Gospel: Matthew 21:28-32
Jesus went on to say, “What do you think of this? A man had two sons. He went to the first and said to him, ‘Son, go and work today in my vineyard.’ And the son answered, ‘I don’t want to.’ But later he thought better of it and went. Then the father went to his other son and said the same thing to him. This son replied, ‘I will go, sir,’ but he did not go. Which of the two did what the father wanted?” They answered, “The first.” And Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you: the publicans and the prostitutes are ahead of you on the way to the kingdom of heaven. For John came, to show you the way of goodness, and you did not believe him; but the publicans and the prostitutes did. You were witnesses of this, but you neither repented nor believed him.
Reflection:
“I don’t want to.”
The parable of the two sons captures the essence of the two responses to God. One group claims to be working for the Father, but it’s mere “lip service” (Is 29:13). It’s simply a collection of pious words and prayers, but said without a love for God or for one’s neighbor. Thus, the practice of religion is a sham and its application to a virtuous life is missing. On the surface, this first groups seems very upright, but in reality, their spiritual life is hollow, vain and self-serving. In contrast, the other group is initially resistant to working for God the Father, and they are not shy in telling him: “I don’t want to.” It’s selfish, but at least it’s honest! Perhaps that honest clarity helps these people to recognize later that something is wrong and so they change their mind. They repent. Where do we stand? Which son represents our position in relation to working for God? Are we all talk and no action? Have we resisted God’s will in preference to our own? Has an Advent longing for Christ stirred our conscience in such a way that we now want to serve the Lord by our manner of life?
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