St Francis of Assisi once encountered a poor man dressed in simple, worn clothing while he was still living with the ambitions and comforts of his former life. Something moved within him. Francis removed his fine clothing and gave it to the man. It was a simple gesture, but it revealed something profound: Francis was beginning to change.
This beautifully echoes today’s readings. In the Gospel, one son says “no,” but later changes his mind and goes to work; the other says “yes,” but does nothing. Conversion, therefore, is not simply a change of words; it is a change of direction. Ezekiel reminds us that God does not imprison us in our past. Yet sometimes we imprison ourselves in the wounds of the past. We can carry suppressed anger, resentment and anxiety against others for years, like a time bomb waiting for a moment to explode.
There is what we may call the circulation of grace. The forgiveness we receive must become forgiveness we give; the mercy we receive must become mercy we offer; the second chance God gives us must become a second chance we give another. And perhaps this is a question for every one of us: where have I said “yes” with my lips but continued to say “no” with my life? How long will I carry yesterday into today? How long will I allow an old wound to determine a new relationship? Our past mistakes can be overcome by grace. Our wounds can become places of healing. Today, Christ asks all of us not merely to say “yes,” but to live our yes: to forgive, to reconcile, to begin again, and to allow the grace we have received to circulate through us. Amen.
Fr. Kingsley Nze
Director of Pastoral Affairs
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