I have a very strong sense of justice. I imagine that if you asked one of my loved ones to describe me, at some point they would say, “Amy has a very strong sense of right and wrong.”
“Give to others what is due to them” is a strong mantra within me.
If people need to be punished, they should be punished. If people should be honored, we should honor them. If someone has actually done something good and worthwhile, we should reward them.
What I’m saying is…I hate participation trophies. 
In the Gospel reading today from Matthew, we read about the laborers in the vineyard. The landowner pays the all-day workers and the one-hour workers the same. And, I’m telling you, if I had been an all-day worker, I’d have been grumbling right along with the rest of them. “That doesn’t seem just!!!”
At Mass this morning, the priest said, “This story isn’t so much about justice, but about generosity—God’s generosity. Remember, the thief hanging next to Jesus had probably lived a very sinful life, yet he repented right there to Jesus and was probably one of the first to enter Heaven because of God’s generosity and mercy. God loves us all with an unconditional love.”
That’s the thing with God, He is perfectly just and perfectly generous, Catholic Pilgrims. For us humans, it can be quite the challenge to live those both out, but it’s not a challenge for God. May we always remember the times when God has been generous with us when He didn’t need to be or when we didn’t deserve it.
Have a blessed Wednesday.
