26th Sunday in Ordinary Time. October 1, 2017 [Matthew 21:28-32]
“Which of the two did his father’s will?” (Mat 21:31)
The road to hell is paved with good intentions. This old proverb attributed to St. Bernard of Clairvaux may sound rather morbid and threatening, but the truth remains. If we have only good intentions, marvelous plans, or great designs, but we never lift a finger to begin the first step, nothing will happen. We want to focus on our study, yet we are distracted by Facebook’s status and newsfeeds, our online chatting, or endless videos in YouTube, we will not make any progress. We wish to accomplish a lot of works, but our attentions and energy are consumed by so many other concerns. Then, our wish stays a wish.
The parable Jesus shares this Sunday speaks of a good intention or ‘yes’ that can be completely useless if it does not materialize in concrete actions. Yet, more than achieving the highest productivity, the parable teaches us some more primordial truth. At the end of the parable, Jesus asks the Jewish elders, “Which of the two did his father’s will?” The parable teaches us about doing the Father’s will.
From the two sons, we learn that doing God’s will can be tough and demanding. Once I had an exposure with poor farmers in Indonesia. I was staying with a family who tilled their own small and almost barren land, and every morning, they went to the field and make sure that their plants were still alive. Part of my exposure was that I had to help them. Used to the comfort of seminary life, I barely lasted for an hour working under the scorching summer heat, and then rested the entire day while looking at the family working so hard. I imagine that the two sons in the parable are aware of the challenges that they will endure working at the vineyard, and it is expected that the resistance will build up. The first son immediately declines his father’s wish, while the second son says yes.
We might wonder why the second son changes his mind. Perhaps, he has no plan to work there, and what he says is utter lie and deception. Yet, I tend to believe that he has actually a good intention to fulfill his duty, but he is discouraged by the looming hardship he will face in vineyard, and ends up doing nothing at all. Perhaps many of us are like this second son. We intend to help more our Church, yet we are always late going to the Mass, complaining about the priest’s homily, and not participating in the various activities or organizations in the parish. We wish to give glory to God, yet our lives do not manifest a good Christian life as we indulge in gossiping, are envious with other members of the Church, and become choosy in our services. No wonder for some, the Church feels like hell!
We remember that these two men are the sons of the vineyard’s owner and thus, the vineyard essentially belongs to them. If they refuse to work, they will lose their vineyard. The poor family where I stayed for exposure, were working extremely hard despite many difficulties. I realize that all this they did because their small land was what gave them life. Doing God’s will is often challenging, yet in the end, it is for our good. I believe it is not too late to act on our good intentions, and from the second son, we transform into the first son. We are working in the Lord’s vineyard because the vineyard is also ours.
Br. Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP