Ongkingco
You go into my vineyard too!” These are the words addressed by the landowner — at different times of the day — to laborers he found idling themselves away at different times of the day. From dawn until about five o’clock in the afternoon, he wasted no time to hire more laborers.
Perhaps, the work in the vineyard required many hands or simply because he was a man who couldn’t stand seeing people wasting precious time. At the day’s end, he paid their wages. This is the most striking point about our Lord’s parable: he paid each one the same amount without considering how many hours each one spent.
I would like to take the liberty of freely interpreting the parable in a more spiritual sense: disregarding how the laborers were segregated in different stages of the day, I would like to think how they all represent one person (you and me) straying away, and how God tirelessly seeks us out throughout the entire day.
Despite God’s mysterious love, man continuously abandons Him. And the episode of Eden is once again repeated: “Adam, where are you?” This is a scriptural snapshot of man’s life: a constant hide-and-seek with God.
God isn’t tired of looking for us because He knows He has His eternity and man with only one brief life to gain the wage of heaven. Thus, God takes the initiative in loving and searching for us.
But again, the deeper question remains: Do we want to be found by God?
I believe so! Who doesn’t want to go to heaven? But sadly, as we see from the parable, man seems to constantly wander off, lazily complacent into his own worldly cares. Then God comes looking out for him again.
At least, before this seemingly ridiculous cycle of hide-and-seek, we could add something enriching: putting up sensors to remind us to be frequently in God’s presence and help us not to lose our way.
Today, we heavily rely on sensors especially in our gadgets and other office tools. These tell us if the power output is right, whether the battery is fully charged, if the signal is strong or not, and if the printer is out of ink. When these sensors flash out or sound off what they are meant to “sense,” then they help us act on them.
The spiritual life also requires similar sensors. This is so true when we live in a world filled with distractions that may make it hard for us to detect or at least appreciate what is spiritual or supernatural.
The range of “spiritual sensors” will vary according to each one’s creativity and initiative. For example, what one decides to affix his eyes upon, like a Crucifix, an image of our Lady or even a simple remembrance of something from a holy person.
What is important when setting up sensors for our souls is that we choose a concrete material reality and assign it to “awaken” in us to some specific spiritual reaction. One example is how St. Josemaría used a staircase as a sensor.
Every time he ascended he prayed: “That He [Jesus] may increase!” And when he descended: “That I may decrease!” These are adapted from St. John the Baptists’ humble reply when asked about what he thought about the spread fame of Jesus.
Putting up a number of sensors, not too many, spread throughout the day is sure to keep our souls awake and ready to respond when God seeks us out. Ultimately, these may gradually dispose our soul to readily respond to our Lord, asking: “What will you have me do, Lord?”