Wednesday 30 September 2026 — Daily Mass Readings

 

Memorial of Saint Jerome, Priest and Doctor of the Church

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First Reading
Job 9:1–12, 14–16

Job answered his friends and said:

I know well that it is so;
but how can a man be justified before God?
Should one wish to contend with him,
he could not answer him once in a thousand times.
God is wise in heart and mighty in strength;
who has withstood him and remained unscathed?

He removes the mountains before they know it;
he overturns them in his anger.
He shakes the earth out of its place,
and the pillars beneath it tremble.
He commands the sun, and it rises not;
he seals up the stars.

He alone stretches out the heavens
and treads upon the crests of the sea.
He made the Bear and Orion,
the Pleiades and the constellations of the south;
He does great things past finding out,
marvelous things beyond reckoning.

Should he come near me, I see him not;
should he pass by, I am not aware of him;
Should he seize me forcibly, who can say him nay?
Who can say to him, “What are you doing?”

How much less shall I give him any answer,
or choose out arguments against him!
Even though I were right, I could not answer him,
but should rather beg for what was due me.
If I appealed to him and he answered my call,
I could not believe that he would hearken to my words.

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Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 88:10bc–11, 12–13, 14–15

R. Let my prayer come before you, Lord.

Daily I call upon you, O LORD;
to you I stretch out my hands.
Will you work wonders for the dead?
Will the shades arise to give you thanks?

R. Let my prayer come before you, Lord.

Do they declare your mercy in the grave,
your faithfulness among those who have perished?
Are your wonders made known in the darkness,
or your justice in the land of oblivion?

R. Let my prayer come before you, Lord.

But I, O LORD, cry out to you;
with my morning prayer I wait upon you.
Why, O LORD, do you reject me;
why hide from me your face?

R. Let my prayer come before you, Lord.

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Gospel Acclamation

Alleluia, alleluia.

I consider all things so much rubbish
that I may gain Christ and be found in him.

Alleluia, alleluia.

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Gospel
Luke 9:57–62

As Jesus and his disciples were proceeding on their journey, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”

Jesus answered him, “Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head.”

And to another he said, “Follow me.”

But he replied, “Lord, let me go first and bury my father.”

But he answered him, “Let the dead bury their dead. But you, go and proclaim the Kingdom of God.”

And another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but first let me say farewell to my family at home.”

Jesus answered him, “No one who sets a hand to the plow and looks to what was left behind is fit for the Kingdom of God.”

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Reflection

Job’s words arise from a painful awareness of the distance between human limitation and divine majesty. He looks upon mountains, earth, sun, stars and sea and sees signs of a power beyond calculation. God does “great things past finding out”, while Job cannot even perceive him passing near. Before such greatness, he feels that no argument could place him on equal terms with his Creator.

This is not the language of calm theological reflection. Job is wounded and searching. He knows that God is wise and mighty, yet he cannot understand how justice operates within his suffering. He longs to bring his case before God, but doubts whether his words would be heard. His faith has not vanished; it has entered a place where familiar answers no longer satisfy.

Scripture allows this struggle to remain visible. Job is not rebuked simply for asking difficult questions, nor is his pain covered by quick explanations. The Church teaches that the mystery of suffering and evil cannot be answered by one isolated statement. Its meaning can be approached only within the whole of Christian faith: creation, sin, covenant, the Incarnation, the Cross, the Resurrection and the hope of eternal life (CCC 309–314).

The responsorial psalm carries Job’s anguish into prayer. “Let my prayer come before you, Lord” is followed not by immediate consolation but by further questions. The psalmist wonders whether God’s mercy can be declared in the grave and asks why the Lord seems to hide his face. Yet he still cries out each morning and stretches out his hands.

This is one of Scripture’s most honest lessons about prayer. Prayer does not become false when it contains grief, confusion or even protest. The Catechism describes prayer as a covenant relationship with God, lived from the heart (CCC 2562–2564). A heart burdened by darkness may still turn towards him. Sometimes perseverance consists simply in continuing to speak when God appears silent.

The Gospel presents three encounters with people who wish to follow Jesus. Their words sound sincere, yet each encounter uncovers a condition. The first is warned that discipleship offers no guarantee of comfort or security. The second wants to delay the call until another obligation has been completed. The third intends to follow, but only after returning to what is familiar.

Jesus’ replies are deliberately uncompromising. They should not be read as contempt for burial, family or affection. Elsewhere, he upholds the commandments and shows deep compassion towards families in grief. Here he reveals the absolute priority of the kingdom. The call of Christ cannot remain indefinitely suspended behind a succession of reasonable postponements.

The repeated word “first” exposes the heart of the problem. “Let me go first.” “Let me say farewell first.” Each speaker is willing to follow Jesus after retaining control over the timing and terms. Christ calls for a response in which he is not merely added to an already settled life, but becomes its centre.

Job and the Gospel meet at this point. Job confronts a God whom he cannot control or fully comprehend. The would-be disciples encounter a Lord who will not fit neatly around their preferred conditions. Both readings ask whether faith can continue when God refuses to be reduced to our expectations.

The Gospel Acclamation supplies the answer: everything else becomes secondary when compared with gaining Christ and being found in him. Christian discipleship is not the rejection of everything good, but the reordering of every good around Christ. The Catechism teaches that following Jesus requires the willingness to place him before possessions, relationships and even life itself—not because these things lack value, but because their deepest meaning is found in him (CCC 2544–2547).

Saint Jerome lived this demanding attentiveness to Christ through a lifelong devotion to Scripture. His scholarship was not merely intellectual labour. He believed that the sacred writings draw us into knowledge of the living Lord. The Church therefore urges all Christians to acquire a rich knowledge of Scripture, since it is through the inspired word that God continues to address his people (CCC 101–104, 131–133).

Jerome’s life also reminds us that serious discipleship is rarely effortless. He could be forceful, impatient and difficult, yet he continued submitting his intelligence, language and labour to the service of God’s word. Holiness did not mean that his personality disappeared. It meant allowing grace to redirect his gifts towards Christ and the Church.

To set a hand to the plough is to face forward and work the ground immediately before us. Constantly looking behind makes the furrow crooked. Jesus asks for attention that is undivided—not because the past must be despised, but because the kingdom is calling us into faithful action now.

We may still carry unanswered questions, as Job did. We may feel that God is hidden, as the psalmist did. We may recognise that our commitment has been surrounded by conditions and delays. None of this prevents us from responding today. We can bring our questions honestly into prayer, listen more deeply to Scripture and take the next step Christ places before us.

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One line to carry today:
Following Christ begins when we stop setting conditions and entrust the next step to him.

Tuesday 29 September 2026 — Daily Mass Readings

 

Feast of Saints Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, Archangels

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First Reading
Daniel 7:9–10, 13–14

As I watched:

Thrones were set up
and the Ancient One took his throne.
His clothing was bright as snow,
and the hair on his head as white as wool;
His throne was flames of fire,
with wheels of burning fire.
A surging stream of fire
flowed out from where he sat;
Thousands upon thousands were ministering to him,
and myriads upon myriads attended him.

The court was convened, and the books were opened.

As the visions during the night continued, I saw

One like a son of man coming,
on the clouds of heaven;
When he reached the Ancient One
and was presented before him,
He received dominion, glory, and kingship;
nations and peoples of every language serve him.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion
that shall not be taken away,
his kingship shall not be destroyed.

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Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 138:1–2ab, 2cde–3, 4–5

R. In the sight of the angels I will sing your praises, Lord.

I will give thanks to you, O LORD, with all my heart,
for you have heard the words of my mouth;
in the presence of the angels I will sing your praise;
I will worship at your holy temple
and give thanks to your name.

R. In the sight of the angels I will sing your praises, Lord.

Because of your kindness and your truth;
for you have made great above all things
your name and your promise.
When I called, you answered me;
you built up strength within me.

