「多勞多得」是很容易明白，而且好像很正確的邏輯。俗世是這樣運作的，宗教信仰何嘗不是？但「多勞多得」是一個謬論。
加班開工，不是可以獲得「補水」嗎？多領聖事，多讀聖經，多祈禱靈修，獲得永生的機會不是更大的嗎？福音中的富少年，不是問耶穌他還有甚麼「善」可以做，做了可以獲得心目中的「永生」（瑪19:16）嗎？耶穌嘗試開導那富少年，使他認識到自己的錯誤。可惜耶穌基督的教訓，並不符合富少年心目中的期望，富少年失望地離開了耶穌（19:22）。
是天主給予我們一個不合理的期望嗎？在這個「僱工的比喻」裡，倘若主人按從最早到最晚的順序派工資，便不會在最早開工的僱工心目中，引發不合理的期望，覺得自己付出了更長的勞動時間，理應獲得更多的工資了（20:8-10）！
讓我們把這「德納」理解為「永生」的象徵，我們便知道，無論我們付出多少努力：領多少聖事、讀多少聖經、作多少靈性修煉等等，根本不足以賺取到這份「永生」！即是說，無論是做一個時辰，還是做十二個時辰；是在教難時期，信了耶穌幾分鐘便要殉道的信徒，還是在公教家庭出生長大，一生人都是天主教徒的「老牌」教友，這個「德納」，這永生是一份不相稱的恩賜，而不是賺來的工資！倘若將來在天上，遇上在世上曾被墮胎的胎兒，或者弱智人士，和我們這些努力不懈的人，同樣在享受永生時，我們便會明白，多勞不一定多得了。人看外表的功勳，天主卻看人的心愛祂有多深（撒上16:7）！天主聖神，請賜下超見之恩，讓我們能明辨是非，掌握天父的旨意。亞孟。
圖片鳴謝：https://www.nursinginpractice.com/article/supporting-parents-children-down%E2%80%99s-syndrome
生命恩泉
Does God Give Us Unreasonable Expectation? (Matthew 20:1-16a) "Effort pays" is easy to understand and the logic seems to be correct. The secular world operates in this way. Even religions run as such. However, "effort pays" is a fallacy.
Aren't workers paid extra money for OT? Don't receiving more sacraments, studying the Bible more, spending more time in prayers and contemplation enhance the chance of gaining eternal life? Didn't the rich young man in the gospel ask Jesus what more good he should do to gain the "eternal life" as he understood it? (Matthew 19:16)? Jesus tried to open the mind of the rich young man, showing him his mistake. However, Jesus' teaching did not meet the expectation of the rich young man who left in disappointment (19:22).
Did God give us an unreasonable expectation? In this Parable of Workers in the Vineyard, had the master paid the workers, starting from the earliest ones, he would not have stirred up an unreasonable expectation among the workers that the longer you had worked, the more you would be paid (20:8-10)!
Let us take this "usual wage" to symbolize "eternal life". Then we will understand that no matter how much effort we have put up: sacraments, bible studies, spiritual exercises etc., it is not sufficient to earn this eternal life! That is to say, whether you have worked for one hour only, or twelve hours; during persecutions when you die a martyrdom after believing in Jesus for a couple of minutes, or you were born in a Catholic family, have always been a jaded Catholic, this "usual wage", this eternal life is an undeserved grace, and not a well-earned reward! In case we meet in heaven aborted foetus or a mentally deficient person on earth enjoying eternal life together with us who have been very diligently working, then we shall understand that efforts do not necessarily pay. God "does not see as a mortal, who sees the appearance. The Lord looks into the heart." (1 Samuel 16:7)
Holy Spirit, grant us the gift of counsel so that we are able to discern the Father's will. Amen.
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