Actions, not words. Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A) 

A common thread links last Sunday's readings with today's. Both remind us that God's way of thinking and acting is very different from our own. Last Sunday, it was Isaiah who proclaimed; today, through the prophet Ezekiel, the Lord addresses us in an even more direct way: “You insist: ‘'The Lord's ways are not just'’. Listen, O house of Israel: Is my way unjust? Is it not rather your way that is unjust?"

Last Sunday's Gospel spoke of God's generous invitation to everyone:“Go, then, to my vineyard”God does not want anyone to remain spiritually unemployed. Today's Gospel goes a step further. It reminds us that God's call always awaits a free response. God never forces anyone to serve him. Working in his vineyard demands a free and generous "yes," a "yes" expressed not only in words, but above all in deeds.

Jesus illustrates this teaching with the parable of the two sons. The father asks each of them to go and work in the vineyard. The first responds emphatically:“I don't want to”But then he changes his mind and goes. The second one responds respectfully:“I'm coming, sir.”However, it wasn't so. When Jesus asks which of the two fulfilled the Father's will, everyone answers: the first. The lesson is clear: what counts are actions, not words. As the saying goes: "Easier said than done.".

The crucial word in the parable is not simply “went,” but “repented.” The first son changed his mind. He allowed his father’s will to take precedence over his own.

Conversion is always a change of direction toward the right destination. C.S. Lewis expresses this admirably in Mere Christianity: "We all want to progress. But progress means getting closer to where we want to be. If we've taken the wrong path, continuing on won't get us any closer to our goal. If we're on the wrong path, progress means turning around and getting back on the right one; and in that case, the one who turns back first is the one who truly progresses.".

Jesus is the perfect contrast to the second son in the parable. He is the true Son who not only says “yes” to the Father, but takes that “yes” to its ultimate consequences. In Jesus, there is no distance between word and deed. His entire life is a perfect “yes” to the Father.