Homily - Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year A - Sunday, September 27, 2026 (EPISODE: 604)​

Homily - Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year A - Sunday, September 27, 2026 (EPISODE: 604)

Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year A - Sunday, September 27, 2026
(EPISODE: 604)

Readings for Sunday, 27 September 2026
FIRST READING: Ezek 18:25-28
Ps 25:4-5, 6-7, 8-9. "Remember your mercies, O lord."
SECOND READING: Phil 2:1-11 or 2:1-5
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION (John 10:27). Alleluia, alleluia! My sheep listen to my voice, says the Lord. I know them, and they follow me.
GOSPEL: Matt 21:28-32
Image credit:  https://creator.nightcafe.studio/creation/7METhRzKuAVZ4idBw4Xo/son-go-and-work-today-in-the-vineyard-i-will-go-sir-he-answered-but-did-not-go-and-lay-in-a-hammock-?ru=Paul-Evangelion 

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Please listen to the audio recordings of the Mass (Readings, prayers and homily) for the Twenty-Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year A - Sunday, September 27, 2026, by clicking this link here: https://on.soundcloud.com/ia8Rx8Us7ESDTYG8s0  

(EPISODE: 604)
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[Gospel values included in this weekend's readings: Doing the will of the Father is much more important than merely giving God lip service. Also, God is not unjust, even if God's ways are unlike ours.]

Today’s Gospel, although very short, is a really key teaching in Christ’s gospel. It goes to the heart of what our Lord was doing and saying.

Jesus taught on several occasions about the danger of relying on mere outward observances of religion. Much more important—and ultimately the only thing that matters—is that we are faithful to the truth of God’s message by doing God’s will. Regardless of whether we seem to be living up to that message, doing it is what matters most.

This is a teaching that reaches deep into the heart and into the very soul. As the saying goes, appearances can be very deceiving. This parable of the two sons—one disobedient and the other obedient—is essential.

St Paul picks up this same theme in his famous and popular first reading from Corinthians. He writes that even if someone speaks in tongues, has prophecy, understands mysteries, possesses knowledge, or even has faith to move mountains, without love they are “nothing”. He could not make it clearer: giving, sacrifice, and impressive religious actions are meaningless if love is missing. Loving with our hearts and obeying God’s laws from the heart and soul matters far more than any outward show.

This teaching is also central to St Therese, who wrote that she took no comfort from praise; and experienced little distress from criticism. She understood, as in the Gospel, that someone could be praised for an action that appears charitable while, inwardly and unknown to others, their motive is not aligned with God’s ways. Likewise, someone might act out of kindness and love, yet their actions can be misread as selfishness or malice.

The message seems quite clear: we are to do what is right and loving, in imitation of our Lord’s generous kindness, justice, and love, irrespective of how it might appear to others. We are to act lovingly, justly, and humbly—even when appearances are deceiving.

God’s love is more than sufficient. God invites us to gently brush aside both criticism and praise, and to stand before God alone, being judged only by God on how well and truly we loved. Only God can judge this. No matter how well we think we know people or how good we believe we are at reading character, only God can truly see into our hearts and into the hearts of others, into their minds and the lives of his beloved creations, and into what is truly there. We should strive to avoid jumping to conclusions about motives. Ultimately, only God knows the motives of others—and the inner life behind them.

We know this intuitively, but we often find it hard to put into practice. So let’s ask the Lord to help purify our inner life, so that our hearts, minds, and souls match our outward words and actions. May everything we do—in thought, word, and action—be motivated by the true love of God and the love of our neighbour as ourselves, growing stronger with each day. And may we have the strength to continue to act with love, even if doing so attracts condemnation or criticism from others who, unlike God, base their judgement only on outward appearances.

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Fr Paul W. Kelly

 

The Story of a Soul: The Autobiography of St. Thérèse of Lisieux. (1898).

