Today, we have come together from all over the country, not wearing our county colours, but united under the sign of the Cross. Many here have Walked the Cross since Friday, starting in Kildare, covering 33 miles to honour the Lord. This experience of ‘walking together,’ which is the synodal model, brings home to us that the Cross is not simply something we carry, but something we journey with. That is exactly what today’s Gospel is asking of us. Jesus tells us about two sons. Their father says to the first: “My son, go and work in the vineyard today.” And the son says: “I will not.” But later, he changes his mind and goes. The father asks the second son the same thing. And he says: “Certainly, sir.” But he never goes. Jesus asks a very simple question: “Which of the two did his father’s will?” The answer is obvious, the first one because actions speak louder than words. Perhaps there is something profoundly Irish about this Gospel. The Irish are known as good ‘talkers.’ We can spend hours socially, or at the kitchen table, in a parish meeting, or on the radio, online, talking about what is wrong with the country and what should be done about it. We know what everybody else should be doing! But Jesus asks a more uncomfortable question of us, ‘What are you actually doing?’
Our faith is not simply about saying the right words. It is about becoming the right kind of person in imitation of Christ. It’s about opening our hearts to Christ and allowing Christ to change the way we live. Perhaps that is why this Gospel is particularly important for Ireland today. We are living through a moment of profound change. For generations, Catholicism was woven deeply into the fabric of Irish life. It shaped our schools, our families, our communities, our calendar, our language, our imagination. We know now that it was far from a perfect Church or society. Because of the brokenness of some, many were deeply hurt. This is a reality that will always be part of our story.
The facts in the last Census tell us that while 69% of the population identified as Roman Catholic in 2022, that was down from 79% in 2016. This reflects the reality; Ireland is now a much more diverse country. Our streets, our schools, our workplaces and our communities are different from the Ireland many of us knew growing up. In the midst of this change, we are left with new questions… What does it mean to be Catholic in Ireland now? What does it mean to be Christian in a country where faith can no longer be assumed? What does it mean to journey with the Cross in a culture where some people love the Church, some are suspicious of it, some have been hurt by it, some have walked away from it, and many simply don’t know what to make of it? It would be naïve to enter the blame game, blaming the media or secularisation or the political establishment. This can be over simplistic when the important issues we are facing are far more nuanced and complex.
In this moment of change and confusion, as disciples, we know where to find direction, because our direction is always to be found in the Gospel. Perhaps this moment is inviting us back to the Gospel. In the Gospel we find the Truth, which is not some distant concept, but rather a person, Jesus Christ! In the Gospel today Jesus reminds us in the parable… Don’t start with words, start with the vineyard. In other words, go out into the reality of today and live the Gospel. Show people what Christ looks like. Ireland doesn’t need Christians who are simply good at talking about Christianity. Ireland needs Christians who are good at living it.
Saint Paul in his letter to the Philippians says: “In your minds you must be the same as Christ Jesus.” He goes on to share the beautiful hymn about Jesus, reminding us that: ‘Though he was divine, he emptied himself. He humbled himself. He became a servant.’ That service brought him all the way to the Cross. This illustrates the revolution that is Christianity. It’s not about earthly power or status or having the loudest voice or being the person who wins the argument, no, it’s about becoming like Christ, the one who emptied himself and became a servant. He is the one who showed us the way of compassion, mercy and love. On the Cross, Jesus stretches out his arms, and those arms are wide enough to embrace everybody. That’s why the pilgrimage over the past three days is so important. As you ‘walked the Cross’ you were showing the world that Christ’s embrace is an invitation for everyone, it is never too late. But, as the Gospel today also reminds us, the choice is ultimately ours. Christ never forces us, we are free to say ‘yes,’ like the son in the Gospel, or we can say ‘no’. But the Gospel makes it clear, that no matter what our initial response, there is always time for conversion. It is the Gospel of second chances. What great hope that brings!
Speaking of hope, there are many signs of hope in the Church today. I have witnessed this over the past few weeks myself. I was in Lourdes a couple of weeks ago, we had about 200 young people with us. Their care, kindness and service to the sick and infirm all done in the context of faith was powerful to witness. During the summer I visited the Philippines with a group of 17 young people from a parish here in Dublin, visiting parishes and schools. It brought home to me a Church alive and active. This past week I was at a number of school events, where young people are offering themselves in faith leadership roles in their various school communities. Fantastic young people witnessing to their faith. Your presence here and those who have Walked the Cross over the past three days, again witnessing to your faith in today’s culture. So many people from different parts of the world have come to make their home here in Ireland, they have brought hope to so many of our parish communities. Anyone who has seen the scenes from France and indeed Spain earlier in the year during Pope Leo’s visits cannot but be encouraged and hope filled.
This sense of hope and challenge is echoed in the teaching of Pope Leo who reminds us, and I quote; ‘today a new missionary age opens up in the history of the Church. If for a long time we have associated mission with the word ‘depart’, the going out to distant lands that did not know the Gospel [today] Mission is not so much about ‘departing’ but instead ‘remaining’ in order to proclaim Christ through hospitality and welcoming, compassion and solidarity.’
Our call is not about looking back and lamenting the past, perceived as a golden age, we know now, it was not so ‘golden’. No, our call is to be missionaries, not in the traditional sense of ‘departing’ but in the words of Pope Leo, ‘remaining’ and witnessing to the Gospel here in our own land, living the Gospel through our ‘hospitality, welcome, compassion and solidarity.’ This mission involves being a voice for justice and truth calling out for, and challenging attitudes that are contrary to the Gospel of life.
As we gather in this iconic stadium, the symbolism speaks powerfully to us. As Church, we are not called to be spectators in society looking on from the stands. As Church we are called to be at the centre of the action in the middle of the pitch. So let us not lose confidence, let us not lose our voice! Here lies the heart of the matter; as we engage with a changing culture we should not attempt to “water down” the Gospel in order to make it more acceptable, rather we should live the message unapologetically. This is not an arrogant approach, on the contrary, it requires the Church to have a genuine humility where it will earn the right to be listened to rather than demanding or expecting it as was the case in the past.
We are called to be witnesses; we are called to ask the difficult questions about the values and the direction we are travelling as a society. The question for us is not so much “What kind of Ireland do I want?” But something far more challenging: “What kind of Ireland am I helping to build?”
As followers of Christ, we are called to build an Ireland where people are made to feel welcome, where the vulnerable are protected, where young people have hope, where every life is valued from conception to the moment the Lord calls us home, where migrants are treated with dignity, where difference is respected, where disagreement does not mean hatred, and where forgiveness is possible! When people who may not align with us see that our walk matches our talk, where they see God at work in us then their curiosity will be awakened and Christ will be recognised. Pope Leo in Paris on Saturday reminded us that ‘Our fight is not a fight against others and does not resort to weapons of violence, contempt or oppression. Our only weapon is the love we give.’
At the beginning of these words I mentioned how this place, Croke Park is a place of passion and belonging. Today in the Gospel Jesus invites us to say ‘yes’ to his call today. May we be united in this call, knowing that we belong to Christ and one another, we do not walk alone, we take the synodal route, as those who walked the cross these days have shown us. May our hearts be renewed and may we live the mission entrusted to us on the day we were baptised and may we live that mission with passion, hope and love!