18-Sep-2011 Dear Friend, We have all come across people who can be relied upon because they are people of their word. If they say 'yes' they mean 'yes' and act accordingly. On the other hand we also meet people who do not mean what they say. They say 'yes' when they mean 'no'. They make promises and agreements but never get down to doing what they promised. Are we people true to our word? Can God rely on our word? Have a quiet weekend affirming our 'Yes' to God! -Fr. Jude Sunday Reflections: Twenty-sixth Sunday-"Who is he who does the will of God?" 25-Sep-2011 Ezekiel 18: 25-28 Philippians 2: 1-11 Matthew 21: 28-32 The prophet Ezekiel was noted for stressing the personal responsibility of individuals for their behaviour and in today's reading he drives this point home. Israel's common experience was that they were a community, the people of God. If they were saved they were saved as a nation and if they were punished it was because they had sinned as a community. The prophet Ezekiel also wished to emphasize the other aspect as well, namely that we are also individually responsible for our actions. The way we are living now matters in the eyes of God, not so much our past actions. Even though we have been baptized, if we are living in sin we stand condemned. On the other hand, no matter how often we have fallen, if today we are repentant sinners, God is ever ready to forgive and accepts us as his children. You are responsible! In a road fog a driver pulled up on the Santa Anna Freeway in California to change his flat tyre. To avoid hitting him the car behind slowed down so rapidly that a third car crashed into him. This was repeated by 200 cars in a 5-mile pileup that, in addition to the 200 collisions, that wrecked 60 cars, injured 50 people and killed one. Crumpled cars like castaway dominoes, were pointed in every direction. The first driver fixed his tyre and left during the ensuing confusion, oblivious to the massive chain-reaction he had touched off! Harold Buetow in 'God Still Speaks! Listen!' In the Gospel Jesus tells this parable of the two sons to vindicate his proclamation of the good news of the kingdom. The parable is a proclamation of God's mercy towards sinners. The parable speaks of the man who has two sons and he says to the first "My boy, go and work in my vineyard today." and he answers, "I will not go," but later on thought better and went. The man then goes to his second son and said the same thing who answered, "Certainly Sir," but did not go. "Which of the two did the father's will?" "Who is the truly obedient one?" Jesus conveyed his message in the form of a story, a story which apparently did not have any mention of the divine and seemed to speak of everyday realities. The two sons mentioned in the parable stand for two types of people, two types of believers and we have to decide which type represents us. The son who said 'yes' but did nothing about actually doing what the father desired, primarily stood for the Jewish people, who claimed to be followers of Abraham, their father in faith. They claimed to be God's people, yet they rejected the prophets, they rejected John the Baptist, they rejected Jesus Christ. The second son, who said he would not go but ultimately went is not a model son either but definitely the better of the two because he did finally obey and what is more important, did what the father wanted of him. Jesus likens that son to the tax collectors and sinners, who came to listen to John the Baptist and repented of their sins. That son would stand for the many gentiles, the many pagans, the many agnostics, the many non-believers, who say they do not believe in God, yet live honest lives, lives filled with compassion, lives ultimately acknowledging the divine. In the final analysis our faith is seen and judged by the quality of our lives lived in our day to day dealings and interactions with our fellow human beings. We will be held responsible not for the past but for the present lived with or without love. How we live professes our faith! Joe never attends a planning meeting. He does not see himself as articulate enough to formulate plans for the neighbourhood or for the parish. But when it comes to doing the job is always there to work. He knows that actions speak louder than words and he lives accordingly. The proof of faith is good works. Love of God is shown above all in generous service to the neighbour in need, without distinction of social class or religious practice. Joe is often impatient with people who promise much but deliver little, who think that talking nice words is an adequate substitute for effective action. Jesus shared Joe's impatience, as we read in today's gospel, where the father tells his two sons to go to work in his vineyard. One refuses at first but goes. The other promises to go but does not. It is the former who actually does what the father asks and that is what counts. Among the Jews of his own time there were many people who professed their faith in God but refused to live as Jesus taught. On the other hand, there were people who had not lived according to the book but, when invited by Jesus to repent and make a fresh start, they did so enthusiastically. It is these who received salvation. Their actions showed their faith. Are we prepared to do as he asks or do we settle for pious aspirations? How we actually live gives the answer. Tom Clancy in 'Living the Word' Who is right? The Jews had a very ironic story. In Poland during the Second World War, there was a synagogue, in