St Peters Orthodox Church

As we begin our three-week preparation for Lent, we are given the Gospel reading from St. Matthew chapter 20 about the laborers in the vineyard. The laborers hired later in the day are paid the same wage as those who had worked all day. They complain to the lord of the vineyard that this seems unjust and are envious of what the later laborers earned in light of their lack of time working. When we look at the extent of envy, we are usually surprised at the various ways it manifests itself in our lives.