26th Sunday of the Year: The Two Sons
The parable of the two sons is a conversion story. Jesus used the story to highlight the hypocrisy of the scribes and
Pharisees. He wanted to expose their attitude to God’s covenant as empty outward show bereft of any substance.
It was most important in that culture at that time to appear to honour one’s parents, the eighth commandment. To
shame one’s parents in the ever-noticing eyes of extended family and neighbours was not acceptable. In the
parable, the son who said ‘yes’ pleased everyone but he was a symbol of the scribes and Pharisees while the other
son, who initially said ‘no’ but eventually complied, was a type of tax collectors and sinners who ignored God and
religion but eventually converted.
This invitation to conversion is not so much to a change of behaviour as such but involves an internal resolution
that satisfies a void in the heart. The call of Jesus to follow him is addressed to all of us. If we are listening, we will
hear it. It may not come in early life, but often is heard only later. The call moves from the mind to the heart and
eventually to one’s whole life. It is an invitation to begin to think and see as Jesus does. It entails an entire
reworking of oneself into the pattern of Christ. It’s taking on board and working through the question Jesus asked
Simon Peter: “Who do you say I am?” This was a central question in the early church and around it was eventually
formulated the Nicene Creed.
Those who have gone through a profound conversion in their lives talk about the ‘reality’ that Christ is for them.
From Paul of Tarsus to Thomas Aquinas, Edith Stein, C.S. Lewis, Thomas Merton, Dorothy Day and others, all
tended to speak of their former lives as a kind of illusion, something not entirely real. French philosopher and
historian Etienne Gilson described the unconverted life as ‘a land of unreality.’ The blind man in Jericho left his
earthly possessions (his begging cloak) behind him when he encountered Jesus and followed him “along the road”
to Jerusalem. Peter, Andrew, James and John left their boats and their nets and followed him. The sinful woman of
Samaria abandoned her water jar, symbol of her former life, and invited people to come and meet Jesus. The father
of the prodigal son described his conversion as “this son of mine was dead and has come back to life again.”
Jesus asked Peter – ‘Who do you say that I am?’ at just the same moment that he reveals the journey on which he is
embarking, to Jerusalem, to suffer, die and rise. Peter identified Jesus properly, theologically speaking, but did not
grasp the meaning of what he said: “You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God”. Peter and the others only
discovered him as they travelled with him on the journey. Maybe this is true of many of us. To know and love
someone is more than to grasp facts about them, or recognise their qualities. It is to have an inner sense of the
reality and depth of the journey they share, the hunger that’s in their hearts, and the feel of being on a journey
towards the fullness of life in God. “Being a Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or lofty idea, but the
encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction” - POPE FRANCIS, The
Joy of the Gospel.
Fr QQ – 28/09/2023
The real voyage of discovery is not seeking new places but having new eyes. - Marcel Proust.
Image: pixabay.com
An archive of these Scripture reflections is available on the Carmelite Sisters website here:
https://www.carmelitesisters.ie/category/blog/
26th Sunday of the Year: The Two
Sons
The parable of the two sons is a conversion story. Jesus
used the story to highlight the hypocrisy of the scribes and
Pharisees. He wanted to expose their attitude to God’s
covenant as empty outward show bereft of any substance.
It was most important in that culture at that time to appear
to honour one’s parents, the eighth commandment. To
shame one’s parents in the ever-noticing eyes of extended
family and neighbours was not acceptable. In the parable,
the son who said ‘yes’ pleased everyone but he was a
symbol of the scribes and Pharisees while the other son,
who initially said ‘no’ but eventually complied, was a type
of tax collectors and sinners who ignored God and religion
but eventually converted.
This invitation to conversion is not so much to a change of
behaviour as such but involves an internal resolution that
satisfies a void in the heart. The call of Jesus to follow him
is addressed to all of us. If we are listening, we will hear it.
It may not come in early life, but often is heard only later.
The call moves from the mind to the heart and eventually
to one’s whole life. It is an invitation to begin to think and
see as Jesus does. It entails an entire reworking of oneself
into the pattern of Christ. It’s taking on board and working
through the question Jesus asked Simon Peter: “Who do
you say I am?” This was a central question in the early
church and around it was eventually formulated the Nicene
Creed.
Those who have gone through a profound conversion in
their lives talk about the ‘reality’ that Christ is for them.
From Paul of Tarsus to Thomas Aquinas, Edith Stein, C.S.
Lewis, Thomas Merton, Dorothy Day and others, all
tended to speak of their former lives as a kind of illusion,
something not entirely real. French philosopher and
historian Etienne Gilson described the unconverted life as
‘a land of unreality.’ The blind man in Jericho left his
earthly possessions (his begging cloak) behind him when
he encountered Jesus and followed him “along the road”
to Jerusalem. Peter, Andrew, James and John left their
boats and their nets and followed him. The sinful woman
of Samaria abandoned her water jar, symbol of her former
life, and invited people to come and meet Jesus. The
father of the prodigal son described his conversion as “this
son of mine was dead and has come back to life again.”
Jesus asked Peter – ‘Who do you say that I am?’ at just
the same moment that he reveals the journey on which he
is embarking, to Jerusalem, to suffer, die and rise. Peter
identified Jesus properly, theologically speaking, but did
not grasp the meaning of what he said: “You are the
Messiah, the Son of the Living God”. Peter and the others
only discovered him as they travelled with him on the
journey. Maybe this is true of many of us. To know and
love someone is more than to grasp facts about them, or
recognise their qualities. It is to have an inner sense of the
reality and depth of the journey they share, the hunger
that’s in their hearts, and the feel of being on a journey
towards the fullness of life in God. “Being a Christian is not
the result of an ethical choice or lofty idea, but the
encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new
horizon and a decisive direction” - POPE FRANCIS, The
Joy of the Gospel.
Fr QQ – 28/09/2023
The real voyage of discovery is not seeking new places
but having new eyes. - Marcel Proust.
Image: pixabay.com
An archive of these Scripture reflections is available on the
Carmelite Sisters website here:
https://www.carmelitesisters.ie/category/blog/