Homily for the 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A, September 27, 2026

The Power of a Change of Heart: Conversion, Repentance, and Doing God’s Will

“Living a spiritual life requires a change of heart, a conversion. Such a conversion may be marked by a sudden inner change, or it can take place through a long, quiet process of transformation. But it always involves an inner experience of oneness.” — Henri Nouwen

My Dearest Friends in Christ

We have gathered together as one family in Christ to listen to our Lord and Master. May His words, which we have heard today, lead us to sincere repentance and salvation through Christ our Lord.

The readings of today call us to make a sincere and conscious decision to amend our sinful lives. To please God our Father is to change our minds, our hearts, and our ways so that we may do what He desires.

God’s Ways Are Just: The Call to Repentance in Ezekiel

The first reading from the prophet Ezekiel addresses the concern of those who claim that God’s ways are not fair. People often blame God for their mistakes, complaining that He has been unfair to them. But God’s ways are never unfair to anyone He has created. He loves us as His children, and even when He corrects and disciplines us, His desire is to lead us toward life and salvation.

As the Lord says:

“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11)

So know that God thinks well of you. His desire is not your destruction but your salvation.

The truth is that many of the sorrows and consequences we experience in life are connected to our own choices. Let no one blame God who chooses to ignore His ways in order to follow selfish ways.

Humility, Selflessness, and the Will of God

St. Paul, in the second reading, admonishes us because he knows that selfishness, the pursuit of personal interests, and indifference toward others have led many people into sin, conflict, and regret. We often lack the humility that Christ exemplified by accepting the lowly and servant-like path.

A person who truly humbles himself in service to God and others will discover a deeper freedom and joy in life. As Padre Pio reminds us:

“The Lord is willing to do great things, but on the condition that we are truly humble.”

Christian conversion therefore requires more than words. It requires humility, obedience, selflessness, and a willingness to place God’s will above our own.

The Parable of the Two Sons: Saying Yes and Doing God’s Will

The story of the two sons in today’s Gospel reminds me of how painful it can be when someone says yes to something and later disappoints us. Many of us have probably said, “You should have told me right away that you would not be able to help me. Then I could have made another plan instead of being disappointed at the end.”

Humanly speaking, it is better to tell someone honestly that you cannot help than to say yes and never follow through.

But the deeper point of Jesus’ parable is this: what matters is not merely saying the right words, but actually doing the will of God.

The religious leaders were good at saying the righteous things, but their hearts remained stubborn and unrepentant. By contrast, those who were considered sinners responded to God’s call when they heard it and changed their lives.

The son who initially refused to go to work in his father’s vineyard but later changed his mind represents sinners who initially rejected God’s invitation but eventually experienced conversion and repentance. The tax collectors and prostitutes belong to this group. Their past did not have the final word because they were willing to change.

The second son represents those who say yes with their lips but fail to live according to what they profess. They speak about repentance, but they do not repent. They speak about faith, but they do not truly live by faith. They speak about submitting to God, but they have not surrendered themselves to Him.

This was the tragedy of the Pharisees and scribes: they claimed to have accepted God’s invitation, but their lives did not demonstrate genuine repentance or a true change of heart.

Repentance Opens the Door to the Kingdom of God

The first son eventually did the will of his father despite his initial refusal. This is what God desires from every one of us: a genuine change of heart and a wholehearted response to His invitation to repentance.

In response to the answer given by the Pharisees, Jesus says:

“Tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you.” (Matthew 21:31)

Jesus was not praising sin. He was revealing the power of repentance. Those who had once lived in ways that separated them from God were entering the kingdom because they responded to His grace and changed their lives.

The invitation to work in the Father’s vineyard is therefore an invitation to cooperate with God in our salvation through acceptance of His Word, commitment to doing good, and repentance from sin.

A Change of Heart Can Change Your Life Forever

It should not surprise us that people who once lived in serious sin may ultimately enter heaven if they genuinely repent and turn back to God. Bishop Fulton J. Sheen famously spoke of the three surprises we may have in heaven.

The first is that we may be surprised to discover that some people we expected to be in heaven are not there. The second is that we may be surprised to see some people we never expected to be there. The third is that we may be surprised that we are there ourselves.

If we want to be with God in heaven on the last day, we must begin today to change our minds and hearts about whatever we are planning to do, or already doing, that is contrary to God’s will.

Pause for a moment and search your heart.

Is there anything you are planning to do today, tomorrow, or in the future that is contrary to God’s will? Is there a decision you already know is wrong but still intend to make? If there is, change your mind now. Turn away from sin before you have to regret its consequences.

God has given us the capacity to make choices, to recognize what is right and wrong, and, through His grace, to change our hearts when we discover that our actions are harmful to others or contrary to His will. A grave sin becomes mortal when there is grave matter, full knowledge, and deliberate consent. Therefore, we should never knowingly and deliberately persist in serious wrongdoing.

Today may be another opportunity for you to change your mind and accept God’s invitation to eternal life. It may even be one of the reasons you are still alive today.

“One new perception, one fresh thought, one act of surrender, one change of heart, one leap of faith, can change your life forever.” — Robert Hilden

Jesus Christ: The Son Who Perfectly Did the Father’s Will

Behind the two sons in this Gospel, mysteriously and beautifully, stands a third Son.

The first son says “No” but eventually does the father’s will.

The second son says “Yes” but does not do what he was asked.

The third Son says “Yes” and perfectly does what the Father asks.

This third Son is the only-begotten Son of God, Jesus Christ, who has gathered us all here.

Jesus, entering the world, says:

“Lo, I have come to do thy will, O God.” (Hebrews 10:7)

He did not merely say “yes” with His lips. He lived that “yes” through His entire life. He embraced the Father’s will even when that obedience led Him to suffering and death on the Cross. As Pope Benedict XVI reflected in Freiburg on September 25, 2011, Christ’s “yes” to the Father was not merely spoken but lived through complete obedience and self-giving love.

Conclusion: Choose Conversion and Do the Will of God

In humility and obedience, Jesus embraced the Father’s will by dying on the Cross for our salvation. In this Mass, let us open our hearts to God’s Word, allow His grace to transform us, and ask for the courage to change whatever in our lives is contrary to His will.

May we never become Christians who only say “yes” with our lips. May our lives also say “yes” through our actions.

Let us remember that conversion is not merely a moment; it is a continuing journey of the heart toward God. Whether our change is sudden or gradual, God is always calling us deeper into communion with Him.

Today, the question before each of us is simple: What is God asking me to change?

May we have the humility to say yes, the courage to repent, and the faithfulness to do the will of our heavenly Father.

Amen.

I keep you and your family always in my prayers. ©Clem C. Aladi (2026)