26th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Originally delivered on September 27, 1987
Readings: Ezekial 18: 25-28; Philippians 2:1-11 or 2:1-5; Matthew 21:28-32
In today’s Gospel, Jesus speaks to us again in a parable about a son who says he’ll do something for his father and doesn’t while another son who refuses, but eventually does what is asked. Fr. Healy suggests that we are likely more like the first son because while we say “yes” we haven’t really put that yes into action on behalf of our Father. We might look around who are saying yes to Jesus by the way that they are living their lives. Indeed, we might look to the experiences within our own country. How do we reconcile our Constitution with the fact that we had slavery for so long, waited more than a century for women to get the right to vote, or still engage in capital punishment? In our own personal lives, how do we go beyond our “yes” to doing the real work that we are called to do. Saying yes to Jesus, means risking ourselves, our wealth, and perhaps even getting into a little bit of trouble. We must get out into the field and empty ourselves for our brothers and sisters.
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