A legend is told of a Christian community in Germany during the dark days of Jewish persecution. A priest, acting on Nazi orders, said to the congregation, “All of you who had Jewish fathers should leave and not return.” A few worshippers stood up and left. Then the priest said further, “Now all of you who had Jewish mothers must go and not come back.” Again a few worshippers rose and slipped out. Suddenly, those who remained turned pale, for the Figure on the crucifix above the altar had vanished.
It is easy to claim that we are Christians, by virtue of the Sacrament we received and our association with the Church. Yet when push comes to shove and when our lives are threatened or when better prospects of life are luring us, sticking to the ‘yes’ we have said to the Lord and staying committed to our faith can be compromised.
Today’s gospel takes us back to our ‘yes’ to God, our baptismal and faith-inspired assent. Two sons were tasked to work in the vineyard. The second son said ‘yes’, but did not do anything to fulfill it. The first son said ‘no’ but changed his mind later and did what was asked. The Lord’s point is direct and clear. Even if the first son could be admired for making a turn-around by eventually following the father’s command, why he said ‘no’ in the first place is something worth asking.
Jesus leaves the parable open for us to reflect on. When at the first instance we reject an invitation from God to do something for Him, but later on alter and rework our original position and then eventually take the Lord’s bidding, we wonder why we were unable to give him our assent right away. Prophet Jonah’s experience is a case in point. Sometimes we need something startling or disconcerting to jolt us out of our indifference, passivity, and doubts.
But then there is also the second son who said ‘yes’ but did not keep it. Again, the gospel did not explain why and so we are left wondering. Perhaps this son was incapable of standing up to his father and too insecure a person to say ‘no’ to him right away. Not much of a character, his frivolity and weak-willed spirit caused the father’s disappointment.
The story of the two sons in Jesus’ parable today can be retold in various ways using our individual life-situations. In whichever way, one element remains constant: we have been invited to work in the Lord’s vineyard and our response is crucial.
Two women are arguing about which dog is smarter. The first woman said: “My dog is so smart that every morning he waits for the paper boy to come around and then takes the newspaper and brings it to me.” The second woman replied: “I know.” “How?” asked the first. “My dog told me,” explained the second woman.
What makes us smart or wise? If we say the right words at the right time, we can enthrall our friends, charm our loved ones, or mesmerize strangers. The second son knew this. By saying the magic word ‘yes’, he became adorable to the father, but only for a time, a borrowed time, because his fleeting and trivial reason for saying so was eventually exposed.
“Growing old is easy, growing up is tough,” a caption reads. Oh, that we would rather grow up than old. The fabled ‘Fountain of Youth’ has become a billion-dollar industry. Beauty products, diet fads, fashion illusions are all indicative of a culture that promotes skin-deep appearance over substance, youthfulness over wisdom, popularity over integrity. Here’s a swipe: While we do not look forward to reaching our second childhood, getting stuck in the first childhood will be more undesirable.
We might have accumulated a good number of years living our Christian faith since our baptism. In spite of that, Christian maturity is not guaranteed. Last Sunday’s gospel reminds us of this. There are those who got initiated into Christian faith and were baptized already as adults. Yet they have proven themselves very mature and seasoned already in terms of depth of spiritual understanding and moral bearing.
It is said that God is a God of little things and big dreams. He appreciates the sincerity of our simple efforts. He values our little works done with heartfelt devotion because He has high hopes and heavenly wishes for us. He knows our limited capabilities, of course, yet He also treasures our infinite worth. He is a God who shapes things for us so that we, on our part, would shape our whole life for Him. He wants our nod, not just as an expression of fear or wanting to please him, but as a committed life-long struggle of knowing Him more and striving to serve Him better.
soysi 
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