 

Image credit:  https://creator.nightcafe.studio/creation/7METhRzKuAVZ4idBw4Xo/son-go-and-work-today-in-the-vineyard-i-will-go-sir-he-answered-but-did-not-go-and-lay-in-a-hammock-?ru=Paul-Evangelion  

Also found at: https://tinyurl.com/FHLpwk




Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year A (Sunday, September 27, 2026) (EPISODE: 604)
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
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{{May God's Spirit of knowledge and reverence}} Welcome, everyone. We gather to reflect on God's word. On this Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year A

As we prepare to celebrate the great Sacramental feast of God's love, let us pause, recall our sins, and trust in God's infinite mercy.
I confess to almighty God and to you, my brothers and sisters, that I have greatly sinned, in my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done and in what I have failed to do, through my fault, through my fault,* through my most grievous fault; therefore I ask blessed Mary ever-Virgin, all the Angels and Saints, and you, my brothers and sisters, to pray for me to the Lord our God.
May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life. Amen.
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Memorial Acclamation
3. Save us, Saviour of the world, for you have set us free by your Cross and Resurrection.
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Ps 25:4-5, 6-7, 8-9. "Remember your mercies, O lord."

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION (John 10:27). Alleluia, alleluia! My sheep listen to my voice, says the Lord. I know them, and they follow me.
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PREFACE: Sundays Ordinary III
Eucharistic Prayer II
Communion side. pwk:
(theme variation: 1 )

(post version: v1-long)

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{Many thanks for participating in this time of praise and reflection upon our loving God.}

Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord.

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Archive of homilies and reflections: http://homilycatholic.blogspot.com.au
To contact Fr. Paul, please email: paulwkelly68@gmail.com

To listen to the weekly homily audio podcast, please click this link here: https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/tracks

Further information relating to the audio productions linked to this Blog:

"Faith, Hope and Love - Christian worship and reflection" - Led by Rev Paul Kelly

Prayers and chants — Roman Missal, 3rd edition, © 2010, The International Commission on English in the liturgy. (ICEL)

Scriptures - New Revised Standard Version: © 1989 and 2009 by the NCC-USA. (National Council of Churches of Christ - USA)

"The Psalms" ©1963, 2009, The Grail - Collins Publishers.

Prayers of the Faithful - " Together we pray" by Robert Borg. E.J. Dwyer, Publishers (1993). (Sydney, Australia).

Sung "Mass in Honour of St. Ralph Sherwin" - By Jeffrey M. Ostrowski. The Gloria, Copyright © 2011 ccwatershed.org.

"Faith, Hope and Love" theme hymn - In memory of William John Kelly (1942-2017) - Inspired by 1 Corinthians 13:1-13. Music by Paul W. Kelly. Arranged and sung, with additional lyrics by Stefan Kelk. 2019.

"Quiet Time." Instrumental Reflection music. Written by Paul W. Kelly. 1988, 2007. & This arrangement: Stefan Kelk, 2020.

"Today I Arise" - For Trisha J Kelly. Original words and music by Paul W. Kelly. Inspired by St. Patrick's Prayer. Arranged and sung, with additional lyrics by Stefan Kelk. 2019.

Sound Engineering and Editing - P.W. Kelly.

Microphones: Shure Motiv MV5 Digital Condenser.

Editing equipment: -- MixPad Multitrack Studio Recording Software v10.49 (NCH Software).
NCH – WavePad Audio Editing Software. Masters Edition v 17.63 (NCH Software)
Sound Processing: iZotope RX 10 Audio Editor (iZotope Inc.)
[ Production - KER - 2026]
May God bless and keep you.
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Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year A - Sunday, September 20, 2026 (EPISODE:603)

Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year A - Sunday, September 20, 2026
(EPISODE:603)

Readings for Sunday, 

FIRST READING: Isa 55:6-9
Ps 145:2-3, 8-9, 17-18. "The Lord is near to all who call him."
SECOND READING: Phil 1:20c-24, 27a
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION (cf. Act 16:14b). Alleluia, alleluia! Open our hearts, O Lord. To listen to the words of your Son.
GOSPEL: Matt 20:1-16a

Image Credit: https://creator.nightcafe.studio/creation/mTmpFBWZY71D7FvdpbJG/first-century-palestine-workers-in-the-vineyard-the-landlord-pays-the-workers-one-denarius-coin?ru=Paul-Evangelion 

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Please listen to the audio recordings of the Mass – (Readings, prayers and homily) for the Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year A - Sunday, September 20, 2026 by clicking this link here: https://on.soundcloud.com/tXDym5HYKb1m4rvBwm    

(EPISODE:603)
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Prologue:
In the readings this weekend, we have
Isaiah 55:6 and following …..
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, my ways, not your ways - the Lord speaks."
"Yes, the heavens are as high above earth as my ways are above your ways, my thoughts above your thoughts."
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Responsorial Psalm
Ps 144:2-  ff
The Lord is just in all his ways and loving in all his deeds. He is close to all who call him,
who call on him from their hearts.

