HOMILY FOR THE 26th SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR A

1. Ezekiel 18:25-28

2. Philippians 2: 1-11

Gospel: Matthew 21: 28-32

                       " Fine words and Good Deeds"

It happened that an associate parish priest who was new to the parish thought a need to start a Bible study group where people could learn to read the word of God and deepen their faith. After service one morning he presents the idea to the people and receives a unanimous and enthusiastic feedback. " It is wonderful idea," they all say. Then the young associate priest goes and tell the parish priest that the people are happy with the idea of starting Bible class. The older and  more experienced parish priest tells the associate priest to rephrase the question and consult the people again. The following day the young priest asks the same congregation, " who would like to sign up for the Bible group? Only four hands go up. Then it down on the young priest that saying yes to an idea is one thing and doing what is required is another.

In today's gospel Jesus tells the parable of two sons who say one thing and do another.  Asked by the father to go and work in the vineyard the first son  says no but later reconsiders his decision and does the work. The second son, on the other hand, courteously says yes to the father but fails to do the work. Who actually did what his father wanted? Clearly it is the first son, the same one who had earlier said no to him.

This parable was told by Jesus in the temple just few days before his arrest. For three years he had been preaching  to the people inviting them to repent and believe the Good News. In this three years ministry he had discovered that in fact, it was public sinners like the tax-collectors and prostitutes who responded to his invitation. The religious leaders, the scribes and Pharisees, even after they perceived the divine origin of the message of Jesus, still opposed it instead of accepting it. They had greeted John the Baptist with the same attitude. They knew John's teaching was from God but they would not admit it. As Jesus said to them, " even after you saw it, you did not change your mind and believe him" ( Matthew 21:32). Religious people are sometimes so bent on proving that they are right that they fail to hear the voice of reason and the voice of God.

The parable likens the tax-collector and prostitutes to the son who first said no but later did what the father wanted, and the Pharisees and scribes to the son who enthusiastically said yes but did not go. One group has no fine words but they have good deeds. The other group has fine words but not corresponding good deeds. They represent two kinds of people and the different ways they try to relate to God. There are those who have no fine words: like those who profess no faith, who do not go to church, who do not pray. However, when there is injustice in the city they will they will be the first to raise their voices and condemn it. When there are people in the cold they will be the first to donate a blanket. Wherever there is famine or earthquake or hurricane disaster they will deny themselves a packet of cigarettes to contribute to help the victims. These people have no fine words to say to God or about God but when they do things such as these, they are in fact doing what God has commanded us all to do.

There also those of us who have the fine words: who come to church every Sunday and say to God " Amen! We believe." We wear badges and medals as ways of professing our faith. But sometimes when it comes to concrete action in support of what we know to be the will of God, we are found wanting.  If we carry on like this, then we should heed the warning that those other folks are going into the kingdom of God ahead of us.

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 them above. Ideal sons and daughters are those who say yes to their parents and then go to do what is commanded. This is what we should aim to be- men and women who profess our faith in word and deed- knowing that " Not all who say to me, ' Lord, ' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but those who do the will of my Father who is in heaven"( Matthew 7:21).

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