August 18, 2026 Tuesday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time Gospel: Mt 19:16–22
Today is Tuesday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time. The passage taken from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Matthew presents to us a parable that Jesus spoke to His disciples. Let us reflect upon it.
In today’s Gospel at Holy Mass, we see a landowner who goes out to hire laborers for his vineyard. Jesus says: He went out to hire at dawn, at mid-morning, at the third hour, and at the eleventh hour. Now, who is this landowner? Clearly, Jesus Himself is that landowner. And what is this vineyard of which Jesus speaks? Evidently, this vineyard signifies the Church of God. Today, the master of the vineyard hires workers to labor in his vineyard (cf. Mt 20:1, 3, 5–7), and this brings to mind the vocation of each one of us.
I wish to speak about what many Christians understand by vocation and the reward they believe they ought to receive. Each of us, at different stages of life, receives God’s call. Some have received the sacrament of Baptism from birth. Others receive the sacraments of initiation in adulthood. When we come to the end of this earthly life and stand before God’s throne, those who received the sacraments of initiation from birth consider that God called them first, rather than those who received the sacraments of initiation in adulthood, and that they have done more to fulfill God’s holy will. Therefore, if God does not grant them a greater reward, they feel this is unjust. Likewise, those who received the sacraments of initiation in adulthood, if they see that God does not reward them according to His justice, will also feel unjustly treated. Their reason for deeming God unjust is that they follow the logic of this world—a logic which teaches that the more one gives, the more one receives.
Today, Jesus asks us not to view the gracious God according to the logic of this world, but to regard Him according to the logic of God’s Kingdom. God calls us out of love; He does so as He wills, by His own free will. We are called by the Lord at various stages of life, chosen because of God’s love, to act according to His divine will. And God will reward us according to all that we have done. For in God’s sight, we are all made in His own image; He always grants us the portion He knows is best. He will never treat us unjustly. For He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust (cf. Mt 5:45).
O God, who have prepared for those who love you good things which no eye can see, fill our hearts, we pray, with the warmth of your love, so that, loving you in all things and above all things, we may attain your promises, which surpass every human desire. 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 17, 2026 Monday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time Gospel: Matthew 19:16-22
Today is Monday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time. The Gospel passage from Saint Matthew presents a dialogue between Jesus and a young man. I would like to offer some reflections on this text.
First, Matthew tells us that a young man approached Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good must I do to gain eternal life?” Jesus answered him, “Why do you ask me about the Good? There is only One who is Good. If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.” He asked Him, “Which ones?” (cf. Matt 19:16-18a). From this exchange, we see that this young man belongs entirely to this world. And what sort of world is this? It is a world where money endures and possessions remain secure. In his view, God is supremely just, rewarding good and punishing evil. He believes that as long as his conduct aligns with the divine will, he will attain eternal life.
Next, Matthew presents the continuation of the dialogue between Jesus and this young man (cf. Matt 19:18b-20). This very dynamic is what we often observe in the Church today. Within our community, many brothers and sisters resemble this youth. On the surface, they keep the commandments; they attend Mass daily and exhibit a zeal and devotion that sometimes surpass even that of the clergy. They do all this because they firmly believe that such practices will merit them eternal life. Consequently, they seek further instructions from Jesus on what more they must observe.
So, how can we become truly beautiful, conformed to Jesus? To be conformed to Christ, we must embrace the worldview, values, and anthropology that Jesus came to establish for this passing world. We must acknowledge that all we possess is a gift from God. Guided by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, we must wisely steward all that God has given us. In this way, through our actions, this passing world may experience God’s mercy and goodness. Thus, like us, others may come to trust in the Divine Word, longing for the Heavenly Homeland. They will cease storing up treasures on earth and instead seek to lay up for themselves treasures in the Kingdom of Heaven—treasures that neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in and steal.
O God, who have prepared for those who love you good things which no eye can see, fill our hearts, we pray, with the warmth of your love, so that, loving you in all things and above all things, we may attain your promises, which surpass every human desire. 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 16, 2026 Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time Gospel: Matthew 15:21-28
Today is the Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time. The Gospel passage from Saint Matthew presents Jesus’ dialogue with a Canaanite woman in the region of Tyre and Sidon. I would like to offer some reflections on this text.
First, Matthew tells us that Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon (cf. Matt 15:21). He clearly enters a Gentile territory, among people living outside the covenant. As I write these reflections, I am reminded of the present state of our Church. Today, the Church coexists with a secularized society. By “secularized society,” I mean a world that views all things not according to the worldview, values, and anthropology that Jesus came to establish for this passing world, but according to the mindset of this world which is passing away. Similarly, within our own Church, we often encounter “secularized” thinking. Such thinking within the Church seeks to handle various internal affairs according to the principles of the “children of this world,” rather than according to the Gospel. This mindset often undermines ecclesial communion and sows the seeds of schism within the Church which Christ founded upon the Apostle Peter.
Next, Matthew presents a woman crying out after Jesus: “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is tormented by a demon” (cf. Matt 15:22). Mark, describing this woman, identifies her as a Greek, of Syro-Phoenician origin (cf. Mark 7:26). Neither Evangelist tells us how she came to know of Jesus. Perhaps she heard of His power to heal diseases and cast out demons from the people of Capernaum—His center for ministry—knowing that Capernaum was a semi-Gentile region.
Furthermore, Matthew tells us that Jesus initially did not respond to her plea, and even the disciples urged Him to send her away (cf. Matt 15:23-24). In some parishes where I have served, I have often seen sacristans or altar servers preventing the faithful—especially those who have been absent from Mass for a long time—from approaching the priest for Confession, arguing that the priest is too busy. A similar scene unfolds in our own prayer: we cry out to God with longing, and He seems not to answer. In such moments, like those turned away, we grow discouraged, thinking God no longer loves us, that He is withdrawing His Spirit and handing us over to death. Yet, this is precisely an opportunity to exercise our faith. For God permits us to endure a measure of suffering and trial so that we might be justified by faith.
Finally, Matthew recounts the dialogue between the woman and Jesus (cf. Matt 15:25-28). Here we see the image of the Church as a tender Mother. When Mother Church sees her children bound by the devil and the powers of the netherworld, she acts like a loving mother, interceding for her children trapped in sin. In this maternal intercession and in the Canaanite woman, we observe five virtuous dispositions: (1) Humility: “Even the dogs under the table eat the children’s scraps.” (2) Patience: She patiently bore what seemed to be the Savior’s rebuke. (3) Supplication: “Lord, have mercy on me.” (4) Perseverance: She persisted in prayer until she received what she desired. (5) Faith: “O woman, great is your faith!” (cf. Matt 15:28). If we possess these five virtues, we shall be freed from every demonic influence and delivered from all sin. May the Lord grant us this grace. (cf. Sermo IV: Anima peccati, St. Thomas Aquinas).
Today, the daughter of this Syro-Phoenician woman was healed by her mother’s faith. Likewise, let us, with unwavering trust in the Divine Word, bring before Jesus those who await His mercy. May He recognize in our prayers for them the faith we have in Him, the charity we bear for our neighbor, and the hope we place in His abundant compassion. According to His mercy, may He free those for whom we intercede—those we bring before Him—from the bonds of sin and death, restoring them to the freedom of the children of God.
O God, who have prepared for those who love you good things which no eye can see, fill our hearts, we pray, with the warmth of your love, so that, loving you in all things and above all things, we may attain your promises, which surpass every human desire. 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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