which the worship was going on. The rabbi was seated in a corner and he was nodding his head as the psalms were being sung. On the opposite side, women and men were seated separately. They were totally engrossed in prayer. As they were praying, suddenly, a man in a worker's dress rushed in - his dress was dirty and stained with blood, his hair was unkempt, his hands were soiled. He came and stood at the altar facing the people. He began to rebuke the people: "You fools! What are you all doing here? The war is being waged, and you are wasting your time here. Come! Look at the people outside. They are wounded and are in pain. They need help. And there is none to help them. You are like the sheep that are misled. Your rabbi is misleading you. He is making you to believe in something, which does not exist. It would be better if you could come and lend a helping hand to those who are dying. God does not exist. He is just in your imagination. If I am wrong, let your supposed God in his supposed heavens say so." Suddenly there was thunder and lightening. The roof of the synagogue was blown away. And the voice of God was heard: "Listen to him. What he says is right." -This is a very ironic story. God approved the condemnation of the people by the atheist when he said that they were fools wasting their time inside the synagogue, instead of helping the wounded on the streets. The people who profess faith in God are wrong when they pray instead of helping the wounded and the dead. Human need takes precedence over prayers. John Rose in 'John's Sunday Homilies' One son obeys the other does not A survey was distributed during a worship service one Sunday morning. Among the questions was, "Do you think there should be an evening Bible study?" The young pastor was overwhelmed at the response. Over fifty persons indicated that there should be an evening Bible study. The elated pastor began making plans. A day or two later, the wise, experienced lay leader came to visit the pastor. Gently he advised the young man that he had asked the wrong question. Instead of asking, "Do you think there should be an evening Bible study?" the pastor should have asked, "Are you willing to attend a Bible study?" A second questionnaire was issued. This time the question was, "Are you willing to attend Bible study?" The result was quite different from the week before. This time only twelve persons indicated that they would be willing to attend." Application: Which brother are we? Gerard Fuller in 'Stories for all seasons' Two converts. True Conversion An aged Rabbi who lived an exemplary life and converted many people to his ancestral religion was distraught when his son embraced Christianity. After his death, he appeared sulking and sad before the Almighty. "What is the matter, Rabbi?" asked God, deeply concerned. "It's my son," cried the rabbi, "He abandoned our faith and became a Christian!" God replied in a consoling voice, "Don't worry, friend, I understand you perfectly - my only son did the same thing!" Today, conversions either create conflict or consolation depending on who converts whom to what, and why. We can reflect on today's reading from the prism of conversions: Internal and external. Francis Gonsalves in 'Sunday Seeds for Gospel Deeds' Brothers Along with Oedipus Rex and Hamlet, Sigmund Freud considered Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov one of the three greatest works in world literature. In Freud's interpretation, the three Karamazov brothers symbolize the nature of man. The eldest son Dmitri is a wild wastrel. He represents man dominated by sensuality. The next son Ivan is a teacher, writer and atheist. He symbolizes the intellectual dimension of man. The young son Alyosha was a novice at a monastery. He stands for the spiritual nature of man. The three Karamazov brothers were abandoned by their father Fyodor after their mother died. They reassemble now to do battle with their father and claim what is rightfully theirs. Their conflicts reflect those of everyman, which occur not only in his soul, but also in his relationship to God. Today's gospel parable tells another symbolic brother story. The elder son was told by his father to work in the vineyard, said he'd go, but never went. The younger son was also told to work, refused to go, but later regretted it and went. Jesus interprets the brothers story himself. The younger son represents the tax collectors and prostitutes whose lives have been a "No" to God, but who now repent and enter the kingdom of God. In contrast, the elder son symbolizes the Jewish leaders who professed to be religious, but who did not respond to join the Baptist's call to repentance. In point of fact, both groups have their faults, but at least the group who turn toward God is to be preferred to the group who turn away from him. The ideal for us is to live in such a way that what profess and practice meet and match. Albert Cylwicki in 'His Word Resounds' May our deeds of love speak louder than our words!
Fr. Jude Botelho [email protected] PS. The stories, incidents and anecdotes used in the reflections have been collected over the years from books as well as from sources over the net and from e-mails received. Every effort is made to acknowledge authors whenever possible. If you send in stories or illustrations I would be grateful if you could quote the source as well so that they can be acknowledged if used in these reflections. These reflections are also available on my web site www.netforlife.net Thank you.
