Jesus often said that the existing values and order would change to "first last, last first". The parable of the good vineyard owner gives us an example of this teaching. The owner of the vineyard left the house early in the morning to buy workers. The vineyard did not wait for the workers to come. Going to the market to find workers started early in the morning and continued from 9:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m., 3:00 p.m., and 5:00 p.m.
The owner went out until 5 pm to call workers, not only because they were needed but to take care of people whose livelihoods were being threatened because they couldn't find work. The workers were promised a denarius each. It was a day's wage. They all received one denarius.
They were all in desperate need of a day's wages. It's probably normal for people who come early in the morning to grumble. However, the owner of the vineyard said that paying the same wages was not 'committing injustice'. According to the world, the attitude of the owner of the vineyard is unfair. They say it is fair to pay them as much as they work, and unfair to pay them a day's wages if they worked only an hour or so. However, the calculation method in the kingdom of heaven was different. It was not labor productivity, but the livelihood of workers and their families; it is not unrighteous to pay a person who arrives late a day's wages.
The church is like a vineyard where the sacraments, catechesis, and meetings are held. In the parable, the owner of the field needed workers so from early morning to evening, he went to the market to find workers. For the owner of the field, the marketplace was his work site. The church does not mean just a building, the church must constantly go out. You have to go into the world. As Pope Francis said, if you don't go out, the church will get sick.
When you go out in this situation, the church must have the ability to pay the workers. In this case, it's not just financial means. There is little the church can do only with trust in money. The church must face the infallible reality that workers can only earn a living by receiving their daily wages. It is also necessary to have a firm resolve to make this our reality. The church has a duty to show the kingdom of heaven here and now. So, the need to be diligent and show goodness like the owner of the vineyard.
Like the owner of a vineyard, there are things the church must do before going to the market for workers. It's necessary to check to see if the church is operating on good principles. The parishes, institutions, and companies run by the church must show the goodness of the owner of the vineyard. The working conditions and treatment of workers should be unique. It is difficult to use a method that considers only obedience and sacrifice. Wages should be sufficient to allow workers to dream of the future as well as the immediate needs of support for family and make sure no one gets their wages cut just because they are women, lack education, or are old.
Only by asking the people who work in the church how much the church resembles the owner of the vineyard can you get the right answer. It is important to know if they are proud of their work and feel the goodness of the vineyard owner?
Leading the way, the church should set an example for others. It won't be easy, but it is the way we Christians should go. The proud history of martyrdom is encouraging the churches of this land to do what is not easy.
