Longing for A Glimpse of God’s Holiness
Dear Parishioners,
Our Blessed Lord encountered stiff resistance from people whom one would ordinarily expect to be more open to welcoming the long-awaited Messiah. This opposition came from the nation’s religious and civic leaders, many of whom belonged to the higher social classes. They were considered well-versed in their religion and its Scriptures. They presented themselves as upright and as custodians of the law. Often, they insisted on strict interpretations of the law and moral codes. These men wielded significant power, and their influence shaped the nation’s traditions and laws.
Jesus had to deal with such people. His message of the new kingdom would meet stiff opposition and resistance. We cannot deny that Jesus’ teaching was not only new but revolutionary in the way it understood and applied the law. We, too, can fall into the same temptation of presumption and unwillingness to be taught. The chief priests and elders whom Jesus addressed in the Gospel presumed that they knew the mind of God. They were neither open nor docile, and they made no room to receive the new teaching that Jesus presented.
Using the power of a parable, our Lord Jesus reveals what happens to those who take God’s teaching for granted and yield instead to their own wisdom and knowledge. In the story, a father who had two sons old enough to work asked them to help him with his work. The two sons gave different responses to their father. The first son said he would not go but afterward changed his mind and went. The second son said that he would go but failed to do so.
Jesus asked His audience, “Which of the two did what the father wanted?” They replied, quite sensibly, “The first.”
His audience knew that the story was addressed to them. What a shock! They were perhaps angry that Jesus seemed to favor tax collectors and prostitutes over those who considered themselves righteous: “Tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you… Yet even when you saw that, you did not repent.”
Those whom society had labelled as sinners found in Jesus what they had formerly been looking for in sin. They heard His message, welcomed it, and longed for a glimpse of the holiness of God offered to them.
Jesus speaks to us, too. Never consider yourself superior to others. Humility remains one of the hinges of our spiritual life. A humbled and contrite heart will always find favor with God. The first son, who initially said no to his father’s command, must have reflected on his disobedience, recognized it for what it was, repented, and ultimately obeyed his father.
Let us not be like the second son who said yes but failed to fulfill his promise. In Baptism, we enter into a special relationship with God. We become His adopted sons and daughters. There is no turning back. We cannot simply walk away from our commitment. St. Paul encourages us to have the same attitude that was also in Christ Jesus.
May we always remain humble, open, and docile to God’s grace. May we recognize that Jesus is more attractive than the powerful allure of sin, and may our lives continually reflect our longing for a glimpse of God’s holiness.
Sincerely yours in Christ,
Rev. Vitalis Anyanike
Pastor
