SEPTUAGESIMA

January 31, 2010

St. Augustine Anglican Church

“Whatever is right, that shall ye receive.”

The Rev. Gerald Parks +

          This is the time of year when most of us, despite our good intentions, have forgotten all about the noble resolutions with which we started the New Year.  Intentions, it seems, are always stronger than the resolve it takes to carry them out; or put another way, the spirit is always willing, but the flesh is indeed weak. 

          Still, though, intentions can be a very good barometer of the condition of our souls.  I have always believed in the basic goodness of people, meaning that most people, in my opinion, given the chance, will always choose to do what is right or good, as opposed to that which is wrong or evil.  For instance, I don’t think anyone (outside of criminals or possibly politicians) starts the day saying, “Today I am going to go out and commit this or that sin.”  Rather, the intent of most people to do good, though perhaps only in their subconscious, is far stronger than that to do evil.  The fact that people do bad things, then, is to me not so much a matter of intention, but of resolve.  That is not to say that my “Pollyanna” trust of people in general has not gotten me into trouble – it has, more than once!  But I feel strongly that being victimized by some unscrupulous person is not the worst thing that can happen: far worse would be for one to approach life fearing that every person is his adversary, and expecting nothing but deceit from them.

          The land owner in today’s Gospel (Matt. 20: 1-16), the parable of The Laborers in the Vineyard, had no ulterior motives – he needed men to work in his vineyard, for which he was willing to compensate them at an agreed on rate of pay.  It was a business decision: he had work that needed doing, and laborers to do it.  So, he set off for the town near his land and hired men he found there, agreeing to pay them “a penny a day,” and “sent them into his vineyard.” (Matt. 20: 2)  Apparently, there was more work to be done than the men he hired could get done; or, perhaps they just weren’t very good workers.  But, for whatever reason, he went out again and again (a total of four more times) to hire more men, the latest only an hour before quitting time.

          Anyone who has worked on a farm in the hot sun, as the men did, can tell you it is exhausting work, even for a short time.  And these men, especially those who had been there the longest, were worn out at the end of the day and expected to receive more in compensation then those whose work day was a little (or a lot) shorter.  And I think most of us in fairness would have to agree with them.  However, that is not the message the parable of The Laborers in the Vineyard was intended to convey.  What our Lord meant to illustrate was simply that the abundance of divine generosity surpasses all earthly ideas of fairness and justice.  If a person performs his task faithfully and energetically – no matter how late he may be called to work in the Lord’s vineyard – he will receive an ample reward.  Stated in another way, the parable teaches us that we do not and cannot earn our reward in the Kingdom of God by merely working long and hard.  It is a free gift, given to us by God, who alone knows what we deserve.

          It has been stated more than once that “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.”  And while that folksy advice may contain a germ of truth in it, it does not, in my opinion, come close to expressing the total picture.  We may conjure up any number of time worn phrases to make the same point, such as, “Actions speak louder than words,” or, “Pretty is as pretty does;” but they too fall wide of the mark.  And the reason they miss the point is that they ignore a very important ingredient present in every human action, and that ingredient is intention.

          In matters of the law and the court system, intent is always given weight, sometimes even more weight than the offense under consideration.  And as imperfect as that system is, every effort is made in reaching a decision to find out if there was motive or clear intent to do harm.  It is a very arduous and constraining process, as well it should be.  But it serves our society well, and protects all of us.  God, on the other hand, has no such constraint: for He sees what is in our hearts, and the reason behind everything we do.  It was not coincidence that caused the only begotten Son to be sent into the world to live among men, but intent.  God intended that every one of us should be given the chance to have a place in the eternal Kingdom.  We can’t earn that place, for it is a free gift, but we can, by our sinfulness and evil intentions, reject it.

          Today is Septuagesima, the beginning of the pre-Lenten season.  The color has changed to somber purple, the altar is bare of all but the most essential items, the flowers are gone and the Gloria in excelsis will not be heard.  Their absence is a reminder that we are entering into the season when we will consider the most solemn mysteries of our faith.  It is a time for us to endure sacrifice and penance, not for the sake of making ourselves appear to be religious, but, through meditation and contemplation, to align our lives and our intentions more closely to the will of God, and to strengthen our resolve to accomplish our work in His Vineyard.  Our labors may well have exhausted our energy, and we may need His strength to sustain us in our resolve.  But the end of the day is near, and the time of accounting is at hand.  Let us recall and trust the words of the Lord of the Vineyard, when He said, “Whatever is right, that shall ye receive.” (Matt 20: 7)