R. In the sight of the angels I will sing your praises, Lord.

All the kings of the earth shall give thanks to you, O LORD
when they hear the words of your mouth;
And they shall sing of the ways of the LORD:
“Great is the glory of the LORD.”

R. In the sight of the angels I will sing your praises, Lord.

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Gospel Acclamation

Alleluia, alleluia.

Bless the LORD, all you angels,
you ministers, who do his will.

Alleluia, alleluia.

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Gospel
John 1:47–51

Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Here is a true child of Israel. There is no duplicity in him.”

Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?”

Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree.”

Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.”

Jesus answered and said to him, “Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than this.”

And he said to him, “Amen, amen, I say to you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

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Reflection

Today’s feast directs our attention towards the unseen servants of God whose names reveal their missions. Michael means “Who is like God?”, Gabriel means “God is my strength”, and Raphael means “God heals”. Each name points away from the angel and towards the Lord. Their greatness is found not in drawing attention to themselves, but in carrying out God’s will.

Daniel’s vision opens before us a heavenly court of extraordinary majesty. The Ancient One takes his throne amid fire, while thousands upon thousands minister before him. Yet the centre of the vision is not the multitude of heavenly beings. It is the one like a son of man who comes upon the clouds and receives everlasting dominion, glory and kingship.

Jesus applies the title “Son of Man” to himself throughout the Gospels. Daniel’s vision therefore helps us recognise Christ not merely as a teacher within history but as the eternal King before whom every power must yield. His kingdom embraces every nation and language, cannot be taken away and will never be destroyed. The Catechism teaches that Christ already reigns through the Church, even while we await the final fulfilment of his kingdom (CCC 668–670).

The angels belong entirely to this reign of Christ. Scripture presents them as personal, spiritual creatures who possess intelligence and will. They constantly behold God, glorify him and serve his saving plan (CCC 328–330). They are powerful, but they are creatures. They do not compete with God for worship, and authentic devotion to them always leads us more deeply towards Christ.

The responsorial psalm places human worship alongside angelic praise: “In the sight of the angels I will sing your praises, Lord.” Heaven and earth are joined in the worship of the one God. The angels praise him perfectly, yet the psalmist’s thanksgiving also rises before him. God hears the words of a human mouth, answers a human prayer and builds strength within a human heart.

This reminds us that angelic ministry is not remote from ordinary life. The Catechism teaches that the whole life of the Church benefits from the mysterious and powerful help of the angels, and that each believer is accompanied by their protection and intercession (CCC 334–336). Their presence does not remove hardship or replace human responsibility. It assures us that God’s providence extends beyond what our senses can perceive.

In the Gospel, Jesus sees Nathanael before Nathanael sees him. The Lord knows the man beneath the fig tree, recognises the integrity of his heart and receives his confession: “You are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.” Yet Jesus promises that this personal encounter is only the beginning. Nathanael will see heaven opened and the angels ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.

The image recalls Jacob’s dream of a ladder joining earth and heaven. Jesus now reveals that he himself is the true meeting place between God and humanity. The angels ascend and descend upon him because every divine gift and every movement of salvation reaches its fulfilment in Christ. He is not one messenger among others; he is the eternal Son whom the angels worship and serve (CCC 331–333).

Michael’s mission reminds us that evil cannot equal God and will not triumph over him. Gabriel’s mission shows that God’s saving word enters human history and asks for a faithful response. Raphael’s mission reveals God’s healing care for those travelling through danger, uncertainty and pain. Together, the archangels show that divine service may take the form of protection, proclamation or healing.

Their feast also challenges our understanding of greatness. The world often associates importance with recognition, independence and influence. The archangels reveal another pattern: strength placed wholly at God’s service. Their identity is inseparable from their mission, and their mission is inseparable from obedience.

We may imitate them without seeking dramatic experiences. We follow Michael when we defend truth and protect the vulnerable. We follow Gabriel when we speak God’s word faithfully and encourage another person to trust him. We follow Raphael when we accompany someone who is suffering and become an instrument of healing.

The Gospel does not invite us to become preoccupied with angels for their own sake. It invites us to see more clearly the glory of Christ. Heaven stands open because the Son of God has come among us. The holy angels rejoice in his kingship, serve his saving work and teach us to make our own lives an attentive response to God’s will.

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One line to carry today:
Like the archangels, we become truly strong when our gifts are placed entirely at God’s service.

Monday 28 September 2026 — Daily Mass Readings

Monday of the Twenty-sixth Week in Ordinary Time

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First Reading
Job 1:6–22

One day, when the angels of God came to present themselves before the LORD, Satan also came among them. And the LORD said to Satan, “Whence do you come?”

Then Satan answered the LORD and said, “From roaming the earth and patrolling it.”

And the LORD said to Satan, “Have you noticed my servant Job, and that there is no one on earth like him, blameless and upright, fearing God and avoiding evil?”

But Satan answered the LORD and said, “Is it for nothing that Job is God-fearing? Have you not surrounded him and his family and all that he has with your protection? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his livestock are spread over the land. But now put forth your hand and touch anything that he has, and surely he will blaspheme you to your face.”

And the LORD said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your power; only do not lay a hand upon his person.”

So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD.

And so one day, while his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in the house of their eldest brother, a messenger came to Job and said, “The oxen were ploughing and the asses grazing beside them, and the Sabeans carried them off in a raid. They put the herdsmen to the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”

While he was yet speaking, another came and said, “Lightning has fallen from heaven and struck the sheep and their shepherds and consumed them; and I alone have escaped to tell you.”

While he was yet speaking, another messenger came and said, “The Chaldeans formed three columns, seized the camels, carried them off, and put those tending them to the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”

While he was yet speaking, another came and said, “Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in the house of their eldest brother, when suddenly a great wind came across the desert and smote the four corners of the house. It fell upon the young people and they are dead; and I alone have escaped to tell you.”

Then Job began to tear his cloak and cut off his hair. He cast himself prostrate upon the ground, and said,

“Naked I came forth from my mother’s womb,
and naked shall I go back again.
The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away;
blessed be the name of the LORD!”

In all this Job did not sin, nor did he say anything disrespectful of God.

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Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 17:1bcd, 2–3, 6–7

R. Incline your ear to me and hear my word.

Hear, O LORD, a just suit;
attend to my outcry;
hearken to my prayer from lips without deceit.

R. Incline your ear to me and hear my word.

From you let my judgment come;
your eyes behold what is right.
Though you test my heart, searching it in the night,
though you try me with fire, you shall find no malice in me.

R. Incline your ear to me and hear my word.

I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God;
incline your ear to me; hear my word.
Show your wondrous mercies,
O savior of those who flee
from their foes to refuge at your right hand.

R. Incline your ear to me and hear my word.

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Gospel Acclamation

Alleluia, alleluia.

The Son of Man came to serve
and to give his life as a ransom for many.

Alleluia, alleluia.

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Gospel
Luke 9:46–50

An argument arose among the disciples about which of them was the greatest.

Jesus realised the intention of their hearts and took a child and placed it by his side and said to them, “Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me. For the one who is least among all of you is the one who is the greatest.”

Then John said in reply, “Master, we saw someone casting out demons in your name and we tried to prevent him because he does not follow in our company.”

Jesus said to him, “Do not prevent him, for whoever is not against you is for you.”

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Reflection

The Book of Job begins its great exploration of suffering by stripping away easy answers. Job is introduced as blameless and upright, yet catastrophe overtakes him without warning. Messenger after messenger arrives until possessions, livelihood, servants and children have all been lost. The speed of the disasters gives Job no time to recover from one blow before the next falls.

Scripture does not present Job as untouched by grief. He tears his cloak, cuts his hair and falls to the ground. His worship does not replace mourning; it takes place within it. Genuine faith does not require emotional pretence. Job’s sorrow is visible and embodied, yet he refuses to reduce his relationship with God to a bargain maintained only while life is prosperous.

