Twenty-Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

"What is your opinion? A man had two sons. He came to the first and said, 'Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.' He said in reply, 'I will not, ' but afterwards changed his mind and went. The man came to the other son and gave the same order. He said in reply, 'Yes, sir, 'but did not go. Which of the two did his father's will?"

The road to Hell is paved with good intentions. Many times in our lives we say one thing and do another. Our Yeses and No’s mean maybes. Our promises are broken. Our actions fall short. We let distractions, doubts, and other things derail us from our intended path. We begin fully intending to do right, but end up doing wrong. Other times we complain or resist doing good, but rethink our objections and do God’s Will. We push aside our personal desires or plans and find a way to make things work. We go out to the vineyard because we know it’s what God is calling us to do. Of course, it would be even better for us if we did God’s Will without complaint from the very beginning and that is where we want to be as Christians. We want to follow through on the good and avoid the bad. We want our Yeses and No’s to mean something.

Are we more like the first son, denying God’s Will at first, but then doing what is right? Or are we more like the second son with good intentions, but no follow through? How can we make our lives into living Yeses to God’s Will?

O Lord, help us to do your will without hesitation or complaint.

Amen.