26TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (A)

A man had two sons. He came to the first and said, ‘Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.’

Mt 21:28-32

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The parable is about a father and his two sons. He went to the first and told him to go and work in the vineyard. He refused to, but then changed his mind and went. The father, therefore, went to his other son who said he would go and work, but did not.

Take note that Jesus addressed the parable to chief priests and elders of the people. The parable, therefore, is about them. What was Jesus telling them through the parable?

They are like the second son who accepted the Law of Moses but rejected Jesus and his message. The first son is the sinners who disobeyed God’s Law, but on hearing the preaching of Jesus, repented.

What lesson can we learn from this parable, we who are living about two thousand years later?

The first son disobeyed but repented. We may disobey God’s Law. We may commit sin. But repentance is always possible. Remember St. Peter. He denied Jesus not only once but three times. But after the Resurrection, Jesus gave him the opportunity to repent by asking him three times: “Do you love me?” The thief, Hestas, was sinner. But at the end of his life, he repented. And Jesus accepted his repentance. It was only to him that Jesus ever said: “Today you will be with me in Paradise.”

The second son was about to obey but disobeyed in the end. Even if we have been trying to be good and perhaps, have been successful, we should not be too sure about ourselves. We might find ourselves giving in to temptation later.

Let us go deeper and examine the issue of “sin” which is to say “no” to God, like the first son who said “no” to his father. Sin is also committed when we disobey God’s commandments, like the second son who after saying “yes” to his father’s command, disobeyed by not working in the vineyard.

Question 1: Do we commit sin because we disobey a commandment?

Answer: No. We commit sin when we do something bad.

Consider this. A doctor was commanded by the hospital director to perform an abortion. He refuses. Did he commit sin by disobeying the command of the director? Of course, not.

But take note. God commands us to avoid certain things precisely because those things are bad. For example, to steal is sinful because taking what belongs to someone else is bad. That is why he commands us: do not steal.

Question 2: Someone says: “I will lead a sinful life. But before I die, I will repent so that I will go to heaven.” Will he be forgiven?

Answer: Probably not. Why? Because someone who says that is not sincerely sorry. Now how can you be forgiven if you are not really sorry?

Question 3: There are some bad people who seem to escape punishment. Isn’t that unfair?

Answer: God rewards the good and punishes the wicked. If someone does not get punished here on earth, then he will surely receive punishment in the next life. Remember that God sees everything. There is no secret that can be kept from God. And no one can bribe God.

Question 4: Suppose you know someone who seems to be far from God. Is there hope that he will be converted?

Answer: Yes. St. Monica prayed for the conversion of her son. He did not change. But St. Monica persevered in prayer. Not only did her son become good, but he also become a Christian, then a priest, then a bishop and then a Saint, St. Augustine.

One Salesian shared this story. His father was far from God. When he entered the seminary, he prayed to God for the conversion of his father. He continued to pray for him until he became a priest. One day his father was hospitalized. In the ICU he asked his wife to call for a priest. He died at peace with God.

So, is there hope for someone who has been living far from God to be converted? Yes, there is. But we might have to pray for years to obtain his conversion.

To summarize:

1. We commit sin when we do something bad. 

2. If someone says that he will live a life of sin and then repent before he dies, he will probably be not forgiven because he is not sincere.

3.   Someone who escapes punishment in this life for his sins will not escape it in the next life.

4.    There is always hope that bad person will change and be converted. Our prayers will help. But sometimes we may have to pray very long for that conversion to happen.