Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time, cycle A

MATTHEW 21:28-32

MY WIFE USES HER COMPUTER A LOT. SHE DOES EMAIL, ORDERS THINGS, EDITS PHOTOGRAPHS, AND READS THE NEWS. BUT SHE REALLY HATES IT. SHE IS NOT TOO FOND OF ANY TECHNOLOGY MORE RECENT THAN ROTARY PHONES. SHE ALSO HAS AN ADVERSE RELATIONSHIP WITH ELECTRONICS, AND FREQUENTLY SOMETHING HAPPENS TO HER COMPUTER. I HAVE BECOME A PRETTY GOOD INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIST AS I AM CALLED TO FIX WHATEVER IS WRONG. NOW AND THEN I HAVE A PROBLEM I CAN'T FIX, SO I GO ON LINE AND CHAT WITH A SPECIALIST. FOR SOME REASON THE SPECIALISTS I REACH HAVE NAMES LIKE “RAVI” OR “SHARVAZ” OR “TATANIA”. ONE CHARACTERISTIC THAT TIES THEM ALL TOGETHER IS HOW UNFAILINGLY POLITE THEY ARE ON LINE. “I AM DELIGHTED TO BE OF HELP TO YOU, SIR!” THEY EXCLAIM. “WITH YOUR PERMISSION, I AM GOING TO REVIEW YOUR PROBLEM. PLEASE WAIT.” THEY TELL ME. “I AM EXTREMELY SORRY FOR THE DELAY,” THEY TELL ME AS THEY COME BACK ON LINE. AND AT THE END OF THE CHAT SESSION THEY COMPLIMENT ME PROFUSELY BECAUSE I HAVE FOLLOWED THEIR DIRECTIONS AND THE PROBLEM IS RESOLVED. WHEN I THANK THEM, THEY TELL ME THAT THEY COULDN'T HAVE DONE IT WITHOUT ME. WE CAN BE SURE THAT NONE OF THE CHAT SPECIALISTS ARE AMERICAN.

IT'S INTERESTING THAT IN THE MIDDLE EAST, IF YOU GO AND READ THIS GOSPEL PASSAGE TO SIMPLE FOLK WHO HAVEN'T HEARD IT BEFORE, AND ASK THE QUESTION, “WHICH SON DID THE WILL OF HIS FATHER?” THEY TEND TO FAVOR THE ONE WHO SAID HE WOULD BUT DIDN'T. THAT IS BECAUSE THEY HEAR “WHICH SON HONORED HIS FATHER?” AND IN THEIR SOCIETY, TO TELL YOUR FATHER YOU AREN'T GOING TO OBEY HIM IN PUBLIC IS LIKE A SLAP IN THE FACE. AND THAT IN FACT MIGHT HAVE BEEN THE SON'S MOTIVE, THE ONE WHO DIDN'T DO WHAT HIS FATHER ASKED. HE HAD NO INTENTION OF CARRYING OUT THE TASK, BUT DID NOT WANT HIS FATHER TO LOSE FACE.

BUT THE QUESTION JESUS ASKS IS “WHICH SON DID THE WILL OF HIS FATHER?” AND HE GOES ON TO SAY THAT PROSTITUTES AND TAX COLLECTORS ARE ENTERING THE KINGDOM BEFORE YOU – THE CHIEF PRIESTS AND ELDER BECAUSE WHEN THEY HEARD JOHN, THEY CHANGED THEIR MINDS, THEY CHANGED THEIR BEHAVIOR; BUT YOU CHIEF PRIESTS AND ELDERS HEARD HIM YOU DID NOT CHANGE YOUR MINDS. THE WILL OF THE FATHER ALWAYS BEGINS WITH CHANGING OUR MINDS.

