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Are You the First Son or the Second Son?
This Sunday's readings are about turning back to God, and proving it by what you do. It's been another week full of blessings, so let's praise the Lord and look at what He's telling us.
Readings for the 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A):
- • First Reading: Ezekiel 18:25-28
- • Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 25
- • Second Reading: Philippians 2:1-11
- • Gospel: Matthew 21:28-32
First Reading: Ezekiel 18:25-28
In this reading, the people complain that the Lord's way isn't fair. God turns the question back on them: is it His way that's unfair, or theirs? Then He explains. If a good person turns to sin and dies in it, he dies because of his sin. If a wicked person turns away from his sins and does what is right, he will live.
The context
Ezekiel was a priest and prophet living with the Jewish exiles in Babylon. Jerusalem had fallen or was about to fall. The people were far from home, and they were angry.
Their complaint shows up in a popular saying quoted at the start of chapter 18: the parents ate sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge. In plain words: "We're suffering for our ancestors' sins. That's not fair." They felt stuck, punished for choices they never made.
Chapter 18 is God's answer. Each person answers for their own life. You aren't punished for your father's sins, and you can't ride on his goodness either.
What it means
Verses 25-28 push that idea one step further. Your own past doesn't lock you in either. • A good person who turns to evil and stays there doesn't get to cash in the good deeds he did before. • A wicked person who turns away from evil and starts doing what's right will live. His past sins aren't held against him.
What matters is the direction you're facing right now, and where you end up. God isn't keeping a running score where the old total decides everything.
So when the people say God's way isn't fair, God flips it back. They're the ones being unfair: blaming their ancestors, refusing to take responsibility, and assuming no change is possible. God's way always leaves the door open to turn around.
Gospel: Matthew 21:28-32
Jesus tells the chief priests and elders the parable of the two sons. A father asks both sons to work in his vineyard. The first says, "I will not," but later changes his mind and goes. The second says, "Yes, sir," but never shows up.
Jesus asks which son did the father's will. The leaders answer, "The first." Then Jesus tells them that tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of them.
Why? Because the tax collectors and prostitutes listened to John the Baptist and changed their lives.
Their past didn't stop them. The religious leaders heard the same message and saw those sinners change, yet they still refused to believe. They cared about protecting their image, and pride kept them from admitting they needed to change too.
This is the same lesson as Ezekiel: your first answer isn't your final answer. What counts is what you do and whether your heart really changes, not what you say or how good you look to others.
Second Reading: Philippians 2:1-11
Paul asks the church in Philippi to be united, to act without selfishness or vanity, and to treat others as more important than themselves. He tells them to have the same attitude Jesus had.
Then he describes that attitude. Jesus was equal with God but didn't cling to that status. He emptied himself and became a servant. He humbled himself and obeyed all the way to death on a cross. Because of that, God raised him up, and every knee will bend at his name.
Verses 6-11 are often called the Christ Hymn. Many scholars think it's one of the oldest pieces of Christian worship we have. The Church still prays it every week at Evening Prayer on Saturday night.
How the three readings connect
- Jesus is the son who said yes and meant it. The Gospel has two flawed sons. One says no, then obeys. One says yes, then doesn't. The second reading shows a third son: Jesus, whose yes to the Father was total and carried all the way to the cross. He's the model the other two fall short of.
- Obedience shows in actions, not words. Ezekiel says what counts is what you actually do now. The parable says the son who went to the vineyard did the father's will. Philippians says Christ was obedient, and it describes what he did: he emptied himself, served, and died.
- Pride blocks conversion. The religious leaders couldn't change their minds because they thought they were already right. The exiles in Ezekiel blamed God instead of looking at themselves. Paul's cure is humility: stop protecting your own image and look out for others. Humble people can admit they were wrong and turn back. That's exactly what Ezekiel and Jesus are asking for.
- Going down leads to being lifted up. In Ezekiel, the sinner who turns shall live. In the Gospel, tax collectors and prostitutes enter the kingdom first. In Philippians, Christ goes all the way down and God lifts him up.
The pattern is the same in all three: humility and a real change of direction lead to life.
In short: God asks for a humble heart that turns back to Him and proves it through action, and He never closes the door on anyone who does.
My reflection: I'm both sons
When I read the parable of the two sons, I saw myself in both of them, many times over. Here are two examples.
With my mom, I'm the first son
When my mom asks me to do something, I often say no right away. Then, after a couple of hours, I think it over and change my mind. I tell myself, "I'll just do it and see what happens." If her plan works, great. If it doesn't, at least she knows I did it for her.
Seeing this now, I realize I don't need to start with a no. We can talk about it first. I want to keep an open mind and try doing what she asks before I shut it down.
Are you more like the first son or the second son with your mom or dad? Share in the comments if you'd like.
At work, I'm the second son
At work, I say yes, but I don't always do the work the way I'm asked to. I still finish the task, but I do it my own way. Some steps in our process seem unnecessary to me, so I skip them. When I do, I finish in about half the time.
Once, I suggested in our team chat that we remove some of those steps. A manager replied that I'm not supposed to change anything. After that, I stopped telling anyone what I was doing differently. I just kept doing it quietly.
This week's readings made me face that honestly. I've been telling myself that I'm doing the job better and that my supervisors don't have a clue. That's pride. And the readings say pride blocks obedience.
Paul tells us to have the same attitude as Jesus, who humbled himself. I haven't been doing that.
The quiet disagreement has also been slowly turning into resentment toward management, and I don't want that.
So here's what I'm going to do. Instead of working around the process in silence, I'll do the task both ways and compare the results: how long each one takes and whether the quality is the same. Then I'll bring it to my supervisor openly and respectfully. If they still want it done the standard way, I'll follow it and let it go.
Have you ever been in this spot at work? I'd love to hear your experience in the comments. Let us pray
Whether you're more like the first son or the second, let's pray together:
***Lord God,
You never close the door on anyone who turns back to you. Thank you for that mercy. You know how quickly we say no, and how often we say yes without meaning it. Forgive us for the times pride has made us stubborn, and for the times we've done things our own way in silence. Give us humble hearts like your Son Jesus, who emptied himself and obeyed you all the way. Help us listen with an open mind to the people you've placed in our lives: our parents, our families, and those we work under. Give us the courage to speak honestly, and the humility to follow through even when it's not our way. Keep us from resentment. Let our yes be a real yes, shown in what we do. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.***
Thank you for reading! I hope this reflection helps you this week. God bless us all!