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Homily for Twenty Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

READ: (Isa 55: 6 -9; Phil 1: 20-24, 27; Matt 20:1-16)

REFLECT: More than mere words, our deeds prove that we belong to God…

Dear friends today we are in the Twenty-Sixth Sunday in ordinary time. The liturgy of the word invites us to prove that we love God and we belong by deeds than mere words.  “Actions speak louder than words,” is the proverb that we have heard or used often times. This proverb weighs on deeds than one’s word. We have seen people so honey their speech but actions at time zero or could be rebellious too. Today, what becomes a proof is what one does and not one says. The entire liturgy of the word reminds that deeds are more important and appropriate than our mere words that we utter. The words at times become deceptive and delusive. So how can we make or prove that we belong to God totally love God in our actions or how our actions could speak louder than our words? The following are the three ways that we could prove ourselves that we belong to God and love God in actions. 

1. Be Righteous:

To be righteous means to be right and just in ethical or moral principles. It calls us to live by the principles of morality. It calls us to be genuine at all times. It calls us to be merciful and kind to all. It is a call to fulfill one’s duties and responsibilities at all costs. It is a call to grow intensely the sense of right and wrong, and do unwaveringly what’s right. Therefore, it is a noble virtue and a challenging task. 

The first reading from Prophet Ezekiel calls us to turn away from unrighteous acts and be always righteous not giving consent to sins and sinfulness. That’s what the reading from prophet Ezekiel tells us, “If a righteous person turns away from being right or righteous, he or she would experience death, the ultimate consequence. Similarly, if unrighteous persons turn away himself or herself from wicked or unjust ways, he or she would experience eternal life and reward from God, because they have opened their eyes and turned away from the sins he or she had committed. Yes, God is neither interested nor wants the sinners to punish or put them to death. What God wishes from a sinner is a turning away from sins and sinfulness and a saint or holy people to remain holy and inspire or motivate many more to come closer to the Lord to be worthy and holy in life. 

God calls us to be righteous and turn away from wickedness and not become self-righteous people. Self-righteous people believe and hold a view that they are always right and other people are wrong; they also feel that they are better than others. This would become an easy access for people to find fault with others, unable to accept others as they and the mind will be full of negativity about others. That’s why Pope Francis says, “Those who consider themselves as self-righteous, they cook their own stew.” Yes, they are convinced of one’s own ideas and they have a conviction what they do or say or feel is good and right. These sorts of attitudes shun our spiritual growth and do not pave ways to grow spiritually or mentally well. So let us become righteous in ways that God expects us and stop being unrighteous or self-righteous people in life. 

2.              Be humble:

Pope Francis very beautifully tell us, “Humility alone opens us up to the experience of truth, of authentic joy, of knowing what matters. Without humility we are cut off, we are cut off from understanding God and from understanding ourselves. Humility is needed to understand ourselves, all the more so to understand God.”  Yes, we need humility to understand who we are and who God is. We need to humble ourselves because we are no greater than God himself and his plans in our lives. We need humility to understand who God is because, God himself humbled to send his only Son Jesus and Jesus himself humbled to go through humiliations of life and redeem us. Such is the humility of God. If God can humble so much in the process of our redemption, then what about us. Should we not humble so much in life to accept God and his plans in our lives? 

Yes, a quality that is so close to God or part of God is what we see in today’s second reading. The second reading from St. Paul’s letter to Philippians calls us to be humble as Christ humbled himself for sake of us all. It is indeed a reminder for all of us that our attitudes should be same as Jesus Christ had, which is humility. Jesus desired to identify with the most humble, the most afflicted, the most despised, the most vulnerable and the weak. If such were the attitudes of Christ, we as followers of Christ should also have the same attitude of being humble with one another, accepting others as they are in and through Christ. So nothing should hinder us from practicing humility which is the core virtue and value of human life. 

Perhaps what hinder such an attitude of humility are our personal or family attachments or ambitions. We as Christians need to give up such attitudes, so as to resemble Christ in the virtue of humility. Only the attitude of humility will make us happy, making us have one love, one spirit, one feeling without violence or vanity.  Only humility can make us feel others are more important than oneself; only humility could seek the interest of others than oneself. So let us be humble like Christ in our attitudes and approaches with one another and ourselves. 

