26th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Actions speaks louder than words
One Sunday the parish priest began his homily, “You will remember, my dear friends, the second reading of the Sunday before last!” - when most of us could scarcely remember the second reading of that day! If I mention the Gospel reading of last Sunday, I have an advantage.
Last Sunday we read the parable of the farmer who made an agreement with his workers to pay them a wage for the day. Late in the evening he found some more workers and agreed to pay them the same amount as the ones who had worked all day. The first group were not happy!! The lesson for us from this parable was that justice is served when contracts are fulfilled.
Today we are back on the farm in the parable that Jesus uses. The scribes, Pharisees and elders can well understand why the first son in the story would give up on his work so soon. They would not want to get their hands dirty working on a farm. They feared dirt and contamination and they would have no mercy on sinners or wrongdoers.
Jesus is angered by their hardheartedness. And so Jesus puts the example of the second son before them. This son is one who represents the sinners and wrongdoers but he recognises his wrongdoing and repents and works as best he can.
I think we can see something of ourselves in both of the sons. We agree at the time of our calling to be disciples to work for the kingdom of God, the ‘Farm’. So often we get caught up in the world around us that we can see only the inconveniences, the way our hands get dirty, and we slacken off or give up. We find the farm work too difficult.
Then there is part of us which is like the second son. We are part of the real world, which so often is alien to all that the Kingdom of God is about.
But because of the ministry of the Church, the example and encouragement of other people and the grace of God, we realise that there is more to life than the pursuit of pleasure and worldly success and we change our ways.
On God’s farm today the harvest is huge. We know that vast numbers of people have not been touched by the Good News that Jesus brought and perhaps they are waiting for you and me to show them something of what it is all about.
We are called upon by today’s Gospel reading, the parable of Jesus, to renew our commitment as disciples and persevere in doing so. And, if we are like the second son, and have not yet committed to proclaiming the kingdom, Saint Paul gives us great advice in today’s second reading (or have we forgotten the second reading!); “Put on the mind of Christ.”
Putting on the ‘mind of Christ’ means thinking and judging and acting as we think Jesus would. Remember it! – Put on the mind of Christ.
Being farm workers in the Farm of the Lord means getting involved, letting our light shine and being instruments of Peace and Joy.