Gospel & Reflection
Gospel & Reflection for the Twenty-Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Matthew 21:28-32
Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people:
‘What is your opinion? A man had two sons. He went and said to the first, “My boy, you go and work in the vineyard today”.
He answered, “I will not go”, but afterwards thought better of it and went. The man then went and said the same thing to the second who answered, “Certainly, sir”, but did not go.
Which of the two did the father’s will?‘ ‘The first‘ they said. Jesus said to them, ‘I tell you solemnly, tax collectors and prostitutes are making their way into the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you, a pattern of true righteousness, but you did not believe him, and yet the tax collectors and prostitutes did. Even after seeing that, you refused to think better of it and believe in him’.
Reflection
Friends, at the beginning of this month, along with the United States of America, the world remembered the 25th anniversary of the World Trade Centre attacks and other terrorist events on the day now known as ‘9/11’. The attacks killed 2,977 people, injured thousands more, and gave rise to long-term health consequences for countless others.
The first officially recorded casualty of that day, victim 0001, was Fr. Mychal Judge, a Franciscan Friar and Chaplain to the New York City Fire Department. Fr. Judge was killed after being struck by falling debris from the collapse of the South Tower which engulfed the North Tower where Fr. Judge and others were. He was carried from the North Tower shortly before it collapsed by fire fighters and police officers, an act that was captured by a Reuters photographer and became one of the defining images of that day. His body was placed on the altar of a nearby Church before being removed later to a hospital.
In his pocket that day was found a prayer card, one that he always carried with him, and it read: “Lord, take me where You want me to go; Let me meet whom You want me to meet; Tell me what You want me to say, and Keep me out of Your way.”
It is a deceptively simple prayer but one which unlocks our Gospel for this weekend.
In the Gospel, Jesus presents us with a parable of two brothers. The father tells both, “…go out and work in the vineyard today.” The first son is blunt, rebellious, and disrespectful, telling his father that he will not do as he asks. But he is not as closed or selfish as he first seems. He experiences a change of heart, and listening to his conscience, he then goes and does what his father asks of him. He stops being an obstacle to his father. The second son, with great respect and regard, responds immediately to his father, telling him that he will do what he asks. But he is only saying what he knows his father wants to hear. His actions betray him. He never shows up. His heart, mind, and concerns are only for himself, no one else. He is the obstacle in the way of his father. Jesus then asks those around Him, “Which of the two did his father’s will?” They are all forced to admit it was the first.
While Jesus directed this parable to the Chief Priests and elders of the people of His time, challenging them on the sincerity of their own ‘Yes,’ while they were so certain about the ‘No’ of others, it is a parable for all people, in every time. Not every ‘Yes’ is genuinely meant and not every ‘No,’ is conclusive.
But let us think back on what the father asked of his children. “Go out and work in my vineyard today.” We are being told and told very forcefully that God does not anchor us to a resistance or a disobedience from yesterday; He is not even asking for our holiness tomorrow. He is asking for our respect and obedience in the present, He asks for it today.
Each day we have is a new day with a fresh opportunity to say ‘Yes’ to the Lord’s call as it comes to us through our family, friends, community, and work. ‘Today’ is what matters, not yesterday, while tomorrow will take care of itself. So, every ‘today’ is a new opportunity to think better of something or someone, an occasion to have a change of mind or heart for the better; an opening to serve, forgive or speak up. In short, every ‘today’ is a chance to make a more generous response to God’s call, to life’s call, where we can put on the ‘mind of Christ’ which St. Paul spoke about in our Second Reading.
Every day we have, we are presented with the opportunity to allow God to take the lead in all we say, think, and do, and to do our best not to be an obstacle to Him and what He wants from us and for us.
On a beautiful September morning twenty-five years ago, with the mind of Christ, Fr. Mychal Judge allowed God to take him exactly where He wanted him to go, to meet the people he was meant to comfort, and to say the prayers they needed to hear. He stayed out of God’s way. There was no resistance. He simply followed and because of that, his final “Yes” echoed beautifully into eternity.
We pray today for the grace to allow the Lord to lead and guide us, to change and inspire us. We ask for the trust today, to allow the Lord:
take us where He wants us to go;
to meet whom He wants us to meet;
to tell us what He wants us to say,
and to give us the humility to keep out of His way.
Fr. Richard
