Overview:

Memorial of St. Bernard, Abbot and Doctor of the Church

A Reflection for the Memorial of St. Bernard, Abbot and Doctor of the Church

When it was evening the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman,
‘Summon the laborers and give them their pay,
beginning with the last and ending with the first.
When those who had started about five o’clock came,
each received the usual daily wage.
So when the first came, they thought that they would receive more,
but each of them also got the usual wage.
And on receiving it they grumbled against the landowner, saying,
‘These last ones worked only one hour,
and you have made them equal to us,who bore the day’s burden and the heat.’ (Mt 20:8-12)

Find today’s readings here.

Have you heard of an “invisible ledger”?

I had not heard of the term until I stumbled across it in a column in The New York Times. But once I encountered it, I knew immediately what it meant.

The column was about two brothers who had fallen out over the stewardship of a family property. Assessing the situation, the author notes that “[m]any families have invisible ledgers that, when brought to light by an incident like this, reveal the family’s unspoken roles and perceived slights: who was the responsible one, who sacrificed, who was favored or trusted or loved more.”

Does that sound familiar? I’ve been guilty of keeping an “invisible ledger” in many areas of my life. And frankly, it was kind of exhausting.

Of course, this is exactly what Jesus is warning us about in today’s parable. The laborers are keeping a very close eye on how much everyone is getting paid, and they are quick to object when the distributions don’t seem fair. Their ledgers don’t add up.

Why are they keeping ledgers in the first place? It is a very human instinct to envy someone else’s good fortune. We all keep track of who’s up and who’s down. But it’s a trap—so how do we escape it? 

I think the answer begins with trust. Listen to the landowner:

‘My friend, I am not cheating you.
Did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage?
Take what is yours and go.
What if I wish to give this last one the same as you?
Or am I not free to do as I wish with my own money?
Are you envious because I am generous?”

Let’s give up our ledgers. They sap our spirit and tax our brains. Better to be grateful for what we have been given. And leave the rest to the landowner. 

Tim Reidy joined America’s staff in October 2006 and served as online editor for several years before moving into his current role as the deputy editor in chief. Tim oversees America’s newsroom, directing its daily news coverage as well as working with the editorial leadership team to plan each print issue. Tim also edits the magazine’s Ideas section, where he contributes book reviews and essays. Before joining America, he worked at the Hartford Courant, a newspaper in Connecticut, and Commonweal magazine. In addition to writing for America, he has contributed to The New York Times, the Columbia Journalism Review and the Princeton Alumni Weekly. He has been interviewed about the Catholic Church on WNYC in New York, ABC, Bloomberg TV and other media outlets. Tim also serves on the board of directors of Jesuit Refugee Service USA. He lives in Bronxville, N.Y., with his wife and two children.