Gospel: Matthew 21: 28-32
The Parable of the Two Sons is a lesson in Advent pilgrimage. In reality every human being is in the position of the second son: we have all been disobedient and have failed in one way or another to follow God's will in our lives. The question is not whether we have failed to do God's will; the question is what we are going to do in the face of this reality.
We could take the position of the first son and pay lip service to God's will. We can make promises, offer prayers, and talk a good game - but all the while fail to do God's will. This is a common posture in religion, but it is a false one. Love is found in deeds, not in words, and not everyone who says Lord, Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven.
Or we could be like the second son. We have been disobedient. We recognize our failures, and we arise from our place to go about doing the will of God in our lives. And God's will is nothing more than repenting of our sin and offering mercy to all we encounter in our lives. This is the Advent pilgrimage: to accept the message of John the Baptist and repent; and to follow the way of the Lord Jesus and perform the works of mercy to all on earth.
No comments:
Post a Comment