GOD'S GENEROSITY MAKES US WORTHY | 20 SEPTEMBER 2026 HOMILY with Fr. Jerry Orbos, SVD

The story is told about a man who was asked: “When you grow old. Would you rather have Parkinson’s disease or dementia?” After some thought he said: “I’d rather have Parkinson’s because with trembling hands, I still could have half a bottle of my beer; but with dementia, I wouldn’t know where I put my bottle of beer!”
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In today’s Gospel (Mt. 20, 1-16) we hear how the hired laborers were so concerned and so calculating of their wages. They were so upset and filled with resentment that others received more, and others received less. Instead of focusing on what is missing, may we too focus on our blessings, not on what is missing.
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There are many things we do not, and cannot understand in this life. Why for instance, do the good suffer and the bad seem to prosper in this life? Whenever we encounter such enigmatic moments, let us take the road of trust rather than doubt. The road of doubt is the road that leads to nowhere. The road of trust leads to the conviction that God is all knowing, generous, loving, and fair.
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“Is God asleep?” How often have we asked this question in frustration, especially when we see so much corruption and injustice around us, real or imagined? We must not give up on God’s justice, goodness and love. To do so is to give up on our goodness too, and that is precisely what the evil one would want us to do. Through it all, we must believe and keep on believing that there is a God who is in control, that there is a plan, and that there is a God who sees it all.
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The "Desiderata" puts it beautifully: "If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or, bitter, for always there will be lesser or greater persons than yourself." Do not fall into the trap of being eaten up by envy and its first cousin, jealousy. It is a messy, sticky,