Act with an Honest Heart

 

Our trust in God wins us His favour. 

Reflection on Today’s Readings, Wednesday of 20th Week in Ordinary Time, Year I, August 23rd, 2023
Texts: Judges 9:6-15; Psalm 21:2-7; Matthew 20:1-16 

Today’s first reading teaches us to act with an honest heart. The people of Shechem did not act in good faith in making Abimelech king. Jotham confronted them with the truth with a parable in which trees searched for a king. The trees did not get good king because of their insincerity. They finally got the king that befit them in bramble and paid them in their own coins. The bramble said, “of in good faith you are anointing me king over you, then come and take refuge in my shade; but if not, let fire come out of the bramble and devour the cedars of Lebanon.” 

Everyone will get what befits them

Everyone will get what befits them: the honest heart with an honest reward, the dishonest heart with dishonest reward. In the words of Job: “He frustrates the devices of the crafty, so that their hands achieve no success. He takes the wise in their own craftiness, and the schemes of the wily are brought to a quick end. They meet with darkness in the daytime and grope at noonday as in the night” (5:12-14). Let us be honest in our dealing, for God is always just in His ways.

Jesus Christ, in today’s gospel, also tells us a parable to affirm that God is just. The first set of labourers reached an agreement of a denarius for their work. Other labourers left their wages to the good will of the householder. We read, “and to them he said, 'You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.' So they went.” He said to the labourers of eleventh hour thus: “You go into the vineyard too.” The householder did no one wrong by paying a day wage for everyone. God is not unfair to anyone in His dealing.  

Our trust in God wins us His favour

We also need to appreciate the confidence the late hour labourers had in the householder. They trusted his judgement of what is right and good will. They teach us to trust God’s judgements and good will. Their trust in him won them his generosity. So also, our trust in God wins us His favour.  

The first who will be last are those who deal honestly in their relationship with God and neighbours. These are the people whose service to God is to earn earthly reward; they are sad when they are not compensated. They do not know what they call sacrifice for God. At the end of time God will reveal every intention and pay everyone with their coins. This teaches us to be honest in our intentions and dealings. 

Prayer 

God our Father, we thank You for You are just in Your ways, help us to be honest in our intentions and dealings, help us to trust Your judgement and good will. Amen  

Fr. Andrew Olowomuke