God’s seeking of a workman reminds us of the parable of the workers in the vineyard. In the first place, God does not call everyone at the same point in their life: some he summons early, others later, and others again at the eleventh hour. This is because the initiative for the monastic or spiritual journey is from God and not from us. Second, the labor demanded of each varies in degree: some are obliged to work harder than others. Third, the payment for the work done is out of all proportion to the energy expended in doing it. “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor has the human heart conceived what God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Cor 2:9; RB 4.77).
Michael Casey, OSCO
The Road to Eternal Life, p. 53
