The Holy Family and St. John the Baptist Catholic Parishes in Edgar, Wisconsin shared a reflection on the 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time. 

When we are invited to join God’s family, it is natural to be curious as to what our response should be. 

“We heard that the owner of a vineyard asked his two sons to go out and labor in that vineyard. This vineyard owner, of course, represents God,” the reflection stated. 

The two sons each respond differently: The first said he will disobey and the second said he will obey. The true test, of course, is in what they actually do. The first really does do what the father asked of him and the second does not. 

“Jesus seems to identify this second son with insincere pious people that do not practice what they preach. As a result, such persons do not enter into the Kingdom,” the reflection stated. 

While the first son is the one who ultimately obeys his father, neither of the sons should be looked to as an example of how we should live. We should be both open to saying we obey and be sincere about our words. 

“And if we share in Jesus’ loving relationship with his father in heaven, and in the infinite and eternal exchange of love that is the Holy Trinity, then we are empowered by that love of God to manifest that same graciousness and generosity in our own lives,” the reflection stated.

Rather than following in the footsteps of the sons from the parables, let us follow in the footsteps of the Son of God. 

“The love of God enables us to be like Jesus in the way that we show and share our love. This means that we are able to respond promptly and generously to Our Heavenly Father’s summons to labor in His vineyard as Jesus did for the building up of the Kingdom of God,” the reflection concluded.