THE TWO RELATIONSHIP STATUS WITH GOD (Sunday, September 28,2014)

National Seafarers' Day
26th Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)
Ez 18:25-28
Phil 2:1-11
Matthew 21:28-32


In the first reading, we heard that God defends Himself from the accusations of the Israelites. They are saying that the Lord is not fair towards them because of the death they are experiencing. But on the other side of the coin where God is on the one side and the Israelites on the other, it is rather them that did unfair deeds which is the cause of their experience of death which they blame unto God rather than themselves who are the caused of their own death - it is them, the Israelites, who were unfair in their ways for their wickedness and never God.

In the Gospel of Matthew, it is important to observe the comparison of the two sons as what the Lord Jesus told the hearers. The first one refused but did as what was asked by his father. While the other just said his yes but never did anything as what was asked of him. It is so much like as this. The son who later on became obliging but refused at first can be compared to sinners who refuses God's love and mercy but changes their status into allowing themselves to embrace God's infinite and intimate compassion He has towards them, like the tax collectors and sinners who came to John the Baptist to be baptized for the admission of sins and always mindful of never sinning again. 

But the other son is in a very dangerous and deadly path of saying yes but do not in anyway did of what was asked of him. It can be compared to religious men or women or part of the laity yet complacent on the status of their being religious without a mindful look at themselves if they are indeed doing the will of the heavenly Father. They are religious men and women or of the laity and that is their yes to God by being religious yet they are not righteous. Actually, they are very much indeed to become righteous given the fact that they are already religious and yet no one walks to the path of righteousness. That is an outright disobedience to God's will. Why? Because you said yes by the mere fact that all of us are already here on this religious path yet we are saying no to God by not using the utmost gift of religiousness to become righteous. So, what do we do now? Let us never do anything out of selfishness or of vain glory as what St. Paul said in the second reading. Let us empty ourselves by not seeing ourselves religious although many of us can already be considered one. That is the only path to righteousness - to forget that we are already religious or even righteous because we are doing it not for ourselves but for the Lord. Emptying ourselves as if it is not us who lives in ourselves but Christ alone. By allowing Christ to live in us as we progress in virtuous life, we must be overwhelmed by joy because the Lord is exalted in us by the Father who is no doubt very much delighted of the obedience of us. Let us always be mindful of our own relationship status with God. If you are a sinner, say yes to God by reforming your ways and never to return to your sins again. And if you are a religious man or woman, whether you are a bishop or a lay, it is your prime duty to say yes to God by becoming righteous and not only as a religious. It is already a wickedness of sinners not to accept the mercy of God while the wickedness of religious people is the disobedience by not becoming righteous. We must become holy as the heavenly Father is holy, we must become perfect for He is perfect. Let us consummate the Lord's mercy while we are still alive. We must now do what we are ought to do as sinners or religious. Everyone must do his or her own Christian homework.

Jesus, I trust in You.
O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recoursed to thee.



Mary H. Distributist