead: "Is your eye bad because I am good?" [v.19 Greek text].

But is being in communion with God, being in his Vineyard and having had the grace not to lose a single moment of life without his Presence a 'burden-bearing' or vice versa a pleasure?

But what a naive question... of course, the issues at stake are these and they are profound, but also others. So let us ask ourselves: in what we do, how much does external theatre count? So much?

The believers of the 'first hour' feel deeply offended, because underneath they identify 'pleasure' or 'advantage' with what they have always forcibly denied themselves. Perhaps out of a matter of social respectability, or out of a misunderstood sense of God; either way, artificially.

They think of 'enjoying life' in the same way as pagans! Work is indeed ... 'endured' [v.12: note the verb!].

Their unspoken sentiments are equally ungodly... but the first of the class remain more adept than others at exploiting the screen of long-certified membership to mask themselves behind the zeal of renunciations, works, sweats, procedures, prescriptions, performances, and better performances.

Well, God has no wage labourers: only children; no underlings. 

None of us are negligible for 'inefficiency' - based on the old idea of proven belonging: the inhuman pace, the production volumes, the effort, the performance... the extra overtime...

That of patterns is a blocking effect; linked to meaningless comparisons, stressful, rushed (and overworked) life - all under external influence.

Not in deep synchrony with oneself [vv.6-7: ""Why do you stand here all day idle?" They say to him, "Because no one has taken us for a day. He says to them, 'You also go into the Vineyard'"].

The Father is only interested in personal Happiness and the Joy of Love: the only tasty Fruit; not the heap of external works, not the great volume of the many and many 'fruits' - often unfortunately inedible.

It is the outcome of the new, inverted world.

We are all equally protagonists and leaders, even if to some 'internal' regulars our contribution appears fragmentary, inefficient - and assesses us as not very 'involved' (perhaps in 'customs'); not at all 'regular' - with a grim and presumptuous eye.

The recent experience of smart working during the health crisis has brought out the specific weight of the 'late-comers': people who are less tied to production, less extroverted and less able to lead, but perhaps more thoughtful and profound, more respectful of the preciousness of their own work; less outward-looking or exhibitionist, more collaborative.

The unfavourable has become favourable!

The Gospel of Mt originated from Syro-Palestinian communities, which were beginning to experience pagans and sinners flocking in large numbers and becoming a numerical majority.

All this, to the great scandal of both Pharisaic and Judeo-Christian circles - who were now showing themselves to be opponents of the newcomers.

In short, the veterans were beginning to behave as if they were returning 'Pharisees', bound to the works of the law and the old ethnic-cultural baggage.

This is how the Master treats them - because they stubbornly refused to listen to the tide of people once far away, who were now bringing new things. And [they, without much practice of pious works] opened up to the veterans a path of Exodus, of Liberation from the convictions of the fathers.

The attitude of the outsiders and "intermarriers" who presented themselves at the fraternities' doors was much freer and fiercer than that of the community elders, Judaizers.

Their unencumbered mentality began to provoke jealousy among those who - almost out of religious duty - were used to scrutinising the lives of others with suspicion.

After all, that of the beginners and 'half-breeds' who wanted to begin a journey of love was but a reflection of the superabundant fluidity of the divine Gifts.

'Free' communicated without mistrust or exclusion: not on the basis of previous merits, but freely and by virtue of need alone.

We can experience live today the identical dynamics of confrontation, between new blood relatives on the basis of Faith and the customary ones [more concerned with their fixed places and 'laboriously' won positions of supremacy].

But thanks to the Word (v.15b) we now recognise the latter: by their judgement and manners. Nor do they ever want to let go of a finished past, or their 'new' sophisticated world of fashionable brain hypotheses.When the 'good' God unmasks them, exposing their prejudice, they remain with the slanted, evil eye of false paternalism.

But it is a malicious gaze only for intimidation purposes - for envy and 'lese majesty', not to educate us.

Thus they delude themselves not to be understood and continue to sterilise or pilot, ridiculing Love [also to get us out of the way - to avoid the danger of being overshadowed] by ineptitude, and by the very normal unfolding of life.

Therefore, today's passage remains, after so many centuries, a powerful reminder.

The importance of the work induces the Master not to send his factor (!) whom he unfortunately knows he cannot fully trust.

He himself repeatedly goes out and does not want dirigiste interference in calling the workers personally.

He is the only one who understands: it is never too late!

The teaching is precisely for community leaders, who often do not take on the burden of constantly searching for everyone from home, and adapting themselves to people and events.

Instead, the Father wants a Family (Vineyard) that presents the world with the sweet, sugary fruit of the Feast - the only truly important, non-negotiable principle.

Thus, to the ever morbid top of the class, the Lord continues to do a very educational 'spite'.

Already in life, they must discover that He does not discriminate on the basis of external profitable percentages, or others' negative mental states.

He "pays" everyone without reservation and with a single "currency": His Person. No autopilot is enabled to disturb our breathing.

The soul counts, not the CV or performance.

To internalise and live the message:

In what do you find God's Will incomprehensible, or rather the commercial, gloomy and square mentality (covered with duties, sadness, fatigue and pain) of his investigators?