IT IS NOT ENOUGH TO SAY YES

Homily for the Twenty-Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

Fr. Ugochukwu Ugwoke, ISch

Readings: Ezekiel 18:25-28; Philippians 2:1-11; Matthew 21:28-32

Last Sunday, Jesus spoke about workers invited at different hours to work in the vineyard. The emphasis was on God’s generosity in calling everyone into his Kingdom (Mt 20:1-16). On this Sunday, Jesus takes us a step further. He says that it is not enough to be called; what matters is how we respond to the call.

In today’s Gospel, a father asks his two sons to go and work in his vineyard. The first says no, but later changes his mind and goes. The second says yes, but never goes (Mt 21:28-30). When Jesus asks which of the two did his father’s will, the answer is obvious. The one who actually went.

With this seemingly paradoxical parable, Jesus is making an important distinction between words and actions. The second son had the right words, but his life and action did not confirm them. The first son had the wrong initial response, but he eventually changed his mind and obeyed. This is why Jesus tells the chief priests and elders that tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the Kingdom of God before them. Those who had once lived far from God believed John’s message and repented, while those who considered themselves righteous refused to change (Mt 21:31-32).

This is also the message of Ezekiel in the first reading. God rejects the idea that our past must permanently determine our relationship with him. “When the wicked man turns away from the wickedness he has committed and does what is just and right, he shall save his life” (Ezek 18:27). God looks at the direction of our lives. A sinful past does not make repentance impossible, and a good beginning does not excuse a refusal to persevere.

Therefore, the Gospel asks us a very personal question. Are our words and our lives saying the same thing? We can say that we believe in God, attend Mass, pray, belong to a pious society or even hold a position of responsibility in the Church. But Christian discipleship cannot remain at the level of words. At some point, our faith must become obedience, charity, forgiveness, sacrifice and conversion.

St Paul gives us the model in Christ. “He humbled himself and became obedient, even to death” (Phil 2:8). The obedience of Christ was not merely something he declared. He lived it completely. His humility and self-emptying show us what genuine obedience to the Father looks like.

Perhaps, then, some of us are like the first son. We have said “no” to God at different moments of our lives. We have wandered, resisted, delayed or made choices contrary to his will. But the Gospel gives us hope. It is not too late to change our answer. A sincere “yes” lived today is better than a “yes” spoken yesterday but never lived. 

The important question is not what we once said to God. It is what we are doing with his invitation today. May the Lord give us the grace to turn from our wrong paths, to humble ourselves before him, and to make our “yes” visible through the way we live.