Catechism Links[1]
CCC 1807: Just person
distinguished by habitual rectitude toward othersCCC 2842: Only Holy Spirit can give us the mind of Christ
CCC 1928-1930, 2425-2426: The obligation of social justice
CCC 446-461: The Lordship of Christ
CCC 2822-2827: “Thy will be done”
 |
| “Parable of the Two Sons” Artist and Date are UNKNOWN |
Reading I: Ezekiel 18:25-28
Thus says the Lord:
You say, "The Lord’s way is not fair!"
Hear now, house of Israel
Is it my way that is unfair, or rather, are not your ways unfair?
When someone virtuous turns away from virtue to commit iniquity,
and dies,
it is because of the iniquity he committed that he must die.
But if he turns from the wickedness he has committed,
he does what is right and just,
he shall preserve his life;
since he has turned away from all the sins that he has committed,
he shall surely live, he shall not die.
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Commentary on Ez
18:25-28
The theme of this section of Ezekiel is: “The Lord’s way is just.”
In these verses the prophet presents an apologia of the fairness of the Law
saying that those who sin against God die, but those who turn from sin and
repent live. This argument stresses individual responsibility and the ability
of the faithful to choose life or death, fully informed.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 25:4-5, 8-9, 10, 14
R. (6a) Remember your mercies, O
Lord.
Your ways, O Lord, make known to me;
teach me your paths,
guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my savior.
R. Remember your mercies, O Lord.
Remember that your compassion, O Lord,
and your love are from of old.
The sins of my youth and my frailties
remember not;
in your kindness remember me,
because of your goodness, O Lord.
R. Remember your mercies, O Lord.
Good and upright is the Lord;
thus he shows sinners the way.
He guides the humble to justice,
and teaches the humble his way.
R. Remember your mercies, O Lord.
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Commentary on Ps
25:4-5, 8-9, 10, 14
Psalm 25 is an
individual lament. The sinful psalmist prays that “Your ways” (God's
ways) be made known. The request directs us to repentance and ultimately
justice. The theme of guidance is continued in the psalm. This selection gives
a clear sense of the Lord’s path, announced by angelic messengers, prophets,
and the very Law of Moses. It is the culmination and completion of God’s
covenants. These verses are echoed later by Malachi (Malachi 3:1-4) and John the Baptist (Luke 3:1 ff), also announcing the Lord's path.
Reading II: Philippians 2:1-11
Brothers and sisters:
If there is any encouragement in Christ,
any solace in love,
any participation in the Spirit,
any compassion and mercy,
complete my joy by being of the same mind, with the same love,
united in heart, thinking one thing.
Do nothing out of selfishness or out of vainglory;
rather, humbly regard others as more important than yourselves,
each looking out not for his own interests,
but also for those of others.
Have in you the same attitude
that is also in Christ Jesus,
Who, though he was in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God
something to be grasped.
Rather, he emptied himself,
taking the form of a slave,
coming in human likeness;
and found human in appearance,
he humbled himself,
becoming obedient to the point of death,
even death on a cross.
Because of this, God greatly exalted him
and bestowed on him the name
which is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bend,
of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that
Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
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Commentary on Phil
2:1-11
CCC: Phil 2:1 2842; Phil 2:4 2635; Phil 2:5-8 461; Phil 2:5 520, 1694, 2842; Phil 2:6-11 2641, 2667; Phil 2:6 449; Phil 2:7 472, 602, 705, 713, 876, 1224; Phil 2:8-9 908; Phil 2:8 411, 612, 623; Phil 2:9-11 449, 2812; Phil 2:9-10 434; Phil 2:10-11 201; Phil 2:10 633, 635
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OR
Shorter Form: Philippians 2:1-5
Brothers and sisters:
If there is any encouragement in Christ,
any solace in love,
any participation in the Spirit,
any compassion and mercy,
complete my joy by being of the same mind, with the same love,
united in heart, thinking one thing.
Do nothing out of selfishness or out of vainglory;
rather, humbly regard others as more important than yourselves,
each looking out not for his own interests,
but also for those of others.
Have in you the same attitude
that is also in Christ Jesus.
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Commentary on Phil
2:1-5
CCC: Phil 2:1 2842; Phil 2:4 2635; Phil 2:5-8 461; Phil 2:5 520, 1694, 2842
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Gospel: 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
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."
