TWENTY-SIXTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

Interaction Between Faith and Action

First Reading (Ezek 18:25-28): The wicked who turn away from sin shall live,
the righteous who commit iniquity shall die.
Second Reading (Phil 2:1-11): Imitate Jesus' love and humility
Gospel (Mt 21:28-32) : The parable of the two sons.
Chinese Classics
“Including an unqualified person in a musical band” (1)

In the parable of the ‘Two Sons’ that Jesus tells today the elder son promised his father to work in the vineyard but did not do so while the younger son did what the father asked even though he had refused to go. Obviously, the parable was directed at the chief priests and elders at that time.

In Jesus' time, what distressed him most was his confrontation with the chief priests and elders. They were fervent believers, steadfastly faithful to their religion and were examples to the Chosen People. Yet they were unwilling to believe and even rejected, then killed God's only Son whom God had sent into the world.

The Prophet Ezekiel once prophesized thus: ‘When the righteous turn away from their righteousness and commit iniquity, they shall die for it; for the iniquity that they have committed they shall die. Again, when the wicked turn away from the wickedness they have committed and do what is lawful and right, they shall save their life.’ (Ezek 18:26-28)

How ironic it is that the wicked can save their lives and the righteous, on the contrary, lose theirs! What is a good name for? What is the use of a person's status? What Christ spoke of was concrete action in actual daily life.

In Han Fei Tze, there is a story about “Including an unqualified person in a musical band”(1). At the time of the King Chai Xuan there was a group of people who played an ancient musical instrument, similar to a flute. It was a large group with more than three hundred people. A Mr. Nam Kwok applied to be a member of this group. King Chai Xuan was very pleased and accepted him. Later he died and King Meng came to the throne. He liked solo performances and hoped to listen to each of his musicians and show his appreciation of their skills. When Mr. Nam Kwok knew about this he escaped and was nowhere to be found.

Why did he escape? It was because he did not know how to play the instrument. He only stood among the three hundred expert musicians and pretended to play.

A name should match the reality. Once I came across a middle-aged lady. I asked her why she did not join a parish group meant especially for middle-aged women. She disdainfully rejected the idea. When I asked her the reason she criticized the group members, saying, “Those people play mahjong every Sunday after attending Mass. Worse still, some of them are loan sharks.”

I encountered another woman who frequently went to church but was unwilling to be baptized. When I asked her why she replied, “ I know that birth control is not allowed in the Church. I will get baptized after I have given birth to two children. After I have had my oviduct litigated I will enter the Church.”

I was somewhat disturbed by these two persons. I wondered what faith meant to them. Was it something that enabled them to be called ‘Christian’ or a way to attain salvation with no cost, as some other Christians emphasize, ‘Believe in Jesus and you will have eternal life’?

Once when Jesus was teaching a woman in the crowd called out loudly, “Blessed is the one that bore you and nursed you.” That is, blessed is the mother of Jesus. But Jesus answered, “Rather, more blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it.”

Some Christians interpret these verses as Jesus' denial and disrespect for his mother. I fear that takes the verse out of context. Jesus simply wanted to point out that in his view a person's status, even that as prestigious as his mother, was not important. What is really of value is one's obedience to the word of God and determination to act accordingly.

If we have a basic knowledge of Scripture we surely know that the Blessed Mother was one who was most obedient to the word of God, carrying out God's every wish. From the time she uttered these words, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word,” till the end of her life, she acted only according to God's will. We have high esteem for her not merely because she is the Mother of Christ, but even more because she is the one most faithful in obeying God's will.

Therefore I think it is only half true to say ‘believe in Jesus and you will have eternal life’. ‘Believing in Jesus' is only the starting point. If we wish to have eternal life we must love him and live according to his words.

The Sacrament of Baptism is called the “Sacraments of Initiation.” because it is through this sacrament that we enter the Church. In the Church we learn how to become more fully human, how to constantly be contrite and how to renew ourselves. One Scripture scholar says, “The Church is a preparation for accepting the mystery of faith.” Because the Church itself is not our goal, she is only a way or a road. She helps us experience faith, accept Christ, and practise a life of faith.

We must be true Christians in name and in deed, thinking like Christ, acting like Christ, the principles that guide our lives based on the spirit of the Gospel.

Jesus said, “If you have love for one another, ‘by this’, everyone will know that you are my disciples.” Thus, our Baptismal certificate, being called a ‘Christian’ is not what makes us become followers of Christ. It is our way of life and our spirits of love that make us become a Christian.

Let us pray that our faith and actions become one, so that our faith is integrated into our life and we are able to live life to its fullness.

(1)濫芋充數