When the Bible tells us of God’s lavishness and immense generosity, it is usually in reference to God’s justice. St. Thomas Aquinas (and the Catechism of the Catholic Church ) define justice as “the virtue that consists of a constant and firm will to give another their due.” This could mean giving God His due, or a neighbor his or her due. Loosely translated, “justice is giving (and getting) what we deserve.”
In light of this, God gives His love – all of His love – to every person, without exception. God give His love everyone who opens him or herself to it. It does not matter whether that happens early or late in life. The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard (Matthew 20, 1-16) is a perfect example of this.
One reason to appreciate what justice really is, is the fact that love, if it is genuine, can never be earned, only accepted. God’s justice, then, is measured by our need for His love, not by mathematical divisions. God’s love does not come to us in various degrees: it is always 100 percent. God, after all, is Love. God cannot not love and God cannot not love totally. Obviously, this is something we should be grateful for. Thank heaven for the justice of God!
On the Church’s Liturgical Calendar today: The Feastday of St. Rose of Lima. For more on the first Saint of the “New World”: https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-rose-of-lima/
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La parábola de los trabajadores en la viña (Mateo 20, 1-16) nos dice, en contra de lo que frecuentemente se oye, que Dios no es como un contador de libros. Naturalmente, Él ama a los que llevan una vida ejemplar cristiana. Pero en su corazón hay también espacio para los que luchan, y para los que llegan tarde, lo mismo que para los pioneros. La parábola nos dice mucho de la justicia de Dios: que Dios nos ama y es generoso con nosotros, no porque nosotros seamos buenos, sino porque Él es bueno.
Oremos. “Padre, tú nos conoces como somos y aun así todavía, en tu justicia, nos amas. Enséñanos tus sorprendentes maneras, para que tus pensamientos lleguen a ser nuestros y para que compartamos generosamente con los que nos rodean todos los buenos dones y la vida que nos has dado por la generosidad de tu corazón, por medio de Jesucristo nuestro Señor. Amén.”
Hoy celebramos la Fiesta de Santa Rosa de Lima: https://www.aciprensa.com/recurso/3559/biografia-de-santa-rosa-de-lima
