Today’s readings give us two different views of ourselves. In Ezekiel, we are sheep, and in Matthew’s Gospel, we are laborers. Today’s society doesn’t really have a very high opinion of either one of those. Sheep are considered brainless followers, easily fooled or told what to do by others. Laborers often are considered uneducated, uncouth or socially beneath the norm. Being called a sheep is a putdown, as is being called a common laborer. Isn’t it funny, then, how God, in His sacred Word, honors us by calling us His sheep and His laborers?
The difference, of course, is the point of view. In a self-centered world, being told what to do or allowing ourselves to be led by some authority, especially one that might restrict what we want to do, is an insult. But God is looking at us from an infinitely higher vantage point. Sheep are not a gang of fools to be duped and bullied, they are a group in need of care and nurturing. In fact, the reading from Ezekiel shows God chastising the shepherds for failing to properly care for the sheep. Proper care, when it comes right down to it, does require boundaries — a fenced pasture, for example — but modern society doesn’t like someone else putting those boundaries in place.
And then there’s Matthew’s view of Jesus’ parable, where God is the landowner in need of laborers. Think of that: God needs us! There’s work to be done, and we’re just the ones to do it. This isn’t volunteer work, these are paid positions. Ah, but once again, modern society wants to dictate the terms. Never mind the glorious generosity of the reward, why do these latecomers get the same reward as those of us who were out there sweating all day long?
The question is, then: What exactly do we deserve? In Ezekiel, God says we deserve care, nurturing, healing, protection. In Matthew, Jesus says we deserve payment for what we do. But we don’t get to dictate the generosity of the One paying us. We should recognize our place and rejoice in having such a high opinion held of us, that we might actually deserve anything at all from an almighty God.
It all boils down to the reason we exist at all. God created us out of love and loves us completely. He seeks nothing more than a relationship with us where we also love Him completely. Modern society also struggles with what true relationship should look like. In our pride and collective disobedience, too often we fail in what should be a fairly simple scenario: God loves us completely and we should love Him in the same way. Luckily, He wants to help us with our end of the bargain. Let us always pray for the grace to love the way we should. Because, what does God deserve? Our everything.
Las lecturas de hoy nos dan dos puntos de vista diferentes de nosotros mismos. En Ezequiel somos ovejas y en el Evangelio de Mateo somos trabajadores. La sociedad actual no tiene una opinión muy alta de ninguno de los dos. Las ovejas son consideradas seguidores tontos, a los que otros pueden engañar fácilmente o decirles qué deben hacer. Los trabajadores a menudo son considerados incultos, groseros o socialmente por debajo de la norma. Ser llamado oveja es un insulto, como lo es ser llamado trabajador común. ¿No es curioso, entonces, cómo Dios, en Su sagrada Palabra, nos honra llamándonos Sus ovejas y Sus trabajadores?
La diferencia, por supuesto, es el punto de vista. En un mundo egocéntrico, que nos digan qué hacer o dejarnos guiar por alguna autoridad, especialmente una que pueda restringir lo que queremos hacer, es un insulto. Pero Dios nos mira desde un punto de vista infinitamente más elevado. Las ovejas no son una pandilla de tontos a los que se puede engañar y acosar, sino un grupo que necesita ser nutrido y cuidado. De hecho, la lectura de Ezequiel muestra a Dios castigando a los pastores por no cuidar adecuadamente a las ovejas. A fin de cuentas, el cuidado adecuado requiere límites (un pasto cercado, por ejemplo), pero a la sociedad moderna no le gusta que otra persona establezca esos límites.
Y luego está la versión de Mateo de la parábola de Jesús, donde Dios es el propietario que necesita trabajadores. Considera eso: ¡Dios nos necesita! Hay trabajo por hacer y somos nosotros quienes debemos hacerlo. Esto no es trabajo voluntario, son puestos remunerados. Ah, pero una vez más, la sociedad moderna quiere dictar las condiciones. No importa la gloriosa generosidad de la recompensa, ¿por qué estos recién llegados reciben la misma recompensa que los que hemos estado aquí sudando todo el día?
La pregunta entonces es: ¿qué es lo que merecemos precisamente? En Ezequiel, Dios dice que merecemos cuidado, cariño, sanación y protección. En Mateo, Jesús dice que merecemos un pago por lo que hacemos. Pero no podemos dictar la generosidad de Aquel que nos paga. Deberíamos reconocer nuestro lugar y regocijarnos de que Dios tenga una opinión tan alta de nosotros, y que realmente podríamos merecer algo en lo más mínimo de un Dios todopoderoso.
Todo se reduce a la razón por la cual existimos. Dios nos creó por amor y nos ama completamente. No busca nada más que una relación con nosotros donde también lo amemos completamente. La sociedad moderna también lucha por saber cómo debería ser una verdadera relación. En nuestro orgullo y desobediencia colectiva, con demasiada frecuencia fallamos en lo que debería ser un escenario bastante simple: Dios nos ama completamente y nosotros debemos amarlo de la misma forma. Afortunadamente, Él quiere ayudarnos con nuestra parte del trato. Pidamos siempre por la gracia de amar como debemos. Porque, ¿qué se merece Dios? Merece nuestro todo.
Mike Karpus is a regular guy. He grew up in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, graduated from Michigan State University and works as an editor. He is married to a Catholic school principal, raised two daughters who became Catholic school teachers at points in their careers, and now relishes his two grandchildren, including the older one who is fascinated with learning about his faith. He also has served on a Catholic school board, a pastoral council and a parish stewardship committee. He currently is a lector at Mass, a Knight of Columbus, Adult Faith Formation Committee member and a board member of the local Habitat for Humanity organization. But mostly he’s a regular guy.
Feature Image Credit: Trinity Kubassek, pexels.com/photo/sheep-288621/
Merridith Frediani loves words and is delighted by good sentences. She also loves Lake Michigan, dahlias, the first sip of hot coffee in the morning, millennials, and playing Sheepshead with her husband and three kids. She writes for Catholic Mom, Diocesan.com, and her local Catholic Herald. Her first book Draw Close to Jesus: A Woman’s Guide to Adoration is available at Our Sunday Visitor and Amazon. You can learn more at 
Kate Taliaferro is an Air Force wife and mother. She is blessed to be able to homeschool, bake bread and fold endless piles of laundry. When not planning a school day, writing a blog post or cooking pasta, Kate can be found curled up with a book or working with some kind of fiber craft. Kate blogs at 
Heather Orlowski and her husband are busy parents of two little girls (ages 2 and 4). The Catholic Church holds a special place in her heart and in her entire life. She attended Catholic schools from Kindergarten through college. She graduated from Aquinas College with a degree in Elementary/Special Education. Catholic Education is very important to her and she now teaches 1st and 2nd grades at St. Therese Catholic School. In her free time, she loves creating memories with her family and watching her little girls play soccer. 
Emily Jaminet is a Catholic author, speaker, radio personality, wife, and mother of seven children. She earned a bachelor’s degree in mental health and human services from the Franciscan University of Steubenville. She is the co-founder of 
Dr. Alexis Dallara-Marsh is a board-certified neurologist who practices in Bergen County, NJ. She is a wife to her best friend, Akeem, and a mother of two little ones on Earth and two others in heaven above.
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