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Philippians 1:20-ff
St paul : 
"For me to stay alive in this body is a more urgent need, for God's sake." (not for his own sake) .
Good practical advice then follows, with Saint Paul saying:-
"Avoid anything in your everyday lives that would be unworthy of the gospel of Christ."
(NRSV adds an extra line), "whether I come and see you or am absent and hear about you, I will know that you are standing firm in one spirit, striving side by side with one mind for the faith of the gospel."

Matthew 20:v one ff
Parable of the grumbling workers in the vineyard…..
Note:
He made an agreement with the workers for one denarius a day, ……………….
(which they later grumbled about… when comparing themselves with others….   With no way of knowing the true situation of the others….   Comparisons are odious is that well-known saying, and it is likely inspired by situations such as this.,…   the lord reminds us ……
"My friend, I am not being unjust to you; did we not agree on one denarius? ………………………………….. Why be envious because I am generous?"   -envy, comparisons,  grumbling…. Perhaps too….   Once we agree to something – let that be that…  no grumbling after the event…….
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HOMILY:

[ some of the gospel values that shine out this weekend are the universal brotherhood and sisterhood of all humans; and also, God is generous and loving and gives people what they need. Meanwhile, Envy and resentment are corrosive in any community.

When people decide what activities to put their energies and priorities into, it seems familiar to ask the question....."What's in it for me?" ...... "What will I get out of this?"  However, this only works for some people.


In our world, there are many people who are severely disadvantaged and in need. And all things are sadly not equal.  In a world where far too many people only receive something if they can give something of equal value back, there are those who are in a dire situation because they are so poor, so disadvantaged, that they cannot benefit anyone else – They have nothing valued by others –(in a monetary sense),  that they can give, and so they miss out.
They do not fit into a system based on near-equal "give and take" and are left precariously dangling on the edge.

I heard someone on the news the other week:
.."After all, we are not merely an economy, we are a community," ....

We owe something to each other beyond what we can get from one another.

That is a very timely reminder!

Jesus went out to the margins, searched for these people, and made a special effort to ensure that they were very much included in his Kingdom.  This is what the generous landowner is doing.   The workers who were left without any day's work, at the eleventh hour (still a term we use today), these people still needed to eat and feed their families. If no one had employed them that day, they and their families would have gone without a day's food. The landowner knew this and was compassionate and kind. He also knew that his harvest was urgent and plentiful and the labourers few, so he gave them what they needed -- a day's food. Not that they 'earned' a day's pay, but that they NEEDED a day's pay – living as they were on just enough to get them by, one day at a time.  And in any case, when it comes to God's gifts, none of us have really EARNED God's favour and love; it is freely and generously given and offered to all.

Jesus wants us to have that same generosity and welcome to others around us. They are also welcome because God is loving, forgiving and generous to them, just as God treats us.

What a wonderful and quite revolutionary attitude.  A world-changing attitude.

The grumbling workers have lost sight of the point. The work of the Kingdom is urgent and important, and the labourers are very few, the harvest plentiful… in fact, it's more than plentiful…. The harvest God intends is that everyone (absolutely everyone) be included as part of God's kingdom…. so there is no time for hesitation….  Everyone is needed……... all are called….

How many of life's daily hurts, disappointments and turmoils really come from harbouring wrong assumptions, unreal expectations and flawed ways of thinking? ……  How many arguments have resulted from envy and resentment and not from true need?

To summarise this gospel…  a writer once said…. "The world asks, HOW MUCH did the landowner give?   But Jesus invites us to ask a much better and far more important question: "WHY did the landowner give as he did?"

