“
Which of the two did his father’s will?”
Sometimes
talking to people is like talking to a wall. When they have
their minds made up, nothing you say or do can change them. How sad a
commentary on the human condition this is.
We
can sense the frustration of Jesus in today’s Gospel. No matter
how
God has tried to get people to listen, they found a reason not to
listen or
believe. The stubbornness of the individuals is so often the cause of
their
failure, yet it seems so hard for people to overcome their preconceived
ideas.
During
the ministry of Christ, he constantly challenged people to see
the ways in which God was acting in the world. Preconceived
ideas of what God would do, kept
getting in the way. Even though the Scriptures reminded people that
“God’s ways
are not your ways”, they never took that statement to heart.
Without an open
mind and a sense of the movement of the Spirit, people cannot discern
the path
they must travel or embrace the Spirit.
Jesus
came to show people that God was now acting in a new way. He was
speaking through Him and advocating a better way of treating one
another. He
called for forgiveness and mutual concern. He called for love
regardless of the
nature of the relationships. People are called to love not only their
family
and friends, but all people who are our brothers and sisters. This
movement out
of a “clan” mentality was radical for many. It was a move
many were not
prepared to make.
In
the Church established by Jesus, openness and mutual concern was to
be the glue that held everyone together.
The willingness to follow the lead of the Holy
Spirit was to be
formative in their lives. Through the centuries these directives serve
to unify
and strengthen the Christian community and are a visible testimony to
our
beliefs.
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