主題：多勞多得的錯謬
首先，讓我們澄清一些細節。故事中的主人翁，清晨出去請工人到葡萄園工作。在福音時代，猶太人的一天是從黃昏六時開始，以三小時一更計算；過了四更，即十二小時後，便是清晨，即早上六時，開始以時辰計算。所以第三時辰是早上九時，第六時辰是正午十二時，如此類推。到了第十一時辰，便是黃昏五時，全日祗剩下一個時辰了。所以第十一時辰請的工人，做了不超過一個小時的工作，便領取了一個「德納」，難怪從清晨六時開始工作的工人，有不滿的感受。
為甚麼我們會認同第一批工人，覺得主人不公義呢？因為我們被一種功利主義所誤導。今天的香港社會，充斥著各種謬論。它們聽來容易明白，好像十分合情合理；但祗要細心一想，便可以揭發當中的錯誤。其中一個例子，即是今天故事中第一批工人所犯的第一個錯誤，就是以為「多勞多得」。請細心想一想，「多勞」必然會「多得」嗎？其實，社會上有很多因素，使勞動與收入不成正比。例如學歷。上世紀六七十年代，在寫字樓工作的白領，他們的薪金比在工廠工作的藍領高，是因為學歷的差異。另一個因素是社會的需求，即使大家有相同的學歷，大家都是大學畢業，也要看你是法律系抑或是法文系畢業。最後，即便大家都是法律系畢業，也要看各人的人際網絡。因此，多勞未必多得。
那麼，努力讀書，考進大學，前途便一片光明了，這不是「多勞多得」嗎？
信仰生活亦會掉進「多勞多得」的陷阱。參加主日彌撒、領聖事、讀經、靈修、退省、朝聖和唸玫瑰經等，都可以幫助我們親近天主。但多唸經、多參加朝聖、退省、靈修、上聖經課程、讀神學等，就可以「多勞多得」，獲得更多的聖寵，甚至可以把所努力賺到的聖寵，分給患病的親友，坐牢的良心犯和在煉獄中的靈魂嗎？我們竟然把天主變成了「天堂提款機」！我們完全忘記了恩寵是天主白白賞賜給我們的，而不是我們努力賺取的。我們不能以自己唸的經，來指揮天主按我們的旨意做事。
讓我們回頭再看第一批工人的第二個錯誤，他們祗著眼在最後獲得相同的一個「德納」，而忘記了自己在主人家園中所享受了的十二小時的幸福──且看主人對工作了祗有一小時的工人的慷慨，相信他不會是一個刻薄的人，他總會給工人食物、飲料、工傷時的治理、休息、甚至在烈日下的涼蔭吧！在教會生活中，嬰兒領洗的要一生行善修德，避免犯罪，纔可以上天堂；但臨終領洗的便可以幾乎立刻進入永生，你會投訴天主不公義嗎？你願意臨終纔領洗嗎？其實，早些領洗，我們便可以早日認清自我，早日享受天主子女的身份，早日發揮天賦的潛能。難道我們會妒忌釘在耶穌右邊的那個強盜嗎？
請大家注意，當主人問最後一批工人為甚麼整天閒著的時候，工人的回答是多麼悽涼：「因為沒有人僱我們。」（20:7）每個人都有天賦的潛能，那些為環境所迫，沒有機會發揮潛能的人，是多麼可憐！他們可能出身破碎家庭、可能誤交損友、可能身患殘疾、可能流落異鄉，甚至祗是出身寒微，以致社會沒有給予他們任何機會。但天父並不計較我們出身如何寒微，我們如何誤交損友，如何犯罪，祂仍不斷地在不同的時辰，召叫我們，寬恕我們，給我們機會，返回祂的葡萄園，使我們身上的「天主肖像」，得以發揚光大。我們斤斤計較，祗著眼自己利益，「多勞多得」的所謂公義，與天父慈悲的公義相比，的確有如依撒意亞先知所說的天淵之別。
讓我們學習以天主的眼光看這個世界，不單讓自己，更應讓別人，尤其是自己的家人身上的天主肖像，得以發揚光大。正如孔子所說的：「己欲立而立人，己欲達而達人」（論語‧雍也）！
雖然我們應該適守合約的精神，第一批工人的確約定了一個「德納」的工資，但厚此薄彼，的確令人心裡不舒服。而且主人滿口公義說：「凡照公義該給的，我必給你們。」（瑪20:4）現在「做又三十六，唔做又三十六。」，說一套做一套，符合公義嗎？主人的行為，的確令人難以信服。
今天，很多家長迷信另一個「多勞多得」的變種，就是「贏在起跑線」。從前能入讀中學名校，例如在香港大學旁邊的皇仁書院或者某某書院、某某Band 1的英文書院，便已足夠。今天的家長已經把起跑線搬到小學、幼稚園，學生放學後立即上奧數班、芭蕾舞班、小提琴班、武術班等，令小朋友疲於奔命；懷孕的媽媽甚至已開始聽莫扎特，喝某牌子的奶，為胎兒攝取營養，助長腦袋發育等。其實，把起跑線搬前，勤力讀書必然會考到好的成績嗎？難怪那些專門傳授考試答題技巧的補習社，其門若市，而班房裡疲倦的學生卻無心向學了！當我們的教育制度，考試制度著眼在功利的時候，我們可以怪責我們的大學生做事不負責任，張貼涼薄的標語嗎？當然，這裡又有一個錯謬。大學校園是一個對外開放的地方，所以，在大學校園內拉的橫額，貼的標語，一定是大學生做的嗎？
「多勞多得」的另一個變種，就是所謂「羊群心理」、「咪執輸」。其他人在做，你可以不做嗎？因為不想輸在起跑線，很多家長，很多置業人士，惟有被迫投入這個「贏在起跑線」的遊戲之中。「多勞多得」的謬誤給我們產生很多不合理的期望。
