DOING THE WILL OF GOD: NOT IN WORDS BUT IN DEEDS
First Reading: Ezekiel 18: 25-28
Second Reading: Philippians 2: 1-11
Gospel Reading: Matthew 21: 28-32
* First reading is from the book of Prophet Ezekiel. Ezekiel instructs the people of Israel and us that we are responsible for our actions and that the Lord God judges everyone according to his/her actions. The Lord God is always just. He punishes us if we do evil and rewards us when we turn away from evil and do good.
* Second reading is from the letter of St. Paul to Philippians. Paul tells the Christian community at Philippi that Jesus humbled Himself and became human and died on the cross for the humankind. Like Jesus every follower of the Lord should do everything with humility and look for the good of the others rather than that of one's own. He reminds us that self-seeking actions and rivalry have no place in the life of a Christian. Christ gave us an example of humility and we must imitate Him in our lives.
The parable of the two sons. Today's Gospel reading is from St. Matthew. The parable is about a father and his two sons. The context of this parable is that the chosen people of God at first said yes to the covenant of God but later turned away from following God and His teachings. They refused to accept that Jesus comes from God the Father. Whereas those who were not among the chosen race - the gentiles and the sinners - accepted Jesus as the Son of God. In the parable we have the story of a father and his two sons. The father asked both his sons -the elder and the younger - to go and work in his vineyard. The elder son initially said no to the father but later went and worked in the vineyard. The younger son initially said yes to the father but he did not go and do the work in the vineyard. After narrating the parable Jesus puts a question to His disciples. "Which of these two sons did the father's will?" The answer is obvious: the elder son. Hence Jesus explains to us the need for obedience to the will of the Heavenly Father not merely in words but it should be seen in our actions.
This parable in some way has some overtones about our own lives. We often make promises to God but forget to fulfill them and fail to do the will of God. It is interesting to observe that in the parable the owner of the vineyard has some work to be done. He did not ask his servants or his hired workers to do the work. He personally asked his sons to do the work in the vineyard. So too the Heavenly Father invites each one of us His sons and daughters to work in His vineyard. It is up to us to respond to His invitation.
"Being a Christian is less about cautiously avoiding sin than about courageously and actively doing God's will." - Dietrich Bonhoeffer
"The basic purpose of prayer is not to bend God's will to mine, but to mold my will into His." -Timothy Keller
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