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Commentary on Mt
21:28-32
The point of his example is intended to be analogous to the difference between those who disbelieved the message of repentance taught by St. John the Baptist and those who believed it, the sinners (tax collectors and prostitutes) who have repented. Presented as it is, as a question to the Jewish leaders, the chief priests are forced to admit that (in the story of the two sons) the son who did the father’s will was the one justified (those who accepted the message of St. John the Baptist). Ultimately the example tells the Jewish leaders that those they look down upon (the sinners who had rejected the Law), because of their acts of repentance and devotion, are achieving the inheritance of God before the leaders themselves.
CCC: Mt 21:28-32 546; Mt 21:32 535
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Homily:
As silly as it seems, I
thought I’d tell you a modern parable to illustrate the parable in the
Gospel. There is in my circle of friends
a couple who have been married for a long time (over 30 years). Recently they told me a story about how the
husband, Bob, thought it would be a good idea for them to own a generator for
their home. It had been a stormy summer
and they had lost power a couple of times risking all the food in their fairly
large freezer.
Mary Ann, his wife, was in
charge of the budget and told him that $2,000 was just not in their budget and
they could get along without it. They
went back and forth on this because Bob knew there was a rainy day fund they
could borrow from. Mary Ann, on the
other hand did not think this was a sufficient reason to tap that fund.
In the end, Bob went out, and
without telling Mary Ann, bought a generator anyway. When he got it home, to his surprise and
chagrin, he found his argument in favor of the generator had been effective,
because Mary Ann had gone out and purchased one as well. They laughed a little and Bob took his back
to the store for a refund. They both didn’t laugh when they found that the
double purchase had caused them to eat an overdraft fee from the bank.
So, looking at this
situation, whose fault was it that they were hit with the overdraft? Bob, who knew that his wife did not support
his decision and went ahead with it anyway, or Mary Ann, who told her husband
she disagreed and then bought it anyway?
The short answer is they were both at fault.
This story is not exactly
parallel to the Gospel of the two sons.
However the moral is similar. If you say you will do something, do it.
Ezekiel and St. Paul St.
Paul
To all of this, as we pull
the Word apart, we are saying: “Yes, yes! That is what I must do. Thank you Ezekiel, thank you St. Paul
Then we come to the Parable
of the Two Sons from St. Matthew’s Gospel.
On the surface we see Ezekiel’s theme brought to life as Jesus uses the
parable of the two sons, attempting to explain to the Jewish leaders how they
have misunderstood God’s call by rejecting the repentance preached by St. John
the Baptist.
We applaud Jesus for taking
those hypocrites to task. Then we think
about those two sons. We ask ourselves:
“Which of them most closely resembles me?”
Have I said to my Heavenly Father – Yes, I am here to do what you ask,
but then fail? Or have I been brought to
obedience through my errors and sins, as so many of those saints who have gone
before me?
There lies our trap, our
conundrum. If we chose the latter answer
and say we have found the right path, that we are walking the “Way,” have we
missed the point of the Kenotic Hymn?
Have we put on the mind of Christ whose attitude St. Paul
Yet, on the other side, if we
admit that we have said “yes” to the Father but not fulfilled our duty to him,
do we desperately need to undergo the conversion of heart necessary to put on
the mind of Christ? Or are we acting out of the humility we are called to and are
therefore on the right path?
Of course the answer is that
as hard as we try we shall never be able to completely personify the perfect
love and ultimate humility of Christ. He
may have emptied himself of pride but that was part of his perfect nature, a
nature reflected dimly in us in, a way befitting God’s creation. Our challenge as Christians is to work
constantly toward that perfect goal. We
do so firstly by never taking personal pride in the good we accomplish. It is Christ’s glory we proclaim not our
own. Secondly, we recognize, through
acts of contrition, that we have failed to answer our call but God’s mercy is
there for those who ask for it.
Pax
In other years on this date: Memorial of Saint Thèrése of the
Child Jesus, Virgin and Doctor of the Church
[1]
Catechism links are taken from the Homiletic Directory, Published by the Congregation for
Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, 29 June 2014
[2]
The picture used today is “Parable of the Two Sons” Artist and Date are UNKNOWN
[4]
The readings are taken from the New American Bible with the exception of the
Psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for
English in Liturgy (ICEL). This re-publication is not authorized by USCCB and
is for private use only.
[5]
cf St. Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on Philippians
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