In today’s reflection on the daily mass readings, Fr Richard considers what it means truly to accept God’s way for our lives.
Readings for Tuesday of the third week of Advent: Zephaniah 3.1-2, 9-13; Psalm 34.2-3, 6-7, 17-18, 19, 23; Matthew 21.28-32. Text of readings can be found here.
One of the many banes of modern life is having to scroll through pages and pages of terms and conditions before signing up to some service or other, then ticking the box which says “I Agree” right at the end. Which person actually reads (or could understand) every word before agreeing? Most of the time this has no consequences, but occasionally we might come a cropper for some reason, and the reply from officialdom would be “well, it was in the terms and conditions you agreed to”!
Our readings today highlight this difference between blithely agreeing to something, and understanding deep within ourselves the implications of that decision. In our first reading tonight we have the first two verses from Zephaniah chapter 3, then a gap, followed by five more verses. In the first part, God is condemning the people for their rebellion and lack of trust in him. Outwardly they claimed to be his people, but their lives did not match this rhetoric. They had clicked “I agree” without understanding what that meant in practice. In the second part of the reading, however, God promises to purify the people, to bring about a conversion of hearts and minds.
A similar theme is present in today’s Gospel. Jesus uses the parable of the two sons to illustrate the contrast between the chief priests and the elders, those who claim to be true followers of God, and the tax collectors and prostitutes. The former show by their attitude that they haven’t really understood what God demands. The latter, though their lives might be outwardly chaotic, have understood and are making that inner conversion. That is what we are all called to. It is the harder way than simply ticking “I agree”, but God promises to accompany us on that journey, and help us.
Mass today (Tuesday 16 December) is at 6.30pm in St Mary’s, Butetown.
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