The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to examine our motives in our daily relationship with God and others.
The reading from the Prophet Zephaniah describes the wickedness of Jerusalem.
* [3:1] The tyrannical city: Jerusalem. (Zephaniah, CHAPTER 3, n.d.)
Psalm 34 offers praise for Deliverance from Trouble.
* [Psalm 34] A thanksgiving in acrostic form, each line beginning with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. In this Psalm one letter is missing and two are in reverse order. The psalmist, fresh from the experience of being rescued (Ps 34:5, 7), can teach the “poor,” those who are defenseless, to trust in God alone (Ps 34:4, 12). God will make them powerful (Ps 34:5–11) and give them protection (Ps 34:12–22). (Psalms, PSALM 34, n.d.)
The Gospel of Matthew shares the Parable of the Two Sons.
* [21:28–32] The series of controversies is interrupted by three parables on the judgment of Israel (Mt 21:28–22:14) of which this, peculiar to Matthew, is the first. The second (Mt 21:33–46) comes from Mark (12:1–12), and the third (Mt 22:1–14) from Q; see Lk 14:15–24. This interruption of the controversies is similar to that in Mark, although Mark has only one parable between the first and second controversy. As regards Matthew’s first parable, Mt 21:28–30 if taken by themselves could point simply to the difference between saying and doing, a theme of much importance in this gospel (cf. Mt 7:21; 12:50); that may have been the parable’s original reference. However, it is given a more specific application by the addition of Mt 21:31–32. The two sons represent, respectively, the religious leaders and the religious outcasts who followed John’s call to repentance. By the answer they give to Jesus’ question (Mt 21:31) the leaders condemn themselves. There is much confusion in the textual tradition of the parable. Of the three different forms of the text given by important textual witnesses, one has the leaders answer that the son who agreed to go but did not was the one who did the father’s will. Although some scholars accept that as the original reading, their arguments in favor of it seem unconvincing. The choice probably lies only between a reading that puts the son who agrees and then disobeys before the son who at first refuses and then obeys, and the reading followed in the present translation. The witnesses to the latter reading are slightly better than those that support the other. (Matthew, CHAPTER 21, n.d.)
Tom Lenz comments that one of the messages from this story is the idea of intentionality. In other words, our truest intentions, and desires. His experiences of being a parent have shown me that sometimes the immediate “No” that comes from asking the kids to make their beds was not because they wanted to be defiant. It just seemed to be the default response to being told what to do.
Thinking about this gospel reading in this way makes me think about my own intentionality. What are my truest intentions and desires when I meet with a student or colleague? Are they directed toward the needs of the other person, or my own? What about when I am at home with my family or talking on the phone with a friend, or when I am at church? I wish I could say that my most authentic desire is to, “do the will of my father” as in the story. But I don’t think that is always true. But, what this gospel story does for me is to help me be more conscious of my intentionality while at home, work, church, and elsewhere. If I can become more aware of my truest intentions while doing anything I become more contemplative, and I can use that to help guide my actions going forward. I am grateful for all the times my kids told us “No” because it gave us an opportunity to engage more deeply with them as parents and to practice patience with our kids as they grew and matured. I think this is what Jesus is saying God does with us, too. Being more aware of my truest intentions and desires is in its own way “doing the will of the father.” By moving ourselves in this direction allows us the space to reflect and grow which is always a movement toward God. (Lenz, n.d.)
Don Schwager quotes “The Father and his two sons,” author unknown, from the 5th century A.D.
"Who is this if not the God who created all people and loves them with a fatherly affection, the God who preferred to be loved as a father rather than feared as a lord, even though he was Lord by nature? On this account, at the beginning of the commandments of the law, he did not say, 'You shall fear the Lord with all your heart' but 'you shall love the Lord with all your heart' (Deuteronomy 6:5). To elicit love is not characteristic of a lord but of a father. Of the two sons in this parable, the older one represents the Gentiles, since they come from their father Noah. The younger son represents the Jews, who come from Abraham. 'And approaching the first, he said, "Son, go and work today in my vineyard." 'Today' refers to this present age. How did he speak to his sons? He didn't address them face to face like man, but he spoke to the heart, like God. Man only utters words to the ear, but God supplies understanding to the mind." (excerpt from an incomplete Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew, HOMILY 40) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 21:28-32 comments that the tax collectors and prostitutes—and everyone seeking out Jesus—realized that they had sinned. They also knew they were hurting and needed healing. They came to Jesus because they knew how much they needed him. Just think of the friends of the paralyzed man who broke through the roof to get to Jesus (Luke 5:18-19). In contrast, many religious leaders didn’t see their need for the healing and forgiveness that Jesus offered, so they didn’t come to him.
Every Advent, God calls us to respond to Jesus’ offer of grace and mercy. Maybe we think we’re self-sufficient: I have everything under control, thank you very much. But the call of John the Baptist to repent, and the greater call of Jesus to humbly embrace his mercy, best reaches our ears when we recognize our need.
That’s why churches throughout the world offer increased opportunities for the Sacrament of Reconciliation during Advent. Confession is a sacrament of healing, a place where we can unearth the attitudes that keep us from seeking out Jesus and receive the strength we need to follow him. This Advent, find an opportunity to go to Confession. Join the “tax collectors and prostitutes” falling at the feet of Jesus in repentance and entering his kingdom.
“Jesus, I need you.” (Meditation on Matthew 21:28-32, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler notes that Zephaniah describes the terrible situation in which God will purify His people in exile. A remnant will always remain faithful to the Lord’s Way. Friar Jude cautions us about becoming self righteous.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Franciscan sister and scientist Ilia Delio who finds evidence for a benevolent universe in evolutionary change driven by love. She seeks to reconcile a good and loving God with the ever-present suffering in the world:
There is no doubt that suffering and violence abound in the crevices of life, but suffering is not a punishment of a vengeful God. God does not abandon us; we abandon God by . . . running after little gods. God lives deep within us, as the center of love, but we are often [dismissive of] this inner center and drawn by the little gods of power, success, status, and wealth, everything we create for ourselves. . . . The theodicy question is not why God allows bad things to happen to good people but why we abandon God in the face of suffering. If God is love, then our only real hope is in God, because hope is the openness of love to infinite possibilities and new life. . . . This God of love appears in Jesus of Nazareth, a God who gets radically involved in the messiness of the world to be God for us. . . .
To have faith in a God of unconditional love is to realize how intimately close God is. So close we forget God’s presence. In his own day Jesus was immersed in a violent culture, a culture of conflict and anxiety. But he also knew of the deeper truth hidden beneath the surface of human judgment, namely that this broken, anxious world is oozing with God. He asked us to have faith, to believe that the reign of God is among us and within us. [2] (Rohr, n.d.)
We live in tension between influences that urge us to take care of “number one” and the prompting of the Spirit to trust in the Way of Jesus.
References
Lenz, T. (n.d.). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved December 13, 2022, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/121322.html
Matthew, CHAPTER 21. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved December 13, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/21
Meditation on Matthew 21:28-32. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved December 13, 2022, from https://wau.org/meditations/2022/12/13/553916/
Psalms, PSALM 34. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved December 13, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/34?2
Rohr, R. (n.d.). Daily Meditations — Center for Action and Contemplation. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved December 13, 2022, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/evolution-gods-love-in-action-2022-12-13/
Schwager, D. (n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved December 13, 2022, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2022&date=dec13
Zephaniah, CHAPTER 3. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved December 13, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/zephaniah/3?1
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