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October 1, 2023In this 26th week of Ordinal Time, the Gospel of Matthew presents a parable and asks for “your opinion” on the topic of openness to God’s Will in the lives of two sons. This same question should be asked of ourselves—“Am I open to doing God’s Will in my life?” On the other hand, is God’s Will too inconvenient or too stressful for me in today’s world? Will it cause someone in my family or circle of friends to feel uncomfortable, embarrassed or will it cause a rift in our friendship? Will people think I am weird or fanatical if I do God’s Will in my life?
Our father asks the same question of his two sons. One responds “no,” but eventually does what the father asked and the second son says “yes” to his dad but does not follow through. This is about words versus action. It is a parable that asks us to evaluate what we actually do in our lives, what is the outcome of what we believe. It is very easy to say “Yes” to “the ask,” the hard part, is in the doing.
In the same way, it is easy to say, “I am a Catholic” but do I live my faith out in the daily activities of my life? One young man in today’s gospel told his father that he would not do what he was asked to do, but perhaps after reflection, the son came to his senses and did what his father requested of him.
Openness is defined as an “Accommodating attitude or opinion, as in receptivity to new ideas (Truth), behaviors cultures, environments, experiences, etc., different from the familiar, conventional, traditional, or one’s own.” In our reading and conversation today, the understanding is related to our openness to God’s Divine Truths. Are we willing to be open to conversation (prayer) with God and to be guided by Truth, versus “my understanding” or that which dictates our culture?
So, how do I open myself to God’s Will? It is in prayer, dialogue, with God. A conversation with the Almighty, which means to express what we believe and ask Him to guide us to the Truth. It is said that in a philosophical debate one never argues (debates) in the particular but rather in the general. Using the perspective of the particular, for my personal reference brings with it a bias. For example, we can, I assume, say that rape is always evil. Yet, when the rapist is our child or someone, we know, while the action is always wrong the outcome (a hoped-for sentence) can be influenced by the relationship. The same can be true with Truth. I might be influenced by the circumstance or my proximity to it. That is just part of our human condition.
Prayer clears our hearts and minds and opens us to the power of God. Even when we do not hear voices or have an immediate response of some sort, prayer—a conversation with God—opens us to listening quietly to God’s voice in our lives. We can be lead and transformed into opening our eyes, hearts and minds to His Truths, which are based on the foundation of Agape—unconditional love—which will only seek the excellence of and for us.
When we enter into prayer we should begin by setting ourselves apart for the “world,” our surroundings—go to a quiet place, be alone, and consider the beauty and blessings which God has already given to us. Put yourself in a good place, and then acknowledge who God is—the Almighty; give Him thanks for the blessings you have, and tell him your concerns, troubles or confusions and ask Him to impart on you His Truths and compassion. Let Him guide you to where you need to be. Then talk to Him as if He were your best friend. He is.