“It’s
not fair!” That is a phrase that seems to be heard more and more
these days. I’m sure that many parents can attest to having heard
that phrase again and again from their kids. Children have probably
been saying it for who knows how many generations. It is a very
universal phrase as well, since it can be said for anything from
catching a sibling or a friend cheating at a game to being told that
it is time for bed (even when it’s their usual bedtime). Whatever
the cause of this “unfairness”, anyone within listening range
will be sure to hear how the “offended” child feels about it.
I’ve
been very surprised by the number of times I hear adults use the
phrase, “it’s not fair” and similar phrases. Sometimes
something really is not fair. Those times, of course, it makes sense
to say that it’s unfair. The problem I’ve been noticing is that
more and more adults are using the phrase the way kids use it. What
I mean is they use it to complain about things that they personally
don’t like, whether or not they are truly unfair. The complaints
can be about laws that the person doesn’t agree with all the way to
disagreements on decisions made by the school board or coaches or
teachers. Granted, people are free to speak about what they
consider fair or unfair or what they agree or disagree about, but
when we complain about something only because we
don’t like it and we have no real reason for calling it unfair or
unjust, then what are we doing?
When
things do go wrong and perhaps strike us as being “unfair”, it
can be very tempting to blame someone for causing that unfair
situation. It is also very tempting to blame God for those
situations. I think Christians in general know and believe that God
would never cause an unfair or unjust event to happen to people, but
He does allow things to happen that are difficult, challenging, and
hard, for a just reason. When I say that it is for a just reason, I
mean that God knows that it is for a good reason, even though we
might not recognize it at the time. When God allows those difficult
and challenging times to happen in our lives, it can be very easy to
forget that He may have very well had His reasons for allowing that
to happen. We call it “unfair” and we may even get angry with
God because of it. My main point is, we don't always understand what
God's plans are; we don't always understand His thoughts.
It
is good for us to have readings such our first reading today to help
remind us that God's plans for us and for the world are really on a
whole different wavelength than we could ever hope to be on. The
Prophet Isaiah is telling us to seek God while we can and ask Him for
forgiveness, for He is merciful and forgiving. We are even reminded
that the scoundrel and the wicked have nothing to fear from God. All
are being called to come to God and ask for forgiveness. “For my
thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the
LORD.” God is telling us, “Don't worry I'm not going to be angry
with you. Just come to me.” This is coming from a time when the
law of the land was, a tooth for a tooth and an eye for an eye.
Whatever wrong was done was paid back in full to the criminal. This
was practice by both human kings and lords as well as the mythical
gods and goddess that some cultures believed. Isaiah is saying,
however, that our God isn't like that at all. God only wishes to
forgive those who come back to Him seeking forgiveness. He is more
just than we could ever imagine.
So,
we can see that it is never going to be easy for us to understand
God's ways: at least not while we are still hear on Earth. We're not
going to understand why God allows certain things to happen in our
lives. We're not going to understand why God keeps forgiving us,
even though we keep doing the same sin over and over and over again
and having to say that same sin over and over and over again to the
priest in the confessional. God's ways are not our ways.
Just
as God is so willing to forgive all, so also He is willing to let
many people into His Heavenly Kingdom, no matter when they come. The
point of the parable in today's Gospel is that God will allow
everyone who is worthy to enter into His Kingdom. It doesn't matter
when they come or when they have their conversion or repentance, God
will still accept them. God does this because He loves each and
every one of us, because He created each of us. This is, once again,
God's very unique way of doing things. This may cause some confusion
for us: “Why is God doing it this way?” It may even cause us to
argue with God: “Wait! It's not fair! You mean the drug dealer,
the mass murderer, the terrorist who coverts just before their death
gets the same reward as someone like me who has lived as a Christian
most or all of their life? The answer is simply...
Yes!
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