When I joined the Catholic faith over a decade ago, I stood on the shoulders of many other people who guided my faith formation. College professors planted theological seeds when I attended a Jesuit university that later led me to consider joining the Church. There was my wife, born into the faith, who served as my sponsor. Numerous volunteers taught our RCIA (now OCIA) program and encouraged me to persevere when I had questions. All of these people preceded me in the faith, yet none of them asked me why I had not converted earlier. Instead, they supported and celebrated my conversion.

         There can be tremendous joy in being a light for others. These proponents of my faith formation lived out the model that Jesus provides through the parable about the landowner and the laborers. As my faith has grown, it has been my own privilege to participate in my own parish’s OCIA program. Last year, I, too, was able to sponsor a new person into the Catholic Church. 

         Love is the antidote to envy and self-justification. Comparison can be an enemy of serving God’s will. The laborers in the parable who work all day look with envy upon the mercy that the landowner bestows for those who arrived late. In life, there will always be someone who has something more than we have, or someone who receives something on an easier path than we might have enjoyed. Jesus promises us, however, that all of us who trust in Him will receive a fair daily wage. For Christians, that wage is eternal life with Jesus in heaven. The peace that Jesus offers arises from valuing what He provides and in celebrating those others who recognize Him, too. 

–Scott Gray