The Poor and Sinners – Open to the Word 

December 14, Tuesday

THIRD WEEK OF ADVENT

God had spoken continually to his people in words and deeds, yet they did not listen. But among them a remnant of poor people will return to God. With them, all the pagan, sinful nations will come to serve God. Sinners who recognize their poverty, are perhaps more open to God than those who boast of being righteous. Through them, their faithfulness and zeal, all of the people, even outsiders, are inspired and become better.

 

First Reading: Zephaniah 3:1-2, 9-13

Doom to the rebellious city,
    the home of oppressors—Sewer City!
The city that wouldn’t take advice,
    wouldn’t accept correction,
Wouldn’t trust God,
    wouldn’t even get close to her own god!
Her very own leaders
    are rapacious lions,
Her judges are rapacious timber wolves
    out every morning prowling for a fresh kill.
Her prophets are out for what they can get.
    They’re opportunists—you can’t trust them.
Her priests desecrate the Sanctuary.
    They use God’s law as a weapon to maim and kill souls.
Yet God remains righteous in her midst,
    untouched by the evil.
He stays at it, day after day, meting out justice.
    At evening he’s still at it, strong as ever.
But evil men and women, without conscience
    and without shame, persist in evil.

“In the end I will turn things around for the people.
    I’ll give them a language undistorted, unpolluted,
Words to address God in worship
    and, united, to serve me with their shoulders to the wheel.
They’ll come from beyond the Ethiopian rivers,
    they’ll come praying—
All my scattered, exiled people
    will come home with offerings for worship.
You’ll no longer have to be ashamed
    of all those acts of rebellion.
I’ll have gotten rid of your arrogant leaders.
    No more pious strutting on my holy hill!
I’ll leave a core of people among you
    who are poor in spirit—
What’s left of Israel that’s really Israel.
    They’ll make their home in God.
This core holy people
    will not do wrong.
They won’t lie,
    won’t use words to flatter or seduce.
Content with who they are and where they are,
    un-anxious, they’ll live at peace.”

 

Gospel: Matthew 21:28-32

 “Tell me what you think of this story: A man had two sons. He went up to the first and said, ‘Son, go out for the day and work in the vineyard.’

 “The son answered, ‘I don’t want to.’ Later on he thought better of it and went.

 “The father gave the same command to the second son. He answered, ‘Sure, glad to.’ But he never went.

 “Which of the two sons did what the father asked?”

They said, “The first.”

Jesus said, “Yes, and I tell you that crooks and whores are going to precede you into God’s kingdom. John came to you showing you the right road. You turned up your noses at him, but the crooks and whores believed him. Even when you saw their changed lives, you didn’t care enough to change and believe him.

 

Prayer

Lord our God,
you are close to the poor and the repentant.
Do not allow us to be proud,
that we may not trust in ourselves
but teach us to be humble and lowly,
that we may recognize our limitations
and be open to you and to your coming
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

 

Reflection:

Do what you preach

Today, the Church celebrates the memorial of St. John of the Cross, who initiated the spiritual renewal of his own religious community. Ordained a Carmelite priest in 1567 at age 25, John met Teresa of Avila and vowed himself to the Rule of the Carmelites. As partner with Teresa, John engaged in the work of reforming his own community, and came to experience the price of reform: increasing opposition, misunderstanding, persecution and imprisonment. He came to experience the dying of Jesus—as he spent his days in the cistern, with Jesus on the Cross as his only companion.

In today’s Gospel, through the parable of the two sons, who were asked to work in their vineyard, Jesus expresses his annoyance over the rejection of the Message of the Kingdom by those who were expected to be members of God’s Kingdom by default. Priests and elders of the community were the ones who were learned and had access to the Scriptures. They regarded themselves to have automatic access to God’s kingdom while prostitutes and tax collectors were regarded public sinners and couldn’t even dream of reaching anywhere near.

It would be wrong to interpret that Jesus was condoning the sinful behaviour of the crooks and prostitutes. Explaining this text, sometimes we hear phrases such as “those who do not go to Mass are better than those who do”, or “What is important is not about going to Mass, but being a good person.”

In fact, Jesus does not exalt sinners for being sinners, nor denounce the pharisees for their righteousness. What he appreciates in the sinners is their disposition to conversion. John the Baptist preached a message of conversion and he was greatly appreciated by the common people who were regarded as public sinners; while the priests and officials rejected him. Now Jesus faces the similar reaction – ordinary people and public sinners became his friends and accepted his message while the “officially righteous” people rejected him.

The two sons in the parable represent all the Children of God and the Father represent God the Father. The son who disagrees to go the vineyard stands for those who because of their sinful behaviour, have moved away from the Father. But later he decided to change his ways and obeys the father. The son who says yes but does not obey stands for those who scrupulously followed the law even at the cost of charity and mercy.

This parable is a call to examine the quality of our lives. When we fail to live by the Gospel even as we claim to follow Christ, believing ourselves to be superior to others, and despising in some way those who are far from the faith, today’s Gospel is a warning. To follow Jesus is to live by his Gospel. Be Christians of action and not Christians of words alone.

 

Video available Youtube: Do what you preach