21 August 2026 Memorial of Saint Pius X, Pope Gospel: Matthew 22:34-40
Today is Friday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time. The Church celebrates today the Memorial of Saint Pius X, Pope. The recently published Roman Missal introduces this saint as follows:
Saint Pius X (1835–1914) was born in Riese, near Venice, Italy, the son of a postman. Ordained a priest in 1858, he was one of the few Popes who had spent a substantial period in parish ministry. After serving as Bishop of Mantua and Patriarch of Venice, he succeeded Leo XIII as Pope in 1903. He strongly defended Catholic doctrine against modernism, which he described as “the synthesis of all heresies.” He also promoted the dignified celebration of liturgy. To fulfil the goal of “restoring all things in Christ,” he greatly encouraged the faithful to receive Holy Communion frequently.
Today, the passage taken from the Gospel according to Matthew presents to us the dialogue between a scholar of the law and Jesus. Through this conversation, Jesus teaches us the commandment of love. Let us try to understand it.
We often become like the well-trained scholar of the law in today’s Gospel (cf. Mt 22:34-36), who deliberately sought to test others according to his own desires, so that, by asking questions which they could not answer, he might appear to possess greater knowledge. For, in our own eyes, we often believe that we understand more than others. Therefore, when we question others, we frequently exhaust our own understanding of worldly things, seeking to exhaust the thoughts of others, so that our own vanity may be satisfied when we see that they are unable to respond. For we often think that by merely observing one of the commandments contained in the Ten Commandments which God gave to Moses in ancient times (cf. Ex 20:1-17), we have already fulfilled the Law. Thus, we neglect the infinite mercy of God revealed through the Law which He gave to humanity.
Indeed, “All who have sinned outside the Law will perish outside the Law, and all who have sinned under the Law will be judged by the Law. For it is not those who hear the Law who are righteous before God, but those who observe the Law who will be justified” (cf. Rom 2:12-13).
This means that those who are “outside the Law” refer to the Gentiles who did not know the Law of Moses; while those who are “under the Law” refer to the Jews who received the Law of Moses, including the scholar of the law who was speaking with Jesus. This well-trained scholar of the law intended to test Jesus according to his own understanding of the Law, yet he himself did not put the Law of Moses into practice in his life. Therefore, his final destiny was eternal loss.
From Jesus’ answer to this scholar of the law, we can see that Jesus did not change the Law, nor did He abolish any part of it. Rather, He fulfilled the Law. For the summary of the Law which God gave to Moses on Mount Sinai is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind, and to love your neighbor as yourself (cf. Mt 22:37,39).
The reason why we love God is because He first loved us. He did not spare His own Son, but offered His only begotten Son as an atoning sacrifice for us. The reason why we must love ourselves is because we are created by God according to His image and likeness (cf. Gen 1:26). The reason why we must love our neighbors is because God has entrusted them to our care. We are not only called to care for them, but also to discover them actively, revealing to them God’s divine love and merciful countenance through our concrete lives and actions. On this Memorial of Saint Pius the Tenth, Pope, let us offer our prayers to God:
O God, who to safeguard the Catholic faith and to restore all things in Christ, filled Pope Saint Pius the Tenth with heavenly wisdom and apostolic fortitude, graciously grant that, following his teaching and example, we may gain an eternal prize. 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.
August 20, 2026 Memorial of Saint Bernard, Abbot and Doctor of the Church Gospel: Matthew 22:1-14
Today is Thursday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time. The Church celebrates the Memorial of Saint Bernard, Abbot and Doctor of the Church. According to the recently published Roman Missal: St Bernard (c.1090-1153) was born into a noble family at Fontaines, near Dijon (France). In 1113 he joined the new monastery at Citeaux and went on to find the Cistercian house at Clairvaux. St Bernard became known as a noted theologian, preacher and controversialist, enjoying a correspondence with monarchs and popes. He managed to combine a life of action with one of mystical contemplation, as revealed in his writings. Declared a Doctor of the Church in 1830, he is known as “the last of the Fathers.”
Today, the passage from the Gospel of Matthew presents us with the parable of the kingdom of heaven spoken by Jesus. Let us now endeavor to understand it.
Jesus spoke to the chief priests and the elders of the people again in parables, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son. He sent his servants to call those who were invited to the feast, but they refused to come.” (cf. Matt 22:1-3)
In this king we see the shadow of the Heavenly Father, who loves His Son and has prepared a wedding feast for Him. Who, then, is the bride of His Son? Clearly, it is Jerusalem. The servants mentioned in the Gospel refer to all the prophets and judges sent by God to Israel in the Old Testament. They continually invited the chosen people of Israel to return to God and come to the feast. Yet, although those chosen people heard God’s call, they preferred to worship the gods of the nation’s rather than return to the Lord, the God of their ancestors.
He sent other servants again, saying, “Tell those who are invited, ‘Behold, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves are killed, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.'” But they paid no attention and went off, one to his own farm, another to his business. The rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them. The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. (cf. Matt 22:4-7)
We might think: Our Heavenly Father is an impatient Father who, once rejected, no longer associates with people. However, in the passage above, we see a father who is exceedingly gentle and always ready to bestow upon us all kinds of graces. He sends His servants again to call the chosen people, so that they might come to the wedding feast for His beloved Son. Yet those chosen people not only refused but also killed the servants sent by God to call them.
Today, let us imitate the virtuous example of Saint Bernard and generously respond to God’s call to us. Now, let us pray to God: O God, who made of the Abbot Saint Bernard a man consumed with zeal for your house and a light shining and burning in your Church, grant, through his intercession, that we may be on fire with the same spirit and walk always as children of light. 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.
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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