September 27, 2026. 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A)

Ezekiel: 18:25-28; Philippians 2:1-11; Matthew 21:28-32

Be Prepared to Change Your Mind.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells a parable about two brothers with attitudes that were the exact opposite of one another. The first brother seemed rebellious, while the second seemed docile. Their father asked them to go and work in the vineyard. The first son’s response was a definite ‘No’, while the second son’s response was a whimsical ‘Yes’. The first son later changed his mind and went to work in the vineyard, while the one who said ‘Yes’ never went. None of them was perfect, but at least the first son, after deep thought, changed his mind and obeyed his father.

This parable was addressed to the Jewish leaders, who portrayed themselves as the chosen ones. They promised to obey God and keep his words. But their lives were a far cry from their profession. They disobeyed God and rejected the Son of God sent to them and put him to death. But the tax-collectors and sinners changed their minds from following their own ways to accepting Jesus and his teaching. They will enter the kingdom of God long before the Jewish leaders.

In the first reading, Ezekiel reminded the people that those who commit sins will die because of their sins. God’s ways are always fair and just. A virtuous person should be consistent in doing what is right till the end. Therefore, we pray for the gift of final perseverance. This special grace enables a person to remain in a state of holiness and die in friendship with God. It makes it possible to remain steadfast in goodness and grace till the exact moment of death. According to the teaching of St. Augustine, this grace cannot be merited by human effort or good works alone. It is a free, unearned gift from God’s mercy. Therefore, we must cooperate with God’s daily graces and rely on him to avoid mortal sin. The Church views it as the most important grace because eternal salvation depends entirely on dying in a state of grace.

Ezekiel stresses further that if a wicked person “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” (Ezekiel 18:27-28). Herein lies the power to change our minds from the path of injustice to follow the path that leads to life. Hence, the first son changed his mind and obeyed his father. The second son, on the other hand, refused to obey because he was stuck in his self-righteous attitude. He did not keep to his word.

The second reading from the Letter of St. Paul to the Philippians overshadows the first and third readings. It is called the kenotic hymn from the Greek word meaning “to empty out.” Christ emptied himself of all glory and became a slave, a servant in the form of man. Christ’s self-emptying or self-humiliation went so far as to accept obedient death, even death on the cross. Because of this, God gave him a name indicating a role Jesus now exercises that he did not exercise before. The name is Lord. St. Paul encourages the Philippians to strive for unity, to humble themselves for the sake of others. He added, “Your attitude must be that of Christ.” Because Christ’s died on the cross to save us all, we must also “empty ourselves out” for others. Hence, St. Paul exhorts us not to think of our own importance, but to think of ourselves as reluctant servants, sinners, prostitutes, unjust dealers; we must “empty ourselves” and believe in Jesus the Lord. We can do it, because he has made it possible.

Because we are human beings, prone to making mistakes, we must be ready to change our minds and seek God’s mercy and forgiveness for our sins. The best way to do this is to acknowledge our failings and shortcomings and make use of the sacrament of reconciliation. Be faithful to our prayer life and be committed to our families. We must also learn to say “I am sorry” to one another, forgive one another readily, and live in peace with one another. May the Lord of peace enable us to live in peace with one another. Amen.

Rev. Augustine Etemma Inwang, MSP

September 20, 2026. 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A)

Readings: Is. 55:6-9; Philippians 1:20-24, 27; Matthew 20:1-16

Envy blinds us to God’s Generosity.

1.     In today’s first reading, Isaiah the prophet calls on the children of Israel, as their exile in Babylon came to an end, to seek the Lord and his forgiveness. Their experiences of a devastated homeland dispirited them, and so they became weary of their faith and their vaunted heritage. The prophet invited them to return to the source of all life and strength. God has not abandoned them; they abandoned God. They abandoned God by trying to cut God down to their size, but God didn’t fit their scale. They wanted God to obey them rather than them walking in the ways of God. They wanted to make their thoughts God’s thoughts and their ways God’s ways. But God’s thoughts and his ways are “as high as the heavens are above the earth.” They wanted to repay their enemies for the losses inflicted on them, but the Lord was for mercy. They wanted vengeance, but the Lord “is generous and forgiving.”

