Tuesday December 16, 2025

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If we love God, we will trust Him to help us care about the needs of others.

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Good News Reflection for:

Tuesday of the Third week of Advent
December 16, 2025

Today’s Prayer:

Help me, Lord, to be teachable. Help me to grow in humbleness for my own sake and for the sake of those who are around me. Amen.

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Today’s Readings:

Zephaniah 3:1-2, 9-13
Ps 34:2-3, 6-7, 17-18, 19, 23
Matthew 21:28-32
bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/121625.cfm
USCCB Podcast of the Readings: 
bible.usccb.org/podcasts/audio/daily-mass-reading-podcast-december-16-2025

The value of being teachable

When we’re not teachable, we cannot experience the joy that comes from doing the Father’s will during the times when we don’t feel like doing it. This is the point that Jesus makes in today’s Gospel reading. Note that in his parable he does not condemn the son who said no, because ultimately he did do what the father had asked him to do.

What he does condemn is the lack of teachability of those (in this case, the priests and religious elders) who are certain they are doing everything right.

To make his point clear, Jesus refers to the righteousness that had been taught by John the Baptizer; for example: “Whoever has two cloaks should share with the person who has none.” (See Luke 3:11.)

Jesus taught the same thing: “Give to the one who asks of you, and do not turn your back on one who wants to borrow” (Matt. 5:42).

But this is a very uncomfortable message. How many of us really want to learn it?

If we’ve worked long hours to earn our money and we’re not yet able to afford everything we think we should have, or if we’re on a fixed, retirement income, how do we feel when the parish priest uses his homily to ask for increased donations? We get mad at him! For many of us, our first reaction is to answer like the first son in today’s parable: “I will not.” I get the same response when I ask for support to keep Good News Ministries going.

And yet, if we love God, we will trust him to help us care about the needs of others. He will not allow us to become destitute if we choose to be generous. If our highest priority is holiness, our “no” becomes “yes.”

Humility makes the difference between those who say no but change their minds for the sake of righteousness and those who say yes to please God but fail to keep their commitment. A humble person is willing to change his (or her) mind because he’s a teachable person.

A religious but unteachable person hears Jesus but refuses to let the truth change him or her.

In dealing with people who sin against you, forgive them and pray for them, but also find out if they are teachable. Compassionately and gently tell them why their behavior is harmful. If they’re teachable, they will learn from their sins and change their ways, and you will be helping them grow in holiness.

However, if they refuse to learn, remember what Jesus prescribed (see Matt. 18:15-17): Try again with the help of others from the Church. And if that doesn’t work, treat them as outsiders, for by being unteachable, they have already chosen to live outside the kingdom of God. Jesus told us to walk away (Matt. 10:14), because we should not give our pearls of truth to pigs who will trample on them (Matt. 7:6).

Have you ever noticed that unteachable people are the grumpiest people? What truth is Jesus trying to explain to you in the midst of your own grumpiness? Change is never comfortable, but joy comes from discovering and embracing new insights that lead to change.

For more on the topic of this subject, see our WordByte called: “What does it mean to be an Apostle today?” @ https://wordbytes.org/evangelization-ministry/apostle-today/.

© by Terry A. Modica, Good News Ministries

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