天主保祐！
Twenty Fifth Ordinary Sunday, Year A
Theme: The Fallacy of Efforts Pay
First of all, let us clarify some details. The householder in the parable went out early in the morning to hire labourers for his vineyard. During Jesus' time, Jews counted the beginning of a day at 6 p.m. Three hours made one watch. After 4 watches, i.e. 12 hours, it would be dawn. That would be 6 o'clock in the morning. Then they started counting by hours. Thus, the third hour would be 9 o'clock in the morning. The sixth hour would be twelve noon etc. The eleventh hour would be 5 o'clock in the evening. Only one hour would be left. Thus the labourers hired at the eleventh hour would have less than one hour to work and received one denarius. No wonder those who had been working since 6 o'clock in the morning felt upset about it.
Why do we agree with the first batch of labourers and feel that the master was unfair? It is because we are misled by utilitarianism. Nowadays in Hong Kong, many fallacies are circulating. They are easy to understand and sound reasonable. But when you give a second thought, you will discover their faults. One such fallacy which the first batch of labourers committed is "Efforts Pay". Think harder. Do efforts necessarily pay? In fact, there are many social factors which make efforts and earnings unrelated. For example, your academic qualifications. In the sixties and seventies of the last century, white collar workers in the offices earned more than blue collar workers in the factories. It was explained by the differences in their academic qualifications. Another factor is social demand. Even if both of you are graduates, your earning depends on whether your degree is a law degree or a French degree. Lastly, even if both of you are graduates from the Law Faculty, your social network makes all the difference in earning. Therefore, efforts do not necessarily pay.
Then, if we study hard and enter the university, we will have a bright future. Does it not prove that efforts pay?
