Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people: “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.’ The son said in reply, ‘I will not, ’but afterwards he 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?” They answered, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Amen, I say to you, tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the Kingdom of God before you. When John came to you in the way of righteousness, you did not believe him; but tax collectors and prostitutes did. Yet even when you saw that, you did not later change your minds and believe him.”
REFLECTION
Which of the two did his father’s will?”
It is a fascinating experience to watch a child develop. But it can be frustrating to parents when toddlers go through the "No" stage. How parents handle it will affect the child as they grow older.
In the parable, the Father tells his sons to go out to work in the fields. He gets a "No" response from one son and a "Yes" response from the other. Yet, their actions are the opposite of their responses.
Even though the first son replied, "No" he changed his mind and did what his Father asked. The other son said, "Yes" but he did not go out to work in the fields as his Father commanded.
Basically, Jesus tells the chief priests and elders that they know better but they are stubborn and prideful which keeps them from believing. While even those who are sinful, believed John the Baptist and repented. Thus, the sinners will enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
Jesus said to them, “Amen, I say to you, tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the Kingdom of God before you. When John came to you in the way of righteousness, you did not believe him; but tax collectors and prostitutes did. Yet even when you saw that, you did not later change your minds and believe him.”
God the Father is patient and will give us many chances to "change our minds" and to do His Will. Let us grow out of our toddler stage and do the Father's Will. Let us pray for the grace of repentance and pray the Consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
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