The Church does not offer a simple explanation that makes innocent suffering easy to accept. The Catechism acknowledges that the question of physical and moral evil cannot be answered by a brief formula. Its fullest answer is found only within the whole of Christian faith: creation, sin, God’s patient covenant, the Incarnation, the Cross and Resurrection, and the promise of eternal life (CCC 309–314).

Job’s words, “The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away,” must therefore be heard as the prayer of a wounded man, not as a claim that every tragedy is directly inflicted by God. He does not understand what has happened. Nevertheless, he brings his shattered life into God’s presence. His faith survives not because he possesses an explanation, but because he continues to address the Lord.

The responsorial psalm gives this persevering faith a voice. “Incline your ear to me and hear my word” is the cry of someone who expects God to listen. The psalmist does not deny testing or danger; he appeals to the God whose mercy provides refuge. Prayer in hardship is not always peaceful or composed. It can be an urgent plea from someone who has nothing left except the conviction that God still hears.

The Catechism describes prayer as a relationship of covenant in which the human heart encounters God. Even when prayer becomes difficult, trust is tested and purified rather than rendered meaningless (CCC 2564, 2734–2737). Job and the psalmist teach us that suffering may change the sound of prayer, but it need not end the conversation.

The Gospel turns from suffering to ambition, yet it exposes another form of spiritual testing. The disciples argue about which of them is the greatest. While Jesus is moving towards the self-giving of the Cross, those nearest to him are comparing status. Their concern is not how to serve but how they rank.

Jesus responds by placing a child beside him. In the social world of the disciples, a child possessed no influence or authority. By identifying himself with such a person, Jesus overturns their measure of importance. To receive someone who cannot improve our reputation or repay our kindness is to receive Christ himself—and, through Christ, the Father who sent him.

Christian humility does not mean denying our gifts or pretending that we have no value. It means recognising that every gift is received and is meant for service. Jesus embodies this completely. As the Gospel Acclamation declares, the Son of Man came not to secure status but to serve and give his life for many. His greatness is revealed in self-giving love.

John’s attempt to stop someone outside the disciples’ company reveals a related temptation: the desire to control where God may work. The man is casting out demons in Jesus’ name, but John objects because he does not belong to their recognised circle. Jesus refuses this possessiveness. The kingdom is God’s work before it is ours, and grace is not confined by our need to manage recognition or belonging.

Job loses control over the circumstances of his life. The disciples seek control over status and ministry. In different ways, both readings ask whether faith can remain open to God when we cannot control outcomes, explanations or other people. Job responds through grieving trust; Jesus calls his disciples towards humility and generosity.

We may not receive an immediate explanation for suffering, and we may encounter goodness emerging from people outside our familiar circles. Today’s readings invite us neither to force easy answers nor to guard our place jealously. They ask us to remain truthful before God, attentive to those considered least and willing to recognise the work of Christ wherever it genuinely bears his name.

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One line to carry today:
Faith does not require control; it asks us to remain humble, truthful and open to God.

 

Sunday 27 September 2026 — Daily Mass Readings

 

Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

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First Reading
Ezekiel 18:25–28

Thus says the LORD:

You say, “The LORD’s way is not fair!”

Hear now, house of Israel:

Is it my way that is unfair, or rather, are not your ways unfair?

When someone virtuous turns away from virtue to commit iniquity, and dies, it is because of the iniquity he committed that he must die.

But if he turns from the wickedness he has committed, and does what is right and just, he shall preserve his life; since he has turned away from all the sins that he has committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die.

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Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 25:4–5, 6–7, 8–9

R. Remember your mercies, O Lord.

Your ways, O LORD, make known to me;
teach me your paths,
guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my savior.

R. Remember your mercies, O Lord.

Remember that your compassion, O LORD,
and your love are from of old.
The sins of my youth and my frailties remember not;
in your kindness remember me,
because of your goodness, O LORD.

R. Remember your mercies, O Lord.

Good and upright is the LORD;
thus he shows sinners the way.
He guides the humble to justice,
and teaches the humble his way.

R. Remember your mercies, O Lord.

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Second Reading
Philippians 2:1–11

Brothers and sisters:

If there is any encouragement in Christ, any solace in love, any participation in the Spirit, any compassion and mercy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, with the same love, united in heart, thinking one thing.

Do nothing out of selfishness or out of vainglory; rather, humbly regard others as more important than yourselves, each looking out not for his own interests, but also for those of others.

Have in you the same attitude that is also in Christ Jesus,

Who, though he was in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God
something to be grasped.

Rather, he emptied himself,
taking the form of a slave,
coming in human likeness;
and found human in appearance,
he humbled himself,
becoming obedient to the point of death,
even death on a cross.

Because of this, God greatly exalted him
and bestowed on him the name
which is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bend,
of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that
Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

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Gospel Acclamation

Alleluia, alleluia.

My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord;
I know them, and they follow me.

Alleluia, alleluia.

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Gospel
Matthew 21:28–32

Jesus said to the chief priests and 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.’ He said in reply, ‘I will not,’ but afterwards 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.”

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Reflection

Today’s readings confront the distance that can open between what we say and how we live. Ezekiel addresses people who accuse God of unfairness, yet the prophet turns the question back upon them. God’s judgement is not arbitrary. Each person remains capable of turning away from sin and choosing what is right. The past matters, but it does not have to dictate the future.

This is the hope at the centre of repentance. God does not define us only by our worst decision, nor does he accept yesterday’s virtue as a substitute for faithfulness today. Conversion is possible because his mercy meets us in the present. As the Catechism explains, repentance involves both sorrow for sin and a firm purpose of amendment: a genuine reorientation of one’s life towards God (CCC 1430–1432).

The psalm gives voice to someone who understands this need for conversion. “Teach me your paths” is not the prayer of a person defending every past choice. It is the prayer of someone willing to be led. The psalmist asks God not to remember the sins of youth, but to remember him according to divine kindness. God’s mercy is not forgetfulness or indifference towards evil; it is his gracious work of teaching sinners a new way.

Jesus brings the same truth into sharp focus through the two sons. The first refuses his father openly, but afterwards changes his mind and works in the vineyard. The second gives the proper answer yet does nothing. The father’s will is accomplished not by respectable words but by obedience. Jesus therefore warns religious leaders who know how to speak about God but resist the conversion taking place before their eyes.

The tax collectors and prostitutes are not praised because their former lives were good. They are held up because they believed John’s call and changed direction. The chief priests and elders saw this transformation but remained unmoved. Their danger was not merely that they had made mistakes; it was that they could no longer recognise their need to repent.

Saint Paul reveals the deepest form that this obedience takes. Christians are to reject selfishness and vainglory, look to the interests of others and adopt the attitude of Christ. Jesus does not merely promise obedience: he empties himself, takes the form of a servant and becomes obedient even to death on a cross. His actions perfectly express his love for the Father and for us.

This hymn in Philippians takes us into the heart of the Incarnation. The eternal Son did not cease to be God; rather, he freely assumed our humanity and the condition of a servant for our salvation (CCC 461–463). His humility is not weakness or self-contempt. It is love refusing to cling to privilege and choosing instead to give itself completely.

The unity Paul desires for the Church therefore cannot be produced by pleasant words alone. It grows when Christians place pride aside, attend to one another and allow the mind of Christ to shape their choices. The Gospel Acclamation expresses this relationship simply: Christ’s sheep hear his voice, are known by him and follow him. Hearing becomes discipleship only when it leads to following.

The first son reminds us that a poor beginning need not have the final word. We may have refused God through resentment, neglect, fear or self-interest. Yet the vineyard remains before us, and the Father still calls. The decisive question is not whether we have always answered perfectly, but whether we will change our minds, receive mercy and go where he sends us now.

