Twenty-Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time – Two-Minute Homily: Dcn Adam Walk

1 00:00:00,503 --> 00:00:03,628 In the five verses preceding today’s Gospel, 2 00:00:03,628 --> 00:00:07,715 the chief priests and elders  question the authority of Jesus, 3 00:00:07,715 --> 00:00:11,343 so Jesus has fresh experience of  them getting ahead of themselves. 4 00:00:12,760 --> 00:00:17,570 We hear that the religious leaders are, by not  believing John, saying that they know better. 5 00:00:18,524 --> 00:00:21,800 And what’s worse is that they  publicly claim to serve God. 6 00:00:23,440 --> 00:00:28,160 In contrast, Jesus speaks of  tax collectors and prostitutes 7 00:00:28,160 --> 00:00:31,880 who are more assured of the kingdom  of God than the religious leaders. 8 00:00:32,840 --> 00:00:37,420 This is a particularly stinging  rebuke because, of course, 9 00:00:37,420 --> 00:00:43,320 tax collectors and prostitutes were among the  most despised categories of people in society. 10 00:00:45,600 --> 00:00:48,669 Faith means trusting in another’s authority. 11 00:00:50,196 --> 00:00:53,080 The religious leaders trusted only in themselves, 12 00:00:53,080 --> 00:00:58,160 so they closed their minds first to John’s  preaching, and then to that of Jesus. 13 00:00:59,640 --> 00:01:02,967 The Gospel tells us to avoid their mistake:   14 00:01:02,967 --> 00:01:09,310 we must follow in our own lives the “pattern  of true righteousness” of saints like John   15 00:01:09,310 --> 00:01:15,586 and submit, like Jesus did, to the will of  the Father, for He knows what’s best for us.