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Sunday's Gospel must sound familiar to parents who listen to the constant complaint, "It's not fair!" Our kids whine, "I studied hard, but I got only a 'C' on the test." "I went to every soccer practice, but I played for only five minutes in the game."
Children have a strong and straightforward sense of justice. However, their justice tends to be self-centered.
Our own sense of justice needs to be like that of the generous landowner who paid the same wage to his workers, regardless of how long they had labored (Matthew 20:10). It needs to be tempered by humility, realism, and mercy.
The Fairness Trap. Parents who listen to their children complain about the lack of fairness tend to respond in one of several ways. We may try to explain to our children that the situation is fair after all. “Most of that ‘study time’ was spent trying to become the tenth caller to the radio station.” “You know you wouldn’t be happy if everyone on your team played, but your team lost the game.” We may try to ensure fairness by striving to…
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