3.              Be receptive and productive:

Receptivity and productivity in life play a major role. Receptivity is the ability, willingness and quickness to receive or accept any ideas, requests or experiences. The productivity depends on our receptivity. If our reception of God’s word is good and fully focused then our productivity too will be good and best. That’s what we find the gospel reading too. The reading calls us to be ever receptive to God’s word and become productive in our lives by being receptive to God’s words, believing in God’s words and practicing them daily in our lives. Today’s parable is the story of a father, who had two sons with a contrasting character. Indeed, the parable refers to the refusal of the chief priests who failed to recognize John the Baptist as a messenger of God and be receptive to his message, while there were good number of sinners who changed life by John’s preaching and confessed their sins. Such people were well disposed to receive the message of Jesus and John the Baptist that opened the way for the kingdom of God. They showed them the true face of God the Father. In all surety, they were ahead of the chief priests, who were indifferent to John’s call. Because of their failure to be receptive, they felt neither the desire nor the need to change life.

Perhaps, the chief priests, teachers of the law and the Jewish authorities were able to teach but were not able to touch the hearts of the people genuinely, because they were merely speakers and not doers of what they said.  They were neither ready to listen to Jesus nor John the Baptist. They thought to themselves that they know everything; they thought to themselves that they were learned persons and felt free from learning or knowing; they thought to themselves that they needed no conversions but only tax collectors or sinners or gentiles or pagans needed. They forgot themselves that that they were worse than the tax collector and sinners in deeds by failing to listen and learn from Jesus and John the Baptist and be receptive and productive in life. 

Today, we are also caught up with such vicious circle in our lives. We don’t listen to God or be receptive to God’s word but we expect others to listen or be receptive to God’s words. It is indeed a pretence and hypocrisy that Jesus warns us and urges us to give up. The gospel also demands from us that we become more receptive to God’s word in our lives so as to be more productive and bear fruit in life as Christians. Therefore, it is a must that we inculcate in us the three different virtues that would make our lives virtuous before God and before one another. We might have to some extent the virtues in different degrees, but we need to be always righteous and encourage righteousness in others. We need to be always humble and humility has to become the hallmark of our lives. We need to be always receptive to God and so as to produce fruits in plenty.

St. Francis De Sales very beautifully tells us, “Every good and virtuous action is prompted by God and the quest for virtue and the love of it begins to make us virtuous”. Yes, every good and virtuous action is prompted by God. God does not only prompt us to utter words but also enable us to practice those good and virtuous deeds, so that we may become an inspiration to others to turn away from the sins of unrighteousness, arrogance and lethargy of life in the spirit and the spirituality we are called to live as followers of Christ. Moreover, one of the scripture scholars Blomberg says, “Like the father sending his sons to work, God commands all people to carry out his will. Like the son who ultimately disobeyed, some promise but do not perform rightly and so are rejected by God. Like the son who ultimately obeyed, some rebel but later submit and so are accepted.” 

Yes, what becomes concrete or most important in the kingdom of God is our performance more than our empty words or promises. Empty promises just remain in the air but the performances take deeper roots, touch the hearts of people and make them see the reality of life realistically. It is easy to make lots of promises or say things that sound good or feel so honey as sweet, but it requires courage and challenges to fulfill the promises or words and show them through a dedicated and committed life that we live. What create an impact on people are not words but actions. Moreover as we value relationships and wish to hold on good relationships, what make relationships stronger and bonded is not merely words but deeds. So in relationships, actions are more powerful and meaningful than empty words or promises. Some might tell us that they love us so much but consistently treat you without care and concern and never show it in actions. Could we call such an act of love true or false, good or bad? But on the other hand, someone may not be so expressive in feelings and emotions directly, if anything untoward happens to one or something good happens to you they would be with you to support and strengthen you always.

Yes, some people make empty promises but there are some who perform and make the promises come true. It all ultimately depends on the disposition of our receptivity and productivity. The two sons in the parable had the opportunity to listen to the Father and do what the father wished. But one said ‘yes’ and did not go; the other said ‘no’ but went. There is a contrast in the nature and character of the two sons. But their dispositions to the reception of father’s command changed their mind or approach. Our disposition to the reception of message we hear or receive from God could change our approaches, provided it’s genuine and it’s touched by God. One’s God touches us with his grace, the receptivity and productivity in life will be great and best. So our receptivity to God’s words or ways will be seen in the productivity. Both the receptivity and productivity in life would determine and prove that we do God’s will and belong to God totally. So let our deeds speak more than the words we speak. Let us manifest God in our lives by deeds than by mere words. 

RESPOND:

Do we practice righteousness in life and promote righteousness by being righteous and right or be part of the crowd that promotes unrighteous ways in life?

Do we humble ourselves to accept how much we can grow in the likeness of Christ and promote humility in our lives?

Do we make efforts to be receptive to God and his words to become more productive people to bear fruits and produce good results in life? 

Let us seek the righteousness of God and always to promote righteousness and be right, practice humility and be humble, be receptive to God’s word and be productive in our Christian way of living. Amen. 

God bless us all! Live Jesus!

Fr. Ramesh George MSFS

rameshvkmsfs@gmail.com

9500930968