December 15, 2020
Tuesday of the Third
Week of Advent
Lectionary: 188
Thus says the LORD:
Woe to the city, rebellious and polluted,
to the tyrannical city!
She hears no voice,
accepts no correction;
In the LORD she has not trusted,
to her God she has not drawn near.
For then I will change and purify
the lips of the peoples,
That they all may call upon the name of the LORD,
to serve him with one accord;
From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia
and as far as the recesses of the North,
they shall bring me offerings.
On that day
You need not be ashamed
of all your deeds,
your rebellious actions against me;
For then will I remove from your midst
the proud braggarts,
And you shall no longer exalt yourself
on my holy mountain.
But I will leave as a remnant in your midst
a people humble and lowly,
Who shall take refuge in the name of the LORD:
the remnant of Israel.
They shall do no wrong
and speak no lies;
Nor shall there be found in their mouths
a deceitful tongue;
They shall pasture and couch their flocks
with none to disturb them..
Responsorial Psalm
PS 34:2-3, 6-7, 17-18, 19 AND 23
I will bless the LORD at all times;
his praise shall be ever in my mouth.
Let my soul glory in the LORD;
the lowly will hear me and be glad.
R. The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
Look to him that you may be radiant with joy,
and your faces may not blush with shame.
When the poor one called out, the LORD heard,
and from all his distress he saved him.
R. The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
The LORD confronts the evildoers,
to destroy remembrance of them from the earth.
When the just cry out, the LORD hears them,
and from all their distress he rescues them.
R. The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
The LORD is close to the brokenhearted;
and those who are crushed in spirit he saves.
The LORD redeems the lives of his servants;
no one incurs guilt who takes refuge in him.
R. The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Come, O Lord, do
not delay;
forgive the sins of
your people.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Jesus said to the chief priests and the 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.’
The son said in reply, ‘I will not,’
but afterwards he 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.”
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THE JOY OF BEING TEACHABLE
What he does condemn is the lack of teachability of those (in this case, the priests and religious elders) who are certain that they are doing everything right.
To make his point clear, Jesus refers to the righteousness that had been taught by John the Baptizer; for example: "Whoever has two cloaks should share with the person who has none" (see Luke 3:11). Jesus taught the same thing: "Give to the one who asks of you, and do not turn your back on one who wants to borrow" (Matthew 5:42).
But this is a very unpleasant message. How many of us really want to learn it?
If we've worked long hours to earn money and we're not yet able to afford everything we think we should have, how do we feel when the parish priest uses his homily to ask for increased donations? We get mad at him! Our first reaction is to answer like the first son in today's parable: "I will not."
And yet, if we love and trust God, and if we truly care about the needs of others, and if our highest priority is holiness, then our "no" becomes "yes."
Humility makes the difference between those who say no but change their minds for the sake of righteousness and those who say yes to please God but fail to keep their commitment. A humble person is willing to change his or her mind, because a humble person is a teachable person.
A religious but unteachable person hears Jesus but sets up obstacles that block the truth from changing him or her.
In dealing with trouble-making people, forgive them and pray for them, but also find out if they are teachable. Compassionately and gently explain to them why their behavior is harmful. If they're teachable, they will learn from their sins and change their ways, and you will be helping them grow in holiness.
However, if they refuse to learn, remember what Jesus prescribed (see Matthew 18:15-17): Try again with the help of others from the Church. And if that doesn't work, treat them as outsiders, for by being unteachable, they have already chosen to live outside the kingdom of God. Jesus told us to walk away (Matthew 10:14), because we should not give our pearls of truth to pigs who will trample on them (Matthew 7:6).
Repentance is never comfortable, but joy comes from discovering and embracing new insights that lead to change.
Today's Prayer
My Lord, may my heart receive Your Word and bear the fruit You are expecting, for Your Glory, the sake of the Church and my own salvation. Amen.
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God Bless You.....
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