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One line to carry today:
God can transform yesterday’s refusal into today’s faithful obedience.

Saturday 26 September 2026 — Daily Mass Readings

 

Saturday of week 25 in Ordinary Time

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First Reading
Ecclesiastes 11:9–12:8

Rejoice therefore, O young man, in thy youth, and let thy heart be in that which is good in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thy heart, and in the sight of thy eyes: and know that for all these God will bring thee into judgment.

Remove anger from thy heart, and put away evil from thy flesh. For youth and pleasure are vain.

Remember thy Creator in the days of thy youth, before the time of affliction come, and the years draw nigh of which thou shalt say: They please me not:

Before the sun, and the light, and the moon, and the stars be darkened, and the clouds return after the rain:

When the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall stagger, and the grinders shall be idle in a small number, and they that look through the holes shall be darkened:

And they shall shut the doors in the street, when the grinder’s voice shall be low, and they shall rise up at the voice of the bird, and all the daughters of music shall grow deaf.

And they shall fear high things, and they shall be afraid in the way, the almond tree shall flourish, the locust shall be made fat, and the caper tree shall be destroyed: because man shall go into the house of his eternity, and the mourners shall go round about in the street.

Before the silver cord be broken, and the golden fillet shrink back, and the pitcher be crushed at the fountain, and the wheel be broken upon the cistern,

And the dust return into its earth, from whence it was, and the spirit return to God, who gave it.

Vanity of vanities, said Ecclesiastes, and all things are vanity.

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Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 89(90):3–6,12–14,17

In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.

Turn not man away to be brought low: and thou hast said: Be converted, O ye sons of men.

For a thousand years in thy sight are as yesterday, which is past.

And as a watch in the night, things that are counted nothing, shall their years be.

In the morning man shall grow up like grass; in the morning he shall flourish and pass away: in the evening he shall fall, grow dry, and wither.

In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.

Can number thy wrath? So make thy right hand known: and men learned in heart, in wisdom.

Return, O Lord, how long? and be entreated in favour of thy servants.

We are filled in the morning with thy mercy: and we have rejoiced, and are delighted all our days.

In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.

And let the brightness of the Lord our God be upon us: and direct thou the works of our hands over us; yea, the work of our hands do thou direct.

In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.

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Gospel Acclamation

Alleluia, alleluia!

Our Saviour Jesus Christ has done away with death
and brought us life through his gospel.

Alleluia!

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Gospel
Luke 9:43–45

And Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, and cured the boy, and restored him to his father.

And all were astonished at the mighty power of God. But while all wondered at all the things he did, he said to his disciples: Lay you up in your hearts these words, for it shall come to pass, that the Son of man shall be delivered into the hands of men.

But they understood not this word; and it was hid from them, so that they perceived it not. And they were afraid to ask him concerning this word.

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Reflection

Ecclesiastes begins with permission to rejoice. Youth, desire and pleasure are not treated as evils, but they are placed within the truth that human freedom carries responsibility before God. Joy becomes shallow when it forgets its source and final purpose. The Preacher therefore says, “Remember thy Creator”—not only when age and weakness arrive, but while strength and opportunity remain.

The reading’s images of ageing are both beautiful and severe. The trembling keepers of the house, the darkened windows, the fading music and the broken pitcher describe a body gradually losing its strength. Ecclesiastes refuses to disguise human mortality. Dust returns to the earth, and the spirit returns to the God who gave it.

This truth need not lead to despair. The Catechism teaches that death brings our earthly life to an end and gives urgency to the choices by which we accept or reject God’s grace (CCC 1007). Remembering death can free us from wasting life on resentment, vanity and the pursuit of things that cannot endure.

The psalm makes the same realism into prayer. Human beings flourish like morning grass and fade by evening, while God remains our refuge through every generation. Because life is brief, the psalm asks for wisdom of heart. It does not ask God to make us permanent within this world, but to fill our days with mercy and establish the work of our hands.

This is an important distinction. Our lives are passing, but they are not pointless. Work performed in love, repentance honestly undertaken and mercy offered to another person can participate in something eternal. We cannot preserve ourselves, yet God can give lasting fruit to what is entrusted to him.

The Gospel moves from public admiration to a private warning. The crowd is astonished by the mighty power of God, but Jesus tells his disciples to remember that the Son of Man will be delivered into human hands. They have just witnessed power, yet he speaks of vulnerability. They see success, while he prepares them for the cross.

The disciples do not understand, and fear prevents them from asking. Their response is deeply human. A question can remain unspoken because we suspect that its answer may disturb the picture of God or the future we prefer. Silence then becomes a way of protecting ourselves from truth.

Jesus does not abandon them for their confusion. He tells them to keep his words in their hearts. Understanding will come through later events: betrayal, crucifixion and finally resurrection. Faith sometimes begins not with a complete explanation but with remembering what Christ has said until experience and grace disclose its meaning.

The acclamation reveals where this difficult road leads. Jesus has destroyed death and brought life through the Gospel. The cross is not the failure of his power but the form taken by his saving love. The Church teaches that Christ freely accepted his Passion and death for the salvation of humanity (CCC 599–618).

Ecclesiastes asks us to remember our Creator; Jesus asks the disciples to remember his words. Both readings resist spiritual forgetfulness. We forget that time is limited, that life comes from God and that Christ’s glory cannot be separated from his self-giving love.

Today we might ask which truth we are avoiding because it unsettles us. Perhaps it concerns ageing, mortality, a relationship needing repair or a question we have been afraid to bring into prayer. God does not ask us to pretend we understand everything. He asks us to remember him, remain near and trust that even our fearful questions can be carried into the light of Christ’s death and resurrection.

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One line to carry today:
Faith grows when we bring Christ the questions we are afraid to ask.

Friday 25 September 2026 — Daily Mass Readings

 

Friday of week 25 in Ordinary Time

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First Reading
Ecclesiastes 3:1–11

All things have their season, and in their times all things pass under heaven.

A time to be born and a time to die. A time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted.

A time to kill, and a time to heal. A time to destroy, and a time to build.

A time to weep, and a time to laugh. A time to mourn, and a time to dance.

A time to scatter stones, and a time to gather. A time to embrace, and a time to be far from embraces.

A time to get, and a time to lose. A time to keep, and a time to cast away.

A time to rend, and a time to sew. A time to keep silence, and a time to speak.

A time of love, and a time of hatred. A time of war, and a time of peace.

What hath man more of his labour?

I have seen the trouble, which God hath given the sons of men to be exercised in it.

He hath made all things good in their time, and hath delivered the world to their consideration, so that man cannot find out the work which God hath made from the beginning to the end.

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Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 143(144):1–4

Blessed be the Lord, my Rock!

Blessed be the Lord my God, who teacheth my hands to fight, and my fingers to war.

My mercy, and my refuge: my support, and my deliverer: My protector, and I have hoped in him: who subdueth my people under me.

Blessed be the Lord, my Rock!

Lord, what is man, that thou art made known to him? or the son of man, that thou makest account of him?

Man is like to vanity: his days pass away like a shadow.

Blessed be the Lord, my Rock!

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Gospel Acclamation

Alleluia, alleluia!

The Son of Man came to serve
and to give his life as a ransom for all.

Alleluia!

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Gospel
Luke 9:18–22

And it came to pass, as he was alone praying, his disciples also were with him: and he asked them, saying: Whom do the people say that I am?

But they answered, and said: John the Baptist; but some say Elias; and others say that one of the former prophets is risen again.

And he said to them: But whom do you say that I am? Simon Peter answering, said: The Christ of God.

But he strictly charging them, commanded they should tell this to no man.

Saying: The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the ancients and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and the third day rise again.

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Reflection

Ecclesiastes gives language to the changing seasons through which every human life must pass. Birth and death, tears and laughter, loss and recovery do not remain neatly separated. They arrive in ways we cannot fully predict, and often depart before we understand what they have asked of us.

