DEEDS NOT ONLY WORDS

Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

…“He said in reply ‘Yes, sir’, but did not go.”…

Mt 21:28-32

…“He came to the first and said,
'Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.'
He said in reply, 'I will not, '
but afterwards changed his mind and went.
The man came to the other son and gave the same order.
He said in reply, ‘Yes, sir,’ but did not go.
Which of the two did his father's will?"…
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From this parable, we can conclude that the first son declined outright and said so, but had a change of heart later on. The second son also declined outright, although his uttered words signified the opposite. I imagine he was probably shaking his head sideways while he was saying ‘Yes sir!’.

The parable refers to the refusal of the chief priests to recognize John the Baptist as a messenger of God. They were indifferent, for they felt neither the desire nor the need to change. This parable also reminds me of this story of the rabbit who tried to roar. 
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   A lion met a tiger as they drank beside a pool. Said the tiger: “Tell me why you are roaring like a fool”.
   “That’s not foolish”, said the lion with a twinkle in his eyes. “They call me king of the beasts because I advertise”.
   A rabbit heard them taking and ran home like a streak. He thought he’d imitate the lion’s strategy and roared, but his roar was squeaky. A fox came to investigate the squeaky sound, and made lunch of the rabbit.
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So when you advertise, be sure you’ve got the goods!