" Truly, I say to you  the publicans and the prostitutes are

ahead of you on the way to the kingdom of heaven."

 

＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊     

Ezekiel 18:25-28

But you say:

Yahweh's way is not just! Why, Israel! Is my position wrong? Is it not rather that yours is wrong?

If the righteous man turns from his righteous deeds, and sins, then he dies, because of his sins.

And if the wicked man does what is good and right, after turning from the sins he committed,

he will save his life. He will live and not die, because he has opened his eyes; and turned from the sins he had committed.

 

Ps 25:4-5, 6-7, 8-9 (6a)

Remember your mercies, O Lord.

 

＊＊＊ 2nd Reading ＊＊＊

Philippians 2:1-11

If I may advise you, in the name of Christ, and if you can hear it, as the voice of love;

if we share the same Spirit, and are capable of mercy and compassion,

then I beg of you, make me very happy: have one love, one spirit,

one feeling, do nothing through rivalry or vain conceit. On the contrary,

let each of you gently consider the others as more important than yourselves.

Do not seek your own interest, but, rather, that of others.

 

Your attitude should be the same as Jesus Christ had:

Though he was in the form of God, he did not regard equality with God as something to be grasped,

but emptied himself, taking on the nature of a servant, made in human likeness,

and, in his appearance, found, as a man, He humbled himself by being obedient,

to death, death on the cross. That is why God exalted him and gave him the name which outshines all names,

so, that, at the name of Jesus all knees should bend in heaven,

on earth and among the dead, and all tongues proclaim, that Christ Jesus is the Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

 

＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊      

Matthew 21:28-32

Jesus went on to say, "What do you think of this? A man had two sons.

He went to the first and said to him, 'Son, go and work today in my vineyard.

And the son answered, 'I don't want to. But later he thought better of it and went.

Then the father went to his other son and said the same thing to him.

This son replied, 'I will go, sir, but he did not go. Which of the two did what the father wanted?"

They answered, "The first." And Jesus said to them, "Truly,

I say to you: the publicans and the prostitutes are ahead of you on the way to the kingdom of heaven.

For John came, to show you the way of goodness, and you did not believe him;

but the publicans and the prostitutes did. You were witnesses of this, but you neither repented nor believed him.

 

Gospel Reflection ：

 

Lectio Divina 

Obedience isn't about empty promises or appearances.

 Read: In the first reading from Ezekiel, God corrects the idea that His ways are unfair,

stressing that each person is accountable for their own choices – those who turn from sin will live.

In the second reading, Paul urges the community in Philippi to live in unity and humility,

following the example of Christ, who emptied Himself and became obedient,

even to death on the cross. In the Gospel, Jesus tells a parable of two sons – one who says no

but obeys and one who says yes but does not.

True righteousness is shown not in words but in actions and sincere repentance. 

 

Reflect: Jesus presents to us in the Gospel the story of two sons – one who first refuses to work in the vineyard but later goes,

and the other, who agrees to go but never does. Through this parable,

Jesus reminds us that what matters most to God is not what we say but what we do.

Obedience isn't about empty promises or appearances, it's about responding with our hearts and lives.

God always invites us to His vineyard, calling us to love, serve, and grow. Even if we have said "

no" in the past, it's never too late to say "yes" through our actions. True faith is lived,

not just spoken. It is shown in loving acts, not in empty promises. Let's choose to be faithful to God.

 

Pray: Lord, give me the grace to live a life of integrity.

 

Act: Help a needy brother or sister today.