Ezekiel 18:25-28
When the righteous walk away from his justice ... he dies for the evil he committed
When the sinner repents of the evil he did ... he saves his life himself.
Philippians 2,1-11
Do nothing out of selfishness or out of vainglory... though Jesus was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God
something to be grasped.
Rather, he emptied himself,
Matthew 21: 28-32
A man had two sons, he said to the first one go…. He said yes but he didn't.
He said the second go ... he said no, but he repented and went.
The Word of God for this Sunday addresses the issue of conversion. Which means that we all have the possibility to change, to improve as persons. But we can also get worse, that is, that, being just and good people, we can turn to evil. This is how the prophet Ezekiel expresses it, answering the question why God forgives the wicked.
The parable of the gospel tells us that words and good intentions are not enough to live as believers. The parable of the father and his two sons presents us with two positions that we too can take in relation to God. Say yes, we believe in him and his message, but then do nothing that reflects that faith in God. Or say that we do not believe in him or his message, but repent and do what his Word of life asks of us. Religious practices are not always a guarantee that we are fulfilling the will of the Father, indeed, they can make us think that we do not need to convert. In that case, sinners and those who have lived far from God will have an advantage over us when they leave all evil behind, and embrace deep conversion to do what is good and right. The question is: Which of the two sons are we more like?
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