Twenty-sixth Sunday of the Year: A: October 1, 2023

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 rewards 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 instructs 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 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. It is the story of 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, they turn away from following God and reject His commandments. They refuse to accept that Jesus comes from God the Father. Whereas, those who are not among the chosen race - the gentiles and sinners - accept Jesus as the Son of God. In the parable, the father asks both his sons - the elder and the younger- to go and work in the vineyard. The elder son initially says 'No' to the father but he later goes and does the work in the vineyard. The younger son initially says 'Yes" to the father but does 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 to do the will of the heavenly Father not merely in words but it should be seen in our actions. This parable in some way has 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 does not ask his servants or his hired workers to do that work. He personally asks 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