NOW WE MIGHT ASK OURSELVES, WHICH SON ARE WE LIKE? DO WE SAY WE ARE GOING TO DO THINGS AND NOT DO THEM, OR DO WE REFUSE TO DO THINGS AND THEN GO AHEAD AND DO THEM? AS I'VE GOTTEN OLDER, I'VE GOTTEN TO BE MORE LIKE THE SON WHO TELLS HIS FATHER HE WON'T OBEY. I KEEP QUIET WHEN I MIGHT HAVE VOLUNTEERED. I DON'T JOIN ORGANIZATIONS EVEN WHEN I'M INVITED TO. AND I CERTAINLY AM VERY CAREFUL ABOUT TAKING ON NEW TASKS – BECAUSE I HAVE A LIFETIME OF EXPERIENCE WHERE I HAVE VOLUNTEERED, WHERE I HAVE TAKEN ON NEW TASKS, WHERE I HAVE JOINED ORGANIZATIONS – ALL WITH THE HOPE THAT THINGS WOULD CHANGE FOR THE BETTER BECAUSE OF ME – AND I'VE ALWAYS BEEN DISAPPOINTED WITH THE OUTCOME. IN THE PAST, I WAS LIKE THE OTHER SON. IF SOMETHING CAME UP I WAS ALWAYS FIRST IN LINE. THEN I'D DISCOVER THAT I HAD TAKEN ON TOO MUCH, OR THE TASK AT HAND WAS NOT POSSIBLE GIVEN MY RESOURCES, OR THE ORGANIZATION THAT I JOINED DID NOT REALLY EXIST TO MAKE THE WORLD BETTER – IT USUALLY TURNED OUT TO BE A DEBATING SOCIETY.

SO I'VE BEEN BOTH SONS, AND BEING EITHER ONE IS NOTHING TO BE PROUD ABOUT. I MAY KNOW THAT GOD WANTS ME TO DO SOMETHING, AND I MAY EVENTUALLY DO IT, BUT MY INITIAL REACTION IS “LEAVE ME ALONE, FIND SOMEONE ELSE!” I DISRESPECT MY FATHER. OR I MAY KNOW THAT GOD WANTS ME TO DO SOMETHING, AND I SAY YES, BUT I DON'T GET AROUND TO IT, AND AFTER A WHILE, I'VE BURIED IT SO DEEP THAT IT DISAPPEARS FROM MY CONSCIOUSNESS.

THE CHIEF PRIESTS AND ELDERS ARE SO SURE THAT THEY SPEAK FOR GOD THAT THEY NO LONGER LISTEN TO HIS PROPHETS. AND THEY ARE THE ONES WHO LAY HEAVY BURDENS ON THOSE OVER WHOM THEY HAVE AUTHORITY. THEY MEAN WELL, BUT THEY HAVE NOT CHANGED THEIR MINDS, THEY HAVE NOT REPENTED, AND AS A RESULT, THEY NO LONGER HEAR GOD. AND THE TAX COLLECTORS AND PROSTITUTES HAVE LISTENED, AND MANY HAVE CHANGED THEIR MINDS AND EMBARKED UPON A NEW WAY OF LIFE, EVEN THOUGH THIS MEANT HAVING TO FIND ANOTHER LIVELIHOOD, SINCE THERE WAS NO UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE IN THOSE DAYS. AND THE OTHER LIVELIHOOD USUALLY MEANT SOME SORT OF BACKBREAKING LABOR.

WHEN JESUS TELLS THIS STORY, HE USES THE WORDS “CHANGE YOUR MIND”. THE GREEK WORD, “METANOIA” CAN ALSO BE TRANSLATED AS “REPENT” OR “BE CONVERTED”. IN FACT, THAT WORD IS VERY COMMON IN THE NEW TESTAMENT AND WE IGNORE IT AT OUR OWN RISK. “METANOIA” IS SIMPLY THE PROCESS OF TRYING TO DISCERN GOD'S WILL FOR OURSELVES. AND IT IS SOMETHING WE ARE SUPPOSED TO BE DOING FROM NOW ON UNTIL OUR NATURAL DEATH. AND ITS SUCH A TRAGEDY THAT SO FEW CHRISTIANS MAKE AN EFFORT TO DO THIS. HOW DO WE GO ABOUT IT? IT IS ALWAYS A STRUGGLE, AND IF YOU DON'T HAVE A SENSE THAT YOU ARE STRUGGLING, YOU AREN 'T CHANGING YOUR MIND. IF YOU AREN'T WRESTLING WITH SCRIPTURE OR THE TEACHINGS OF THE CHURCH, YOU AREN'T CHANGING YOUR MIND. IF YOU HARBOR RESENTMENT OR HATRED FOR SOMEONE, PAST OR PRESENT, YOU AREN'T CHANGING YOUR MIND. IF YOU KEEP CONFESSING THE SAME SINS AND FAULTS THAT YOU CONFESSED LAST YEAR, YOU AREN'T CHANGING YOUR MIND.

CHRISTIAN LIFE IS SUPPOSED TO BE ALL ABOUT GROWTH, ABOUT CHANGE. IT BEGINS WITH RECOGNIZING THAT THERE IS SOMETHING ABOUT ME THAT NEEDS TO CHANGE, AND THE FIRST STEP TOWARDS THAT CHANGE IS TO CHANGE MY MIND.