6 November 2026 · Syro-Malabar Rite
Open in the Daily Word appAlso: Latin Rite · Syro-Malankara Rite · മലയാളം
“For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him.” Matthew 21:32
A father asks his two sons to work in the vineyard. One refuses and later repents and goes; the other promises and does not go. Jesus asks which did the father's will. Words are not enough; conversion shows itself in deeds.
Paul applies this to everyday relationships: children and parents, workers and employers. Do your work “as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart.” On this First Friday we look at the Heart of Jesus, who did the Father's will to the end, and ask for a heart that obeys in deeds.
Theme: “Yes in deeds.”
The parable of the two sons and Paul's teaching on work call us to obedience that acts. First Friday: the Sacred Heart.
“Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, says the Lord GOD, and not rather that they should turn from their ways and live?” Ezekiel 18:23
“For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him; and even after you saw it, you did not change your minds and believe him.” Matthew 21:32
Apply: Turn back today from one sin you have excused.
“He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” Micah 6:8
“Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.” Mark 3:35
Apply: Offer your day's work to the Sacred Heart.
“I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart.” Psalm 40:8
“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28
Apply: Make an act of consecration to the Sacred Heart today.
God looks for deeds, not only words.
Let our yes be real, like the Heart of Jesus.
Take-home resolution: Keep one postponed promise to God today.
Dear friends, a father asks his two sons to work in the vineyard. One says, I will not, but later changes his mind and goes. The other says, I go, sir, but does not go. Which of the two did the will of his father, asks Jesus (Matthew 21:28–31). Words are not enough; conversion shows itself in deeds.
Paul applies this to everyday relationships: children obey your parents; fathers, do not provoke your children but bring them up in the discipline of the Lord; servants and masters, do the will of God from the heart (Ephesians 6:1–9). Faith is tested at home and at work.
Today is the First Friday. We honour the Sacred Heart of Jesus, who obeyed the Father even unto death. Turning back is always possible. Today, let us say yes to something we said no to yesterday: an apology, a postponed duty, a neglected prayer. Amen.
Children, the son who first said no later changed his mind and went. It is never too late to do the right thing. Today, do what your parents ask with a smile!
Sacred Heart of Jesus, you did the Father's will with love to the end. Give me a heart that obeys not only in words but in deeds, and make my daily work an offering to you. Amen.
Both readings look at life in the household and at the reward that comes from the Lord. Paul teaches children, parents, slaves and masters to live every relationship "in the Lord". In the Gospel, Jesus tells of two sons: the one who said no but then went, and the one who said yes but did not go. What counts in God's house is not the first word but the will of the Father, done.
Setting.
This passage belongs to the "household code" of Ephesians (5:21–6:9), which begins with the words "Be subject to one another out of reverence for Christ" (5:21). Such lists of duties were common in the Greek and Roman world. What is new is that every relationship is placed under Christ, and that the stronger party (parents, masters) also receives duties.
Structure.
Key words.
Verse by verse.
“Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.” (6:1)
Paul speaks directly to children, which means that they were present when the letter was read in the assembly. Children are full members of the Church.
“And, fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” (6:4)
Christian parents are the first teachers of the faith. The Lord's "discipline and instruction" is both correction and teaching, given with patience.
“for you know that both of you have the same Master in heaven, and with him there is no partiality.” (6:9)
Paul does not attack slavery as an institution, which no one in his world could abolish, but he places within it a truth that would one day undo it: slave and master are brothers under one Lord (see Philemon 16).
How the Church reads it.
The Catechism treats the duties of children and parents under the fourth commandment (CCC 2197–2200, 2221–2223), and calls parents the first educators of their children. The Church today teaches clearly that slavery is gravely contrary to human dignity (Gaudium et Spes 27; CCC 2414). The lasting lesson of these verses is Paul's principle: every work done well, by anyone, is done for the Lord and will be rewarded by him (v. 8).
Setting.
Jesus has entered Jerusalem and cleansed the Temple. The chief priests and the elders of the people ask him by what authority he acts (21:23). He answers with a question about John the Baptist, and then with three parables: the two sons, the wicked tenants and the wedding banquet (21:28–22:14). The parable is addressed to these leaders, not to the Jewish people as a whole.
Structure.
Key words.
Verse by verse.
“He answered, ‘I will not’; but later he changed his mind and went.” (21:29)
A note on the text. Some ancient manuscripts, among them Codex Vaticanus, tell the story in the opposite order: the first son says yes and does not go, the second says no and then goes, and the answer is "the second". The Malayalam POC follows that order. The meaning is the same in both forms.
“Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you.” (21:31)
"Ahead of you" leaves the door open. Jesus does not say that the leaders are shut out; he invites them to follow those who repented.
“and even after you saw it, you did not change your minds and believe him.” (21:32)
The leaders saw sinners changed by John's preaching, and still did not change. The greatest obstacle to conversion is the belief that one does not need it.
How the Church reads it.
The parable explains another saying of Jesus: "Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven" (Matthew 7:21). It speaks to every believer whose words run ahead of his deeds. The Catechism teaches that conversion is a movement of a "contrite heart", drawn and moved by grace to respond to the merciful love of God (CCC 1428).
On the First Friday many Syro-Malabar parishes keep the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, with confession, the Holy Qurbana and adoration. Today's Gospel fits it well: the Heart of Jesus is the heart of the Father who waits for the son who said no, and welcomes him when he changes his mind and goes.