Gospel Lectio Divina for the Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time - October 1, 2023
Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth.
O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, Through Christ Our Lord, Amen.
READ
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."
MEDITATE
“Which of the two did his father's will?”
Jesus is concerned with the actions of the chief priests and elders, not their reputation. For all we know, their good reputations were intact. As far as other Jews in their communities knew, it seemed like the high priests and elders were following the law of the book. But this encounter seems to hint otherwise. The way Jesus addresses them apparently puts them on the spot; he speaks to them as if he knows what they’ve been doing. Like he knows the bad they’ve done in secret—kind of like when he wrote something on the ground after a woman was caught in adultery. “I will do it”, the high priests and elders say, but then they only do the Father’s will when everyone is looking. Meanwhile, they seemed to enjoy putting a spotlight on other people’s sins. Today, Jesus is putting the spotlight on them for a change. They are masters of deception, not masters of the law. They put on appearances that garner the respect of others, but they commit their wrongdoings in secret just like so many other people.
I use the word “they”, but Jesus’ words are flying over my head if I do not admit that I am sometimes just like the chief priest and elders. In fact, it’s dangerous to accuse them only and brush off the possibility that I could be like them. Doing so would be hypocritical and condescending. But how I love to loathe those high priests and elders! I enjoy pointing at them and saying how wretched they are. When I read the Gospels, if I am ever thinking that Jesus’ words are addressed to anyone other than myself, I need to look in the mirror more and be more honest.
"The first."
In last Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus concluded by saying “The last shall be first and the first shall be last.” This week, he is building upon that theme. The son who said, “I will not”, but then obeyed his father is probably struggling with sin, but continues to fight it. He knows that his father is telling him to do the right thing, but his desire for freedom overcame his desire to do what is right . . . for a moment. After some time wrestling with his own heart, he realizes that he has to obey for his own sake.
Meanwhile, the second son thinks he can get away with disobeying his father by misleading him. Or at least that is the presumption of many readers, most likely. But we do not know the second son’s reasons for ultimately disobeying his father. Actions speak louder than words; but more importantly, continuing to engage in the struggle is what matters most. Pride can get a hold of us in many ways. We may think we do the Father’s will enough, so we may think we are justified by delaying a little, or by putting our own interests first. For all we know, the second son may have intended to obey his father, but then became distracted by something he deemed was more important. He may have been wrestling with his own will and just lost this battle. Whatever the case, at least this time he put himself before his father’s will.
So, Jesus is flipping the script as he brings to the front the people in all our lives who know they are sinful but continue to fight their sinfulness, because we all are struggling with some vice—but the one who responds to the Father’s calling despite the struggle is the one whom Jesus will make first in his kingdom.
Tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you.
Again, Jesus offers quite a harsh admonishment to the chief priests and elders. Or is it as harsh as it seems? It’s only harsh if we think little of tax collectors and prostitutes as lowly citizens. But we don’t know what’s going on in their souls. We don’t know what led them to their decisions, and we’ve all made bad decisions. Jesus weighs the heart. It’s not that our actions don’t matter, but so often we can do things for the wrong reasons. The chief priests and elders followed the law to receive recognition from others so they could be seen as righteous. Jesus is not saying all tax collectors and prostitutes will enter the kingdom before them, but that some will. The only reason this statement took the chief priests and elders by surprise was because they considered themselves to be more righteous than tax collectors and prostitutes. If they were humble enough to admit they were just as sinful, Jesus wouldn’t have needed to give them this message.
When John came to you in the way of righteousness, you did not believe him; but tax collectors and prostitutes did.
This is our chance to believe John too. Will we be like the ones who regard themselves as righteous, acting like we understand exactly what we need, or will we heed the prophets in our lives even today who speak the word of God with conviction? Prophets don’t just predict the future. In fact, they usually don’t. To believe they simply have some gifted foresight is a lazy generalization. They are prophets because they are messengers of God. They do often speak of the future, but it’s often the future that could happen, not what inevitably will happen. If you are familiar with science fiction, you know about the many different theories of time travel. I don’t mean to go too far down a different path here, but I will say there is some truth to the stories about alternate timelines. Why am I talking about time travel when Jesus is clearly talking about the way of righteousness? You may see it too. The “way of righteousness” is Jesus Christ who exists outside of time. He sees all possible futures and is warning us to avoid the one where we stray from the path, onto the road of decadence that leads to hell. The way of righteousness is also the life journey that God wants us to take—his will for us. It exists, but we have to choose that timeline, that way, not the other ones.
Perhaps the chief priests and elders were too fixed upon their own timeline, or their own way, causing them to not see the way of righteousness—God’s will. We can peel the layers of Scripture back and look deeper and deeper into their meaning, like looking into a microscope. The bottom line is, that Jesus is clearly seeing things from a different—and better—perspective than the rest of us, and he is inviting us to see it too.
PRAY
Dear Lord,
For as long as I can remember, I have been intrigued by the idea of following the path you have made for me to take. I get frustrated often, not knowing where it leads, and not liking where I think it leads. But every time I come back to your Word, you show the way and how amazing it is. The way of righteousness is everything I could hope for. Sometimes I am like the first son, saying I will do as you tell me, but then not doing so. In fact, I am that son more often than the first. However, I can relate to the first. I know there are times when I am defiant, and there is nothing that will get me to do what I ought to do. Please continue to be patient with me. You are always here guiding me, and sometimes it just takes me time to notice your light, for me to notice how your plans for me are greater than anything I can hope for or imagine. The goal is to say I will do your will, and then actually do it. That shows integrity. But I take some solace in the thought that your will can accommodate a little defiance. Thank you for understanding. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
LISTEN
It’s one thing to listen, and another thing to obey. The second son in this Sunday’s little parable heard his father loud and clear. He may have even strongly considered going out to the vineyard, but then got caught up in something that he considered to be more important. Our intentions in the moments when we are before our authorities could change when we are no longer before them. Then is when we show our true character: when no one is around to observe our obedience. Jesus sees our hearts. He knows when we pray when no one is looking, and in fact prefers that kind of prayer. This is profound. It shows that we have a father outside this world, a father who cares who we are in the deepest recesses of our souls, not who we are to other people. We may be shy, defiant, despised, or looked down upon among our peers. But thank God that he can see who we are in our solitude.
Kilby is a freelance writer from New Jersey and managing editor of Catholic World Report. He received his undergrad degree in humanities and Catholic culture from the Franciscan University of Steubenville. In addition to working with the Knights of the Holy Eucharist (knights.org), he has served as a journalist for Princeton Packet Publications, and the Trenton Monitor, the magazine for the Diocese of Trenton. Some of his published work can also be found in St. Anthony Messenger, Catholic Herald (UK), and Catholic World Report. For the latter he is managing editor. Find more of his writing at ramblingspirit.com
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