Are you a person who wants God to be merciful toward sinners, or enforce justice on those who oppose him?

I’m going to hazard a guess that for most of us, the most honest answer is… it depends.

If we are talking about your brother who hasn’t attended Mass in 47 years or your best friend who now claims to be agnostic, you are putting all your chips on “merciful.”

But if we are talking about that ex who deserves what is coming to her, or the young man who hurt your daughter, mercy isn’t even a consideration.

God knows, at times, it is nearly impossible for us to forgive. But it isn’t for him.

He wants all his children to turn away from sin and turn back to him. Do you remember the story of the Prodigal Son? God is waiting for every single one of us to turn our lives around and to begin serving him—no matter the hour.

When we read the beginning of Matthew 20, we hear the parable of the landowner who hires additional laborers throughout the day, then elects to pay them all the same wage. This is an outrage to most who read it because human nature is to assume the role of the victim.

We usually read this and associate ourselves with the ones who have been laboring all day just to see others come in at the last moment and take what is rightfully ours.

We demand justice!

But we must ask ourselves if we are the holiest people on the planet? Are we reading the Bible more than anyone else? More forgiving than anyone else? Summed up, are we the most perfect reflection of Jesus Christ in all we say and do if God searched the entire world?

If not… we are the usurpers. We are the ones hoping to invade a heaven that others are more worthy of—at least by our standards.

But the good news is that it isn’t up to us. It is up to God.

And that is something to celebrate.

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