Readings for Sunday, Septermber 20, 2026
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Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 133
Reading 1 Isaiah 55:6-9
Seek the Lord while he may be found, call him while he is near. Let the scoundrel forsake his way, and the wicked his thoughts; let him turn to the Lord for mercy; to our God, who is generous in forgiving. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord. As high as the heavens are above the earth, so high are my ways above your ways and my thoughts above your thoughts.
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 145:2-3, 8-9, 17-18
Great is the Lord and highly to be praised;
his greatness is unsearchable.
R. The Lord is near to all who call upon him.
The Lord is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and of great kindness.
The Lord is good to all
and compassionate toward all his works.
R. The Lord is near to all who call upon him.
The Lord is just in all his ways
and holy in all his works.
The LORD is near to all who call upon him,
to all who call upon him in truth.
R. The Lord is near to all who call upon him.
Reading 2 Philippians 1:20c-24, 27a
Brothers and sisters: Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me life is Christ, and death is gain. If I go on living in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. And I do not know which I shall choose. I am caught between the two. I long to depart this life and be with Christ, for that is far better. Yet that I remain in the flesh is more necessary for your benefit. Only, conduct yourselves in a way worthy of the gospel of Christ.
Gospel Matthew 20:1-16a
Jesus told his disciples this parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out at dawn to hire laborers for his vineyard. After agreeing with them for the usual daily wage, he sent them into his vineyard. Going out about nine o'clock, the landowner saw others standing idle in the marketplace, and he said to them, 'You too go into my vineyard, and I will give you what is just.' So they went off. And He went out again around noon, and around three o'clock, and did likewise. Going out about five o'clock, the landowner found others standing around, and said to them, 'Why do you stand here idle all day?' They answered, 'Because no one has hired us.' He said to them, 'You too go into my vineyard.' When it was evening the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, 'Summon the labourers and give them their pay, beginning with the last and ending with the first.' When those who had started about five o'clock came, each received the usual daily wage. So when the first came, they thought that they would receive more, but each of them also got the usual wage. And on receiving it they grumbled against the landowner, saying, 'These last ones worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us, who bore the day's burden and the heat.' He said to one of them in reply, 'My friend, I am not cheating you. Did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage? Take what is yours and go. What if I wish to give this last one the same as you? Or am I not free to do as I wish with my own money? Are you envious because I am generous?' Thus, the last will be first, and the first will be last."
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"Qiegħed tgħir għax jien qalbi tajba?"
>>>> Qari tal-Ħamsa u Għoxrin Ħadd taż-Żmien ta’ Matul is-Sena
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Fittxu l-Mulej sakemm tistgħu ssibuh, sejħulu sakemm hu fil-qrib! Ħa jħalli triqtu l-midneb, u l-bniedem il-ħażin fehmietu; ħa jerġa’ lura għand il-Mulej u jħenn għalih, għand Alla tagħna għax hu jaħfer ħafna. Il-fehmiet tiegħi m’humiex fehmietkom, u t-triqat tiegħi m’humiex triqatkom. Oraklu tal-Mulej. Għax daqs kemm huma ogħla s-smewwiet mill-art, daqshekk ieħor huma triqati ’l fuq minn triqatkom, u l-fehmiet tiegħi mill-fehmiet tagħkom. >>> Il-Kelma tal-Mulej R/. Tifħir lilek Kristu <<<
R/. (18a): Qrib il-Mulej lejn kull min isejjaħlu
Kuljum irrid inbierkek,
u nfaħħar ismek għal dejjem ta’ dejjem.
Kbir il-Mulej, ta’ min ifaħħru bil-bosta,
bla tarf il-kobor tiegħu. R/.
Twajjeb u ħanin il-Mulej,
idum biex jagħdab u kollu tjieba,
Twajjeb ma’ kulħadd il-Mulej,
tjubitu fuq kull ma għamel. R/.
Ġust il-Mulej fl-imġiba tiegħu kollha,
twajjeb f’dak kollu li għamel.
Qrib il-Mulej lejn kull min isejjaħlu
lejn kull min isejjaħlu fis-sewwa. R/.
