Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 21, 28-32
Jesus said to the chief priests and elders of the people:
“What is your opinion?
A man had two sons.
He came to the first and said,
‘Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.’
He said in reply, ‘I will not,’
but afterwards changed his mind and went.
The man came to the other son and gave the same order.
He said in reply, ‘Yes, sir, ‘but did not go.
Which of the two did his father’s will?”
They answered, “The first.”
Jesus said to them, “Amen, I say to you,
tax collectors and prostitutes
are entering the kingdom of God before you.
When John came to you in the way of righteousness,
you did not believe him;
but tax collectors and prostitutes did.
Yet even when you saw that,
you did not later change your minds and believe him.”
Do God’s will
1) Repentance. This is the attitude of the first son. When there is true regret, you change the direction of your life. This is what should happen in your life sooner or later. You can’t keep on being stubborn and hardheaded. In life there are moments of crisis. These are the moments when you must mature and define yourself. Maturity involves repenting, thinking hard, and changing. It is not only wanting it, but also seeking it and showing a real change, following God’s will and not one’s own. I’m going to repeat that: it’s not simply a matter of wanting to change; you must work on it.
2) Falsehood. When we say yes, but it is really a no, we are being false. It is also a problem of identity. For fear of what others might say about you, sometimes you show things that are not the real you. It is the typical immature attitude of wanting to please everyone, of saying and doing what they expect you to do. We all have a bit of this; we have trouble giving things up and assuming our own responsibility. This even happens in our religious life when we use God as a form of escape or as a guarantee of what we want to have or do. Forgive me for saying so, but it is similar to a political campaign, where many things are promised in order to achieve a goal which in the end will only be for human satisfaction.
3) God’s will. This is where we must question ourselves and take a look at our identity. Life is marked by commitments and fidelity to our word and the decisions that we make. No one should force anyone; you must take responsibility for what you say and decide. This is why before deciding it is convenient to think, pray, and trust. Doing God’s will is not going to be easy, but it will bring you peace.
Be confident and as Saint Teresa of Avila says: “Let nothing disturb you, let nothing frighten you. All things are passing away: God never changes. Patience achieves everything. Whoever has God lacks nothing; for God alone suffices”.
God bless you, be with you and protect you in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Never forget that something good is on the way!
