Pastors Corner: Do what God wants

Contrary to my heartfelt belief, punctuation does matter - not just for writing, but for life also.

The reading for our services this weekend are: Reading I: Ezekiel 18:25-28, Reading 2: Philippians 2:1-11, Gospel reading Matthew 21: 28-32.

The first reading, from Ezekiel, calls us to turn away from evil so we might live in a loving relationship with God. Some of us may say that what God is asking of us is not fair because the evil we do might not seem evil to us. It is safe to say that God's ways are not our ways - we don't see things the way God does.

The second reading, from Philippians, calls us to put on the mind and heart of Jesus. Humbling ourselves and taking the form of a slave. Adopting the attitude of loving service to God and others and recognizing their needs as more important than ours.

In the Gospel reading, Jesus uses a parable about two brothers who are asked to go into the vineyard and work one says "no," then later goes and does the work. The other says "yes," but has no intention of doing the work and does not go. Jesus then poses the question "Which son did the will of his Father? It is clear that the son who goes out to the vineyard after saying "No" to the Father is the son that indeed did the Father's will, but what does this mean for us?

I guess we could say that doing the Father's will is to follow the Law and not to sin by breaking the Law. As tough as that may sound it may be much easier than what we are asked to do in the Philippians reading; to put on the mind and heart of Jesus. What is the mind and heart of Jesus? I believe the mind and heart of Jesus is made clear to us when Jesus is asked "What is the greatest commandment?" and he replies that we are to Love God with all our heart, mind and soul and Jesus continues by saying that the second greatest commandment is to love our neighbor as ourselves and that there is no commandment greater than these, (Mark 12:28-31). The mind and heart of Jesus then is to love God and God's people. Have you ever heard it said, "Life would be easy if it wasn't for the people"? I believe it is much easier to love God than it is to love our neighbor.

Like the sons in the gospel reading, you and I are asked to do the Father's will and that will is to Love God and our neighbor. And if we call ourselves Christians that means we must love God and our neighbor in the same way Jesus did. With this realization doing God's will becomes very difficult, but it is Jesus' mandate to us. We must overcome the innate selfishness that is part of our humanity and empty ourselves and take on the will of God as Jesus did.

We might say that Jesus could do that because he was/is God and we would be right. But Jesus was/is fully human, and it is because of this reality that it is possible for us also to "take on the mind and heart of Jesus." as Paul says. While indeed we are not God like Jesus, we have two things going for us. First, we are created in the likeness and image of God. Second, because of our Baptisms we have the gift of the Holy Spirit - God living within us to empower us to live as Jesus in the world.

As Christians, we call ourselves the "Body of Christ." We, through the power and activity of the Holy Spirit in our lives, are to "Do nothing out of vainglory; rather, humbly regard others as more important than yourselves, each looking out not for his own interests but also for those of others. Have in you the same attitude that is also in Christ Jesus..." (Philippians 2: 3-5)

I believe that doing the Father's will is very difficult and like the first son in Jesus' story we might say "no". But, if we consider the fact that it isn't just us doing the work alone, that we have not only a community of believers to assist us but the very presence of God in the Holy Spirit strengthening us to work in God's vineyard. When we understand and believe this reality, God's work becomes doable.

God's work is not only doable - it has heavenly rewards.

Blessings

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Deacon Tim Maroney

St. Jude Thaddeus Catholic Church