QARI 2 mill-Ittra ta’ San Pawl lill-Filippin 1, 20ċ-24.27a
Ħuti, Kristu jkun imsebbaħ fil-ġisem tiegħi, sew jekk ngħix u sew jekk immut. Għax għalija l-ħajja hi Kristu, u l-mewt hi rebħ. Jekk għandi nibqa’ ħaj fil-ġisem, dan ifisser li għandi nagħti l-frott tax-xogħol tiegħi. X’naqbad nagħmel ma nafx; ninsab bejn ħaltejn. Min-naħa l-waħda, nixtieq nintemm u nkun ma’ Kristu, li jkun ħafna aħjar għalija; min-naħa l-oħra, jekk nibqa’ ngħix fil-ġisem, ikun ħafna aħjar għalikom. Ħaġa waħda ngħidilkom: ġibu ruħkom kif jixraq lill-Evanġelju ta’ Kristu. >>> Il-Kelma tal-Mulej R/. Tifħir lilek Kristu <<<
EVANĠELJU Qari skond San Mattew 20, 1-16a
F’dak iż-żmien, Ġesù qal lid-dixxipli tiegħu din il-parabbola: “Is-Saltna tas-Smewwiet tixbah lil wieħed sid li ħareġ filgħodu kmieni ħafna biex isib nies għax-xogħol u jħaddimhom fl-għalqa tiegħu tad-dwieli. Ftiehem ma’ xi ħaddiema b’dinar kull jum u bagħathom l-għalqa. Ħareġ ukoll madwar it-tielet siegħa, ra oħrajn qegħdin fil-pjazza, bla xogħol, u qalilhom: “Morru intom ukoll l-għalqa, u nagħtikom li jkun ħaqqkom”. U marru. Raġa’ ħareġ għal xi s-sitt siegħa u mbagħad għal xi d-disgħa siegħa, u għamel l-istess. Għall-ħabta tal-ħdax-il siegħa raġa’ ħareġ u sab oħrajn qiegħda, u qalilhom: “Għaliex qegħdin hawn il-jum kollu ma tagħmlu xejn?”. Qalulu: “Għax ħadd ma qabbadna”. Qalilhom: “Morru intom ukoll l-għalqa”. Għal fil-għaxija mbagħad sid l-għalqa qal lill-prokuratur tiegħu: “Sejjaħ lill-ħaddiema u ħallashom, ibda minn dawk li ġew l-aħħar u spiċċa b’dawk tal-ewwel”. Ġew dawk li daħlu għax-xogħol fil-ħdax-il siegħa u ħadu dinar kull wieħed. Ġew tal-ewwel, u stennew li kienu se jirċievu iktar, iżda huma wkoll ħadu dinar kull wieħed. Huma u jitħallsu qabdu jgemgmu kontra s-sid u jgħidu: “Dawn tal-aħħar siegħa waħda għamlu, u int qisthom bħalna li tgħabbejna bil-piż tal-jum u s-sħana!”. Qabeż is-sid u qal lil wieħed minnhom: “Ħabib, minn xejn ma nqastek jien; mhux b’dinar ftehemt miegħi? Ħu li jmissek u itlaq. Lil dan tal-aħħar irrid nagħtih daqs kemm tajt lilek. Ma nistax nagħmel li rrid bi ħwejġi jien? Jew qiegħed tgħir għax jien qalbi tajba?”. Hekk tal-aħħar jiġu l-ewwel, u tal-ewwel jiġu l-aħħar”. >>> Il-Kelma tal-Mulej R/. Tifħir lilek Kristu <<<
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///////////// REFLECTION
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".... The extravagant grace of a merciful God."
Introduction:
Next Sunday’s Readings focus us on our sense of justice and the extravagant grace of a merciful God. While God is both just and merciful, God’s mercy often seems, in our view, to override His justice, as God pardons us unconditionally and rewards us generously by opening Heaven for the Gentiles and the Jews.
Scripture lessons summarized:
In the First Reading, the prophet Isaiah reminds the exiles in Babylon that their God is more merciful than they are, and more forgiving. He is ready to pardon their infidelity to Himself, which has resulted in their exile. Their merciful God will bless them with material and spiritual blessings. Hence, Isaiah exhorts them, and us, to seek the Lord and to put aside our evil ways that we may receive His mercy and forgiveness.
Sunday’s Responsorial Psalm (Ps 145) reminds us that, although “the Lord is just in all His ways,” He is at the same time (and without contradiction), “gracious and merciful.” In the second reading, Paul offers himself as an example of total submission to God’s will, aided by His grace,. Paul is ready to live continuing his mission, or to die and join the Lord, whichever is God’s will.
In Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus tells us the strange parable of a landowner who hired labourers at five different times during the course of one day to work in his vineyard, but paid the same living wage for a full day’s work to all of them. This story presents God (the landlord), Whose love and generosity to all of us demonstrates the difference between God's perspective and ours. God looks at us, sees our needs and meets those needs generously and mercifully. His provisions for our spiritual lives will never run out, and when we share our blessings with others, we tap into the inexhaustible Divine supply. The parable also shows the mercy, compassion, and generosity of a gracious and forgiving God in allowing the later-called Gentiles as well the first-called Jews, His Chosen People, to enjoy the same eternal bliss of His Heavenly Kingdom
Life messages:
(1) We need to follow God’s example and show loving generosity to our neighbour. When someone else is more successful than we are, God would have us rejoice with our brother or sister for making such good use of the gifts God has given him or her. When someone who does wrong fails to get caught, let us remember the many times we have done wrong and gotten off free. Envy should have no place in our lives. We cannot control, and dare not pass judgment on, the way God blesses others, only rejoice that He does so, just as He blesses us.
(2) We need to express our gratitude to God in our daily lives. God personally calls each of us to our own ministry in this world and shows us His care by giving us His grace and eternal salvation. To God, we are more than just numbers on a payroll. Our call to His vineyard is a free gift from God for which we can never be sufficiently thankful. All our talents and blessings are freely given to us by God. Hence, we should express our gratitude to God by avoiding sins, by rendering loving service to others, by sharing our blessings with the needy, and by constant prayer, listening and responding to our beloved Lord God at all times.
////////////////////////////////////// Fr Tony's Homilies © 2026. / https://frtonyshomilies.com ////////
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