Having worked with married couples in different contexts, I have run into various opinions about marriage. Some people look at me as a priest and think: “That’s such a hard life. You give up so much.” Others look at it and think, “That’s so much easier than my life.” I think there some truth and some confusion in each attitude. More and more, I am convinced that each one of us just has to follow Christ in the way he calls us, when he calls us. Our Christian life is not about asking which vocation is easier or harder. It is about responding faithfully to Christ’s call when it comes.
We have to look for Jesus before it is too late. As Isaiah says in the first reading, “Seek the Lord while he may be found; call him while he is near” (Is. 55:6). There is a huge risk in thinking that there will always be time. In the ancient Church, many had the bad habit of delaying baptism. They wanted to wait until later in life so they could take the demands of Christianity seriously. They ran a great risk: we never know how much time we have. It also misses something important about our lives in Christ: we are all called to holiness.
Call to Holiness
The Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium, dedicates Chapter V to the Universal Call to Holiness within the Church. It was commonly misunderstood in the past that priests and religious are called to holiness, while the laity kind of coexists in the Church. The Council Fathers wanted to make it clear that we are all called to holiness.
The Lord Jesus, the divine Teacher and Model of all perfection, preached holiness of life to each and everyone of His disciples of every condition (Lumen Gentium, 40).
Now, the question becomes: how do we follow Jesus? Today’s Gospel gives such a powerful image about following him. Jesus tells a parable about workers in the field, all waiting to be called into work, each being called at a different moment.
The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out at dawn to hire laborers for his vineyard (Mt. 20:1). Some are called to Christ from childhood. Others encounter him after years of wondering. Others come to Christ very late in life. The parable reminds us that when the call comes, the important thing is to answer it.
Called from dawn
Some people are blessed to be called from dawn. They have always had a sense of what it means to follow Jesus. They have always been basically on the right path. Of course, they have moments of difficulty, but they have the grace to know Jesus and follow him. It would seem that this is the best possible life. And yet, Jesus warns of an insidious attitude that can sneak in. They can resent the fact that they have always been on the path. They can look around and feel that it is more fun to mess around for a while before finding Jesus.
I remember speaking with married people who nearly regret meeting their spouses too young. They think, I could have had other experiences first. I am not sure I have made the right decision. Early fidelity is a gift, and we have to learn to see it as such. When you get married and have kids, one of the greatest gifts you can give them is growing up in the faith.
Called during the heat of the day
Others get called later in life. They have perhaps had a turbulent past. As they want to get their lives in order, they “find religion” as part of their ordering process. They discover the challenges of Christian life and sometimes envy those who have had Christ from early on, because they have to work doubly hard to build the habits they see come so easily to others.
There is something beautiful about being called in the heat of the day. These people know what Christ has rescued them from. They know the difference he makes and their past does not disqualify them from holiness.
Called at the last minute
It is incredible to me how Jesus speaks of the ones called in the evening. These are the ones who seem to give only the twilight years of their lives to Jesus. We don’t want to risk something like this but we can admire God’s grace when it enters someone’s life in such a marvelous way.
Reckoning
When they come together for wages, they all receive a denarius, the Roman coin worth a day’s labor. The first ones are jealous. They are surprised that they have worked so long and hard, while their work is valued the same as the late arrivals. What is the message Jesus is sending with this parable? Salvation is a gift, not a recompense. We can’t stand before God and expect payment for what we have done. Everything we have, including the grace to work in his vineyard, is already his gift.
We have to follow Christ when he calls us. Hopefully, it is as early as possible. I have run into many people who perhaps get tired along the way. I see this in people following religious and priestly vocations as well. Should I have experienced more things beforehand? While comprehensible, it always seems tremendously shortsighted to me. We should not fear following Christ, but rather appreciate that he calls us. That is why Pope Benedict XVI spoke so powerfully at his inaugural Mass about our fear of giving ourselves completely to Christ.
If we let Christ into our lives, we lose nothing, nothing, absolutely nothing of what makes life free, beautiful and great (Pope Benedict XVI, Inaugural Mass, 24 April 2005).
Maybe Christ is calling you to eliminate a particular sin.
Perhaps he is calling you to confession.
Maybe he is calling you to repair a relationship.
Perhaps he is calling you to take seriously a vocation you have been avoiding.
Is today the day he is calling you to take the first step toward become Catholic?
Perhaps he is calling you simply to stop putting off the conversion you already know you need.
Do not worry about how many hours remain in the workday. Answer the call you have received today.
Superbly said!