2.     And yet, this God is near to them. “Seek the Lord while he may be found, call him while he is near.” Recognize the Lord as God, the prophet urged them, and surrender your petty ambitions and selfish desires, and experience God’s generosity. We sometimes behave and reason as the children of Israel. We want God to do our bidding rather than submitting our will to God’s and see things from God’s perspective. We want our enemies to be punished for the harm done to us. As Christians, we sometimes behave as those who do not know God. St. Paul exhorts us to “Only, conduct yourselves in a way worthy of the gospel of Christ.”

 

3.     This brings us to the gospel. Jesus tells a story about the landowner who went out at various hours of the day to hire laborers for his vineyard. I have had the opportunity to observe first-hand laborers who come out in the morning with their tools, waiting to be hired for a day’s work, either on building sites, on the farm, or any job that is required. I have hired some of these laborers to work for me. At the end of the day, all laborers are paid a day’s wage. So Jesus was stating a common practice in Palestine of his time, especially during harvest. Christ used this story to demonstrate God’s generosity towards us.

 

4.     Jesus told a simple agricultural story whose meaning was not in the details but in the story itself. In the Father’s kingdom, all are equally loved and welcome. God’s measure of generosity is different from human standards. Because everyone, no matter when they come to know the truth and accept Jesus, is equally precious to God. Peter recognized this truth in his speech to Cornelius, a pagan in his house: “In truth, I see that God shows no partiality. Rather, in every nation whoever fears him and acts uprightly is acceptable to him.” (Acts 11:34-35) This, then, is a lesson for those who think that, because they have been members of a Church for a long time, the Church practically belongs to them and they should dictate its policy. Such people resent what seems to them to be the intrusion of new blood or the rise of a new generation with different plans and different ways. In the Christian Church, seniority does not necessarily mean honor.

 

5.     The Jews saw themselves as the chosen ones, and they were indeed, which made it easy for them to look down on the Gentiles. They hated and despised them and prayed for their destruction. Christians must not see themselves as being better than others. In the kingdom of God, no one is inferior; all are God’s children. Cradle Catholics can learn a lot from catechumens and those coming to faith late in life. We have all been given gifts to use to build up the body of Christ, the Church. (cf. 1 Cor. 12).

 

6.     These readings also warn against envy. Those who worked from morning hours expected to be paid more, and when they weren’t, they murmured and envied those who only worked for an hour. The landowner’s reaction said it all: “My friend, I am not cheating you. What if I wish to give this last one the same as you? Or am I not free to do as I wish with my own money? Are you envious because I am generous?” Envy robs us of our blessings and exposes our lack of gratitude to the giver of all gifts. God’s generosity is beyond human calculations and the way of the world. Salvation is an unconditional gift from God. We do not deserve it. God does not give us wages but salvation, which is the same for everyone. His justice, mercy, and grace are not earned, but given generously. We come to his kingdom whenever we are called. Remember, those who were called late in the afternoon were not lazy, but no one hired them. Once they were called, they responded without delay. The number of hours they worked did not bring them a reward, but their willingness to work and, more specifically, the fact that the landowner called them. They became sharers of his generosity by becoming part of the vineyard. God wants us to become his partners and enjoy his presence. It’s God’s prerogative to decide who he calls to his kingdom.

 

7.      God’s thoughts and his ways are high above the world’s indeed. His ideals of justice, concern, and respect for the life and freedom of all, as these are expressed by the prophets, especially by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount, have never been matched by any purely human program. To turn the other cheek, to go the extra mile, to hand over the coat as well, to become a eunuch for the sake of the kingdom (cf. Matt.5,6 and 19) – all of this must seem ridiculous to the world. But all these other “thoughts and ways” of God come from his “ridiculous standards of generosity and love, of which our readings speak. That is why they are so gloriously fulfilling to the human spirit, even while the world finds them absurd. That is why Christ asks us to “Learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart.” (Matt. 11:28-30). Let us learn to be holy as our heavenly Father is holy. (cf. Matt. 5:48).

 

Rev. Augustine Etemma Inwang, MSP