The reading does not say that every event is good in itself. Hatred, war and death remain wounds within human experience. Rather, it recognises that none of these realities lies outside God’s knowledge. We see a small piece of time; God sees the whole. His providence does not remove human freedom or suffering, but it assures us that creation is not abandoned to meaninglessness. The Catechism teaches that God guides his creation towards its fulfilment, even while the ways of his providence often remain hidden from us (CCC 302–314).

The psalm holds this mystery beside the brevity of our lives. We are like a passing shadow, yet God takes account of us. Our smallness does not make us insignificant to him. The eternal God becomes our rock, refuge and deliverer precisely because our own strength and time are limited.

Peter’s confession gives the readings their centre: Jesus is “the Christ of God”. Yet Peter’s words, though correct, are incomplete until Jesus explains what his mission involves. The Christ will suffer, be rejected and killed, and on the third day rise again. God’s saving work unfolds through a season that appears, from the outside, to be defeat.

Jesus does not glorify suffering for its own sake. He reveals that divine love will enter suffering rather than leave humanity alone within it. The cross is not an accident interrupting his mission; it is the self-giving through which sin and death are confronted. Christ’s resurrection then reveals that suffering and death do not possess the final word. As the Catechism teaches, Christ’s death is both the sacrifice that completes redemption and the offering of the Son who freely gives himself for us (CCC 613–618).

Peter must therefore allow Jesus to define what “the Christ” means. We face the same challenge. It is easy to recognise God in seasons of planting, building, laughter and peace. Faith becomes more demanding when the time is one of uprooting, tears or loss. We may not understand why a season has arrived or how it fits within the whole of our lives.

Christian hope does not claim that every painful event will quickly make sense. It rests in the person of Jesus, who has entered human time, borne rejection and death, and opened the grave towards resurrection. We may not comprehend God’s work from beginning to end, but we know the One in whom that work reaches its fulfilment.

The Gospel question is therefore personal: “Whom do you say that I am?” Our answer cannot remain a title spoken once. It becomes visible in whether we trust Christ when the season changes, when familiar things are taken away and when faithfulness leads through uncertainty.

There is a time to act and a time to wait, a time to speak and a time to remain silent. Wisdom lies not in mastering every season but in discerning how to remain faithful within the one we have been given. Christ does not promise that we will understand the entire pattern. He promises that the way through suffering is no longer a road he asks us to walk alone.

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One line to carry today:
We may not understand the whole season, but we can remain close to Christ within it.

Thursday 24 September 2026 — Daily Mass Readings

 

Thursday of week 25 in Ordinary Time

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First Reading
Ecclesiastes 1:2–11

Vanity of vanities, the Preacher says. Vanity of vanities. All is vanity! For all his toil, his toil under the sun, what does man gain by it?

A generation goes, a generation comes, yet the earth stands firm for ever. The sun rises, the sun sets; then to its place it speeds and there it rises. Southward goes the wind, then turns to the north; it turns and turns again; back then to its circling goes the wind. Into the sea all the rivers go, and yet the sea is never filled, and still to their goal the rivers go. All things are wearisome. No man can say that eyes have not had enough of seeing, ears their fill of hearing. What was will be again; what has been done will be done again; and there is nothing new under the sun. Take anything of which it may be said, ‘Look now, this is new.’ Already, long before our time, it existed. Only no memory remains of earlier times, just as in times to come next year itself will not be remembered.

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Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 89(90):3–6,12–14,17

O Lord, thou hast been our refuge from generation to generation.

Turn not man away to be brought low:
and thou hast said: Be converted, O ye sons of men.

For a thousand years in thy sight
are as yesterday, which is past.

And as a watch in the night,
things that are counted nothing, shall their years be.

In the morning man shall grow up like grass;
in the morning he shall flourish and pass away:
in the evening he shall fall, grow dry, and wither.

O Lord, thou hast been our refuge from generation to generation.

Can number thy wrath?
So make thy right hand known:
and men learned in heart, in wisdom.

Return, O Lord, how long?
and be entreated in favour of thy servants.

We are filled in the morning with thy mercy:
and we have rejoiced, and are delighted all our days.

O Lord, thou hast been our refuge from generation to generation.

And let the brightness of the Lord our God be upon us:
and direct thou the works of our hands over us;
yea, the work of our hands do thou direct.

O Lord, thou hast been our refuge from generation to generation.

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Gospel Acclamation

Alleluia, alleluia!

I am the way, the truth, and the life, says the Lord;
no one comes to the Father except through me.

Alleluia!

---

Gospel
Luke 9:7–9

Herod the tetrarch had heard about all that was being done by Jesus; and he was puzzled, because some people were saying that John had risen from the dead, others that Elijah had reappeared, still others that one of the ancient prophets had come back to life. But Herod said, ‘John? I beheaded him. So who is this I hear such reports about?’ And he was anxious to see Jesus.

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Reflection

Ecclesiastes surveys the world and sees movement without arrival. The sun rises and sets, the wind turns in circles, and rivers flow continually into a sea that is never filled. Human life can resemble the same pattern: labour, consumption, ambition and repetition, followed eventually by obscurity. The Preacher’s stark declaration that “all is vanity” exposes how little the passing things of this world can finally hold.

The word translated as vanity suggests breath or vapour—something real but impossible to grasp and preserve. Ecclesiastes is not saying that creation or human work is worthless. It warns us that temporary things cannot provide permanent meaning. When we ask achievement, possessions or recognition to secure our identity, they eventually reveal their inability to do so.

The psalm responds by placing fragile human life before the eternal God. A thousand years are like yesterday in his sight, while a human life flourishes in the morning and withers by evening. This is not intended to make life meaningless. Its brevity makes wisdom urgent. The Church reminds us that death gives our earthly life a limit within which we must accept or reject the grace offered to us in Christ (CCC 1007).

For this reason, the psalm does not ask to escape work but for God to establish it: “Direct thou the works of our hands.” Work gains lasting significance when it participates in God’s purposes. An ordinary act of mercy, fidelity or service may attract little attention, yet it is not lost when offered to God. What appears small under the sun can carry eternal weight when shaped by love.

Herod has heard about Jesus, but he does not know what to make of him. Reports circulate: perhaps John has risen, Elijah has returned or an ancient prophet has appeared. Herod is “anxious to see Jesus”, but his interest is burdened by what he has done. He silenced John, the man who spoke the truth to him, and now another voice has arisen that cannot be so easily contained.

Herod’s curiosity is not yet discipleship. He wants to see Jesus without showing any willingness to repent. He is fascinated by reports of power while remaining evasive about the truth of his own life. His question—“Who is this?”—is the right question, but it cannot be answered honestly while he refuses the conversion that the answer demands.

The Gospel therefore reveals another form of vanity: spiritual curiosity without commitment. It is possible to read about Jesus, discuss him and even admire him while keeping his authority outside the decisions that govern our lives. Christ does not come merely to provide an interesting interruption to our routines. He is “the way, the truth, and the life”.

The human heart has a desire for God written within it, because we are created by God and for God (CCC 27). No cycle of work, pleasure, novelty or recognition can satisfy that desire permanently. Ecclesiastes identifies the restlessness; the Gospel directs us towards the One who can answer it.

This does not mean abandoning earthly responsibilities. It means receiving them in their proper order. Our work, relationships and daily duties matter, but they are not God. They become fruitful when placed within our vocation to know, love and serve him. Otherwise, even success can leave us asking what has truly been gained.

Today’s readings invite us to examine where our lives are merely circling. What do we repeatedly pursue while remaining unsatisfied? What truth have we heard but avoided? Herod wanted to see Jesus, but the deeper question is whether he was willing to be seen by Jesus—to allow his guilt, fear and choices to be brought into the light.

