When we think about it in the light of today's Scriptures, we are called not to do it my way but to "Do it God's way". Doing it God's way is what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. Jesus in following the path of the cross chose to do it God's way. "Have in you the same attitude that is also in Christ Jesus." For us, even when we lose our way and fall into sin, the mercy of God is on display in the Gospel parable. What are today's versions of saying no to the will of God in our lives? I can't bother with religion. I'm too busy getting ahead in life. I'm too busy having fun. I invite you to reflect upon your conversion story and hopefully you can discover God in the changes of your life. What does conversion mean to me? Our first response is not always the best. Thanks be to God, conversion is a lifelong journey. I would suggest that how we use and share the blessings we have been given is a significant component of our conversion story. Like the sons in the Gospel, are we saying yes or no to God's way in our life. Jesus is very clear on the Gospel message that we have been given, we have given to share. Love is the first requirement of being a disciple of Jesus. Love is shown in the actions of our life. In the Gospel the two sons were told to go out and work in the vineyard today. As you pray over this Gospel, into what vineyard is the Lord sending you today?
Before or after our liturgies, I find most beautiful and most sacred the simple gesture of a mom teaching her son or daughter to make the sign of the cross from the water of our baptismal font. The sign of the cross is a simple and most significant prayer for us as the disciples of Jesus. Even though it is far beyond a child?s capacity to understand, the sign of the cross represents the power of God and the gift of eternal life. This simple sign reflects the mystery of God?s unending love in the life of this beautiful child. The conversion of the heart that we seek is to keep the eyes of our hearts fixed on something that gives us life. It is no longer the serpent, as for the Jews, who gives life and saves us from death, but the passion and death of our Lord Jesus Christ. With the eyes of faith we do not see the cross only as an instrument of torture, but a symbol of God's self-giving love. The tire hits the road for us in our discipleship of Jesus is when we experience the cross in our lives , the cross of illness, the cross of death, the cross of the brokenness of our spirit, of loneliness, of depression, not experiencing the love we seek and we need. Jesus emptied himself and accepted and embraced the cross out of love for us. How does that work for us? Do we accept and embrace the crosses of our lives? In fact, embracing the cross leads us to deeper life in Christ and the mystery of God's love. Today we celebrate the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. Indeed, Jesus was exalted as He hung upon the cross -- exalted because of His self-giving love that led to His glorification by His heavenly Father. We too are exalted when we join our cross with the cross of Jesus who leads us to a deeper sharing in God's unending love for us.
Peter voiced the Church's foundational faith. In the next very important step of discipleship, Jesus confides to his disciples what he means to be the Messiah. Jesus' explanation of discipleship did not compute with Peter. He was clearly looking for a "no-pain" version of Christianity. Peter strongly objected to Jesus' prediction of his passion. Jesus contradicts Peter's no-pain version of Christianity. The cross was central to who Jesus is as our Messiah and Lord. This is what Peter must learn. And likewise, this is what we too must learn in our path of discipleship. None of us get a free pass from the cross in life. In our time of suffering, may we discover the inner strength that comes from God who is within us to trust that God's love for us is unending. We experience suffering personally, and we experience the suffering that happens to us globally as well. Yes the Church still is suffering. Jesus wants us to judge as God and not as humans do. God desires a Church that is forgiving. Can you experience a God who accompanies you in moments of darkness as well as moments of light? Can you experience a God whose love for you is unending even amidst the trials of life? God is good - all the time.