Religious life can also fall victim to this "Efforts Pay" fallacy. Joining Sunday masses, receiving sacraments, studying the Bible, doing spirituality, going on retreats, pilgrimages and reciting the Rosary etc. can help us come closer to God. But can more recitations of Rosary, more pilgrimages, retreats, spirituality, Bible courses and reading theology etc. earn us more graces, even to make use of these hard earned graces to help relatives and friends who have fallen ill, prisoners of conscience and even souls in the Purgatory? How dare we turn God into a "heavenly ATM"! We have totally forgotten that God freely gives us graces not because we earn them. We cannot make use of the Rosary we say to command God to do our wills.
Let us turn to the second mistake of the first batch of labourers. They only focussed on the one denarius which everybody received in the end and forgot the blessings they had enjoyed for 12 hours. Take a look at the generosity of the master to those who had worked for only one hour. He should not be a mean employer. He would give them food, drinks, treatment when injured, rest and shade in the heat of the day! In Church life, those who were baptized in infancy have to spend their whole life doing charity, building up virtues and avoiding sins in order to enter heaven, while those who are baptized on their deathbed nearly enter eternal life immediately. Would you complain that God is unfair? Do you want to be baptized on your deathbed? In fact, the earlier you were baptized, the earlier you know yourselves, the earlier you enjoy the identity as God's children and the earlier you can actualize God's given potentials. Unless you were jealous of the repentant thief crucified next to Jesus, would you?
Please pay attention to what the last batch of labourers answered when the master asked them why they stood there idle all day. They said, "Because no one has hired us." (20:7) God gives everybody potentials. Some people cannot actualize these potentials because of their situations. How miserable! They probably come from a broken family, probably have befriend some bad guys, contracted some chronic diseases, are displaced as refugees or even living at the lowest rung of the society such that no social institutions give them any chance. But our heavenly Father does not care about how low our social status is, how we have befriended bad guys, committed crimes and sins. He keeps on calling us at different hours, forgiving our sins and giving us opportunities to return to His vineyard so that His image in us may shine forth. We are calculating and focus on our own benefits. Compared with the merciful justice of God, the sort of justice we call "Efforts Pay" is millions of light-years apart from His just as what Isaiah says.
Let us learn to see this world in the eyes of God. Not only do we make the image of God in ourselves, but also that in the others, especially our family members, shine forth. Just as what Confucius says, "Philanthropus volens ipse consistere, etiam erigit alios; volens ipse penetrare, etiam promovet alios" (Analect VI:28)
Although we should respect the spirit of contract and the first batch of workers had agreed the wage to be one denarius, such an indiscriminate treatment really hurt. Moreover, the master claimed to be righteous, "Whatever is right, I will give you." (Matthew 20:4). Now the workers were paid the same no matter how long they had worked. Was it fair? The action of the master was not convincing.
Today, many parents believe in a variant of the "Efforts Pay" fallacy. It is called "Winning at the Starting Line". Once upon a time, it was enough to enter an elite secondary school such as King's College next to the University of Hong Kong, or some so-and-so college or some Band 1 English colleges. Today, the starting line has moved to primary schools and kindergartens. After school, pupils are rushed to Math. Olympiad classes, ballet classes, violin classes, wushu classes etc. exhausting the children. Pregnant women begin to listen to Mozart and drink some brands of milk in order to stimulate the growth of the brain of the foetus. Indeed, will moving the starting line earlier or revising hard guarantee good examination results? No wonder the tuition schools which teach examination skills are full while the students are too exhausted to study in normal classes! When our institutions of education and examination focus on utilitarianism, can we blame our undergraduates for doing irresponsible things, such as putting up callous posters on the campus? Of course, here is another fallacy, the "post hoc ergo propter hoc". University campuses are open to the public. Thus, are you sure banners and posters on the campus must be put up by the undergraduates?
The "Efforts Pay" fallacy has yet another variant. It is called "Herd Mentality". What others are doing, can you afford not to do? Since people don't want to lose at the starting line, many parents and estate buyers are forced to play this "Winning at the Starting Line" game. The "Efforts Pay" fallacy creates all sorts of unreasonable expectations in us.
God bless!
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