TWENTY-SIXTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
Ezekiel 18: 25-28; Philippians 2: 1-11 or 2: 1-5; Matthew 21: 28-32
(Rev. Dr. Francis Perry Azah)
Today’s readings emphasize that whatever we do is the real measure of our belief in God. The prophet Ezekiel stresses individual responsibility for one’s own actions. There is only one way to “life”: by living a virtuous life now. This way is open to anyone who, by his actions, does what is right. Jesus, in St. Matthew’s Gospel, distinguishes clearly between those considered nominally good and those who actually do good. Only one son says he will work; the other son goes to work. Jesus declares, in a way that must have shocked the legalistic mindset of his hearers, that prostitutes and tax collectors are entering the Kingdom of God before the chief priest and the elders (v.31). Why? Because they are more open to instruction, perhaps because they had no religious reputation to justify, no self-image to impede them from seeing their sins and their need for conversion.
Psalm 25 echoes the sincere cry of the psalmist who sincerely wants to follow the Lord’s way, and recognizes his own need of the Lord’s mercy for his sins. The psalm also recognizes the Lord’s favor towards those who humble themselves before him. In the second reading, St. Paul appeals to the Church at Philippi to live in unity, and the key to unity is humility, which regards others as more important than oneself. This inspires Christians to a practical interest in others’ needs. Their model is Jesus, who, in the words of an early hymn, took the form of a slave and served and obeyed to the point of death (Philippians 2:6ff.).
During today's First Reading from the Book of Ezekiel, we learned that those who turn away from their wickedness by doing what is lawful and right will be saved. At the same time, those who were previously saved and who have turned away from their righteousness to commit sins will die for it. This is a very powerful message. It opposes the belief of many that as long as they have faith in Christ, they will be saved! "As a body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead." [Jas. 2:26] So death will come upon all those who do not bear fruit, who do not shine in the world, who do not live their faith by the power of the Holy Spirit. It is easy to point fingers at others for the sake of arguing.
It is easy for a person to accuse God of being unfair. When things do not go one's way, God is blamed for it. The Lord God is unchanging in His ways. "His work is perfect, and all His ways are just. A faithful God, without deceit, just and upright is He." [Deut. 32:4] When God separated Himself from His chosen people during the days of the Old Testament, He did not break the Old Covenant of the Law. It was the people who broke it through their disobedience, by rejecting the Lord God and His righteous ways. In the same way, when God separates Himself today from His children who live in disobedience, He is not breaking His New Covenant of grace. It is His children who are rejecting His righteous ways through the purifying Holy Spirit in the Most Holy Name of Jesus. God loves everyone - but He does not love their sins.
The central concept here stated in the gospel is that of repentance. Christ welcomed the tax collectors and prostitutes because they repented of their sins. The first brother was judged to have done his father’s will because he repented his initial disobedience and then did as his father asked. It is true – God does not hate us because of our sins. Indeed, Heaven is not beyond us just because we have committed sins. But it is also equally true that repentance is required. For those tax collectors and prostitutes to follow Christ required them to repent and seek forgiveness. For the brother to do his father’s will required that he repent of his disobedience and then go and tend the vineyard. We, too, my brothers and sisters, need repentance. Where does repentance take place? Right there in the confessional.
Repentance is what is required to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. We show we are serious about repentance and forgiveness by seeking them out in Confession. If we are serious about repenting of past sins, let us put that seriousness into action by going to Confession regularly and asking for forgiveness. Let us end the juvenile excuses we invent for not going to Confession, and let us repent and seek forgiveness. “The priest is not holy enough.” That is right – no priest is as holy as he should be. “Why should I confess my sins to another man? I will go directly to God.” You should confess your sins to someone else because God established this system when He gave His Apostles the authority to forgive sins in His name on Easter Sunday night. If you go into your room, close your door, and say, “God, I am really sorry”, you hear nothing. If you go into those rooms (the confessionals), shut the door and say “God, I am really sorry”, you hear, “I absolve you of your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” And you are guaranteed your sins are washed away.
So, the unsettling question Jesus poses to each one of us today is, Are you the sinner in need of God’s saving mercy, or are you confident in your own righteousness, not believing you need God’s mercy? In thinking about your response, bear in mind two things: what Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount: "the merciful… will be shown mercy" (Matt. 5:7); also remember what is written in the Letter of James: "the judgment is merciless to one who has not shown mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment" (Jas. 2:13). We need to point out that today's parable is really the parable of two bad sons. Which of the two boys would you have as an ideal son: the one who bluntly says no to his father's face or the one who says yes and does not follow up on it? The answer is none of the above. Ideal sons and daughters are those who say yes to their parents and then go on to do what is commanded of them. This is what we should aim to be -- men and women who profess our faith in word and deed.
