“Finishing Strong” - 26th Sunday OT (A) – 10.1.23

“Finishing Strong”

By: Fr. David Schmidt

St. Mark the Evangelist Parish - Butler/Cranberry, PA

Mass Readings- https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/100123.cfm

I’m sure you’ve heard the expression “It’s not how you start, but how you finish.” I think this is a truth that goes through many walks of life. One example that I can think of is the area of sports. How someone is up big in a game and they are dominating, and playing really and for some reason they start to collapse and they end up losing the game.

Or they start the season off really well, and they are in first place, and in playoff position, and it’s seemingly all secure, then there’s an end of the season collapse and they miss the playoffs.

It’s one of those things where you can talk all you want about how well you started, but in the end it doesn’t really matter because of how you finished.

This is similar to what we are seeing in the Gospel today.

Jesus is describing two different types of people in the Gospel. The first is the one who at first says no to the father asking him to work out in the vineyard. He says ‘no’ but then changes his mind and goes out into the vineyard. Jesus compares this type of person to the tax collectors and the prostitutes who, at first, did not receive the message of faith, as they were living sinful lives. But then changed their lives and converted and came to the faith.

The second son, that He describes in the Gospel, is the one where he tells him to go work out in the vineyard, and the son says, “yes” but ends up not going out. The Lord describes these type of people as the Pharisees, who at first, are living out the Jewish law, and seemingly doing a good job, but when the message of Jesus Christ comes to them they reject it and they say no.

What Christ is showing us is that only those who say “yes” to this message in the end will enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

When we first hear this, it might sound a little unfair. And we kind of see this in the first reading when the people of God, the people of Israel are complaining to God when He says this truth of the virtuous person, who is virtuous at the beginning, but then turns away and falls into sin, and suffers death because of it. Versus the wicked person who is living a very wicked life, but then ends up converting and coming to the faith and ends up living.

And the Israelites kind of purpose this question and say to the Lord, “Lord, this isn’t fair.” And the Lord flips it on them and says, “My ways aren’t fair? No, it is your ways that aren’t fair.”

The Lord is establishing this truth of the importance of finishing life strong so that we can reach heaven.

He’s affirming the expression- “It’s not how you start, but how you finish.”

This sounds great for those who start life off slow and finish strong. But it can be a little terrifying for those who have had a good start but maybe fall off in the end.

One example of this that is similar to the one we heard in the Gospel is how when parents ask their children to do something, like taking out the trash, and how the children might at first complain a little bit and might say “no” and wrestle with you, but eventually they end up doing it. Versus the one who you ask to take out the trash, and they say, “Oh yeah I’ll get to it” but they end up not doing it. And how any parent just wants done what they ask to be done. Whether you complain or wrestle, they just want them to get it done whatever they are asking their child to do. What they see in the end is too just complete the action that I am asking.

What does this mean for us? What is God trying to tell us in all of this?

He is trying to show us the importance of persevering in the faith and finishing strong in our faith.

Again, many of us, if you are here, have started strong in some way where you have lived lives of virtue. But we must always know that even though we have lived lives of virtue, and started life off well, there is always a chance that we can fall away. That we can fall away and turn from the Lord in the very end and not get to heaven.

So because of this, we need to be on guard spiritually. We can’t assume that just because I have been living a good life up until this point that I’m going to continue to do so, and that it is easy sailing right into heaven. We need to be on guard spiritually as we continue to go throughout our life. St. Paul alludes to this a little bit when in the Scriptures when he says that he lives his life in the sense of fear and trembling for his salvation and how in order to stay on guard by going to confession, praying each day, going to Mass, following the Commandments, etc. If we don’t, we put ourselves in danger of falling away from the faith and not finishing strong, and not getting to heaven.

Not another lesson that we can learn from this is how actions speak louder than words. It was the actions of the sons in the Gospel that brought them judgement.

We can’t just say that we believe but we need actions through a virtuous life that backs up what we are saying.

In a sense, we can’t give God lip service. We have to back up with actions the profession of faith that we make. Otherwise, our words mean nothing. I can say I love Jesus all I want, but if I fail to express this with my actions, then my words mean nothing.

This is called living a life of integrity. Where our words match our actions. Our words don’t say one thing, and then we do another.

We don’t say, “Yeah, I want to take my faith more seriously.” Then do nothing about it. Or “Jesus I love you.” But continue to live the sinful life that we are living.

In the end we will be held accountable for the integrity of our words and actions.

So, if I were to ask you again, which son from the Gospel is Jesus telling us that we need to be? Is it the one who first says “no” but then eventually does what he is asked to do, or is it the one who says “yes” first, but then ends up not doing it?

The answer is neither.

What Jesus desires from us is when He asks us to do something to respond ‘yes’ immediately, and then follow up God’s ‘yes’ by actually do it.

It is only by God’s mercy, that we can say no at first, or hesitate, and then do what He asks us to do. But what He prefers is us to say ‘yes’ and respond by backing up our ‘yes’ and doing it.

Again, going back to the parent’s example. I’m sure every parent would love when they ask their kids to do something that they would say ‘yes’ with no complaining or hesitation, and then do it.

The goal in all this is to grow in perfect obedience of God. That we learn to say ‘yes’ to everything that God asks us to do without complaining or hesitation, and then back up our ‘yes’ by actually following through and doing what we are asked to do.

When we learn to do this more perfectly, we grow in love and obedience of God, and it will eventually lead to our salvation. We will also be less at risk of turning away at the end and dying in a state of disobedience towards God.

So today, we need to pray for the grace to persevere and finish strong. Again, we won’t be judged so much on how we start, but how we finish. We need to pray for the grace of integrity and obedience, and that we may always say ‘yes’ to God not just with our words, but with our actions, so that up to the moment of our death we may confidently say that we were obedient to the Lord to the very end.

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