The answer is, because God is generous and caring. As the parable asks, are we envious because our God is extremely generous?  Surely, God can deal as he wants with his own. Why can we not give others what they need, not what they "deserve?"

God gives us what we NEED, not so much what we WANT (and often, - to be honest-, there is a huge difference between wants and needs). And Jesus asks us to do the same for others.  This parable invites us to see not with the eyes of a day labourer who, in this example, has no real concern for the project they were working on but rather to live as an invested partner, embracing and owning the vision of the landowner, who wants to achieve a rich harvest and share it with everyone.

Fr Paul W. Kelly

Mark Link.  Vision. Praying Scripture in a contemporary way. Year a

Image Credit: https://creator.nightcafe.studio/creation/mTmpFBWZY71D7FvdpbJG/first-century-palestine-workers-in-the-vineyard-the-landlord-pays-the-workers-one-denarius-coin?ru=Paul-Evangelion
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Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year A  (Sunday, September 20, 2026)  (EPISODE:603)
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (or/ The Lord be with You)
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{{May God's Spirit of Counsel and Fortitude abide in you.}} Welcome everyone, we gather -  Praise and Worship of our God. On this Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year A

Our God's love and mercy know no bounds, and so let us recall our sins to celebrate this Holy Sacrifice worthily.
Lord Jesus, you healed the sick: Lord, have mercy// Lord Jesus, you forgave sinners: Christ, have mercy// Lord Jesus, you give us yourself to heal us and bring us strength: Lord, have mercy.
May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life.  Amen.
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Memorial Acclamation
2. When we eat this Bread and drink this Cup, we proclaim your Death, O Lord, until you come again.
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Ps 145:2-3, 8-9, 17-18. "The Lord is near to all who call him."

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION (cf. Act 16:14b). Alleluia, alleluia! Open our hearts, O Lord. To listen to the words of your Son.
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PREFACE: Sundays Ordinary II
Various Needs and Occasions . I
Communion side.  pwk:
(theme variation: 4 )

(post version: v2-long)

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{Thank you for your company as we have given thanks and praise to our God.}

Go forth; the Mass is ended.

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Archive of homilies and reflections:  http://homilycatholic.blogspot.com.au
To contact Fr. Paul, please email:  paulwkelly68@gmail.com

To listen to the weekly homily audio podcast, please click this link here:  https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/tracks

Further information relating to the audio productions linked to this Blog:

"Faith, Hope and Love - Christian worship and reflection" - Led by Rev Paul Kelly

Prayers and chants — Roman Missal, 3rd edition, © 2010, The International Commission on English in the liturgy. (ICEL)

Scriptures - New Revised Standard Version: © 1989, and 2009 by the NCC-USA. (National Council of Churches of Christ - USA)

"The Psalms" ©1963, 2009, The Grail - Collins publishers.

Prayers of the Faithful - " Together we pray" by Robert Borg'. E.J. Dwyer, Publishers, (1993). (Sydney Australia).

Sung "Mass in Honour of St. Ralph Sherwin" - By Jeffrey M. Ostrowski. The Gloria,  Copyright © 2011 ccwatershed.org.

"Faith, Hope and Love" theme hymn - In memory of William John Kelly (1942-2017) - Inspired by 1 Corinthians 13:1-13. Music by Paul W. Kelly. Arranged and sung, with additional lyrics by Stefan Kelk. 2019.

"Quiet Time."  Instrumental Reflection music. Written by Paul W. Kelly. 1988, 2007. & This arrangement: Stefan Kelk, 2020.

"Today I Arise" - For Trisha J Kelly.  Original words and music by Paul W. Kelly. Inspired by St Patrick's Prayer.  Arranged and sung, with additional lyrics by Stefan Kelk. 2019.

Sound Engineering and Editing - P.W. Kelly.

Microphones: - Shure Motiv MV5 Digital Condenser.

Editing equipment: -- MixPad Multitrack Studio Recording Software v10.49 (NCH Software).

NCH – WavePad Audio Editing Software. Masters Edition v 17.63 (NCH Software)

Sound Processing:  iZotope RX 10 Audio Editor (Izotope Inc.)

[ Production -  KER -  2026]

May God bless and keep you.
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