Sunday Reflection with Fr Robin Gibbons - 28 September 2014

26th Sunday of Ordinary Time A

I like the parable of the two sons in Matthews Gospel, who, after being asked by their father to work in the vineyard respond in contrary ways: one says no and then decides to help, whilst the other having said yes does nothing. I like it because it touches several raw nerves with me. Like a lot of people trained in the Church (I was a Benedictine for a long time) ‘obedience’ is a word I know well. The whole thrust of discipleship and vocation is about saying ‘yes’ to God and putting others needs first, ‘your neighbour as yourself’.

Only it isn’t as simple as that, people’s characters differ and I’ve always found it easier to say yes to people’s requests, than, as sometimes happens think of the consequences for myself and actually say, ‘no, I can’t do it at the moment’! Others are capable of saying a firm no and explain their reasons, it seems to me that they are being obedient to the voice of God working in their lives, not as a continual demand for yes, but to dialogue and see what is the best way forward together!

We can of course become quite self absorbed, I am glad that the son who said ‘no’, reflected’ and had a change of heart, but alas, I see myself more like the ‘good intentioned’ one, full of good will, who in the end just has too much on their plate or just simply forgets, because other more interesting things happen! The great point about this parable is that God, not us, is in charge of the vineyard, the kingdom we are called to work in, and God’s ways are certainly different! Paul, in that wonderful passage about the humility of Jesus in Philippians 2, shows us just how different.

Here is Jesus, sharing the divine life, taking on human flesh and more than that humbling himself to go beyond ordinary situations to the muck, depravity and dark places of human existence in order to touch and redeem all of it! This is the Christ of faith, whose example is of humbleness of heart, forgiveness of sins, simplicity of approach to others. He does not mind our mistakes, but wants us to ‘listen’ to his voice, call him by his real name; be in relationship with him and others, dialoguing in faith, which is what the ‘yes’ of obedience is all about.

Fr Robin Gibbons is an Eastern Rite Chaplain for the Melkite Greek Catholics in Britain.