NOTES for Mat 21:28-32
“The road to hell is paved with good intentions”—everyone knows this popular saying. Why is this so? The parable of the two sons leads us to reflect on this. We readily agree in words to do good, for then we enjoy the thought of our own righteousness. But we all lack perseverance, patience, and diligence. We become like seed that fell on rocky ground. “The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak,” the Lord says on another occasion. Yet let us also consider the astonishing gift of repentance that has been given to us. We are always offered the possibility of a clean slate. It is never too late to renounce evil. Still, the supposition that the good intentions of the son who said, “I am going,” remained unfulfilled is only one possible interpretation. Another meaning may be ostentatious piety, which allows one to skim the surface of life without penetrating deeply into its problems.