Twenty-Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Dear friends in Christ

In the Gospel, a father asks his two sons to go and work in his vineyard. The first says, I will not, but later changes his mind and goes. The second says, Certainly, sir, but does not go. It is a very simple story, but perhaps it is a little too close to home. How often do we say the right thing? We know what God asks of us. We know that we should pray, forgive, make time for Him, come to Mass, be patient, generous and charitable. We can even be very good at saying, Yes, Lord. But saying yes is not the same as going into the vineyard. The vineyard is where the work is done. It is there that our faith becomes real. And perhaps there is also something encouraging in the first son. His initial answer was wrong, but his story did not end there. He changed his mind and went. That is the hope held out to every one of us. Our past failures do not have to determine our future. It is never too late to say yes to God—not merely with our lips, but with our lives. The Christian life is not about appearing to be good; it is about actually doing the will of the Father. Every morning the Lord sends us into His vineyard. He sends us to our families, to our workplaces, to our schools and, indeed, to our parish. There is work to be done: kindness to offer, burdens to carry, forgiveness to give, prayers to make and people to bring closer to Christ. The question is not simply, What do I say to God? The more important question is, What do I do for God? May we have the humility to recognise when we have said no, the courage to change our minds, and the generosity to go where the Lord sends us. For at the end of the day, it is not the words Yes, Father that matter most. It is whether we actually went into the vineyard. And the vineyard is waiting.

May God bless you all!

Msgr Kevin Hale