THE FAITH WE SAY AND THE FAITH WE LIVE: BEYOND WORDS IN A WOUNDED WORLD
Twenty-six Sunday in Ordinary Time
"Which of the two did his father's will?" (Mt. 21:28-32)
A few years ago, I came across Bill and Gloria Gaither’s song: “You Don’t Love God If You Don’t Love Your Neighbor,” featuring Rhonda Vincent & The Rage. There was something lighthearted about the way the performance came together—the bluegrass sound, the harmonies, and especially the bass singer—but underneath it all is a rather serious claim: you cannot profess to love God while refusing to love the people around you. It reminded me of other gospel songs like Witness’ “Love Is an Action Word” and V. Michael McKay’s “Koinonia,” which make similar connections between what we profess and how we actually live. In different ways, all three songs suggest a move beyond words. And I think this is exactly where our gospel passage takes us.
In the gospel passage, the father says to his two sons, “Go out and work in the vineyard today.” The first says no at first but later changes his mind and goes. The second says yes immediately and possibly enthusiastically but eventually refuses to go. Jesus asks, “Which of the two did his father’s will?” The answer, as we find out, is not dependent on who gives a mere positive response, but on whose action corresponded to the father’s request.
I think Jesus is confronting something deeper than sheer disobedience. He is exposing what I suggest is the difference between professed faith and lived faith.
It is possible to say “yes” to God with our lips or say we love God while our lives continue to reflect “no.” We can profess that every human person has dignity but ignore the suffering of the stranger. Perhaps because it inconveniences us. We can profess that we are brothers and sisters, but remain indifferent to the migrant, the poor, or the person whose political or religious views do not align with ours. We can pray for peace while refusing to promote peaceful actions in our families and communities. We can speak passionately about justice while overlooking the small/big injustices we participate in by commission or omission.
As we see from the gospel, the world does not need Christians who merely know how to say the right things at the right time, but Christians whose actions make their words credible.
I believe we need this more than ever as our world continues to suffer from brokenness. Every day we see images/news of war, displaced families, hunger, violence, persecution, and people whose lives have been shattered by circumstances beyond their control. We may make the mistake of believing that these problems are simply too large for us. But we must note that the father does not ask the son to fix the entire vineyard. He simply asks him to “go and work.” In other words, contribute your quota in the larger scheme of the vineyard.
Perhaps that is where we find our call to discipleship. Not with an illusion that we can solve everything, but with the willingness to do good and respond with action to the challenges that are actually before us.
Sometimes that means feeding someone hungry, refusing to participate in hatred toward a group of people, standing up for the marginalized, listening to someone whose pain we would rather avoid, forgiving hurt, speaking when silence would make us complicit, or simply showing up for someone who has been left alone.
While the first son might be viewed by some as “disobedient” at first and/or stubborn, in his response, we find hope. Although his first answer was “no,” he refused to let that be the end of his story. He changed his mind and went into the vineyard. He repented, then he acted!
This is important because perhaps some of us recognize ourselves in that first response. We failed or have been indifferent or have said “no” to God in ways we’re ashamed to admit. But the gospel shows us that our first response does not have to be our final response. In fact, it teaches us that true repentance is the moment when the faith we profess begins to become the faith we live.
And so, the question before us today is not “have you said yes to God” but “where is your yes taking you?” Because in the final analysis, faith is not measured only by the words we speak, but by the actions those words make us do when we walk back into God’s vineyard.
Author: O. Paul-Mark Eroma is a graduate student at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana, pursuing a Master of Theological Studies. His work in ministry, non-profit, and religious education influences his research, which sits at the intersection of Christian formation, African theological anthropology, and contextual theology. He explores how Christian identity, vocation, and mission are formed and lived within particular cultural and social contexts. His ministry is informed by these interests as he focuses on creating meaningful opportunities for people to grow in faith and integrate it into their daily lives.
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