LIVE IT TODAY: Tuesday, December 16, 2025
I desire your obedience of heart, not words spoken without conversion.
A single, flickering note in the soul of a homeless man on Christmas Eve gathers a community out of darkness and into light. We are delighted to share with you, The Inn Crowd — a very moving Christmas short story. Please consider partnering with us in helping the world encounter Jesus Christ through this Live IT Today daily reflection, and our upcoming Live IT podcast and speaker series.
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LIVE IT TODAY: Tuesday, December 16, 2025
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GOD’S DECLARATION TO YOU TODAY
I desire your obedience of heart, not words spoken without conversion.
INVOCATION
Come, Holy Spirit! Through the intercession of Our Blessed Mother Mary, open my heart to hear and receive all that You desire for me. Draw me ever more deeply into the Love and Life of the Blessed Trinity!
GOSPEL | Matthew 21:28–32
Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people:
“What is your opinion?
A man had two sons.
He came to the first and said,
‘Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.’
The son said in reply, ‘I will not,’
but afterwards he changed his mind and went.
The man came to the other son and gave the same order.
He said in reply, ‘Yes, sir,’ but did not go.
Which of the two did his father’s will?”
They answered, “The first.”
Jesus said to them, “Amen, I say to you,
tax collectors and prostitutes
are entering the Kingdom of God before you.
When John came to you in the way of righteousness,
you did not believe him;
but tax collectors and prostitutes did.
Yet even when you saw that,
you did not later change your minds and believe him.”
EVERY DAY QUESTION
What struck you? Challenged you? Inspired you? What questions did it raise?
GOING DEEPER
God judges sincerity by repentance, not performance.
Jesus tells this parable to religious leaders who know how to speak correctly but resist interior change. One son refuses outright, then repents. The other speaks the language of obedience but never acts. The shock of the parable is not which son sins first, but which one changes.
The key word Jesus presses is repentance. In Greek, it is metamelomai—to feel regret that leads to a change of direction. This is not theatrical remorse or performative guilt. It is the quiet, decisive turning of the will toward the father’s desire. Obedience is measured not by intention, but by conversion.
Jesus’ statement about tax collectors and prostitutes is not an endorsement of sin; it is a proclamation of hope. Those who know their need are often quicker to respond to grace. Those who feel secure in their righteousness are more easily blinded to it. The greatest danger is not failure, but refusal to change.
Here is the piercing paradox of the Gospel: God prefers a broken yes lived imperfectly to a polished yes never embodied. Words alone can mimic holiness. Only repentance proves it.
This strikes deeply into daily family life. Parents and children alike know the gap between what is said and what is done. “I’m sorry” without change. Promises without follow-through. This Gospel reminds us that holiness grows where humility allows correction and second chances.
The domestic church becomes a school of repentance when it makes room for honest acknowledgment of failure—and real change. Not shame, but truth. Not fear, but hope. Not appearances, but obedience from the heart.
Parents, Advent calls you to lead with integrity. Let your children see repentance modeled, not hidden. Change course when needed. Return to the vineyard. Pray over your children by name in the power of the Holy Spirit, asking that they grow into hearts that choose God’s will not just in words, but in lived obedience.
“Interior repentance is a radical reorientation of our whole life.” (CCC 1431)
LIFE APPLICATION QUESTIONS
In My Heart: Where am I saying yes to God with words but resisting Him in action?
In My Home: How do we handle failure—do we allow room for repentance and growth?
In My World: Who might I have quietly written off instead of believing in God’s power to change them?
FAMILY LIVE IT
Make some time today to gather together and, going around, share one small way each person can live God’s will more concretely this week.
Then, one by one, pray over each person by name, asking the Holy Spirit to pour out grace to know God’s love personally; to free them from the whispers and lies of the Enemy; to strengthen them against temptation; and to give them courage to live the Gospel through real choices and actions.
Daily Challenge: Choose one concrete act today that aligns your actions with your faith, especially where it is easiest to delay or excuse.
DAILY PARENT & GRANDPARENT BLESSING
LORD JESUS CHRIST, let Your holy anointing be upon each of our children, grandchildren, and godchildren this day and week, including all to whom they are called in vocation, and all future generations! In Your Sacred Name we claim them for You! We renounce all whispers, lies, and influences of the Enemy! We pray right now that each know Your loving Presence, be forged in virtue, and be flooded with an abundance of Your Holy Spirit to live fully their identity and mission in You now and through all eternity, through the intercession of our Blessed Mother! Amen.
PARENT BLESSING PROJECT: bit.ly/ParentBlessing
GOING VERTICAL
“Be still and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10
Just as the vertical beam upholds the horizontal beam of the Cross, so too does undistracted, dedicated daily turning to God as our lifeblood uphold and strengthen every part of life. Start with just three minutes. Wait patiently for the breakthrough beyond the noise. Let Him speak.
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