Sharing Guidelines
*Sharing is not a time for teaching or debate; it is a time to sense the marvelous work of the Holy Spirit who leads the gathering.
*Reflection sharing is not meant to teach others but to share the meaning you personally have discovered. Therefore, do not criticize or debate another person’s sharing. Avoid boasting of your own understanding or knowledge.
*Respect the grace of the Holy Spirit, who reveals the meaning of the Word while dwelling among us, and listen attentively to others’ sharing, holding it in your heart.
*Keep confidential any personal reflections or stories shared in the group; practicing brotherly love means not passing along private matters outside the meeting.
*When speaking, always use the first person singular (“I”). Be careful not to distance or generalize your story by using the third person (“he,” “they”) or the first person plural (“we”).
*Keep it short.
Reading 1
Ezekiel 18:25-28
Thus says the LORD:
You say, “The LORD’s way is not fair!”
Hear now, house of Israel:
Is it my way that is unfair, or rather, are not your ways unfair?
When someone virtuous turns away from virtue to commit iniquity, and dies,
it is because of the iniquity he committed that he must die.
But if he turns from the wickedness he has committed,
and does what is right and just,
he shall preserve his life;
since he has turned away from all the sins that he has committed,
he shall surely live, he shall not die.
-The Word of the Lord – Thanks be to God
Reading 2
Philippians 2:1-11
Brothers and sisters:
If there is any encouragement in Christ,
any solace in love,
any participation in the Spirit,
any compassion and mercy,
complete my joy by being of the same mind, with the same love,
united in heart, thinking one thing.
Do nothing out of selfishness or out of vainglory;
rather, humbly regard others as more important than yourselves,
each looking out not for his own interests,
but also for those of others.
Have in you the same attitude
that is also in Christ Jesus,
Who, though he was in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God
something to be grasped.
Rather, he emptied himself,
taking the form of a slave,
coming in human likeness;
and found human in appearance,
he humbled himself,
becoming obedient to the point of death,
even death on a cross.
Because of this, God greatly exalted him
and bestowed on him the name
which is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bend,
of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that
Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
-The Word of the Lord – Thanks be to God
Gospel
Matthew 21:28-32
Jesus said to the chief priests and elders of the people:
“What is your opinion?
A man had two sons.
He came to the first and said,
‘Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.’
He said in reply, ‘I will not,’
but afterwards changed his mind and went.
The man came to the other son and gave the same order.
He said in reply, ‘Yes, sir, ‘but did not go.
Which of the two did his father’s will?”
They answered, “The first.”
Jesus said to them, “Amen, I say to you,
tax collectors and prostitutes
are entering the kingdom of God before you.
When John came to you in the way of righteousness,
you did not believe him;
but tax collectors and prostitutes did.
Yet even when you saw that,
you did not later change your minds and believe him.”
-The Gospel of the Lord -Praise to you Lord, Jesus Christ
Today’s Reflection
Today’s Gospel may make us feel uncomfortable. It is not easy to hear that people who seem worse than us, even sinners, may enter God’s Kingdom before us. It can feel like all the good things we have done do not matter. We may even feel that Jesus is being unfair.
Let us not ignore this uncomfortable feeling. Instead, let us ask ourselves: Why do I feel this way?
Let us think about the second son. He probably did not want to work in the vineyard. But he also found it difficult to say no to his father. So he said he would go, even though he did not really want to. There is no need to blame him. This is often how we live our lives.
There are many things we do not want to do, but we still have to do them. And, if possible, we would rather do only the easy things that we enjoy.
Because of this, we often take an uncertain or half-hearted attitude in our relationships with others. We say neither “yes” nor “no.” We say and do just enough to avoid conflict.
Is this attitude actually more frustrating than the people in today’s Gospel?
The first son honestly said, “I don’t want to.” But later, he changed his mind and went to work in the vineyard.
The tax collectors and sinners were also honest. They were known as sinners, and they had little reason to hide who they were.
Faith is also about being honest. Faith is not about saying “maybe” or waiting without making a decision. Faith means giving an honest answer to God here and now.
But my faith is weak. Sometimes it is so weak that it is difficult for me even to walk to the vineyard.
So I can only pray and ask others to pray for me. I ask all of you in our faith community to pray for me and support me with your prayers.
I sincerely hope that I can be like the tax collectors and sinners who honestly turned toward God. I am not perfect, but I still want to enter God’s Kingdom.
(박병규 요한 보스코 신부)
