Homily Ordinary 26A: Yes in both Word and Action

 Homily for 26^th Sunday of Ordinary Time Year A 2026

Introduction

Years ago, I saw a saying painted on the back of a bus in Uganda. It said simply: “No condition is permanent.”

That saying, “no condition is permanent,” came back to me as I prayed over today's readings, about two sons, both of whom change—but in opposite directions.

Scripture and Theology

As we heard in the Gospel, their father asks both sons to go and work in the vineyard.

·        The first says, “No, I will not.” But later he changes his mind and goes.

·        The second says, “Yes, sir.” But he too changes his mind and never goes.

And Jesus asks, “Which of the two did his father's will?”

The obvious answer is the first one.  But let us step back for a moment and reflect on something interesting about this parable. The truth is that neither son is perfect. One is wrong in his words; the other is wrong in his actions. And perhaps that is why this Gospel has something to say to all of us.

The first son, who said “No” but later changed his mind and did what he was asked, represents sinners, the tax collectors and prostitutes. They too had said “No” to God when they refused to believe in his promises, when they refused to worship him, and most of all when they refused to follow his commandments and instead chose to live in sin.

But now, after hearing John the Baptist and Jesus preach, they had turned from their evil ways and towards the Lord. Throughout the Gospels we hear of tax collectors like Matthew and Zacchaeus, and of sinful women too, who like this son turned to the Lord and left behind their old lives of sin.  For no condition is permanent—not even the condition of sin.

The second son, the one who said “Yes” to the father but did nothing about it, represents the religious leaders of the time. The chief priests and elders considered themselves righteous because they believed in God's promises, worshipped him, and considered themselves faithful to the Law.  But they had become complacent in their righteousness.

When Jesus came, instead of recognizing in him the fulfillment of God's promises, they rejected him. Instead of continuing to say “Yes” to the God whom they had believed in, worshipped, and obeyed, they said “No” to God's Son, who had preached: “Repent, and believe in the Gospel.” 

Moreover, not only did they reject Jesus; they also rejected the possibility that sinners could change and turn their previous “No” into a “Yes.”

Centuries earlier, during the time of the Prophet Ezekiel, the people had complained that the Lord's ways were unfair.  Unfair how, you might ask?  They thought it was unfair that a person who had lived badly could turn from his wickedness and be given life, while a person who had lived righteously could turn away from virtue and commit evil.

But Ezekiel tells them that this is precisely the justice of God. The person who turns away from sin and does what is right will live; the person who turns away from righteousness and chooses evil will bear the consequences of that choice.  God takes seriously the direction in which we choose to change, we choose to live.

Christian Life

This message is just as relevant for us today as it was for the people of Ezekiel's time and those of Jesus' time.  We too must hold out the hope that change is possible.  No condition is permanent.

There are far too many people today who think that God could never forgive their sin.  How often do I hear people say, “Father, what I did was too terrible—an abortion or a promiscuous past, an act of racism or an addiction—there is no way God can forgive that”? And they give up. They don't believe Jesus, who tells us that God is merciful and challenges us to be like the first son, who changes his “No” to a “Yes.”

We must believe that change from evil to good, from sin to virtue, from the wrong path to the right path is possible.  And each of us needs to ask ourselves:

1.    Do I despair of myself or do I believe that I can change?

2.    Do I give up on others or do I believe that God's grace can change them?

3.    And finally, am I actually taking concrete steps to bring about change in my own life and to help others turn their lives toward the Lord?

But there is another side to the Gospel passage. Like the second son, we can just as easily fall into the complacency of thinking that our original “Yes” to the Lord will carry us all the way to heaven.

Our “Yes” at Baptism, Confirmation, Matrimony, and other occasions was only the beginning of our commitment.  We must continue saying, “Yes, Lord. Yes, Lord. Yes, Lord,” every day of our lives.  We must say this “Yes” by continuing to believe in his teaching, by continuing to worship him, and by continuing to live according to his commandments. Our “Yes” to God must be both in word and action.

I recall a story I heard told by the best man at a wedding a few years ago. He advised the newly married couple to compare their love for each other to one million dollars.

But rather than give it to each other in one big check of one million dollars, he advised them to go to the bank and get one-dollar bills and give them out to each other one day at a time.  In this way, they would be saying, “Yes, I love you,” not just once, but every day of their lives.

Our love for God is much the same. Our “Yes” to God is not proved by one great “Yes” once in a lifetime, but by all the little “Yeses” we give him every day.

Conclusion

Unlike the saying about leopards not being able to change their spots, that saying on that Ugandan bus was simple and true: “No condition is permanent.”

·        That can be a word of hope for each of us who has sinned: Your past does not have to determine your future.

·        And it can also be a warning to each of us who considers himself righteous: Your past faithfulness does not excuse you from today's obedience.

Yes, sometimes we are the first son because of our sin. Sometimes we are the second son because of our complacency.

But Jesus did not tell this parable merely so that we could identify the bad son. He tells it so that we can recognize ourselves.  And God the Father calls us to become like the third Son, his Son, Jesus Christ, whose “Yes” is faithful in both word and action.  Jesus not only said “Yes” to his Father. He lived that “Yes” all the way to the Cross.

And perhaps, as we leave this Eucharistic sacrifice of our salvation, that is the prayer we should take home today: Lord, help me to make my “Yes” to you real.  Not only with my lips and intentions, but also in my choices, my relationships, my work, my prayer, my forgiveness, and my daily life.  Because no condition is permanent.

By the grace of God, the “No” of yesterday can become the “Yes” of today, especially through the sacrament of penance and reconciliation.  And if we remain faithful, our imperfect “Yeses” of this life will one day become our definitive “Yes” in eternity.