Christ offers more than novelty under the sun. In him, time is opened towards eternity, repentance becomes possible and even the humblest work can be established in grace. The question is not simply whether we are curious about him, but whether we will allow him to become the truth by which we live.

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One line to carry today:
Curiosity may bring us near Jesus, but only truth welcomed into our lives can make us his disciples.

Wednesday 23 September 2026 — Daily Mass Readings

 

Saint Pius of Pietrelcina (Padre Pio), Priest — Memorial

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First Reading
Proverbs 30:5–9

Every word of God is unalloyed,
he is the shield of those who take refuge in him.

To his words make no addition,
lest he reprove you and know you for a fraud.

Two things I beg of you,
do not grudge me them before I die:

keep falsehood and lies far from me,
give me neither poverty nor riches,
grant me only my share of bread to eat,

for fear that surrounded by plenty, I should fall away
and say, ‘the Lord – who is the Lord?’

or else, in destitution, take to stealing
and profane the name of my God.

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Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 118(119):28,72,89,101,104,163

Your word, O Lord, is a lamp for my feet.

My soul pines away with grief;
by your word raise me up.

The law from your mouth means more to me
than silver and gold.

Your word, O Lord, is a lamp for my feet.

Your word, O Lord, for ever
stands firm in the heavens:

I turn my feet from evil paths
to obey your word.

Your word, O Lord, is a lamp for my feet.

I gain understanding from your precepts
and so I hate false ways.

Lies I hate and detest
but your law is my love.

Your word, O Lord, is a lamp for my feet.

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Gospel Acclamation

Alleluia, alleluia!

The kingdom of God is near:
repent and believe the Good News!

Alleluia!

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Gospel
Luke 9:1–6

Jesus called the Twelve together and gave them power and authority over all devils and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal. He said to them, ‘Take nothing for the journey: neither staff, nor haversack, nor bread, nor money; and let none of you take a spare tunic. Whatever house you enter, stay there; and when you leave, let it be from there. As for those who do not welcome you, when you leave their town shake the dust from your feet as a sign to them.’ So they set out and went from village to village proclaiming the Good News and healing everywhere.

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Reflection

The prayer in Proverbs is remarkable for its balance: “Give me neither poverty nor riches, grant me only my share of bread to eat.” It does not romanticise either deprivation or abundance. Poverty can exert pressures that lead a person towards desperation, while wealth can create the illusion that God is unnecessary. The prayer asks instead for enough—and for the freedom to receive that enough truthfully.

Before asking for daily bread, the writer asks that falsehood and lies be kept far away. Truth and simplicity belong together. A life built on deception requires constant management: appearances must be protected, stories maintained and possessions used to support an identity that may not be real. God’s word is “unalloyed”—pure, dependable and free from such distortion.

The psalm continues this love of truth. God’s law is valued above silver and gold because it offers something wealth cannot provide: a trustworthy path. When grief weakens the heart, the word raises it. When evil paths tempt the feet, the word redirects them. When falsehood creates confusion, God’s precepts restore understanding.

The Catechism teaches that Sacred Scripture gives support and vigour to the Church and remains a source of strength, nourishment and spiritual life for the faithful (CCC 131–133). God’s word is therefore more than information to be studied. It becomes light for decisions, correction for desires and strength for the journey.

In the Gospel, Jesus sends the Twelve to proclaim the kingdom and to heal. He gives them real authority, but very little material security. They are to take no staff, bag, bread, money or spare tunic. Their mission must not appear to depend upon resources, status or careful self-protection. They are to rely upon the One who sends them and receive the hospitality offered along the way.

This poverty is not an end in itself. It creates freedom for the mission. The disciples are not burdened by possessions they must guard or by elaborate arrangements they must maintain. Their lack becomes a visible sign that the kingdom is God’s work before it is theirs.

The Church speaks of evangelical poverty as a call to entrust ourselves to the providence of the Father and to seek the kingdom without becoming enslaved to possessions (CCC 2544–2547). Not every Christian is called to the same material simplicity, but every disciple must examine what has become indispensable to feeling secure.

Saint Pius of Pietrelcina understood that ministry does not flow merely from human competence. His life of prayer, sacrifice and service directed people towards the mercy of Christ rather than towards himself. Like the Twelve, he was entrusted with helping wounded people encounter the healing presence of God.

Jesus also prepares the apostles for rejection. They are to proclaim faithfully, but they cannot force acceptance. Shaking the dust from their feet means entrusting the result to God and continuing the mission. This is another form of poverty: surrendering the need to control how others respond.

These readings ask what we truly require in order to obey Christ. We often delay the next faithful step because we do not feel adequately prepared, resourced or secure. Yet Jesus does not promise the Twelve complete control over the journey. He gives them his authority, his message and one another.

Christian simplicity is not carelessness. It is the freedom to distinguish what is genuinely needed from what merely makes us feel protected. God may not place the entire journey in our hands, but his word remains firm, his grace is sufficient and the next step is usually already before us.

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One line to carry today:
God does not always give us everything for the journey; he gives us enough to take the next faithful step.

Tuesday 22 September 2026 — Daily Mass Readings

 

Tuesday of week 25 in Ordinary Time

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First Reading
Proverbs 21:1–6,10–13

Like flowing water is the heart of the king in the hand of the Lord,
who turns it where he pleases.

A man’s conduct may strike him as upright,
the Lord, however, weighs the heart.

To act virtuously and with justice
is more pleasing to the Lord than sacrifice.

Haughty eye, proud heart,
lamp of the wicked, nothing but sin.

The hardworking man is thoughtful, and all is gain;
too much haste, and all that comes of it is want.

To make a fortune with the help of a lying tongue,
such the idle fantasy of those who look for death.

The wicked man’s soul is intent on evil,
he looks on his neighbour with dislike.

When a mocker is punished, the ignorant man grows wiser,
when a wise man is instructed he acquires more knowledge.

The Just One watches the house of the wicked:
he hurls the wicked to destruction.

He who shuts his ear to the poor man’s cry
shall himself plead and not be heard.

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Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 118(119):1,27,30,34–35,44

Lead me into the path of thy commandments.

Blessed are the undefiled in the way,
who walk in the law of the Lord.

Lead me into the path of thy commandments.

Make me to understand the way of thy justifications:
and I shall be exercised in thy wondrous works.

Lead me into the path of thy commandments.

I have chosen the way of truth:
thy judgments I have not forgotten.

Lead me into the path of thy commandments.

Give me understanding, and I will search thy law;
and I will keep it with my whole heart.

Lead me into the path of thy commandments;
for this same I have desired.

Lead me into the path of thy commandments.

So shall I always keep thy law,
for ever and ever.

Lead me into the path of thy commandments.

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Gospel Acclamation

Alleluia, alleluia!

Blessed are they who hear the word of God
and keep it.

Alleluia!

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Gospel
Luke 8:19–21

The mother and the brothers of Jesus came looking for him, but they could not get to him because of the crowd. He was told, ‘Your mother and brothers are standing outside and want to see you.’ But he said in answer, ‘My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and put it into practice.’

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Reflection

Proverbs begins by unsettling our confidence in our own judgement: “A man’s conduct may strike him as upright, the Lord, however, weighs the heart.” We can usually produce reasons for what we have done. We know how to describe our motives favourably and how to protect the image we present to others. God sees beneath this careful surface. He sees not only the action but the pride, fear, honesty or selfishness from which it came.

This scrutiny is not petty fault-finding. God weighs the heart because he desires its freedom. The reading contrasts thoughtful work with reckless haste, truth with dishonest gain, humility with pride and justice with indifference. These are not merely isolated moral rules. Together they reveal what kind of person we are becoming.

The sharpest test concerns the poor: “He who shuts his ear to the poor man’s cry shall himself plead and not be heard.” Prayer cannot be separated from the way we respond to another person’s need. Sacrifice offered to God becomes hollow when justice and compassion are deliberately refused. Religious observance is meant to form a merciful heart, not provide cover for an unmerciful one.

