What we have to do must be done in the now because life is very short

The liturgy of the twenty-sixth Sunday in ordinary time is based on the following readings: Ezekiel 18:25-28; Psalm 25; Philippians 2:1-11; Matthew 21:28-32. The main theme of our readings is on the significance of our actions. What we do, the way we live is the clearest indicator and the real measure of our faith in God. The prophet Ezekiel stresses this point as he talks of the individual responsibility for one’s own actions. For this prophet, there is only one way to a meaningful life: leading a virtuous life now. In the Gospel, St. Matthew tells us how Jesus distinguishes clearly between those considered nominally good and those who actually do the good. In his way of speaking in parables, Jesus brings out a common human situation where one son only says to his father that he will work, and the other son goes to work. From such a situation Jesus concludes in a way that must have shocked the legalistic mindset of his hearers, that prostitutes and tax collectors are entering the Kingdom of God before the chief priest and the elders (Mtt.21: 31). Those who heard him at that material time must have asked themselves so many questions, and so do we! Why? Perhaps such people were more open to his instructions. Perhaps they had no religious reputation to justify. Perhaps they had no self-image to impede them seeing their sins and their need for conversion. In any case, what Jesus meant is so clear to us today; such people were in a better situation to listen to the new teaching, then discover that they were on a wrong course and then change their ways immediately. This was not so easy for those who thought they knew it all, who thought they were right, and who did not want to listen to any doctrine different from what they knew already. Jesus meant that those who do the right thing in the right time will enter the kingdom of God. Psalm 25 which is part of our liturgy echoes that sincere cry of those who want to change their ways. They sincerely want to follow the Lord’s way, they recognize their need of the Lord’s mercy for their sin. And the psalm also recognizes the Lord’s favour towards those who humble themselves before him. St. Paul teaches us that in order to be converted and pick the courage to do the right thing now, we need a certain kind of humility. In his letter to the Church at Philippi he advises them to live in unity. He adds on that the key to unity is humility, which regards others as very valuable and important in our life as a journey. According to the Apostle, this inspires Christians to a practical interest in others as true companions on their earthly pilgrim. St Paul gives us Jesus as the model; he took the form of a slave and served and obeyed to the point of death. (Phil. 2:6ff.). The doctrinal point which is stressed in these readings is the personal responsibility in what we do or fail to do. An urgent and free personal response to God in this life is expected of each person. And now is the time. If we give it a thought, we find out already that we are, and have been, surrounded by God’s providence all along. The changing circumstances of this world, and the interior movements of our nature and God’s grace, all give us an occasion not to miss, for a free determination as far as our lives are concerned. We must freely will our decisions and our actions, both interiorly in our intentions, in our planning, and exteriorly; in our actions. Our openness to Christian reality, and the degree to which we assimilate it in our minds and hearts, is, necessarily, a free, self-determining decision. Today in our nation, there are many factors that influence our perception and our will to varying degrees, especially the horrible parts of our history. It is true that such factors are relevant, but this can be said in any other part of the world. We all have what must be taken into account when we consider our degree of responsibility for what we do. But there is always a place deep within ourselves, big or small, for which we are freely responsible. Nothing can interfere in this place except us. We do not need an outside intervention when it comes to our responsibility before the known truth and goodness of God. Prophet Micah puts it in a sweet poem: “What is good has been explained to you man. This is what Yahweh asks of you: to act justly, to love tenderly, and to walk humbly with your God.” Mic. 6:8 The pastoral point of our liturgy is a call to allow the heart to turn our doctrine into action. In the Gospel, Jesus reminds us that words do not express the full human response to God, however we experience him in our life. What is required is the integral response of the whole person: his thoughts, words, actions, and full human capability. To draw on a biblical distinction, our search and openness to the experience of God needs to involve the heart even more than the mind. It is the heart that is the origin of our desires and actions. It is the heart that convinces us that what we have to do must be done in the now because life is very short. Ends