May Jesus Christ be
praised and may his holy Mother pray for us.
There were two sons in
our reading from the Gospel today. One
of them changed his mind and chose to be disobedient to his father. The other
son changed his mind and chose to be obedient to his father. In the reading from the Letter of Saint Paul
to the Philippians, the Lord Jesus reveals the mind of the Father and changes
everything.
Our reading from the
book of the prophet Ezekiel and our reading from the Gospel of Matthew focus on
our human capacity to make a choice. We
have been created with the awesome power to make a choice. God has created us in freedom. We are capable of responding to the
invitation of God. We can walk toward
him at his call. We can walk on the path that leads us to the Promised Land. We
can enjoy with the prophets the good things of the Lord in the land of the
living. And we are capable of rejecting
the invitation of God. We can walk away
from him at his call. We can run on the
path that leads to exile. We are capable
of experiencing, even now, the desolation and isolation of those who eternally
reject the everlasting love of the Lord God.
The Lord God, for his
part, has made his choice. He has loved
us from all eternity. He has called us from the foundation of the world. God
has invited us, like the father in the parable, to spend our day in his
vineyard. The choice of God is
clear. In his will, He has chosen
us. He invites us to choose His will.
In the Letter to the
Philippians, we hear that the Lord Jesus embraces the will of the Father in
humility and obedience. The Lord Jesus
claims no privileged for himself. His
life is complete and total gift to the Father. He embraces the road of humility
that leads from the heights of heaven to the Virgin’s womb. From the poverty of the manger, the
simplicity of Nazareth, and to the isolation of Calvary, the Lord Jesus lives
in obedience in the vineyard of the Father. The Lord Jesus shows us that true
power and authority is revealed in obedience and humility. The greatest act of
power of the Lord Jesus is freely choosing the will of the Father.
God, our loving Father,
has made his choice. The Lord Jesus, our
Blessed Redeemer, has made his choice.
The invitation is clear. The path
is marked by the footprints of the Savior.
Let us go, dear brothers and sisters, to the vineyard of the
Father. Amen.
Preached
at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, Monroe, NC
