Meanwhile in the Vineyard of Good and Evil — Reflections on Work, Faith, and Purpose

Meanwhile in the Vineyard of Good and Evil - Reflections on Work, Faith, and Purpose.

by a.d. elliott | Take the Back Roads – Art & Other Odd Adventures 

Dear Henry,

A few months ago, we heard the Parable of the Vineyard Workers, and it’s been rolling around in my mind ever since.

You know the story: a vineyard owner hires workers throughout the day. Some begin early, some just before sundown, but when evening comes, everyone receives the same wage.

I’ve always been told that this story represents heaven: it doesn’t matter when you begin doing God’s work, the reward will be the same for all. But I’ll admit that never felt quite fair. What about those who’ve been in the vineyard all day? (And truthfully, I didn’t even show up until about 3 p.m.!)

“Every step of the way to heaven is heaven.”

— St. Catherine of Siena

Then I heard Bishop Robert Barron’s homily on this parable, and something shifted. He quoted St. Catherine of Siena and suggested that the point isn’t when we start the work; it’s that we are invited into the vineyard at all.

Heaven isn’t the reward; heaven is the work itself, the daily participation in God’s will, the ordinary moments when we are faithful, kind, and present.

I’ve been thinking about this idea in light of another piece that’s been on my desk,  Albert Camus’ The Myth of Sisyphus.

“There is thus a metaphysical honor in enduring the absurd.”

— Albert Camus

Sisyphus, doomed to push his boulder uphill forever, sounds like the very picture of futility. But Camus saw meaning in the act itself — in owning the labor. Maybe Sisyphus, like the vineyard workers, finds heaven not in reaching the top but in the simple dignity of pushing with purpose.

I can see that. I can even feel it, sometimes. But I’ll be honest, I don’t always feel like I’m in heaven.

I’ve realized that I’ve been helping others roll their stones up their mountains, and while that brings joy, it also leaves me staring at my own rock, still sitting at the bottom of the hill.

“It is the time you have wasted for your rose that makes your rose so important.”

— Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Maybe that’s the point. Our “stones”  or our “roses” are what we’ve chosen to nurture. They’re the projects that reflect our hearts, our callings, and the small ways we love the world.

And while helping others is part of the vineyard, tending our own calling matters too. We have to guard our time, not selfishly, but reverently,  so our own stones make it, at least once, to the top of the hill.

Of course, just as I was thinking this, I stumbled across a filet crochet pattern of St. George and the Dragon, and a friend suggested starting a craft group. It’s been years since I’ve crocheted (and I was never all that good at it), but maybe I’ll pick up that stone, too.

xoxo,

a.d. elliott

🎥 Watch the reflection on YouTube: Meanwhile in the Vineyard of Good and Evil

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a.d. elliott is a wanderer, photographer, and storyteller living in Salem, Virginia. 

In addition to her travel writings at www.takethebackroads.com, you can also read her book reviews at www.riteoffancy.com and US military biographies at www.everydaypatriot.com

Her online photography gallery can be found at shop.takethebackroads.com

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