A man had found a magic lantern and, for years, every time he rubbed it a "Genie" would appear to grant his wish. The man was a real worry-bird and, because of his constant anxious worries, he kept the "Genie" busy all the time. This went on for years -- one wish after another -- until, one day, when the man rubbed his magic lantern for the fifth time that week, the Genie appeared and said: "I am sick and tired of your anxious worry and your constant wishing. I have decided to settle this arrangement we have once and for all. I will grant your next three wishes only. Nothing more. After that, you're on your own."
The man made his first wish immediately. He asked that his wife would disappear so that he could marry a better woman. His wish came true at once. But when friends and relatives discovered she was gone, they began to recall all the wife's good qualities. This saddened the man and he realized he had been hasty. Where would he find a better woman than his wife? So he asked the Genie to bring her back, and immediately his wish was granted. Now he had but one wish left. He fretted and agonized and anxiously worried about that third wish. He was determined not to make another mistake, since he would be unable to correct it. He went everywhere for advice. Some people told him to wish for immortality. But if he got too sick to enjoy life, he reasoned, what good would immortality be? "Maybe," he told himself, "I should wish for good health." But then he asked himself: "What good is health if I don't have much money? And what good is money if I have no friends?" Many years passed and still he worried -- he couldn't decide on health or wealth or power or money or the dozens of other ideas that kept cropping up. Finally, in desperation, he cried out, "Someone tell me what to ask for!" And he heard a gentle voice from within answer: "Ask to be content, no matter what you get."
Be content! There is a sense in which that is the underlying message of the Gospels. Deep down at the center of all of us, there is the longing for wholeness of life: to be complete persons; to get it all together; to have peace of mind and soul; to be free of anxiety and frustration. "My peace," Jesus says, "is My gift to you." In and through Jesus Christ, God gives us peace. Yet this is no ordinary, worldly peace. "I do not give it as the world gives it," Jesus tells us.
Linda, a college freshman, was decidedly discontented with the young men who kept trying to date her. After listening to her complaints about each one of them, her roommate offered to arrange a blind date. "Would you prefer a Southern boy or a Northern boy?" she asked. "What's the difference?" Linda inquired. Her roommate explained, "Southern boys are more romantic. They will take you walking in the moonlight and whisper sweet nothings in your ear. Northern boys are more active. They like to go places and do exciting things." Linda pondered the contrast, then asked, "Could you please find me a Southern boy from as far North as possible?"
We often try to negotiate with life in like manner. We register discontent with our mere human glimpse of the Mystery of God and the Mystery of life that has been revealed to us in and through the Lord Jesus. As far as possible, we want to put our own "spin" on it, so to speak. And sooner or later we discover that we're going down a blind alley -- a way of life which magnifies our discontent in our search for wholeness of life.
For some of us, the search for wholeness of life is an endless cycle of having to go one better than our peers. For others of us, it becomes simply the business of being seen: our good looks, perhaps; or our clothes. We use all kinds of gimmicks to try to find fulfillment but, sooner or later, we are confronted with the truth: the gimmicks don't work!
Face this squarely, and you can begin to acknowledge deep down inside, that God is trying to get through to you with the only genuine source of wholeness of life: the love that is revealed to us in Jesus Christ. Until you come to terms with that reality, you are wasting time and effort. The sources of temporary satisfaction will let you down, ultimately. As it has been beautifully said,
I know that myself exists and I know that God exists, and the whole business of living is getting the two together.1
The story of the laborers in the vineyard in today's Gospel begins with Jesus' statement, "Now the Kingdom of Heaven is like ..." (Mt. 20:1). The owner of the vineyard hires some field workers and agrees to pay them a fair wage. After they have labored for several hours, he hires additional workers. And when the day's work is over, he pays the first workers the agreed upon wage and he pays those who came later the same wage. Whereupon, the first workers who labored longer than the others, register their discontent. "You have treated them the same as us," they grumble. To which the owner replies, "Why be envious because I am generous?" Jesus then concludes the parable, saying, "Thus the last will be first and the first last" (Mt. 20:16).
The Quakers tell the story of one of their number who put up a sign on a vacant piece of ground next to his house. The sign read,
I WILL GIVE THIS LOT TO ANYONE WHO IS REALLY SATISFIED!
A wealthy farmer rode by, read the sign, then went to the owner's house. He said to the Quaker, "I may as well have the land you are offering because I qualify: I am rich. I have everything I need. I am satisfied." "Are thee really satisfied?" the Quaker asked. "Yes, I have everything I need and I am well satisfied," said the rich man. "My friend," said the Quaker, "if thee is satisfied, why does thee want my land?"
In the Gospels, Jesus gives us a sign that reads,
I will give peace of mind and heart and soul, I will give contentment to all persons who acknowledge the Gospel Truth of a loving God who wants them to express their love for Him through their love for one another.
God is Love! The Mystery of God is the Mystery of Love! In God's Wisdom, we are given our best human glimpse into this awesome Mystery in and through our love for one another. And, in God's Wisdom, that is enough for now.
Be satisfied ... Be content! And live accordingly!
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