36 / 70
Memorial of Saint Lucy, Virgin and Martyr
Zephaniah 3:1-2, 9-13
Psalms 34:2-3, 6-7, 17-18, 19 AND 23
Matthew 21:28-32
Summary
In Zephaniah a punishment occurs that would affect the nation of Israel. Yet, be-
hind this turmoil is the love and nurturing of a just God. God’s punishment has the
ultimate purpose of restoring His children in a relationship with Him. God’s work
and judgment in our lives is for the purpose of restoring us into a stronger relation-
ship with Him.
In Jesus' parable of the two sons, the father asked both sons to go and work in his
vineyard. One son answered, "No," but completed the work. The other son an-
swered "yes" and did not do anything. In telling the story, Jesus wanted us to dis-
cover that actions speak louder than words. We can certainly answer “yes” when
we are asked to do something, but is important for us follow through with actions.
The first son who was initially disobedient later made his father proud when he
found the right path.
Reflection
As we enter a busy time of year, we often feel overwhelmed by activities and the
need to get things done. If we focus too much on the small tasks, we lose sight of
the bigger picture. In the season of Advent, awaiting the coming of Our Lord, it is
important to look at ourselves in both our response to follow the Lord, and the
fruits of charity that the Lord expects of us.
A dear friend told me this morning that she loves listening to the sound of a ticking
clock. “We only hear it when we there is silence and calm,” she said. As she was
telling me this, I was thinking of walking through a store with my three year old,
just the day before, seeing his eyes light up at a display of watches. “Oh that’s the
second hand mama, it has to go all the way around, and minutes are so long!” He
is so used to digital clocks that he wanted to savor the moment--stay and watch
second hand going around and listen to the sound. We spent quite a few minutes
in the watch aisle and they did, indeed, feel long.
We stood and spoke about time and how many
minutes are in an hour, a day and a week. His
amazement and conclusion couldn’t be truer: