Mathew 21: 28-32
Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people:
“What do you think? A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ He answered, ‘I will not’; but later he changed his mind and went. The father went to the second and said the same; and he answered, ‘I go, sir’; but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him; and even after you saw it, you did not change your minds and believe him.”
New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. USCCB approved.
Deeds Over Words
Saint Ignatius said that love is shown more in deeds than in words. He did not mean that we should not say loving and charitable words to each other, but rather that our focus should be on following through on the words we say. Or, in those moments when we catch ourselves speaking wrongly to correct that mistake with action, not more well wishes. Our two characters in this Gospel passage display these behaviors. The first one, with his words, promises great things but never follows through. We aren’t told why but we can easily imagine the reasons; he got too busy, he lost interest, something shinier and newer caught his attention. On the other hand the second son realized he misspoke, and rather than using more words to correct his wrong, he simply did the right deed. So, let’s not be so caught up in only saying the right things, and likewise let’s also recognize that when we do need to course correct, it is action, not more words, that is our best bet.
—Benjamin Rogers, SJ, is a Jesuit scholastic of the Midwest Province studying philosophy at Loyola University Chicago.
Prayer
Eternal Word, only begotten Son of God,
Teach me true generosity,
Teach me to serve you as you deserve,
To give without counting the cost,
To fight heedless of wounds,
To labor without seeking rest,
To sacrifice myself without thought of any reward,
Save the knowledge that I have done your will.
—Prayer for Generosity, attributed to St. Ignatius of Loyola
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