Sometimes young Polish people living in this area approach me, asking me to baptise their child or to prepare them for marriage. People completely unknown to me. Usually I ask them, why they want me to baptise their child or why they want to get married in the Catholic Church. Their reply is always the same: "Because we are Catholics, we believe in God". These are people I’ve never seen before; they never come to church, but they are deeply sure that they are good Christians. "I’ve never killed anybody" they say "I don’t rob banks". So, we go ahead, then after the baptism or their marriage they disappear again... If we judge by the numbers attending, the most important religious event for my fellow countrymen is the food blessing on Holy Saturday morning. St Sylvester’s church with the hall is too small to hold everyone... It would be funny, if it weren’t so sad... I do, of course, realise this way of believing is not uniquely Polish. We could call this attitude "Christian by custom".

Many of you are happy parents of young children. You love them and want the best for them. You try to boost their good characteristics and eliminate bad ones. In all of this your motivation is quite sound. But think, how does it seem for your children? Why do they sometimes protest? Why are they sometimes wayward? Why are they sometimes so irritating and annoying - so disobedient? The answer is simple: they see any limitation that you might impose as a taking away of their freedom. We, adults, are not very different from them. We are quite similar, but on a different level.

In today’s gospel we hear of two sons. Each in turn is asked by his father to work in his vineyard. Their replies are totally different: the first son refuses to work, the second one expresses his willingness, but in the end he does nothing. Do you recognise that? When we look more closely at the first son, we hear some interesting words. Listen again: "afterwards [he] thought better of it". These words determine the real difference between the two brothers. They also determine the difference between "Christian by custom" and "Christian by faith". The difference lies in an ability to reflect upon one’s own life. A reflection that helps us to boost good characteristics and to eliminate bad ones. A reflection that changes bad, wrong or mistaken decisions into good and right ones. A reflection that leads from selfishness to love.

We might be called Christians, because we have received the sacraments: baptism, confirmation, first confession and communion, marriage or ordination. These are signs that we are God’s sons and daughters. The sacraments are our reply to the father after his  invitation to work in his vineyard. They speak of our commitment. The question that remains is: "After all my promises did I really go to the vineyard?"