Deacon Stephen Cafaro gave this homily on 9/27/2026 at St. Mary of the Assumption Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish. I thought it so well captured this struggle we face with giving God our yes (or no) – so much so that I asked him for a copy of it and he graciously shared it with me (and was agreeable to me sharing it with you here).
May his words inspire you to Give God Your Yes! 🙂
Deacon Stephen Cafaro’s Homily:
A few weeks ago Elaine and I and some friends went to Yosemite
National Park …the other couple’s son and wife joined us along with
their almost 2-year-old… It was a wonderful to be with them… and in a
special way brought back lots of memories …of having kids …and I
mean all of it… good the bad and the smelly of it all…. One of the
amusing memories that fit in with today’s homily was how these
precious bundles of energy have mastered the use of the word no.
The truth is, we never entirely outgrow that word. From the beginning,
our first parents Adam and Eve said no to God, and we’ve been finding
our own ways to say it ever since.
Think about these moments of decision …someone needing help…or
we know we owe someone an apology…or should be showing
gratitude… Or we feel God asking us to forgive, to change a habit, or to
do something difficult. We are presented with these opportunities and
something inside us says, “No.” Sometimes we say it out loud for all to
hear. Sometimes we communicate it through a sigh so dramatic that
words are no longer necessary. I apparently have a special “nose breath”
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that speaks volumes in my house when I get a request I’m not fond of.
(demonstrate sound by exhaling heavy through nostril close up into mic)
But then something happens. Our conscience refuses to leave us alone.
We replay the conversation. We begin to realize, “I need to do this.”
And eventually, perhaps reluctantly, we do what we initially refused to
do.
So which answer revealed who we really were—the “no” we gave in the
moment, or the “yes” we eventually lived?
That is the tension at the heart of today’s Gospel.
One son says no but ultimately does what his father asks. The other says
exactly what his father wants to hear, but never follows through.
Jesus asks, “Which of the two did his father’s will?” Pause there for a
moment… the whole story boiled down to “Did you do the Father’s
will”?
The answer is clear. The first son changed his mind, and then he acted.
His first response was not his final response.
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God allows us to change our answer.
Why is that so important? Because Jesus is talking about entering the
Kingdom of God. He tells the religious leaders that tax collectors and
prostitutes are entering before them.
That must have been hard to hear. These leaders knew the Scriptures.
They knew the prayers. Yet when John the Baptist called them to
repentance, they would not change. The people they looked down on the
tax collectors and prostitutes listened and turned their lives toward God.
Jesus is asking us to take that seriously. We will be judged, and saying
the right things about God is not the same as doing his will. But
yesterday’s sin does not have to decide our future. As Ezekiel tells us in
the first reading, we can turn away from wrongdoing and choose what is
right.
So which son am I becoming? Where have I said yes to God with my
words, while my life is still saying no?
We know how to say yes. We come to Mass. We know when to stand,
sit, kneel, and say “Amen.” We know the prayers.
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Those things matter. But Jesus asks something deeper: Has my yes to
God changed the way I live?
This is where obedience comes in. Obedience is more than telling God
what he wants to hear. It is doing what he asks, even when it costs us
something.
And Paul shows us what that looks like in Jesus. It said though was in
the form of God… equality was something he didn’t grasped…. You
know who did grasp equality…. Adam did and so do we. Instead Jesus
humbled himself and became obedient, even to death on a cross. Jesus
Jesus gave the Father more than his words. He gave him his life.
Our acts of obedience may seem much smaller: making the apology,
letting go of resentment, going to confession, helping someone when we
would rather stay comfortable. But in each of those moments, we have a
chance to let our yes become real.
Every one of us has said no to God somewhere. Maybe we have been
saying, “Not yet.” Maybe we have said yes for years, but there is one
part of our life we still keep from him.
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Today’s good news is that our no does not have to be our final answer.
The Father keeps inviting us. And with his grace, we can change our
answer.
So the question is not, “Have I always gotten it right?” None of us has.
The question is: What is my answer to God today?
Where have I been saying no to something God is asking of me? And
where have I been saying yes, but my life has not followed my words?
Yesterday’s no does not have to be my final answer. And today’s yes
can become more than a word.
Maybe our prayer today should be “Lord, show me where I need to
change my answer—and give me the courage to live it.
The Gospel Reading for Sunday 9/27/2026:
Gospel
Jesus said to the chief priests and elders of the people:
“What is your opinion?
A man had two sons.
He came to the first and said,
‘Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.’
He said in reply, ‘I will not,’
but afterwards changed his mind and went.
The man came to the other son and gave the same order.
He said in reply, ‘Yes, sir, ‘but did not go.
Which of the two did his father’s will?”
They answered, “The first.”
Jesus said to them, “Amen, I say to you,
tax collectors and prostitutes
are entering the kingdom of God before you.
When John came to you in the way of righteousness,
you did not believe him;
but tax collectors and prostitutes did.
Yet even when you saw that,
you did not later change your minds and believe him.”
