"The Last Shall be First"

Today's Gospel was a particularly hard one for me. It was the parable of the landlord who went to hire the Mexicans of his day to work in his vineyard. He went and hired people at 9am and then noon and then 3pm and then at 5pm. When it came time to pay them he paid them all the same. Naturally the people who worked all day were upset. They thought they should get more money because they worked hard all day long and the people who only worked for an hour got the same money. The landlord said who are you to tell me not to be generous. It ends with the famous line: "Thus, the last will be first, and the first will be last."

I know that this is something I struggle with every day. Father Chris gave a great homily in which he told us we should not begrudge people who get the benefits even if they don't earn them. But it is something that has always bothered me.

I will give you an example. Part of the homily was the usual appeal for dough. They are taking a second collection for the suffering Christians in Syria and Iraq and the Middle East. So the people who put the dough in the collection basket are being hit up for another collection. I am happy to put some money in because I know it will be spent wisely. Or least I hope it will be. But on my way out of the church a funny thing happened. A common thing but something that bugs me. I was on line to shake Fathers hand and chat with him for a moment as I do every Sunday. I had missed him the last few weeks because we had a visiting priest from Africa. As I was waiting a big family of obviously Irish people pushed their way into the church. They were all dressed in their Sunday best and were obviously there for a Christening. So they pushed all the regulars out of the way to talk to Father Chris. There must have been twenty of them. Father just looked at me and shrugged. What can you do?
I just left to go open the store.

What got me is that none of the people who were there for the christening came in for the Mass. It seemed that they had stood outside until Mass was over. What was that about? Where they just waiting for the cafeteria to open? These were obviously very affluent people who every expensive clothes and jewels and cars parked illegally outside. Not the widows and working class people who make up the congregation who struggle to put a few bucks in the collection plate each week. Sometimes I think the Jews have it right. They charge big bucks for their ceremonies. Whatever.

I don't think the way I feel makes me a good Catholic. In fact it probably makes me a bad one. Maybe a very human one.  I am trying to do better with it. "The last shall be first and the first shall be last."