21 September 2026 Feast of Saint Matthew, Apostle Gospel: Matthew 9:9–13
Today is Monday of the Twenty-fifth Week in Ordinary Time. The Church celebrates the Feast of Saint Matthew, Apostle. As the recently published Roman Missal recounts: Saint Matthew (1st century), also called Levi, was the son of Alphaeus. When he encountered Jesus in Capernaum, he was working as a tax collector for the Romans — a profession held in deep contempt at the time. Yet Jesus Christ called him to be an Apostle. After the Ascension, he likely travelled to Persia or Ethiopia to preach the Gospel; wherever he went, he ultimately gave his life for the faith. The Gospel written by Saint Matthew stands first in the New Testament, and his name is listed among the other Apostles in the prayers of the Roman Canon.
Today, Saint Matthew the Evangelist uses the very Gospel he wrote to offer us his own account of his vocation. I would like to share some reflections on this reading.
First, Matthew tells us: At that time, as Jesus passed through Capernaum, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. He said to him, “Follow me.” And Matthew got up and followed him. (cf. Matthew 9:9)
Here we meet that familiar place — Capernaum. A village of fishermen and farmers, Capernaum stretched roughly 300 meters along the western shore of Lake Gennesaret (Galilee). Galilee was home to many people the Israelites regarded as “half-Gentile”, since their lineage was a mix of many peoples. They were seen as people living in darkness and ignorance. After Jesus began his public ministry, Capernaum became the center of his work. In his theological reflection, Matthew interprets this change of residence — a seemingly insignificant detail — as the fulfilment of prophecy: “The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light; on those who sat in the region and shadow of death, light has dawned.” (cf. Matthew 4:16) The first to receive Jesus’ light and choosing were not the “pure-blooded” Jews, but those who were rejected and cast out. Matthew was one of them. He was ostracized because he was a tax collector. In the Roman Republic and later the Empire, tax collectors were public officials: they supplied provisions to Roman legions, oversaw port duties, supervised public works, and contracted to collect provincial taxes for Rome. By the New Testament era, local people knew them chiefly as revenue agents. They were regarded as open sinners: not only did they betray their fellow countrymen’s interests, but they also extorted more than Rome required and kept the surplus for themselves.
Today, Jesus approaches Matthew unprompted. He does not use eloquent words to win him over — he simply says, “Follow me!” At this call, Matthew immediately leaves everything behind to follow him. His choice to follow Jesus was, in part, because Jesus was a fellow Jew. Given his long-standing isolation from his own people, seeing a Jewish man come to him with an invitation moved him to resolutely surrender all he had and walk with Jesus, setting us a clear example to follow.
Jesus extends this same invitation to us today. He has a special closeness to those who, like Matthew, are isolated or marginalized by society. He went to Matthew’s house and ate with him, drawing many tax collectors and sinners to himself in the process. (cf. Matthew 9:10) From this we can draw a clear conclusion: no Christian can live the life of faith alone in the Church. We need to regularly receive the Body and Blood of Christ, to nourish our souls and deepen our communion with the Word of God. In this way, when we face trials in life — especially in our faith journey — we can remain unafraid. For in those moments, our Lord Jesus Christ is with us. We know that wherever Jesus Christ and his Gospel are proclaimed, the devil and all the powers of the Antichrist are driven out.
O God, who with untold mercy were pleased to choose as an Apostle Saint Matthew, the tax collector, grant that, sustained by his example and intercession, we may merit to hold firm in following you. 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.
20 September 2026 Twenty-Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time Gospel: Matthew 20:1–16a
Today is the Twenty-Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time. The passage taken from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Matthew presents to us a parable spoken by Jesus. This brings to mind the ordinary state of Christian life today. For the shifting world in which we now live, beyond ties of flesh and blood, is also ordered by the relationship between employers and employees. The employees spoken of here are those whom employers recruit from the labour market, or those unemployed for various reasons: they seek job postings matching their career aspirations through online job portals, in-person job fairs, or internal company referrals, and submit their CVs via these platforms, email, or post, that they may finally enter the company they long to join. The employers spoken of here are those who post job vacancies; like the householder in the parable Jesus told his disciples (cf. Matthew 20:1–7), they recruit all manner of talent from the labour market to meet the needs of production and operation.
