FaithICSCC


 * Gospel Passage:**

Tuesday, December 16

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.”

Jesus is asking the chief priests and elders of the people their opinion on the following passage. A man has two sons, he goes to the first and asks if he will work in the vineyard. The son says that he will not go, although afterwards he changes his mind and goes to wok at the vineyard. The man then goes to the second son and asks him to work in the vineyard. The son says that he will go, but changed his mind and did not go. Jesus then asks the men in the crowd which of the two sons did their father's will? They all agree that the first son did the father's will. Jesus then tells them that bad people on earth are entering the kingdom of God such as tax collectors while people like themselves are not. This is because when earlier prophets came, those who were thought to be righteous did not believe. While on the other hand, those who long for righteousness took God's word. Those who at first did not believe still could believe, but they saw others follow God and thought them fools, for they were stuck in their stubborn ways.
 * Summary:**

This Gospel is one that I had to reflect on and re-read many times. The message that Jesus is trying to send is that all who repent are forgiven, for they shall enter the kingdom of God. On the other hand, those who speak but don't act upon their words are not true followers of Christ and shall not enter the kingdom of God. In the passage, after the father walked away, the first son thought about things and changed his mind. He repented in his heart and realized he had sinned by not doing the will of his father. He changed on the inside, and his actions on the outside changed as a result. He knew that what he did was wrong and made the decision that he should have made in the first place. The second son did what many of us do today. He promised something to his father that he did not do. We are all guilty of that at some point in our lives, and the mistake we make is not the mistake itself, but choosing not to fix it. A common example is homework. We may be assigned homework to be turned in the next day but choose not to do it and as a result don't turn it in. We can choose to repent and turn it in the next day, or make an even bigger mistake and choose not to do it at all.
 * Reflection:**

This bible passage explains how the first son changed on the inside and as a result he changed on the outside, and did his father's will. The same is true for us. When we let God change us on the inside, it shows on the outside by what we do. We need to act out this passage because as Catholics we live our lives to please God. We try to please God so that we can go to heaven when our time is over. This passage is one of the ways that we can get to heaven and should be a lesson to all of us. True repentance is shown by our obedience, as many say, this is how we can learn from the first son. We can live this passage in our lives by simply fixing our mistakes. If we do something wrong, repent from it, and ask Jesus to forgive us. He will always forgive us and show us how to make it right.

Jesus help us to make the right choices when going throughout our day. Help us to repent when we have wronged you. Give us the courage to make things right, and teach others how to live your will. Teach us how to learn from our mistakes and not make them again in the future. We thank you for being so forgiving, loving, and kind. May we go throughout of lives with the same attitude towards all of our brothers and sisters. Amen
 * Prayer:**