The psalm responds with humility. Rather than assuming that we already understand God’s will, we pray for understanding and direction: “Lead me into the path of thy commandments.” God’s law is not presented as a burden imposed from outside but as a path deliberately chosen and desired. The Catechism teaches that a well-formed conscience makes sound judgements according to reason and the true good willed by God (CCC 1783–1785). Such formation requires Scripture, prayer, honest self-examination and a willingness to be corrected.

Jesus brings this movement from hearing to doing into the language of family. When told that his mother and brothers are outside, he answers that his family consists of those who hear the word of God and put it into practice. He is not rejecting Mary. On the contrary, she embodies his teaching perfectly. She received the word in faith and allowed it to shape her whole life.

Christ therefore opens a relationship deeper than ancestry or outward association. Through faith and baptism, we are brought into the household of God; through obedience, that relationship becomes visible in daily life. Calling Jesus “Lord” or standing among his followers is not the same as allowing his word to govern our decisions.

The first reading and Gospel meet in a demanding truth: God is not satisfied with appearances. He weighs the heart, and Christ looks for the fruit of what we have heard. The commandments reach beyond formal compliance to the love of God and neighbour, in which the whole law finds its fulfilment (CCC 2052–2055).

This invites a practical examination. Do we listen only to the parts of Scripture that confirm what we already think? Does prayer make us more attentive to someone who is struggling? Are justice and mercy visible in our use of money, our work, our speech and our treatment of people who cannot repay us?

The word of God is not merely information to be collected. It is a seed meant to take root in the heart and become action. Hearing makes us responsible; practising what we hear makes us recognisably Christ’s own.

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One line to carry today:
God’s word becomes part of us only when it becomes visible in how we live.

Monday 21 September 2026 — Daily Mass Readings

 

Saint Matthew, Apostle, Evangelist — Feast

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First Reading
Ephesians 4:1–7,11–13

I, the prisoner in the Lord, implore you to lead a life worthy of your vocation. Bear with one another charitably, in complete selflessness, gentleness and patience. Do all you can to preserve the unity of the Spirit by the peace that binds you together. There is one Body, one Spirit, just as you were all called into one and the same hope when you were called. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God who is Father of all, over all, through all and within all.

Each one of us, however, has been given his own share of grace, given as Christ allotted it. To some, his gift was that they should be apostles; to some, prophets; to some, evangelists; to some, pastors and teachers; so that the saints together make a unity in the work of service, building up the body of Christ. In this way we are all to come to unity in our faith and in our knowledge of the Son of God, until we become the perfect Man, fully mature with the fullness of Christ himself.

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Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 18(19):2–5

Their message goes out through all the earth.

The heavens proclaim the glory of God,
and the firmament shows forth the work of his hands.
Day unto day takes up the story
and night unto night makes known the message.

Their message goes out through all the earth.

No speech, no word, no voice is heard
yet their span extends through all the earth,
their words to the utmost bounds of the world.

Their message goes out through all the earth.

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Gospel Acclamation

Alleluia, alleluia!

You are God: we praise you. You are the Lord: we acclaim you;
the white-robed army of martyrs praise you.

Alleluia!

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Gospel
Matthew 9:9–13

As Jesus was walking on, he saw a man named Matthew sitting by the customs house, and he said to him, ‘Follow me.’ And he got up and followed him.

While he was at dinner in the house it happened that a number of tax collectors and sinners came to sit at the table with Jesus and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, ‘Why does your master eat with tax collectors and sinners?’ When he heard this he replied, ‘It is not the healthy who need the doctor, but the sick. Go and learn the meaning of the words: What I want is mercy, not sacrifice. And indeed I did not come to call the virtuous, but sinners.’

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Reflection

Matthew’s vocation begins with two words: “Follow me.” Jesus does not wait for Matthew to improve his reputation, settle his past or prove himself worthy. He sees him at the customs house—the very place associated with his compromised life—and calls him from there. Matthew responds not with an explanation but with movement: he gets up and follows.

Christ’s mercy does not pretend that sin is harmless. His image of the doctor makes that clear: there is an illness requiring healing. Yet a doctor approaches the sick to restore them, not to humiliate them for being unwell. Jesus therefore shares a table with those whom respectable society has dismissed. His presence among sinners reveals a mercy that enters damaged lives and opens the possibility of change.

The Catechism describes Christ as the physician of our souls and bodies, whose compassion remains active in the sacramental life of the Church (CCC 1421). This helps us understand why mercy and conversion belong together. Jesus welcomes Matthew as he is, but his call does not leave Matthew where he is. Mercy raises him from the customs house and gives his life an entirely new direction.

Paul’s teaching reveals what follows that call. Every Christian receives grace, but not for private possession or personal prestige. Apostles, evangelists, pastors and teachers are given to the Church so that the whole Body of Christ may be built up. Differences of vocation do not divide the Church when each gift is exercised with humility, patience and love. The Church is one because her many members receive their life from the one Lord, profess one faith and share one baptism (CCC 813–815).

Matthew’s personal calling therefore becomes a mission for others. The former tax collector becomes an apostle and evangelist. The man once associated with taking becomes a servant entrusted with giving the Gospel to the world. His life embodies Paul’s teaching that grace is allotted differently to each person for the common work of building up Christ’s Body.

The psalm widens that mission until it reaches “the utmost bounds of the world”. Creation silently proclaims God’s glory, while the apostles announce in human words what God has accomplished in Christ. Matthew’s Gospel continues that proclamation. The voice of one man who answered Christ beside the customs house has carried the message of mercy across nations and centuries.

This feast also asks us how we look at people whose failures are publicly known. The Pharisees see categories: tax collectors, sinners and respectable people. Jesus sees persons who need mercy and can still answer his call. Christian maturity begins when we stop treating another person’s past as the final truth about them. Since every vocation begins in grace, no one can boast of being called, and no one should be considered beyond calling.

To lead a life worthy of our vocation is not to pretend that we have never needed healing. It is to allow the mercy we have received to shape how we serve, speak and welcome others. Like Matthew, we are called away from whatever confines us and into the shared work of building up the Body of Christ.

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One line to carry today:
Christ does not call us because our lives are already in order; his call begins to put them in order.

Sunday 20 September 2026 — Daily Mass Readings

 

25th Sunday in Ordinary Time

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First Reading
Isaiah 55:6–9

Seek ye the Lord, while he may be found: call upon him, while he is near.

Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unjust man his thoughts, and let him return to the Lord, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God: for he is bountiful to forgive.

For my thoughts are not your thoughts: nor your ways my ways, saith the Lord.

For as the heavens are exalted above the earth, so are my ways exalted above your ways, and my thoughts above your thoughts.

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Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 144(145):2–3,8–9,17–18

The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him.

Every day I will bless thee: and I will praise thy name for ever; yea, for ever and ever.

Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised: and of his greatness there is no end.

The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him.

The Lord is gracious and merciful: patient and plenteous in mercy.

The Lord is sweet to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.

The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him.

The Lord is just in all his ways: and holy in all his works.

The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him: to all that call upon him in truth.

The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him.

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Second Reading
Philippians 1:20–24,27

According to my expectation and hope; that in nothing I shall be confounded, but with all confidence, as always, so now also shall Christ be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death.

For to me, to live is Christ; and to die is gain.

And if to live in the flesh, this is to me the fruit of labour, and what I shall choose I know not.

But I am straitened between two: having a desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ, a thing by far the better.

But to abide still in the flesh, is needful for you.

Only let your conversation be worthy of the gospel of Christ: that, whether I come and see you, or, being absent, may hear of you, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind labouring together for the faith of the gospel.

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Gospel Acclamation

Alleluia, alleluia!

Open our hearts, O Lord,
to listen to the words of your Son.

Alleluia!

