(See the readings for the 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time)
Jesus continues his proclamation of the Kingdom in this week’s Gospel passage. The theme of God’s mercy, which we have been encountering in the Gospel passages of the past few Sundays, continues today.
This week Jesus is speaking with the chief priests and elders of the people. It is this group that stubbornly refuses to believe in and rejoice in the gift of mercy. Jesus uses a parable to have them ponder their understanding of God and His ways.
The parable involves a father who has two sons. He asks them to go and work in the vineyard. The first says no but changes his mind and goes. The second says yes but then fails to go. When Jesus asks the leaders which son was in the right, they immediately answer “the first.”
Jesus then gives a teaching on God’s mercy lambasting the leaders for their failure to see. He tells them that “when John the Baptist came in the way of righteousness, you did not believe him; but tax collectors and prostitutes did. Yet even when you say that, you did not later change your minds and believe him.”
Thus, the first son can be said to represent sinners who hear the call to repentance and turn from their sinfulness to embrace God’s mercy and His way of life. The second son represents those leaders who said yes to God but never went into the field. This “going into the field,” or the “vineyard” to be more precise, is a reference to God’s way, the way of life that is entered through repentance and righteousness. Though the word obstinacy is not used, the attitude is exhibited by the leaders.
John’s ministry brought about a conversion of heart and living for those who turned from sinful behavior and through God’s mercy are brought into the “vineyard.” This should be cause for rejoicing. The leaders, however, look upon it with skepticism, cynicism and scorn. Jesus’ engagement of the leaders in this dialogue is an attempt to have them recognize their obstinacy and to turn back to the Lord. It may well also be a call to faith.
Perhaps the attitude of the leaders is that mentioned by Ezekiel in the first reading. “You say, ‘The Lord’s way is not fair!’” This is similar to the themes we’ve been encountering in the liturgy these past few weeks, that God’s ways are not the ways of humanity.
The prophet continues: “Hear now, house of Israel: Is it my way that is unfair, or rather, are not your ways unfair?” Those who cast sinners off as hopeless, who dismiss them as outcasts, or who ignore their plight fail to recognize the power of God’s mercy and His desire to share it. If God who is all good knows how to forgive, how can any human (none of whom are “all” good) deny the possibility of forgiveness for a fellow human being?
The call to follow God’s ways entails being merciful. This is part of the obedience due to God — the active listening and response to His Word and His way. St. Paul reminds us that Jesus emptied himself in humility through obedience, even to the point of death on the cross.
Notice that when Paul introduces that well-loved hymn in his Letter to the Philippians (second reading) he says: “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.”
Through this inspired author, God is calling all Christians to follow the example of Christ Jesus in love and mercy which are most vividly and completely expressed on the cross.
Jesus’ interchange with the leaders encourages us to look a little more closely at our own lives and attitudes toward mercy. The parable invites us to ponder God’s mercy and His invitation to repentance. It calls us to reflect on our own attitude toward God’s gracious call.
In the interchange with the leadership Jesus invites us to ponder our own appreciation of God’s mercy for ourselves and for others. Hopefully in doing so we can join the psalmist in proclaiming: “Good and upright is the Lord; thus, he shows sinners the way. He guides the humble to justice, and teaches the humble his way.”
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Msgr. Joseph Prior is pastor of St. Dorothy Parish in Drexel Hill and a former professor of Sacred Scripture and rector of St. Charles Borromeo Seminary. Read more reflections by Msgr. Prior here.
The post Gospel Calls Us to Live God’s Way, the Way of Mercy appeared first on CatholicPhilly.
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