Matthew 21:28-32

Ezekiel 18:25-28

Psalm 25:4-5, 6-7, 8-9

Philippians 2:1-11 or 2:1-5

Matthew 21:28-32

Jesus said to the chief priests and elders of the people:

“What is your opinion?

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 afterwards 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.

Which of the two did his father’s will?”

They answered, “The first.”

Jesus said to them, “Amen, I say to you,

tax collectors and prostitutes

are entering the kingdom of God before you.

When John came to you in the way of righteousness,

you did not believe him;

but tax collectors and prostitutes did.

Yet even when you saw that,

you did not later change your minds and believe him.”

Opening Prayer: Lord God, you call us to work in your vineyard and invite us to share in the work of your Kingdom. Give us the grace to recognize our sins, turn back to you, and do your will. May our words never be empty promises, but may our faith be expressed in lives of loving obedience.

Encountering the Word of God

1. Parable of the Two Sons: In today’s Gospel, the chief priests and elders of the people have just challenged Jesus’ authority after he has cleansed the Temple. Jesus responds by asking them about the authority of John the Baptist. Did John’s baptism come from heaven or from human beings? The religious leaders recognize that either answer could put them in difficulty. Rather than acknowledge the truth, they refuse to answer. Jesus then tells them the Parable of the Two Sons. A father tells his first son, “Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.” The son refuses: “I will not.” Yet afterward, he changes his mind and goes. The father gives the same command to his second son. He responds, “Yes, sir,” but never goes. Jesus then asks the question that lies at the heart of today’s Gospel: “Which of the two did his father’s will?”

The answer seems obvious: the first. The vineyard is an Old Testament image for Israel (see Isaiah 5:1-7). The two sons therefore represent two different responses to God. The first son represents those who initially rejected God’s will but subsequently repented. Jesus identifies them with the tax collectors and prostitutes whom the religious leaders regarded as notorious sinners. The second son represents those who professed obedience to God but refused to respond when God actually called them to repentance. Jesus’ words would have been shocking: “Tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you.” These people had certainly lived sinful lives. But when John the Baptist proclaimed “the way of righteousness,” they believed his message and repented. The chief priests and elders, by contrast, had God’s Law and occupied positions of religious authority, yet they refused to believe God’s prophetic messenger. The parable therefore reveals something important about obedience to God. Our relationship with God cannot be reduced to what we say we believe. Neither a profession of faith nor a position of religious authority substitutes for doing the Father’s will. The first son’s refusal was wrong. But his refusal did not have the final word. He “changed his mind” and went. His repentance became obedience. This is good news for sinners. Our past does not have to determine our future. We may have said no to God through sin, selfishness, indifference, or neglect. But through repentance, God’s grace enables us to say yes again – and to make that yes concrete through the way we live. The second son’s problem is more subtle and perhaps more dangerous. His words sound obedient: “Yes, sir.” But his obedience never becomes reality. His yes remains only a word. Jesus therefore invites each of us to ask a difficult question: Am I actually doing the Father’s will, or am I merely telling myself that I intend to do it?

2. Is the Way of the Lord Just? The First Reading from Ezekiel helps us understand why repentance is so important. The people accuse God of injustice: “The way of the Lord is not fair!” The Hebrew verb translated “is fair” or “is just” carries the sense of being weighed or measured. The people are essentially accusing God of using an unjust standard in judging their lives. Perhaps they imagine that their past should somehow protect them from the consequences of their present choices. But God rejects this way of thinking. He tells them that a wicked person who turns away from sin and begins to practice what is right will live. The opposite is also true. A person who has done good but subsequently turns away from righteousness cannot presume upon his past goodness. God’s judgment is not an accounting exercise in which good deeds and bad deeds are placed on opposite sides of a scale and mechanically totaled. What matters is the direction of a person’s life and, ultimately, whether he turns toward God or away from him. This sheds light on Jesus’ parable. The first son said no, but then turned around and went into the vineyard. The second son said yes, but never went. The Christian life is therefore not about maintaining the appearance of righteousness. It is about conversion – continually turning our minds, hearts, and lives toward God. This is why repentance is not merely something we do once. Even after we have received God’s grace, we continue to discover areas of our lives in which our actions do not correspond to our faith. The Lord continually calls us deeper. The Psalm expresses this posture beautifully: “Teach me your paths, O Lord; guide me in your truth and teach me.” The person who prays these words recognizes that he does not already know everything and does not perfectly live according to God’s will. He needs God to teach him, guide him, correct him, and lead him. The humble heart can always change direction.

3. The Mind of Christ: For the next three Sundays, the Second Reading will be taken from Paul’s Letter to the Philippians. The Second Reading gives us the deepest example of what doing the Father’s will looks like: Jesus Christ himself. Paul urges the Christians at Philippi to complete his joy by being “of the same mind, with the same love, united in heart, thinking one thing.” He identifies attitudes such as selfish ambition and vainglory as threats to Christian unity. Instead, Christians are to practice humility, regarding others as more important than themselves and looking not only to their own interests but also to the interests of others. Paul then points to Christ. Though existing in the form of God, Christ “emptied himself,” taking the form of a slave and becoming obedient even to death on a cross. Because of this obedience, God highly exalted him. Here we see the ultimate fulfillment of the Father’s will. Jesus does not merely say yes to the Father. His entire human life becomes an expression of that yes. His obedience is not reluctant compliance. It is the self-giving love of the Son. He receives the Father's will and makes it his own, giving himself for the salvation of the world. The two sons in Jesus’ parable therefore point beyond themselves to a more profound reality. The question is not merely whether we have said yes or no to God. The deeper question is whether our lives conform to the pattern of Christ’s life. The Christian is called to possess “the same attitude” that is in Christ Jesus. We are to allow his humility, obedience, and self-emptying love to shape our own decisions and relationships. This has profound implications for every aspect of life. We can profess Christian faith while allowing selfish ambition to govern our work, pride to govern our relationships, greed to govern our finances, or resentment to govern our decisions. Our words may say yes to God while our actions effectively say no. Christ shows us another way. He teaches us that genuine obedience means allowing God’s will to become the pattern of our lives. It means putting love ahead of self-interest, service ahead of status, and the good of others ahead of our own advantage. The Father has invited us into his vineyard. The question is not simply what we intend to say in response. Will we go?

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, you did not merely speak of obedience to the Father; you gave yourself completely to his will. Give me your mind and heart. When I have said no to you through sin or selfishness, give me the grace to turn back. When my words say yes but my actions say no, make my faith fruitful in loving obedience.

Living the Word of God: Every day, God invites us to work in his vineyard. Sometimes we respond immediately. At other times, we resist because his will conflicts with what we want. We may know what is right but postpone doing it. We may speak generously about our faith while failing to put that faith into practice. Where is God inviting me to move from good intentions to concrete action? Is there an area of my life where my words say “yes” to God but my actions say “no”? Where do I need to imitate the humility and self-emptying love of Christ? The Father has given us work to do in his vineyard. We do not need to pretend that we have always responded perfectly. We need only to hear his voice, turn toward him, and go.