On this coming Sunday (26th Sunday in Ordinary Time) we will hear the story of the father who asked each of his two sons to go into the vineyard and work. (Mt. 21:28-32) The first son flatly refused, then changed his mind and worked. The second treated his father respectfully, agreed to work but then went elsewhere. Then, as now, speaking disrespectfully to one's father is not a way to win a father's affection. Dad's heart, however, was softened by a disobedient son who knew he had done wrong and made amends,
This story has a stinging surprise in it. Jesus had been speaking to temple elders and chief priests. All of them spoke respectfully of religion and, like the second son, said the right things. Then Jesus tells them:
“Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him."
The tax collectors and prostitutes, definitely not respected people, were living in a kind of hell of their own creation. Just as the first son, they saw the error of their ways and repented As the first reading (Ez 18:25-28) says, someone who "turns from wickedness, …does what is right and just will surely live, not die."
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