Have you ever said yes when you really meant no?

In this week’s Gospel, Jesus tells a story about two brothers: one says no to his father but eventually does what he asks, while the other says yes but doesn’t follow through. So which one actually did his father’s will?

This Gospel gets us thinking about people-pleasing, authenticity, discernment, and the sometimes uncomfortable work of letting our yes mean yes and our no mean no.

We’ll look at the Gospel through the Providence virtue of simplicity, which calls us to be transparent and genuine before God and other people. We’ll also explore the Catholic understanding of the primacy of conscience and what it means to discern God’s will rather than simply doing what other people think we should do.

God isn't calling us to be yes people. God calls us to listen, discern, and live truthfully—with our words and our actions aligned.

For reflection:
What is your relationship with yes and no? What helps you discern well? And can you trust yourself to recognize and respond to what God is calling you to do?

by Sr. Leslie Keener, CDP

You can find all of the Scripture readings from the lectionary here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bible.usccb.org/readings/calendar⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

You can read the reflection and sign up to receive our weekly newsletter at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠GodSpaceCommunity.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Subscribe to the Providence Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts or at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠godspacecommunity.com/providencepodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Music credits: Thanks to Pixabay and these artists for their royalty free music: intro and outro music Acoustic Inspire by The_Mountain, reflection questions music, Relaxing Meditation Music by SamuelFrancisJohnson

The Providence Podcast is offered by the Sisters of Divine Providence of Kentucky through God Space—a spiritual community for seekers, questioners, doubters, and anyone looking for a place of welcome and belonging.

Come as you are. You belong here.