Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time
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.
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.
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.
Gospel Acclamation
Alleluia, alleluia.
My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord;
I know them, and they follow me.
Alleluia, alleluia.
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.”
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.
One line to carry today:
God can transform yesterday’s refusal into today’s faithful obedience.
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