“But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, ‘Son, go, work today in my vineyard.’ He answered and said, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he regretted it and went. Then he came to the second and said likewise. And he answered and said, ‘I go, sir,’ but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father? They said to Him, ‘The first.’”
Matthew 21:28-31a
Let us examine ourselves.
This parable is intended for Jewish religious dignitaries. They said yes to God, committing themselves to follow the Law of Moses. But they did not accept John the Baptist, who proclaimed that Jesus was the Savior. Conversely, many sinners who did not follow the Law repented and followed Jesus. They did the Father’s will and will be saved.
We can see in this text an urging for introspection. We said yes to Christ at our baptism and Holy Sealing. Where do we stand today?
We have committed ourselves to renouncing evil. What about our determination to overcome sin? Humankind tends to minimize the seriousness of their sins. We often consider the sins of others to be more serious than our own. But this is not so. Every sin is an obstacle to our perfect fellowship with Christ. Let us not play with grace, telling ourselves that God will forgive us anyway. He only forgives those who are sincerely repentant and determined to make amends. Let us not allow ourselves to be distracted from our fight against sin by other concerns. Our salvation depends on it!
We promised to follow Jesus. John the Baptist turned away from Jesus because he no longer agreed with Him. Do we really follow Jesus’s message? The Lord says:
- eternal life is more important than our earthly existence;
- simply following the law is not enough to be saved—motivation is as important as works. What counts above all is loving God and our neighbor;
- we can only be saved by grace, not by our merits;
- His purpose is not to punish the sinners but to save them;
- we are called to serve—not to be saved, but to thank Him for saving us. Let us note in this passage that He harshly judges religious leaders who use their position to dominate others or take advantage of them (Mt 23:4-14).
At the time of our Holy Sealing, we committed ourselves to prepare for Christ’s return by following the apostolate. Do we still firmly believe in Christ’s imminent return? Are we still convinced that it is the apostolate that truly interprets the gospel? Have we evolved spiritually?
This questioning is not always pleasant, but it is essential. We all have to examine ourselves; no one else can do it for us. There may also have been times when we have said no to the Lord. For example, when He asks us to forgive someone who has wronged us. Has the time not come to change our minds? It is not too late to correct ourselves!
In His love, the Lord helps us to understand ourselves better:
• He speaks to us in preaching—let us take His word seriously (Jas 1:23-25);
• He places us in situations that allow us to become aware of our strengths and weaknesses;
• He gives us role models in the Church who show us what is possible to do with Christ.
With Christ’s help, we can make amends before He returns. We have renounced sin and promised to follow Christ and the apostolate. Introspection is essential to our salvation. Christ helps us to understand ourselves better and to amend our ways.