Gospel Mt 21:28-32
Jesus said to the chief priests and elders of the people: “What is your opinion? A man had two sons. He came to the first and said, ‘Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.’ He said in reply, ‘I will not, ‘ but afterwards changed his mind and went. The man came to the other son and gave the same order. He said in reply, ‘Yes, sir, ‘but did not go. Which of the two did his father’s will?” They answered, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Amen, I say to you, tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you. When John came to you in the way of righteousness, you did not believe him; but tax collectors and prostitutes did. Yet even when you saw that, you did not later change your minds and believe him.”
Homily
Often as a child, when I failed to do something which I had promised to do, my mother would say to me that the road to hell was paved with good intentions. Often in life, the good intentions that we have do not come to fruition because of laziness or because other interests hold our attention. The selfishness of which each one of us has a portion takes over and negates the good intentions which we have.
Individuals can viagra online samples also subscribe to newsletters to receive related articles right in their inbox. 2. discount order viagra And they are really happy to be of assistance to you. After so many years, the drug is viagra purchase on line still a prescription drug. Results have been inconclusive for the effectiveness online prescriptions for cialis http://secretworldchronicle.com/2017/04/ of depression treatment, yet many consumers continue to use them. As I read the Gospel passage given to us for our meditation this weekend, I was reminded of the many moments in my life when the good intentions which I had did not bear fruit. So often in life the sin we commit is precisely not being able to fulfill the good intentions which we have. This is not an occasional experience however. For the Christian seeking to live a good life, and whose conscience has not been coarsened by deliberate and frequent sin, the struggle to do what God wants of us is ongoing. Early in life, the struggle is normally the struggle against concupiscence. It is the struggle against the desire for power, greed and illicit pleasure. Later on in life the object of the struggle changes. It is about acceptance of the changes which age brings; the forgiveness of past hurts, the forgiveness of self for not achieving what seems to have been possible; the recognition and acceptance of our true vocation in life. In a very true way the struggle is now a struggle with God.
When we read sacred scripture we recognize that Sacred Scripture is replete with examples of persons who struggled with God. What is even more apparent is that the biblical personages did not say “Yes to God” very quickly. It was a long and hard struggle for most of them. Abraham argues with God and initially talks him out of destroying Sodom; Moses gave all sorts of excuses to God because he did not want to lead the Israelites out of Egypt; Jesus himself pleads with the Father to take the chalice of suffering away from him. What is important in these examples is that these men of God after asking God to change his will finally said “Thy will be done.” Their struggle was the struggle that all persons of faith have to undergo. In a certain sense persons of faith are bold with God. At times they do not bend very easily to God’s will especially when God is calling them to do things which may be very difficult and humanly speaking impossible. In the end however as classic persons of faith they say “Yes” to God. This boldness with God however only comes about through a deep prayer life, A life of prayer which breeds a respectful familiarity with God. I do not believe that God demands of us unquestioning obedience. God expects some resistance but in the end, as persons who truly love, we make the will of the person loved our own.
That is in fact what happens in the Gospel story. The second son did not truly love. He told the Father, “Yes” but then went about his own business without any reference to what he had agreed to do. The first son, put up resistance but then acquiesced to the Father’s will. He loved more than the other.
This gospel passage as that of the two preceding Sundays gives us another characteristic of Kingdom persons. Such persons love enough to do what the Father wants even though initially what is asked of them is not of their liking. The question then is asked of us: Are We, You and I persons of the Kingdom.
Prayer
All powerful and ever-living God, we know that to do your will is the only way to salvation, yet we find it so difficult to do. Pour out your Spirit of Wisdom on us so that we may truly understand that you love us and only want what is best for us. Help us to put aside our fears and prejudices. Help us to accept your will in all things and to do our best to fulfill it. We ask this through Mary, our Mother and Jesus, your son, both of whom fulfilled your will at all times. Amen