Today, the landowner in Jesus’ parable is God, who invites those “made in his own image” (cf. Genesis 1:27–28) to undertake all manner of work in his vineyard. Those who receive this invitation are those who, in this shifting world, through earnest penance and prayer, or at a particular moment, hear God’s call to them. When they accept this invitation, they are responding generously to their vocation; when they enter the vineyard to work, they are fulfilling the mission God has entrusted to them in the way they judge right.
Once, when I was at a parish speaking with some altar servers, a number of them often complained: “I arrive earlier than the other servers, I am always preparing the various liturgical items, yet my parish priest has never praised me, let alone commended me. Instead, he commends brothers who joined the parish liturgy team after me.” I think this is precisely the attitude of the workers in today’s Gospel who grumbled against the landowner for treating those who worked only one hour with such generosity (cf. Matthew 20:12), for in their eyes, they deserved a greater wage.
Today, I would say to these altar servers who complain that their parish priest is unjust: “You have put to good use the gifts of intellect and talent God has given you, serving the parish diligently; God will surely reward you according to all you have done. But you must also pray for those brothers who come after you, that they too may be filled with zeal for the Word of God and for God’s altar. For only thus will the seed of God’s Word in your heart bear yet more abundant fruit. In this way, you will have won your brother.” I also invite him, and all of us, to pray with me to God:
O God, who founded all the commands of your sacred Law upon love of you and of our neighbor, grant that, by keeping your precepts, we may merit to attain eternal life. 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
19 September 2026 Saturday of the Twenty-Fourth Week in Ordinary Time Gospel: Luke 8:4–15
Today is Saturday of the Twenty-Fourth Week in Ordinary Time. The passage taken from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Luke presents to us the parable of the Sower spoken by Jesus.
First, Luke tells us: At that time, a great crowd gathered, and people from town after town came to Jesus. (Luke 8:4) This is a beautiful image. Jesus comes out of the house and sits down by the sea, and a great multitude gathers around Him. This image recalls to my mind our Holy Father Pope Francis. Pope Francis did not choose to reside in the Apostolic Palace but lived in the Domus Sanctae Marthae until his death. Like Jesus, he kept the People of God close to himself. He continually taught the flock entrusted to him in faith. Likewise, our Holy Father Pope Leo XIV, following the example of his predecessor, constantly gathers the People of God in Saint Peter’s Square.
From the parable of the Sower spoken by Jesus (cf. Luke 8:5–8), we see the relationship between the People of God and the Word of God. Still more clearly, from Jesus’ own explanation of this parable (cf. Luke 8:10–15), we perceive the relationship between the Word of God, the People of God, and this world. For the seed is the Word of God. The Word of God was with God in the beginning. (John 1:2) From the moment we come forth from the womb and enter this world, God unceasingly reveals to us the mysteries of the Kingdom through “all things were made through Him and for Him” (cf. John 1:3). With His infinite mercy, God further reveals the mysteries of the Kingdom to us through our parents and elders, our schoolmates and teachers, our colleagues and superiors—all fellow creatures—who by their toil and sweat water the seed God has sown in our hearts, so that it may sprout and grow. Our hearts, the environment in which we live, our parishes, our communities, and the integrity of those who proclaim the Word of God to us—all these determine whether the Word of God can take deep root within us and bear fruit. Likewise, our conduct reflects our understanding of the Word of God. If we fail to grasp the Word of God fully, integrally, and rightly, those who live with us may, on account of our imperfect words and deeds, come to a mistaken understanding of the Word, so that the Word cannot bear abundant fruit in this passing world through the faithful proclamation of the People of God. Yet if we follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit of God and act according to His holy will, the seed of the Word sown by God in our hearts will bear abundant fruit—and likewise in the hearts of all those whom He is pleased to enlighten.
Look upon us, O God, Creator and ruler of all things, and, that we may feel the working of your mercy, grant that we may serve you with all our heart. 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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