26th Sunday of Ordinary Time Year A
First Reading: Ez 18:25–28
Second Reading: Phil 2:1–11
Gospel Reading: Mt 21:28–32
Once, when I suggested an old man return to church, he replied, “Father, I haven’t stolen; I haven’t committed adultery; I haven’t murdered. What more does God want?”
The answer is that our relationship with God isn’t a contract where he promises us heaven in return for 50 per cent, 90 per cent, or even 99 per cent of our time, attention, goods, or talents. God wants us.
So, when the wicked repent, they’ll save their souls, regardless of how little time they have left to serve him. If good people “turn away from their righteousness,” they will die, regardless of their prior service.
When I gently warned that man his time might be short, he said, “Deathbed conversions are hypocritical, Father. I’ll stand by what I’ve done.”
It’s not hypocritical to admit we’ve been on the wrong track. Persisting in sin isn’t heroic but foolish, like a taxi driver demanding payment for taking us far, but in the wrong direction.
Changing our minds, admitting our errors, and retracing our steps is called repenting. It’s hard. It demands humility. Yet, we have Christ’s example, who, even as God the Son, “emptied himself, taking the form of a slave,” and became obedient to a shameful death.
God will welcome us whenever we turn to him. That said, it doesn’t mean we should delay our decision.
Father John Gerard SJ, an English Jesuit during Queen Elizabeth I’s reign, wrote in his autobiography, The Hunted Priest, about a widow questioning her faith. A known vacillator named Perne advised her to live as the Queen did but to die in the Catholic faith if she wanted salvation. Ironically, Perne died suddenly, likely not following his own counsel, but God alone knows his fate.
God’s mercy allows us a lifetime to gravitate towards or away from him. He won’t take us until our decision is final. Yet, by procrastinating, we might harden our hearts, as we make and reinforce our choice moment by moment.
In the car, I sometimes ponder how a swift turn could end my life. Instantly, I evaluate my readiness to meet God. My answer, regretfully, is often “no,” prompting a swift act of contrition or love for God.
This Sunday, let’s pray, as the Opening Prayer suggests, that God guides us to make the right choices and “hurry” toward the eternal life he promises.
Father Hawkswell is again teaching The Catholic Faith in Plain English with new insights, in both print and YouTube form, at beholdvancouver.org/catholic-faith-course. He is also teaching the course in person on Sundays from 2 to 4 p.m. at the John Paul II Pastoral Centre, 4885 Saint John Paul II Way, 33rd Avenue and Willow Street, Vancouver, and Mondays from 10 a.m. to noon in St. Anthony’s Church Hall, 2347 Inglewood Avenue, West Vancouver. Next week’s topic is What is the Catholic Church? The course is entirely free of charge and no pre-registration is necessary.
