St. John The Baptist – The Parable of the Two Sons

The season of Christmas is upon us, and having just transitioned the Liturgical Calendar from Advent which focused on the significant role of St. John The Baptist in compelling us to repent and make the path straight for the Lord. The Christmas season, for Catholics, is centered upon being the light for those in darkness.

The Church, during the Advent season was characterized by waiting, contemplation, and preparation for the Birth of Our Savior. The people, in the time that the Gospels were written, made the journey in droves to see John The Baptist and be baptized by him in the Jordan River. This baptismal washing and purification was a radical concept at that time. John explained that the Messiah was coming and that he was going to separate “the wheat from the chaff”, the righteous and the wicked.

This notion made the concept of repentance even more profoundly important. Some of his followers and others felt that John might be the great prophet that had come to save the nation of Israel. However, John makes it quite clear that he is not that prophet, and that one was coming after him, that John stated he was “unworthy to loosen the thong of his sandals”.

In contrast, the Christmas season is one of action: being in service to those in need, helping those who are lost or sad to know the joy of the Lord through us, and to witnessing our faith to others through small actions of kindness or mercy.

The role of Saint John The Baptist was also part of another message in the Gospels and that is in the Parable of the Two Sons. In this parable, Jesus explains that a father asks both of his sons to work out in the vineyard. The first son tells his father that he will not go out and work, but then changes his mind and goes to the vineyard. The second son tells his father that he will go and work in the vineyard and never goes.

Jesus asks: “Which of the two did what his father wanted?” (Matthew 21:31)

They answered that the first son did. Jesus proceeds to explain to them in the Gospel of Matthew that they were incorrect. The message of the parable being that John came to prepare the way for them but they did not follow, they did not get the concept, but the sinners, tax collectors, and prostitutes did get the message and came and repented.

In fact, the son who said that he would go out to the fields and never did is represented by those who say they believe in Jesus, but are just going through the motions. This is not a very advisable practice as God knows our true intentions.

The role of Saint John The Baptist is in calling on sinners to repent and make the necessary changes to bring God into the center of our lives. Many of us can let the allure of the world get in the way of dedicating ourselves to God. There are still others who are stuck in a grind trying to pay bills for necessary services to support ourselves and those who rely on us for support.

I understand that some of us, as followers of Jesus, have a hard time talking about our faith with others because I can have trouble with that myself. The message of repentance and the idea of evangelizing others can be an uncomfortable set of concepts for Catholics.

I think this is probably rooted in the fact that many of us feel plagued by our own sinfulness or by coming off as “holier than thou” to another person when speaking about our faith. I knew someone back many years ago in another parish, who used to be cautious about speaking with others about Jesus and her Catholic faith for fear of being seen as a “holy roller”.

These are all understandable and reasonably legitimate concerns because our mainstream societal reaction to those with faith encapsulates many of those suppositions that those I know have expressed to me in the past. The default reaction of society is to be resistant to having open conversations about religion because that can be a rather personal and potentially divisive subject.

The other aspect at play here is a typically Catholic sentiment: feeling unworthy of being able to lead others towards the path to the Lord. I have struggled with that personally over the years where I have been put in certain leadership positions or asked to have specific responsibilities within Church related activities.

I remember back a while ago to a conversation I had with a deacon, and I basically felt so unworthy of leading people towards the Lord. My faith certainly holds a huge place in my life and is one of the most important components of my life, yet I felt that others were “more holy” than I was, certainly at that point.

I recall the deacon telling me two things: none of us are worthy of God’s love, and that if God is calling me to do this, it is part of His plan for my life. I felt a bit more reassured and focused on embracing these new responsibilities as part of my journey of faith.

Then, later on at another point of my life, I remember feeling a bit overwhelmed with the responsibilities of my own business, a secondary part time job on nights and weekends, as well as some of the other commitments I had made to the Church. I had others in my parish asking me for help on a range of issues. I felt so unworthy of leading people in such a way. It was at that time that my wife reminded me of Saint John The Baptist, who admitted he was unworthy to loosen the Lord’s sandals, yet it did not stop John from leading people to repentance as well as deeper faith.

We are all inherently unworthy when it comes to thinking about our lives and the power of our Almighty God. The silver lining is that God is a loving and merciful God, who loves us all unconditionally. God has a plan for each one of us, and some of us are called to service to bring others to Him.

I have spoken to groups, both large and small, and to individuals in a much more relaxed setting about the approach to bringing others along on the journey of faith. Some feel that it has to be a very animated, very demonstrative, an “in your face” type of appeal to those who are currently not in a relationship with Jesus.

Furthermore, I know of people that have almost basically put down the other person by telling them that they are a lousy person for shutting out Jesus for years of their lives. This goes without stating, but I feel that approach is totally incorrect and totally hypocritica,l because it runs completely counter to how Jesus tells us to treat our neighbors, our fellow human beings.

My belief is that it should not even be an approach, it should be through how I live my life each day as a Catholic follower of Jesus Christ. I have a deep faith, a commitment to prayer, and a dedication to serving those who are in need. Those elements create in me a peace and a joy that I cannot suppress.

I have had people ask me how or why I am so happy or so calm, and that is the organic entry point for my sharing the role that my faith plays in my life. I have been through some difficult situations, and the turbulent nature of life dictates that all of us have had some rough patches, or are going through some right now. My faith has sustained me through those times. I am living proof of the mercy and compassion of God.

The next time you feel unworthy, or you meet someone who is in need of spiritual help, or the next time you feel overwhelmed: think of John The Baptist. We are all unworthy of the incredible love that God has for us, that cannot be a roadblock to fulfilling His plans for our life and the lives of those He puts us into contact with each day.

May Saint John The Baptist be with you and intercede for your intentions to the Lord. May the Lord Jesus send down the Holy Spirit upon you and your families. May God bless you and keep you on the path to holiness and provide you with the courage to bring others along on that path which leads to His enduring love.