The Mystery of Divine Predilection and the Preferential Option for the Poor in Matthew 20:1–16

Abstract

This study explores the theological convergence between St. Thomas Aquinas’ doctrine of divine predilection and Liberation Theology’s preferential option for the poor in Matthew 20:1–16. Through a comparative analysis, it examines how these seemingly divergent traditions, one rooted in scholastic metaphysics and the other in historical praxis, can be harmonized to illuminate the mystery of divine generosity and justice. The parable of the workers in the vineyard serves as a theological bridge, revealing a God who acts freely and lovingly, beyond human calculations of merit. Drawing from the Summa Theologiae, Church Fathers, and modern biblical scholarship, the paper argues that divine predilection and preferential love for the poor are not contradictory but complementary expressions of God. This synthesis offers a renewed understanding of divine love that is both metaphysical and historical, transcendent and immanent, and invites a deeper engagement with Scripture in the context of contemporary poverty and injustice.