OUR ‘YES’ TO GOD

                     HOMILY FOR THE 26^TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (YEAR A)

Rev. Fr. Peter Onyekachi Ezekoka

Ezekiel 18:25-28        Philippians 2:1-11        Matthew 21:28-32

What is the best way to say ‘yes’ to God? Today’s readings clarify the relationships between what we say and what we do, and between what we promise God and what we actually do to carry out those promises. In the Gospel, Jesus used the parabolic story of a father and his two sons in order to teach about the importance of keeping promises made to God and to other people. Using the content to critique the religious leaders of His day, Jesus revealed that they were failing in their service to God while outwardly being perceived as carrying it out. The leaders weren’t listening to God, and consequently their faith was stagnant. Through the story, in which actions speak louder than words, Jesus underlined how worthless are empty promises made to God and man, and how vital it is that promises are kept.

One by one, the sons were instructed by their father to go out and work in his vineyard. The first son refused to do his father’s will, but changed his mind and complied. The second son agreed to do the father’s will, but reneged on his promise and didn’t go. Of the two, the first actually did the father’s will because he was the one that did the work. Had there been a third son in that story who promised to do the father’s will and fulfilled it, he would have been the ideal example of faith, because the models of the sons are both flawed. Neither of the sons brought their father complete joy. However, Christ only needed the examples of the two sons to remind the Jewish religious leaders of the greater readiness of those at the bottom of the heap to accept the message of repentance; ‘for tax-collectors and prostitutes are making their way into the kingdom of heaven before you.’  

Let’s take a closer look at the contrasting reactions of the two sons in the context of ‘change’ to see how a mixture of the personalities is evident in each one of us. Why did the first son change his mind and do what his father wanted? He did it because he made a positive change from verbal disobedience to active obedience. As sinners, we need to make a daily examination of conscience to discern when we have (mistakenly or deliberately) offended God, and if change is necessary in order to do His will. The second son changed his mind too, but he made a negative change from verbal obedience to active disobedience. That kind of change is to be studiously avoided. In the first reading, the Lord encourages positive change, and defends his ways as fair, condemning the virtuous person who turns from His ways towards iniquity, and forgiving the wicked person who turns to Him to do what is right: if he turns from the wickedness he has committed, and does what is right and just, then he shall preserve his life. He will live for having repented. Whenever we are going to make changes in life, they had better be positive ones.

Everyone who has a personal relationship with God ought to be someone who says yes and does yes. God’s Commandments ought to be observed and His Will carried out judiciously. The right thing to do is to ensure that promises made are promises kept: keep all the promises you make to God (Eccl 5:2). To make a promise is to make a commitment. Whatever your lips utter you must be sure to do, because you made your vow freely to the Lord your God with your own mouth (Deut 23:23). Each one of us is guilty at some time in life of making a promise and failing to keep it. Our sacramental life challenges us to keep the promises we make to God. Remember that our Baptismal promises are to be kept! Couples to be joined in Holy Matrimony have no problems in saying ‘yes’ to take each other ‘for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health’ on their wedding day, but may find it increasingly difficult to keep their promises to each other through the ups and downs of life. Priests have no problem with saying ‘yes’ to God at Ordination, but may find it increasingly challenging to observe the incessant demands of their vocation as the years roll by.

Living out the Christian life consistently well is admittedly a struggle. Broken promises lead to broken relationships. People are left with broken hearts when marriages fail and promises are broken. When promised prayers for people going through a hard time fail to be offered, heaven is not stormed. We all know people who have promised to walk alongside us through thick and thin, only to see them melt into the mist when we need a leg up. Equally, we all know that there have been times when we ourselves are guilty of having let people down. Those feelings of remorse should move us to start keeping our promises Big Time!

The trail of broken promises that we leave behind adversely affects both our personal relationship with God and our everyday dealings with one another. One of the major causes of making empty or unfulfilled promises is the lack of the virtue of self-control, and specifically the mastery of what comes out of our mouths: sin is unavoidable when there is much talk, but whoever seals his lips is wise (Prov 10:19). One way of ensuring that our promises are credible is to resolve to think through carefully what we mean to say before we speak, because it is better not to make promises than not to keep them (cf. Eccl 5:5). To achieve this end, we constantly require the gift of God’s grace to guide us. Let us pray for the grace of obedience to God in all things, and for the grace of discernment when it’s better to keep our own counsel than to speak. Amen. God bless you.