By Fr. Marcel Uzoigwe, CSSp
(Ezk.18:25-28, Ps.24, Phil.2:1-11 & Matt.21:28-32)
Dear friends in Christ,
We are conversant with such sayings as these: A man’s worth is not measured by what he says but what he does; Talk is cheap; Making promises is not the same as fulfilling them; Action speaks louder than words, and so on. Such sayings point to the fact that for a speech to be meaningful and effective, it needs to be put into practice. We are also conversant with so many sayings about change, especially the famous saying by the Greek philosopher, Heraclitus, that “The only thing that is constant is change.” Whether we talk about change or about actions, one important component that determines the effect of the change or action is its direction. A person’s action can change either from a negative direction to a positive direction or vice versa. Whichever direction a person decides to focus his action determines the person’s destination, goal, or end.
The Christian life is not shielded from this reality. We are either moving forward, growing in our faith and Christian practice or we are moving backward and losing out on the great vocation that cost the life of Jesus on the cross. Similarly, it is becoming common practice to identify with the Church, publicly profess the faith, only to turn away from it. The readings of today warn that God assesses people based on their present actions, and therefore demand change of heart to focus on living the teachings of Jesus in the present. They re-echo the closing words of Jesus on his ‘Sermon on the Mount’ when he said, “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.”(Matthew 7:24).
Prophet Ezekiel warns, in our first reading, that “If a righteous person changes his mind and turns away from righteousness and commits sin, he dies because of his sin. While on the other hand, if a wicked person turns away from the sins he commits and does what is good and right, he will save his life.” In other words, the punishment for sin is the poison of the sin itself. Our selfishness, for instance, begets distressing isolation. And, as a violation of our life-giving relationship with God, sin begets nothing but pain and loss. Thus, it is not God that punishes the sinner; the punishment for sin is self-inflicted. When we have a change of heart and repent, God does not keep a record of our past. That’s why a convicted criminal who made a last moment act of faith got the promise of paradise (cf. Luke 23: 40-43). What matters in life therefore is not how we started but where we are at the present and how we finish. Yet, a person’s final choice is essentially not random. It has a history. During our entire life, we are consciously or unconsciously making choices that shape us or dispose us to be molded into a particular shape that only comes to full expression at the end.
This prophetic warning is invariably based on the possibility of changing one’s values in life. The famous philosopher, Socrates, is credited with the saying that “The unexamined life is not worth living”. This reading invites us to examine which direction our life is going and to determine if there is a need for change in direction. Self-examination is not something to be taken lightly given the scriptural warning in Proverbs 14:12 that “there is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.” Thus, objectivity, but also regularity, are essential elements to fruitful self-reflection. That is one of the reasons that the Church begins most of its liturgical prayers, especially the celebration of the Holy Eucharist with penitential service which gives us the opportunity to examine our lives, ask for forgiveness and resolve to move in the right direction as God desires of us.
Jesus extended this call for a change of heart, for repentance, in the gospel reading with a parable. In this parable, 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 afterward 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. And Jesus asks, ‘Who among the two sons did his father’s will? Certainly, it is the first one who carried out what the father wants of him, even though he had earlier objected but he later changed his mind and obeyed his father.
The first son exemplifies the action of God’s grace (which is continually extended to us) and human nature (original sin) which makes us lean towards selfishness. Change or having a rethink is the fruit of cooperating with that grace. On the other hand, the son who says “yes” and does nothing represents those who knew God and followed Him to a certain extent before dropping out. In the time of Jesus, these were the those that did not accept him as the Messaiah, as the fulfillment of the la wand the prophets. That was the religious establishment, the chief priests, and the elders of the people. Rather than the deep and personal conversion to which Jesus calls all, their religious behavior and relationship with God was usually self-serving and superficial, reduced to observing rituals and rules. Jesus concludes that the tax collectors and the prostitutes are finding their way into the kingdom before the self-righteous priests and elders.
The point Jesus makes in this parable is quite clear. Good intentions and promises don’t actually count unless they are carried out or kept. A person might say “Yes” to God and later lose his soul by disobedience. On the other hand, a person might say “No” to God, but later save his soul by repentance and act of obedience. Obviously, when the roll is called at the end of the day we shall all be examined on our actual obedience to what the Lord wants of us and not on our mere ‘Yes’ and promises to obey the Lord which never came true. Like the prophet Ezekiel said, “When someone virtuous turns away from virtue to commit iniquity and dies, it is because of the iniquity he committed that he must die.” It is the action that kills. And since every action begins as a thought in the mind, St. Paul earnestly admonishes us in the second reading to be of the same mind, with the same love, united in heart, thinking one thing.
St. Paul’s appeal touches on the very things that cause problems among people and eventually tempt mankind to walk away from God. Hear what he says: “Do nothing out of selfishness or out of vainglory; rather, humbly regard others as more important than yourselves, each looking out not only for his own interests but also for those of others. Have in you the same attitude that is also in Christ Jesus.” Paul understands the essence of conversion from personal experience. He was brought up in the strict religious practice of the Pharisees. So conversion for him was not just a mere emotional feeling but a deep change in everything: value system, commitment, direction, and goal of life. He found the life of Jesus as the only thing worth imitating such that he was bold to write in 1Corinthians 11: 1 “You are to imitate me, just as I imitate Christ.” The commitment of Jesus to his teaching, his humility up to the point of dying on the cross for those that even rejected him, are some of the things that strengthened the effect of Paul’s personal encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus (Acts 9).
Dear friends in Christ, Paul realized that the only way to fully commit to Jesus is by a conversation of the whole person that involves a deep change of mind. He set himself to work to become such a great apostle and recommend such renewal of mind to everyone who wants to do the will of God (cf. Rom. 12: 1-2). The same call for such transformative change in one’s way of life resounds in the three readings we have today. Lets, therefore reconsider our promises and professions of faith in the light of our present life situations and see what necessary changes and renewals we need accomplish the will of God for us. Let us, therefore, pray for the grace to heed this divine invitaion. Peace be with you.