THE WORDS OF THE POPES
With his preaching on the Kingdom of God, Jesus opposes a religiosity that does not involve human life, that does not question the conscience and its responsibility in the face of good and evil. He also demonstrates this with the parable of the two sons, which is offered to us in the Gospel of Matthew (cf. 21:28-32). To the father’s invitation to go and work in the vineyard, the first son impulsively responds “no, I’m not going”, but then he repents and goes; instead the second son, who immediately replies “yes, yes dad”, does not actually do so; he doesn’t go. Obedience does not consist in saying “yes” or “no”, but always in taking action, in cultivating the vineyard, in bringing about the Kingdom of God, in doing good. With this simple example, Jesus wants to go beyond a religion understood only as an external and habitual practice, which does not affect people’s lives and attitudes, a superficial religiosity, merely “ritual”, in the ugly sense of the word. (Pope Francis, Angelus, 27 September 2020)
In the modern world of “Main Character Energy” and Instagram-perfect campaigns, we’ve forgotten a simple truth: A “Yes” you can see on a screen is often less valuable than a “No” that eventually picks up a shovel. As Pope Francis reminded us, Jesus didn’t care for religion as an “external and habitual practice.” He cared about the vineyard—the messy, real-world work of justice and responsibility. To understand our current political landscape, we only need to look at the Parable of the Two Sons (Matthew 21:28-32) through a satirical lens.
🎭 The Cast of Characters
The Second Son: Candidate “Aesthetic”
He is the king of the ritual. His campaign is built on “Yes.”
- The Pitch: “I am honored to serve. I am committed to the harvest. I believe in the grape.”
- The Reality: He says, “‘I go, sir,’ but he did not go” (Matthew 21:30).
- The Red Flag: He loves the ceremony of leadership but hates the labor of service. He is the one who films a TikTok about “Community Unity” while voting to cut the budget for the local youth center. He performs a superficial religiosity that looks great in a frame but leaves the vineyard to rot.
The First Son: The “Grumpy” Reformer
She is the queen of the clutter. Her campaign started with a “No.”
- The Pitch: “I don’t have time for your photo-ops. The irrigation system is leaking and I’m tired.”
- The Reality: She initially said, “‘I will not,’ but afterward she changed her mind and went” (Matthew 21:29).
- The Green Flag: She might be “canceled” for her bluntness, but she is the only one with dirt under her fingernails. She realizes that “not everyone who says… ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom… but the one who does the will of my Father” (Matthew 7:21).
🧐 The “Ritual” vs. The “Responsibility”
We live in a culture that rewards the Ritualists. We vote for the person who says the right prayers, wears the right colors, and posts the right hashtags. But the Vineyard—our schools, our environment, our neighborhoods—doesn’t care about your “vibe.” It cares about cultivating.
Key Differences to Watch For:
| The Ritualist (Candidate A) | The Worker (Candidate B) |
| Talks about the “sanctity” of the work. | Does the boring, unglamorous work. |
| Uses complex buzzwords to hide a lack of action. | Uses clear language and shows results. |
| “Ties up heavy burdens” for others to carry. | Lifts the burden alongside the people. |
| Focuses on external practice (Photos/Galas). | Focuses on internal conscience (Justice). |
🏁 The Final Verdict: “Which of the Two?”
Jesus asked the religious leaders, “Which of the two did the will of his father?” (Matthew 21:31). The answer wasn’t the one who had the best “ritual” or the loudest “Yes.” It was the one who took action.
Obedience to our community and our conscience isn’t a status update. It’s not an “ugly ritual” of habits that don’t affect our lives. It is the grit to show up when no one is watching, to fix the “vineyard” we’ve been given, and to choose doing good over looking good.
Don’t be fooled by a shiny shovel. Look for the blisters.
#VineyardVibes #FaithInAction #Matthew21 #PoliticalSatire #KingdomWork #NoMoreRituals #BlistersOverBoasts #TheFirstSonEnergy #PopeFrancis #VoterResponsibility