It is 27th September 2020. We celebrate the Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time as the Migrant Sunday. The readings are from Ezekiel 18:25-28; the second reading is from Philippians 2:1-11; and the Gospel from Matthew 21:28-32.
Three readings invite us to repent and do the will of God by emulating the person of Jesus.
We find four types of people. Life offers opportunity to live a life of repentance in joy. Having cleansed the temple and triumphal entry of Jesus, He taught them a parable.
THE PROMISED PEOPLE:
In the first reading people of Israel thought their exile was due to the sins of their ancestors and so they were blaming God for ill-treating them hence they were not prepared to repent. The answer of God is the first reading. God is asking them to take responsibility for their sins and failures in their life. The prophet Ezekiel reminded the promised people who considered themselves as the chosen and privileged people refused to repent. Prophet reminds them to change their ways. To be faithful and obedient to God. God expects us to obey God’s commandments. His love for us is unconditional. We are blessed because we change our ways. They accused God and neglected their responsibility to turn away from the evil. They did not realize that sin impacts the success and blessings of life. They believed that they were suffering due to the sins of the ancestors. We who come to the Church regularly finding hard to repent personally. Some of us believe like people of Israel that just being a Christian we can speak anything we want and live the way wish even being indifferent to God. Our life depends in our personal repentance.
THE PROMISING PEOPLE: Those who do but do not say. (the elder son, Sinners, and tax collectors) What we do is the real measure of our belief in God not what we talk so eloquently. So-called sinful people responded to God’s call. The promising people are interested in conversion. They are ready to change their mind, to have Metonoia. They are willing to turn around and they do not drown in sin. Whenever it is challenging, they are willing to call God for her: Lord, I need you. When we know how much God loves us, we are willing to let go. We all love people who are honest with their promises. We all love to be generous and saintly but end up being selfish and sinful. We all are fighting with the unseen enemies of our souls. They weaken our spiritual life. Are we giving lame excuses and transferring responsibilities to someone? Rev.2:4 “But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.” We promise but we do not keep up.
THE PEOPLE OF PROMISE: Those who say yes but do not do. (younger son, leaders, the chosen people). The younger son, the Pharisees and Sadducees who said yes to God in words, but they did not show it in their actions. Words, words, and words. They are fancy, flowery, flattery and fake at times. They promise many times but forget their promise or not serious about it. People who boasted following God so intimately refused to believe and follow Jesus. God wants us to do something. We may emotionally say yes, but rationally we do not do things we promised. Both sons were imperfect. But it is far nobler to change the mind and do good than to remain set in the direction of evil. We are not saved by belonging but by becoming.
We may be praying to God so much inside the church but what we are doing to others.
THE PROMISING PERSON: In the second reading, St. Paul offers Jesus as our model of humility and obedience to God. He invites us to be humble, not to compete with the others, treating others better than oneself, and willing to give up something we love most for the welfare of the others. Jesus said yes and he emptied himself and self-sacrifice fulfilled the yes. There was no dichotomy in word and action. He went to the extent to offer himself for the promise He made it the Father. Doing is more important than willingness. To carry out the will of God we need to show it in action what we said it. In every one of us, there are two sons. One is our early childhood, and another is our early adulthood. There is a part in every one of us that refuses to repent and there is space in us that constantly struggling to return to the Lord. In every one of there is so much of goodness. Yes, we all have an initial struggle to respond. We all be generous to God and our neighbor always. Same mind in Christ. He was obedient to God. He did not cling to power and position, but he let go. He emptied himself. It is the kenosis. “But let your yes be yes and your no be no, that you may not fall under condemnation.” (James 5:12). The promising person is the one who listens with heart and responds in action.
We all hear the Word of God in so many ways. What do we do after listening to the Word of God? How do we feel about the persons who we look down upon are blessed by God?
May the Lord help us to respond in the way that pleases God.
Praise the lord