Sunday, Sept. 28, is the 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time. 

Mass readings: Ezekiel 18:25-28; Psalm 25:4-5, 6-7, 8-9; Philippians 2:1-11 or Philippians 2:1-5; Matthew 21:28-32.

In the Gospel, Jesus calls out three common sins of the pious. 

The text says, “A man had two sons.” Why emphasize this? Because it is too easy for us to try to sever the link we have with one another. We divide, but God unites: He loved them both; he spoke to them and called them his sons.

A second “sin of the pious” is leaping to the conclusion that someone is irredeemably lost. 

Rather than going out and working among them to preach the word and to teach the observance of the Law, many scribes and Pharisees simply labeled the crowds “sinners” and dismissed them as lost. 

But Jesus, in today’s parable, speaks of the first son who said “No” to his father but afterwards changed his mind and went. The example of Sts. Paul and Augustine should certainly give us hope. Don’t think that anyone is a permanent member of the vineyard either. 

The parable speaks also of an elder son who said he would do his father’s will but did not actually do so. He was outwardly respectful and religiously observant — but his respect for his father was only cursory. 

His lack of follow-through demonstrates a great danger to the religiously observant: those who praise the Lord, sing a hymn, shout “Hallelujah” and say “Amen” on Sunday — but come Monday, what happens? 

What about us? Will we obey and go to the vineyard of obedience? Will we forgive those who have wronged us? Will we show generosity to the poor? Will we be chaste and compassionate? Will we love our spouse and children? 

Will we speak the truth in love, evangelize, and act as God’s prophets? It is too common for the religiously observant person to reduce the faith to rituals and, once the rituals are observed, to check off the “God box.” 

Now, none of us are perfect disciples, but there is little that is more destructive to evangelization than phony, lip-service Christians, who give the outward appearance of obedience and religiosity but with no substance behind it.