There is a powerful scene in the famous movie Song of Bernadette that came out in 1943.  St. Bernadette will always be associated with the apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Lourdes, France (1858).  In the movie, Bernadette becomes a religious sister and is emotionally abused by Sister Vauzou.  
         
         Sister Vauzou was consumed with doubt about Mary’s appearance to Bernadette.  She was angry and jealous of why God chose Bernadette, who was so young and, in her mind, had never suffered.   
         
         Sister Vauzou looked at Bernadette with anger, and said, “I know what it is to suffer.  Look at my eyes.  They burn like the very fires of hell.  Why?   Because they need sleep.  They need rest, which I will not give them.   My throat is parched from constant prayer.  My hands are gnarled in serving God in humiliation.  My body is pain-wrecked from stone floors.  Yes, I have suffered because I know it is the only true road to heaven.”  
        
         In Sister Vauzou’s mind, she deserved God’s love because she worked longer in the vineyard than Bernadette.  She suffered more than Bernadette.  
Why wouldn’t God choose her?  It simply was not fair.  Sister Vauzou demanded that Bernadette show some proof that she had seen the Blessed Virgin Mary – some proof that she had suffered.  
         
        Bernadette then revealed a tumor hidden on her leg under her habit.  Sister Vauzou looked in horror at Bernadette’s leg.  Bernadette had tuberculosis of the bone, a condition the doctor revealed caused unspeakable pain.  In response, Sister Vauzou ran to the chapel, broke down weeping, and asked God for forgiveness.

         Bernadette suffered silently and with great love, and she demanded nothing from God.  She served God not for pay, but because she loved Him.  In short, she was simply grateful to God.

         Our gospel this weekend helps us put in perspective why we go to Mass each week.  In our parable, the first were called at dawn and told that they would receive a daily wage.   They worked for the wage, not because they enjoyed being with the landowner, but to be paid.  The workers and landowners did not have a relationship.   Those called later – 9:00, noon, three, and five – were not told what they would earn.  They simply trusted that the landowner was generous and were happy to be called and to work in the vineyard.

         After returning to the Church in the early 2000s, I have come across both mindsets quite often.  Some just love Jesus and the Mass.  They cannot imagine life without the Eucharist, and they love sharing Christ with others.  Whichever ministries they help with, they do so out of gratitude and rarely, if ever complain.  Anytime someone converts or reverts to the faith, they rejoice and thank God as they share life in Christ together.  

         Unfortunately, I have met a fair number of brothers and sisters with a very different mindset as well.  The Mass is only a duty, something you must do.  It is a box to check so that they can then go about their lives.  This mindset comes out in a tone of voice with the comment, “I have been a member of this parish since “x” number of years.”  It is certainly a blessing to be a part of a parish community for a long time.   The critical question, however, is “What have you done to build up the parish out of a love for Jesus in all those years?”  In other words, how do you express your gratitude to God for all that He has given to you?  
   
          In funeral planning sessions, one of the last questions I ask families about their loved one is, “Tell me a little bit about the faith of your loved one – how he or she expressed his or her faith?”  For some, they light up and begin listing examples of ways that Christ has been central in their loved one’s life – in their family, participating in ministries, caring for the poor and vulnerable, spending time before Christ in Eucharistic Adoration, participating in small groups, attending adult study classes, etc.  

         There are some who go above and beyond sharing their God-given gifts with the parish.  And they do it simply out of gratitude and love.  God will reward them greatly in heaven – not with money or things, but with Himself.  In the end, they know the secret that it is in serving that you experience heaven now, in this life, as you make your way to heaven.  In serving, you receive far more from Christ and others than what you give.  
         
                 Many of you go above and beyond every week and do so with such a good heart, with deep gratitude, never counting the cost.   My hope is that you know the great reward of being called by God and serving Him in gratitude as you work in His vineyard.
                                                          ~St. Thérèse, pray for us!