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Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Ezekiel 18:25–28; Philippians 2:1–11; Matthew 21:28–32
Albert was lying in bed for many days.
He did not want to see anyone.
His family tried to speak with him, but he did not want to talk.
He was an artist, a painter, known for his talent, but also known for his sinful way of life. Now he had reached the bottom. Again and again, his family heard him say:
“God will never forgive me.”
His brother invited a priest to the house.
The priest did not begin by accusing Albert. He spoke in the next room about God’s mercy, knowing that Albert could hear. He quoted Scripture. He spoke about the God who forgives. He spoke about the God who does not want the sinner to die.
This went on for several days.
One day, Albert appeared at the door and asked:
“Do you think there is any chance for me?”
The priest answered:
“God is not pleased with your death. He wants you to live. There is no sin that cannot be washed in God’s mercy, if you repent.”
That is the heart of today’s first reading.
Through the prophet Ezekiel, God says that if the sinner turns away from sin and does what is right, he will live.
His past will not be the last word.
His sin will not be the whole story.
God does not wait for the sinner to die.
God calls the sinner to return.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells a parable about two sons.
The father asks both of them to go and work in the vineyard.
The first son says:
“I will not.”
But later he changes his mind and goes.
The second son says:
“Yes, sir.”
But he does not go.
Jesus says that the first son is like the tax collectors and prostitutes. At first, their lives said “no” to God. But when they heard the call to repentance, they changed direction.
The second son is like the chief priests and elders. They said “yes” with their words, their position, and their religious service. But when the call to repentance came, they did not change.
This is a warning.
It is possible to say “yes” to God with our lips, but “no” with our life.
It is also possible to have said “no” for many years, and still return.
That is why repentance is not humiliation.
Repentance is life.
Repentance means that I stop defending what is destroying me.
Repentance means that I stop pretending.
Repentance means that I believe God’s mercy is stronger than my failure.
Saint Paul tells us that Christ humbled Himself and became obedient even to death on a cross.
This is where we see how far God goes to bring us back.
Christ does not call sinners from a distance.
He enters our poverty.
He carries our sin.
He opens the way back to the Father.
Albert believed this.
He got up.
He changed his life.
He went into the Father’s field.
We know him today as Saint Albert Chmielowski, founder of the Servants of the Poor.
The man who once thought there was no chance for him became a servant of those who had no place, no bread, and no hope.
That is what grace can do.
Today, we can ask ourselves:
Where have I said “yes” to God with words, but “no” with my life?
Where is God asking me to change direction?
Where do I need to believe again that mercy is possible?
God does not want our death.
He wants us to live.
So open your heart to His call:
Repent and live.
Biblical Reflections on the Gospel of Matthew
Scripture Attribution
New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition,
copyright © 1989, 1993
the Division of Christian Education of the National Council
of the Churches of
Christ in the United States of America.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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