It is always interesting how people can witness the mighty acts of God in the world, throughout the course of history, and even in their own lives, and still remain either apathetic or agnostic about their experiences and the presence of God. As Jesus engages the chief priests and the elders in discussion after telling them the parable of the two sons, he challenges them on this very issue.
In the parable Jesus proposes that a man with two sons sends them both out to do some work. The first says “no” but then goes anyway, while the second says “yes” but doesn’t go. Jesus muses as to which son actually did the will of the father. All agreed that it was the first son. This must have seemed obvious to them and they were no doubt pleased with themselves as they answered Jesus. They say “yes” repeatedly, but prefer to do what they have decided what the “yes” means instead of what they were really asked to do.
Jesus suggests that they have so blinded themselves with their presumptuous “yes” responses, that they missed the call to conversion in their lives.
We can easily think that we have it all together. We place God into the box of where we want God to act and how we want to encounter Him. We don’t like to move out of those comfort zones. Yet, our faith often demands that we do just that – step out of the comfortable, the predictable, and the usual, in order to more fully respond to and experience God’s presence and will for us.
It is easy to refuse to see God acting in the world. Atheists, secularists and agnostics do it every day. It is far more concerning when the refusal to see God or experience God comes from those are active and faith-filled members of God’s Church. Even more distressing, perhaps, is when we get this sense of apathy comes from those who are to shepherd us on our journey.
This first challenge, then, to faith is complacency. We think we got it, we know all of the rules, we are happy with God where he is and with ourselves where we are in relationship to him. While we always need to carefully discern God’s call and action, we need to always be open to where he is calling us.
The next great threat to our life of faith is a tendency towards apathy. This was the problem with the second son in the parable. He thoughtlessly said “yes.” It is likely that he barely paid attention to the request of his father. He seems to give it no further thought after the conversation was over. Anyone who has ever asked a teenager to do something knows this response. You might get a response, but you are not actually sure that he or she actually processed the inquiry.
It is easy to say “yes” when we don’t care. Most people who have fallen away from the practice of faith haven’t done so because of some negative experience or even a lack of faith. Many just lose the habit. It is interesting to see how quickly the Sunday morning routine can change when one takes Mass attendance out of the equation. After a few weeks the schedule changes and then the idea emerges that to go to Mass would be disruptive to the routine. It becomes easy to rationalize lack of practice. One’s “yes” becomes a “no.”
The first son is indeed the one who does the father’s will. He has the gift of self-reflection and of conversion. While at first the call of God might seem burdensome or unwelcome, the openness and ability to discern what that invitation means allows us the opportunity to encounter God in ways we could not if we keep our hearts and minds closed as did the chief priests and elders.
Father Garry Koch is pastor of St. Benedict Parish, Holmdel.