August 19, 2026 Wednesday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time or Saint John Eudes, Priest (Optional Memorial) Gospel: Matthew 20:1-16
Today is Wednesday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time. The Church celebrates the Optional Memorial of Saint John Eudes, Priest. According to the recently published Roman Missal: St John Eudes (1601-1680) was born in the Norman village of Ri (France). He joined the Oratory in Paris and was ordained in 1625. He went on to found the Congregation of Jesus and Mary (Eudists) and the Sisters of Our Lady of Charity of the Refuge. A popular preacher, he promoted devotion to the Hearts of Jesus and Mary. He was canonized in 1925.
Today, the passage from the Gospel of Matthew presents us with a parable spoken by Jesus. Through the parable of the landowner hiring workers for his vineyard, He teaches us. Let us now endeavor to reflect. The changing world in which we live is marked not only by bonds of family affection but also by relationships between employers and employees. The employees spoken of here are those hired by employers from the job market, or those who, for various reasons, are unemployed. They search for job openings matching their career aspirations via the internet, offline job fairs, or internal referrals, submitting their resumes through online platforms, email, or postal mail, hoping to finally enter their desired company. The employers spoken of here are those who post job openings; like the landowner in the parable Jesus told His disciples (cf. Matt 20:1-7), they recruit various talents from the job market to meet the needs of production and operations.
The landowner spoken of by Jesus today is God. He invites those “created in his own image” (cf. Gen 1:27-28) to engage in various tasks within His vineyard. Those who receive this invitation are those in this changing world who, through rigorous penance and prayer, or at a particular moment, hear God’s call to them. When they accept this invitation, they generously responding to their vocation. When they enter the vineyard to work, they are fulfilling the mission God has given them in the way they deem correct.
O God, who wonderfully chose the Priest Saint John Eudes to proclaim the unfathomable riches of Christ, grant us, by his example and teachings, that, growing in knowledge of you, we may live faithfully by the light of the Gospel. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.
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