So
here I am, stuck in UST, on a bright and shiny Sunday morning. It was my turn
to “escort” my sister to ROTC training. I was supposed to attend mass earlier,
but ended up leaving out of laziness, because my family had already heard mass
in Manaoag yesterday. As soon as I walked the first block out of the UST
chapel, it became obvious that I made a bad decision when I saw the flood of
cars crawling out of the gate… this Sunday is the first series of entrance
testing dates for next year’s batch of freshmen. And I’m right smack in the
middle of the “hatiran” rush hour.
So as fate would have it, I decided
to walk back to the chapel, and get on with the mass anyway. This Sunday’s
gospel is one of my favorite passages from the bible. I’m not sure about the
exact verse, but it’s basically the parable of the workers. I guess, a lot of
Christians and Pinoy Catholics have already heard this gospel in the past, but
the nice thing about hearing mass in UST is the fact that the priests also
teach theology in the seminary, and are inclined to go a little bit
intellectual/philosophical in their homilies.
The gospel talks about the master
going out in the morning to recruit workers, and again in the midday and the
late afternoon. Of course, we would all assume that, given our “worldly
economics” the workers who started early in the morning should rightfully be
paid the full day’s wage, and that the ones who came in late be paid according
to the number of hours they worked, but the master goes on and pays everyone
the same rate. Naturally the morning workers were outraged.
But this is the whole point of the
gospel. In a world of trade and business, wherein we always aim to get the most
bang for our buck, and value for whatever we bring to the table, we are
confronted with a God who gives and offers His grace and salvation to us free
of charge. When was the last time you received something for free, without any
strings attached? In a human world, with human rules, there is no such thing as
free. Even our loyalties and interests are held hostage by “utang na loob.”
But that’s the beauty of grace. It is not of
our world, it is not based on human law, but on our Creator’s boundless love
for His children. I remember the first time this concept hit me, it was so
difficult to grasp, mainly because I always saw things from a
shrewd/business-like point of view, I do for you if you do for me. Dapat sabay.
Plain and simple. But in this case, God has already laid it out on the table,
all we have to do is accept it. It is not anchored on whether or not you choose
to be saved early or late in life, whether you have been good or bad, whether
or not you have served him well. But only on your basic acceptance of His love.
No one else comes up with that kind
of an offer, even the best marketing and sales person can only do so much to
sell a product or service, but at the end of the day, it will always entail a
cost from the buyer. Not in God’s case, because after you’ve received His love
and chosen the path of grace and salvation, it is no longer heavy on your heart
to serve and live your life as a tribute to Him.
God is still the best marketing man,
the best salesman, with the best pitch, mainly because he has the best product,
not for sale… but free of charge, no strings attached.
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