First reading Zephaniah 3:1-2,9-13
All peoples shall invoke the Lord’s name and serve him
Trouble is coming to the rebellious, the defiled,
the tyrannical city!
She would never listen to the call,
would never learn the lesson;
she has never trusted in the Lord,
never drawn near to her God.
Yes, I will then give the peoples lips that are clean,
so that all may invoke the name of the Lord
and serve him under the same yoke.
From beyond the banks of the rivers of Ethiopia my suppliants
will bring me offerings.
When that day comes
you need feel no shame for all the misdeeds
you have committed against me,
for I will remove your proud boasters
from your midst;
and you will cease to strut
on my holy mountain.
In your midst I will leave
a humble and lowly people,
and those who are left in Israel will seek refuge in the name of the Lord.
They will do no wrong,
will tell no lies;
and the perjured tongue will no longer
be found in their mouths.
But they will be able to graze and rest
with no one to disturb them.
Responsorial Psalm 33(34):2-3,6-7,16,18-19,23
Gospel Matthew 21:28-32
Tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you
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.’
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The joy of being consistent
In the parable, when the father requested help, the second son told him he would go to the vineyard to work. However, it was just an empty
promise to his father. Likewise, we often focus on saying the right things to God and people but do not follow them through with our actions. For example, we say: “Yes, Lord. I will change and try to be more patient with my family members”, “I promise to pray daily…”, but when the opportunities come our way, we do not do what we say.
promise to his father. Likewise, we often focus on saying the right things to God and people but do not follow them through with our actions. For example, we say: “Yes, Lord. I will change and try to be more patient with my family members”, “I promise to pray daily…”, but when the opportunities come our way, we do not do what we say.
What God wants is for our words and actions to be one. If we want to repent, then repent with words and actions. If we want to love, then love with words and actions. One without the other is incomplete. As we draw closer to Christmas, let us desire that our words would not just be empty but that we would have the strength to do what we say.
Reflective question:
Is being consistent in word and deed important for me?
Is being consistent in word and deed important for me?
Acknowledgment: Reflections are based on “Prayer for Living: The Word of God for Daily Prayer Year C” by Sr Sandra Seow FMVD.
