1 October 2017
First reading
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Ezekiel 18:25-28
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The word of the Lord was addressed to me as follows: ‘You object, “What the Lord does is unjust.” Listen, you House of Israel: is what I do unjust? Is it not what you do that is unjust? When the upright man renounces his integrity to commit sin and dies because of this, he dies because of the evil that he himself has committed. When the sinner renounces sin to become law-abiding and honest, he deserves to live. He has chosen to renounce all his previous sins; he shall certainly live; he shall not die.’
Responsorial Psalm
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Psalm 24(25):4-9
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Second reading
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Philippians 2:1-11
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If our life in Christ means anything to you, if love can persuade at all, or the Spirit that we have in common, or any tenderness and sympathy, then be united in your convictions and united in your love, with a common purpose and a common mind. That is the one thing which would make me completely happy. There must be no competition among you, no conceit; but everybody is to be self-effacing. Always consider the other person to be better than yourself, So that nobody thinks of his own interests first but everybody thinks of other people’s interests instead. In your minds you must be the same as Christ Jesus:
His state was divine,
yet he did not cling
to his equality with God
but emptied himself
to assume the condition of a slave,
and became as men are;
and being as all men are,
he was humbler yet,
even to accepting death,
death on a cross.
But God raised him high
and gave him the name
which is above all other names
so that all beings in the heavens,
on earth and in the underworld,
should bend the knee at the name of Jesus
and that every tongue should acclaim
Jesus Christ as Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
His state was divine,
yet he did not cling
to his equality with God
but emptied himself
to assume the condition of a slave,
and became as men are;
and being as all men are,
he was humbler yet,
even to accepting death,
death on a cross.
But God raised him high
and gave him the name
which is above all other names
so that all beings in the heavens,
on earth and in the underworld,
should bend the knee at the name of Jesus
and that every tongue should acclaim
Jesus Christ as Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
Gospel Acclamation
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Alleluia, alleluia!
and my Father will love him,
and we shall come to him.
Alleluia!
Gospel
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Matthew 21:28-32
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Jesus said to the chief priests and elders of the people, ‘What is your opinion? A man had two sons. He went and said to the first, “My boy, you go and work in the vineyard today.” He answered, “I will not go,” but afterwards thought better of it and went. The man then went and said the same thing to the second who answered, “Certainly, sir,” but did not go. Which of the two did the father’s will?’ ‘The first’ they said. Jesus said to them, ‘I tell you solemnly, tax collectors and prostitutes are making their way into the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you, a pattern of true righteousness, but you did not believe him, and yet the tax collectors and prostitutes did. Even after seeing that, you refused to think better of it and believe in him.’
Reflection
by Ma. Rosalina S. Flores
At
first glance, we may think that today’s gospel limits us to only two options of
following Jesus Christ. It’s either we become the first son who despite of refusal,
went to the vineyard and obeyed his father; or the second son who immediately
said yes, but did not act upon his father’s command.
And
like the chief priests and elders, we easily conclude that the first son is the
better one for doing his father’s delegated task. Yet, in the gospel, Jesus did
not say so. Instead, He said that the sinners who turned from iniquities will go
to heaven before those who heard the word but did not believe. Both sons
dishonored the father; the first with his words and the second by his deeds. Nevertheless,
with the great mercy of God, both sons will be given the chance to enter the kingdom
if they follow God's will.
However,
we as true believers and followers of Jesus Christ should never settle in choosing
only between the two sons. We are invited to become more; to be the third son.
The one who will eagerly say yes to God and wholeheartedly do His will.
Unlike
in a relationship where we always discourage and hate the third party for
destroying the love affair; this parable symbolically encourages us to be the third
ones so that we may strengthen our connection to God.
Turning
from sin when the end is near is not enough, the same with listening to God's
word without taking action is also insufficient. We should be the balance of
the two. Just like how diet and exercise are both necessary to achieve a healthy
body. We as the third son when we put together the ability to listen and act
will surely give glory to God and bring us to everlasting life.
Lord,
may You help us in our journey to repentance as we listen and live Your word.
The road may be difficult to walk on, but with Your grace, we know we can be the
third son You hope to have. We are accepting the challenge to become people of word
and action through the help of Your only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.
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