The other day a close friend reminded me how fortunate I am to have served God as a priest for almost thirty years now. And with this thought, he said that I have “invested” a lot of years in ministry to secure my place in heaven.
“Well, of course, I'm happy that I have served the Lord and helped many people,” I told him. “But I don't know about securing my place in heaven,” I added. And then we went on talking about each other's struggles against sin and being faithful to God's commandments.
That conversation made me think of how each of us longs for God's mercy at the end of our life here on earth. We want to be with God in heaven. We don't want to perish in hell. And we wish that our departed loved ones were now enjoying eternal life.
How do we measure one's assurance of a place in heaven? Is it by the number of “points” we gain through our good deeds and the length of years we served God and other people? If yes, we fall into Pelagianism, a heresy with roots in the fifth century, which declared that salvation is possible through human efforts alone, without God's grace.
Pope Francis has warned us against the danger of this ancient heresy. In Gaudete Et Exsultate, his apostolic exhortation on the call to holiness in today's world, he states:
“Those who yield to this pelagian or semi-pelagian mindset even though they speak warmly of God's grace, ‘ultimately trust only in their powers and feel superior to others because they observe certain rules or remain intransigently faithful to a particular Catholic style…They fail to realize that ‘not everyone can do everything,’ and that in this life human weaknesses are not healed completely and once for all by grace. In every case, as Saint Augustine taught, God commands you to do what you can and to ask for what you cannot, and indeed to pray to him humbly: ‘Grant what you command, and command what you will.’” (49)
This Sunday's Gospel, the Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard, is about the primacy of God's grace and mercy. In the parable, those who worked earlier were surprised to see the householder give the same wages to all the laborers, including those he hired later during the day.
“The last ones worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us, who bore the day's burden and the heat,” they complained.
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? Take what is yours and go. What if I wish to give this last one the same as you? Or am I not free to do as I wish with my own money?”
In the parable, by calling one of them a “friend,” the householder appreciates the efforts of those who worked hard all day. But he admonished them in questioning his generosity and will to do as he wishes with his money.
According to this parable, then, God's kingdom is God's gift to give, and none of us must begrudge God in his generosity. And in the light of Pope Francis’ warning against the pelagian mindset, our salvation does not depend solely on our efforts, but ultimately relies on God's grace.
Let each one of us leave our fears, selfrighteousness, and pride and surrender ourselves to the mystery of God's mercy and love.
Your loving pastor,
Fr. Rodel "Odey" Balagtas