Sunday Gospel Reflection, October 1, 2023: Which of the two did his father's will?

Which of the two did his father’s will?

How hard is it to do what God asks of us? 

    God sends the prophet Ezekiel to the people of Israel to convince them of their personal responsibility in making good choices. Is it my way that is unfair, or rather, are not your ways unfair? God asks. The people believed that the sins of parents were visited upon their children, but Ezekiel informs them that this is not the case. Their situation in life is a product of their own choices, not those of their parents. So long as they do the Lord’s will, turning from wickedness in order to do what is right and just, they will be saved. For, as Psalm 25 reminds us, the Lord’s compassion and love are from of old; God is merciful. The psalmist can thus ask, teach me your paths, guide me in your truth, that I might do your will. The psalmist’s humility is a sign of his openness to the Lord’s will; he is ready to learn, ready to conform his will to God’s will. 

    When, in Matthew’s Gospel, the chief priests and elders of the people question Jesus’ authority yet again, he responds with the parable of the two sons, one of who refuses to go out and work in the vineyard today, yet then changes his mind and goes; the other replies, Yes, sir, but does not go. Jesus then asks his audience, Which of the two did his father’s will? They know the answer – the first, they reply – yet they fail to see that they themselves are the ones who are failing to do God’s will in their firm refusal to recognize Jesus as the Messiah. They will not repent and return to God; they say yes to God and follow the letter of the law but miss its spirit. 

   It’s not really rocket science: we must all, as Paul tells the Philippians, have in us the same attitude that is also in Christ Jesus. Jesus is the model of how we are to live, that is, from a position of humility and with obedience to the will of God. He humbled himself, Paul writes; our salvation came through Christ’s obedience. We must remain one in Christ, united in heart, by following his example through compassion and mercy, participating in the Spirit, loving one another. Humankind was created in the likeness of God; Jesus came in the likeness of humankind to reveal God and to heal the brokenness of all. We must make good choices: we must choose love; we must participate in the Spirit. Only then are we truly doing the Father’s will. 

This post is based on Fr. Pat’s Scripture class.
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