26th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year A - 1st October, 2017
Are you real?
A priest was saying Mass in the home of his little niece after she had returned from Disney world – having enjoyed the world of make-believe for a few days she was intrigued by the colourful vestments he was wearing for Mass and with the freedom of a child asked: “Uncle Edward, are you real?” He loved the question and went on to give a talk on ‘being real’, or authentic.
What you see is what you get?
Young people immediately know what is real or authentic. They dislike hypocrisy (meaning, to act out a part) and look rather for transparency in “what you see is what you get world.” St. John Paul II wrote an encyclical called, Veritatis Splendor, The Beauty of Truth and said we are always inwardly restless if we do not live by the truth that is in us.
People of our word
Jesus today asks us to be people of our word. He is the question master and gives an example of two men. The first refused to work in his father’s vineyard but then thought better of it. The second gave his word but did not honour it. Jesus honours the one who did the father’s will. In another gospel passage Jesus says, let your ‘yes’ be ‘yes,’ and your ‘no,’ be ‘no’. (Mtt 5:37)
A Christian strategic plan
The definition of a strategic plan is working out the road map we have to take to get from A to B. Likewise in the Christian life we need a similar road map.
Our prayer for today
We are given an easy guide to make us authentic Christians. We simply have to follow God’s path as we are told in today’s psalm: “Lord, make me know your ways, Lord teach me your paths.” (Psalm 24) O most merciful redeemer, friend and brother, may I know thee more clearly, love thee more dearly and follow thee more nearly, day by day. (St Richard of Chichester, and more usually heard in Jesus Christ Superstar!)
Fr. Michael McCullough c.m.