Brothers and Sisters,
The readings this week speak to the importance of obedience to God. At the same time, obedience requires humility. We cannot truly follow our Lord if we are not first willing to lay down our own will in order to follow His. Disobedience alienates us from God. On the other hand, obedience draws us closer to God. When we do disobey and sin, we need to turn back to God and seek His forgiveness. He will show us the way. It requires a humble heart to admit we have sinned and seek to get back on the right path. Christ is our model of obedience and humility. It is obedience that will help us to be like Christ, who obeyed His Father unto death.
The meaning of the parable in the Gospel reading this week is crystal clear (Mt 21:28-32). The Jewish leaders are the people who said they would obey God and then did not. The tax-collectors and the harlots are those who said that they would go their own way and then took God’s way. The most important lesson we can take from this passage is to seek the humility, openness and genuineness of the tax collectors and prostitutes. They were praised by our Lord, because they could see and accept the honest truth. Sure, they were sinners, but God can forgive sin when we are aware of our sin. If we are not willing to see our sin, then it’s impossible for God’s grace to enter in and heal us.
The true follower of Christ must deny himself and commit his whole life to God in truth, humility and obedience to His will. It is only in humble obedience that we can experience the peace of letting God lead us on the path that He has chosen for us. To be like Christ, we must not only profess our obedience and trust with our words but also with our actions.
God Bless,
Deacon Howard
