There is an old saying – “talk is cheap”. It basically means that it is one thing to talk about the things we are promising to do, it is another to actually do them so that there is value in what we say. If all we do is talk a good game, our words mean nothing. This applies to all of us, in all we do, and it certainly applies to our faith.
We may know scripture, we may even be able to quote it chapter and verse, but if we don’t live out what it proclaims the knowledge and words we profess are not only worthless, but downright hypocritical. Our Lord detests hypocrisy. He didn’t like it in the days when He confronted the Scribes and the Pharisees (the politicians of the day), and He didn’t put up with it from anyone else He encountered. He wanted to keep things real, and that meant putting a lot more stock in how people lived, than in what they knew or said. He didn’t pick Peter to lead His Church because he was a brilliant speaker or theologian. He picked him because Peter, flawed though he was at times, tried to do the right thing, he tried to live in such a way that emulated our Lord, and followed his commands. He was not perfect at doing so, but he kept trying and those around him could see the effort. People, more often than not, listen to and retain words for a relatively brief period of time. However, when we see living examples of an important lesson, we remember it and ponder it for much longer.
Our Gospel today shows us two paths that can be taken, the first is to talk a good game like the first son, and then do nothing, leading to disappointment, disillusionment, and anger when it is learned that there was no follow through. The second, is to maybe get off to a slow start and not want to engage, perhaps even refusing to do so, but then to realize the error of our ways, and change our minds and our direction so that we do what is asked of us, and actually produce good works. This applies to many different areas of our lives, whether it be in our everyday interactions with others, or our following God’s call to work in His vineyard. The value and integrity come from what we do, and in how we serve. God does not expect perfection from us any more than He did from Peter, but like any parent He is overjoyed when we turn ourselves around and come back to His teachings and live them out.
The Deacons Bench 