HOMILY FOR 26TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME – YEAR A
By: Deacon Bill Frere
HOMILY THEME: Choices!
Gospel – Matthew 21:28-32
Caiaphas’ House, Jerusalem
We all have words that stick in our memory, words that cement an historic moment in time. We remember where we were, what we were doing and who we were with. Ask not what your country can do for you…. I have a dream…. One small step for a man……
There are also words, very personal and specific ones, whose meaning transcends and transforms. That moment, after years of disagreement over the morality of the Vietnam War, when my Dad said to me – I was wrong. Those 2 simple words – I do – when Ginger and I were married. Or that “and with your Spirit” I shared with Bishop Kane at the end of my ordination as a permanent deacon.
Today’s Gospel seems pretty straightforward. A father asks his 2 sons to come work for him in the vineyard. One says Yes and one says No. End of story? Not so fast! The one who said Yes never shows up. And the one who said No changes his mind and comes to the vineyard. They both had a choice to make; they both made a choice eventually! But that choice wasn’t really made when they answered their father. The choice was finally carried out in their actions, how they followed up their words!
Choices are not just about words; they are about how we follow up, how we act! Put your money where your mouth is, put up or shut up, practice what you preach! We hear it every single day. Actions speak louder than words! We all know that to be true; we all have had moments when we were little when Mom told us to clean our room or do our homework. We gave her the right words but we didn’t follow up with the proper actions, at least not until we got caught. Words and Actions!
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Words! They matter! They are important, yes! But what matters more is what happens after they are spoken. Whether it’s the world or my life or my purpose, something changes! It has to; otherwise those words are meaningless and empty. My relationship with my Dad changed so much for the better afterwards! My life as a husband began and we moved forward in life together. And that Sign of Peace with the Bishop was the beginning of a ministry, not simply words recited from memory. What matters the most is how we act on our words, what we do!
Every Mass there is a point where we all profess the Creed, a concise profession of our faith. But is it mere words on a page? Is it simply words that we spew out and then continue on with the Mass? Yes, those words matter. But matters most is how we act on them, how we carry them out in our lives, how we live out our Faith!
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