
All of our religious life is peppered with yeses to God in one form or another. We speak them in hymn and creed and prayer: We spout our God directed yeses to His commandments and miracles alike, declaring unswerving faith from Bethlehem to the garden of the Resurrection. But before we allow our many yeses, sung, spoken or thought, to lull us into spiritual smugness consider the story Jesus tells in today's Gospel.
This is a story of a yes-man who failed to follow through, and a nay-sayer who turned his life around. The turn about ending gives us all pause. Are we yes-men, agreeing with God out of habit, but letting our feet wander in the opposite direction? If so, take heart. Today's lesson invites us to make good on yesterday's yeses and even turn around the times we may have uttered a no. The important thing is to set our hands and hearts to the tasks He has given us. Our yes-es aren't enough. Make your works, not your words, speak for themselves.