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Gospel
Matthew 20:1–16

The kingdom of heaven is like to an householder, who went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard.

And having agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard.

And going out about the third hour, he saw others standing in the market place idle.

And he said to them: Go you also into my vineyard, and I will give you what shall be just.

And they went their way. And again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did in like manner.

But about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing, and he saith to them: Why stand you here all the day idle?

They say to him: Because no man hath hired us. He saith to them: Go you also into my vineyard.

And when evening was come, the lord of the vineyard saith to his steward: Call the labourers and pay them their hire, beginning from the last even to the first.

When therefore they were come, that came about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny.

But when the first also came, they thought that they should receive more: and they also received every man a penny.

And receiving it they murmured against the master of the house, saying: These last have worked but one hour, and thou hast made them equal to us, that have borne the burden of the day and the heats.

But he answering said to one of them: Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst thou not agree with me for a penny?

Take what is thine, and go thy way: I will also give to this last even as to thee.

Or, is it not lawful for me to do what I will? is thy eye evil, because I am good?

So shall the last be first, and the first last. For many are called, but few chosen.

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Reflection

“My thoughts are not your thoughts.” We sometimes hear these words as though God’s purposes were simply beyond questioning. Yet Isaiah reveals something more specific and more consoling: God’s ways are higher because his mercy surpasses our calculations. The sinner who returns is not met with reluctance but with a God who is “bountiful to forgive”. His greatness is shown not by keeping people at a distance, but by drawing near to all who call upon him in truth.

Jesus gives this divine generosity a human setting. The landowner pays the agreed wage to those who worked from daybreak, so no injustice has been done. The tension begins when he gives the same amount to those hired at the eleventh hour. Their good fortune exposes the resentment of the first workers. They can accept justice for themselves, but struggle to welcome generosity shown to others.

The late workers explain that they have been standing idle because no one hired them. The landowner sees people whom others have overlooked and gives them a place in his vineyard. God’s grace is like this: it is not a wage earned by superior performance but the free and undeserved gift of his life. The Catechism teaches that grace is God’s freely given help, enabling us to become his children and share in his divine life (CCC 1996–2001).

This does not make faithful labour meaningless. Paul’s words show what life in the vineyard truly becomes: “For to me, to live is Christ.” He longs to be with Christ, yet recognises that remaining alive is necessary for the good of others. Grace has not made him passive or self-absorbed. It has freed him to spend himself in service and to live in a manner worthy of the Gospel.

The psalm holds justice and mercy together. The Lord is just in all his ways, merciful in all his works and near to those who call upon him. Christian conversion begins when we stop measuring God’s goodness by what we think others deserve. The Church therefore proclaims both the seriousness of sin and the abundance of the mercy offered to every repentant heart (CCC 1846–1848).

Perhaps the sharpest question in the Gospel is the landowner’s: “Is thy eye evil, because I am good?” Envy narrows our sight until another person’s blessing feels like our loss. Christ invites us into a freedom spacious enough to rejoice when the forgotten are welcomed, the sinner returns, and the latecomer receives more kindness than anyone expected.

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One line to carry today:
Grace is not diminished when God gives generously to someone else.

Saturday 19 September 2026 — Daily Mass Readings

 

Saturday of week 24 in Ordinary Time

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First Reading
1 Corinthians 15:35–37,42–49

But some man will say: How do the dead rise again? or with what manner of body shall they come?

Senseless man, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die first.

And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not the body that shall be; but bare grain, as of wheat, or of some of the rest.

So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption, it shall rise in incorruption.

It is sown in dishonour, it shall rise in glory. It is sown in weakness, it shall rise in power.

It is sown a natural body, it shall rise a spiritual body. If there be a natural body, there is also a spiritual body, as it is written:

The first man Adam was made into a living soul; the last Adam into a quickening spirit.

Yet that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; afterwards that which is spiritual.

The first man was of the earth, earthly: the second man, from heaven, heavenly.

Such as is the earthly, such also are the earthly: and such as is the heavenly, such also are they that are heavenly.

Therefore as we have borne the image of the earthly, let us bear also the image of the heavenly.

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Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 55(56):10–14

I will please in the sight of God, in the light of the living.

Then shall my enemies be turned back.
In what day soever I shall call upon thee,
behold I know thou art my God.

I will please in the sight of God, in the light of the living.

In God will I praise the word,
in the Lord will I praise his speech.

In God have I hoped,
I will not fear what man can do to me.

I will please in the sight of God, in the light of the living.

In me, O God, are vows to thee,
which I will pay, praises to thee:

Because thou hast delivered my soul from death,
my feet from falling:

That I may please in the sight of God,
in the light of the living.

I will please in the sight of God, in the light of the living.

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Gospel Acclamation

Alleluia, alleluia!

Blessed are they who in a good and perfect heart,
hearing the word, keep it,
and bring forth fruit in patience.

Alleluia!

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Gospel
Luke 8:4–15

And when a very great multitude was gathered together, and hastened out of the cities unto him, he spoke by a similitude.

The sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it.

And other some fell upon a rock: and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it had no moisture.

And other some fell among thorns, and the thorns growing up with it, choked it.

And other some fell upon good ground; and being sprung up, yielded fruit a hundredfold. Saying these things, he cried out: He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

And his disciples asked him what this parable might be.

To whom he said: To you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to the rest in parables, that seeing they may not see, and hearing may not understand.

Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.

And they by the way side are they that hear; then the devil cometh, and taketh the word out of their heart, lest believing they should be saved.

Now they upon the rock, are they who when they hear, receive the word with joy: and these have no roots; for they believe for a while, and in time of temptation, they fall away.

And that which fell among thorns, are they who have heard, and going their way, are choked with the cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and yield no fruit.

But that on the good ground, are they who in a good and perfect heart, hearing the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit in patience.

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Reflection

Saint Paul reaches for the image of a seed because resurrection cannot be understood as the simple return of the body to its former condition. A grain placed in the earth disappears from sight, yet its death becomes the beginning of a transformed life. There is continuity—the same person whom God created and redeemed will rise—but there is also a transformation beyond our present experience. What is sown in weakness will be raised in power; what is sown in corruption will rise incorruptible.

Christian hope is therefore not an escape from the body. We believe in the resurrection of the body because the whole human person is loved and redeemed by God. Christ, the last Adam and life-giving spirit, will conform us to his own risen life. The Catechism insists that “the flesh is the hinge of salvation” and teaches that our mortal bodies will be raised and transformed in Christ (CCC 990; CCC 997–1019).

The psalm gives this hope a personal voice. God has delivered the soul from death and kept the feet from falling so that the believer may walk before him “in the light of the living.” Resurrection hope is not merely about a distant future. It gives courage for the present, allowing us to trust God when fear, weakness or uncertainty might otherwise govern us.

The Gospel also speaks of seed, but now the seed is the word of God and the soil is the human heart. Jesus does not suggest that hearing the word automatically produces holiness. The same seed can be stolen, wither through lack of roots, or be choked by cares, riches and pleasures. Fruitfulness depends upon receiving the word, keeping it and persevering when its demands become costly.

This is where Paul’s teaching and Jesus’ parable meet. The life of faith follows a pattern of sowing, surrender and patient growth. Something must die: pride, self-sufficiency, the demand for immediate results, or the habits that crowd out God’s voice. Yet this dying is not destruction for its own sake. In God’s hands it becomes the soil from which a life modelled upon Christ can emerge.

The good soil is not a naturally flawless heart. It is a heart that remains open to grace and allows the word to take root over time. The Catechism teaches that the parables invite us into the kingdom while also requiring a radical choice: words alone are not enough; the heart must be given to Christ (CCC 546). Perseverance is the quiet decision to keep listening, trusting and acting when growth is slow and largely hidden.

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One line to carry today:
The word bears fruit where it is not merely welcomed, but kept through patience and perseverance.