Oct. 1, 2017: 26th Sunday A
Oct. 1, 2017: 26th Sunday A
How do I know if I’m doing the right thing in preparing for the future? It’s a good question for anyone to ask themselves in discerning how the actions they are going to take will affect and shape their future. I recently had a conversation with my brother-in-law whose eldest child is 12-years old. Besides lamenting the fact that his little girl is growing up so quickly, he is already beginning to worry about which college she will enter and whether there will be enough college savings for her. He and my sister will need to take appropriate actions now so that all three of their children will be able to attend college without incurring debt in the future.
It’s one thing to say that, ‘I want to do the right thing now’ and another thing to actually mean it and carry it out in action. Our Lord uses the parable of two imperfect sons to illustrate to us how the consequences of our choices shape our eternity. The two sons are well provided for by their father, and one day the father approaches both sons to go out to his vineyard and to help out in the family farm. We would expect that both sons should be grateful for the opportunity. The first son rejects his father’s request outright. In contrast, the second son readily agrees to go. Then there is a twist in the story. The rebellious son repents, changes his mind, and goes to work, while the well-intentioned second son doesn’t even go to work. The point that Jesus drives home is that good intentions and promises do not count unless they are performed.
A recent visit to a local prison confirm this point. As I waited in the lobby to be admitted inside to visit an inmate, I saw a crowd of family members waiting in the lobby. Once the signal was given, family members streamed into the visiting room. It was sad to see spouses and children being separated by a thick pane of glass, only to be able hear each other’s voices through a telephone. It was painfully clear that the men who said they loved their spouse and children did not carry their intention into action.
The good news is that we can change our hearts so that we will show by our action that we love God. Our Lord gives us the strength to accomplish this by the Holy Spirit who dwells in us. By the choice that we make today through the power of the Holy Spirit, we can reshape our future. Yes, we can lose the treasure of graces that God promised us by failing to live out his plan through our action. Yet Our Lord calls out to us many times each day with opportunities to choose his joy and peace. Our God is God of resurrection, a new beginning. And our new beginnings are within our grasp with renewed heart and mind in action.
