A reading from the Book of Ezekiel
18:25-28
Thus says the LORD:
You say, "The LORD’s way is not fair!"
Hear now, house of Israel:
Is it my way that is unfair, or rather, are not your ways unfair?
When someone virtuous turns away from virtue to commit iniquity, and dies,
it is because of the iniquity he committed that he must die.
But if he turns from the wickedness he has committed,
and does what is right and just,
he shall preserve his life;
since he has turned away from all the sins that he has committed,
he shall surely live, he shall not die.
A reading from the Letter of St. Paul to the Philippians
2:1-11
Brothers and sisters:
If there is any encouragement in Christ,
any solace in love,
any participation in the Spirit,
any compassion and mercy,
complete my joy by being of the same mind, with the same love,
united in heart, thinking one thing.
Do nothing out of selfishness or out of vainglory;
rather, humbly regard others as more important than yourselves,
each looking out not for his own interests,
but also for those of others.
Have in you the same attitude
that is also in Christ Jesus,
Who, though he was in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God
something to be grasped.
Rather, he emptied himself,
taking the form of a slave,
coming in human likeness;
and found human in appearance,
he humbled himself,
becoming obedient to the point of death,
even death on a cross.
Because of this, God greatly exalted him
and bestowed on him the name
which is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bend,
of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that
Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
From the Gospel according to Matthew
21:28-32
Jesus said to the chief priests and elders of the people:
"What is your opinion?
A man had two sons.
He came to the first and said,
‘Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.’
He said in reply, ‘I will not,’
but afterwards changed his mind and went.
The man came to the other son and gave the same order.
He said in reply, ‘Yes, sir, ‘but did not go.
Which of the two did his father’s will?"
They answered, "The first."
Jesus said to them, "Amen, I say to you,
tax collectors and prostitutes
are entering the kingdom of God before you.
When John came to you in the way of righteousness,
you did not believe him;
but tax collectors and prostitutes did.
Yet even when you saw that,
you did not later change your minds and believe him."
If your heart is not a repentant heart, if you do not listen to the Lord, if you do not accept correction and do not trust in Him, you have an unrepentant heart. But these hypocrites who take offence at what Jesus says about tax collectors and prostitutes, yet then secretly went to them, either to indulge their passions or to do business – but all in secret – they were ‘pure’! And the Lord does not want them. (…) These people cannot receive Salvation. They are closed off to Salvation. “I will leave in the midst of you a people humble and lowly; they shall seek refuge in the name of the Lord”, for their whole lives. And this remains true to this day, does it not? When we see God’s holy people who are humble, who find their riches in faith in the Lord, in trust in the Lord – the humble, lowly people who trust in the Lord: these are the saved, and this is the way of the Church, is it not? She must take this path, not the other path that does not listen to the voice, that does not accept correction and does not trust in the Lord. (…). When we are able to say to the Lord: “Lord, these are my sins – they are not his, or hers, they are mine… They are mine. Take them upon yourself, and so I shall be saved” – when we are able to do this, we shall be the beautiful people, the “humble and poor people”, who trust in the name of the Lord. May the Lord grant us this grace. (Pope Francis, Homily of 16 December 2014)
Gospel and Word of the Day – 27 September 2026 –
A reading from the Book of Ezekiel
18:25-28
Thus says the LORD:
You say, "The LORD’s way is not fair!"
Hear now, house of Israel:
Is it my way that is unfair, or rather, are not your ways unfair?
When someone virtuous turns away from virtue to commit iniquity, and dies,
it is because of the iniquity he committed that he must die.
But if he turns from the wickedness he has committed,
and does what is right and just,
he shall preserve his life;
since he has turned away from all the sins that he has committed,
he shall surely live, he shall not die.
A reading from the Letter of St. Paul to the Philippians
2:1-11
Brothers and sisters:
If there is any encouragement in Christ,
any solace in love,
any participation in the Spirit,
any compassion and mercy,
complete my joy by being of the same mind, with the same love,
united in heart, thinking one thing.
Do nothing out of selfishness or out of vainglory;
rather, humbly regard others as more important than yourselves,
each looking out not for his own interests,
but also for those of others.
Have in you the same attitude
that is also in Christ Jesus,
Who, though he was in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God
something to be grasped.
Rather, he emptied himself,
taking the form of a slave,
coming in human likeness;
and found human in appearance,
he humbled himself,
becoming obedient to the point of death,
even death on a cross.
Because of this, God greatly exalted him
and bestowed on him the name
which is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bend,
of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that
Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
From the Gospel according to Matthew
21:28-32
Jesus said to the chief priests and elders of the people:
"What is your opinion?
A man had two sons.
He came to the first and said,
‘Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.’
He said in reply, ‘I will not,’
but afterwards changed his mind and went.
The man came to the other son and gave the same order.
He said in reply, ‘Yes, sir, ‘but did not go.
Which of the two did his father’s will?"
They answered, "The first."
Jesus said to them, "Amen, I say to you,
tax collectors and prostitutes
are entering the kingdom of God before you.
When John came to you in the way of righteousness,
you did not believe him;
but tax collectors and prostitutes did.
Yet even when you saw that,
you did not later change your minds and believe him."
If your heart is not a repentant heart, if you do not listen to the Lord, if you do not accept correction and do not trust in Him, you have an unrepentant heart. But these hypocrites who take offence at what Jesus says about tax collectors and prostitutes, yet then secretly went to them, either to indulge their passions or to do business – but all in secret – they were ‘pure’! And the Lord does not want them. (…) These people cannot receive Salvation. They are closed off to Salvation. “I will leave in the midst of you a people humble and lowly; they shall seek refuge in the name of the Lord”, for their whole lives. And this remains true to this day, does it not? When we see God’s holy people who are humble, who find their riches in faith in the Lord, in trust in the Lord – the humble, lowly people who trust in the Lord: these are the saved, and this is the way of the Church, is it not? She must take this path, not the other path that does not listen to the voice, that does not accept correction and does not trust in the Lord. (…). When we are able to say to the Lord: “Lord, these are my sins – they are not his, or hers, they are mine… They are mine. Take them upon yourself, and so I shall be saved” – when we are able to do this, we shall be the beautiful people, the “humble and poor people”, who trust in the name of the Lord. May the Lord grant us this grace. (Pope Francis, Homily of 16 December 2014)
A reading from the Book of Ezekiel
18:25-28
Thus says the LORD:
You say, "The LORD’s way is not fair!"
Hear now, house of Israel:
Is it my way that is unfair, or rather, are not your ways unfair?
When someone virtuous turns away from virtue to commit iniquity, and dies,
it is because of the iniquity he committed that he must die.
But if he turns from the wickedness he has committed,
and does what is right and just,
he shall preserve his life;
since he has turned away from all the sins that he has committed,
he shall surely live, he shall not die.
A reading from the Letter of St. Paul to the Philippians
2:1-11
Brothers and sisters:
If there is any encouragement in Christ,
any solace in love,
any participation in the Spirit,
any compassion and mercy,
complete my joy by being of the same mind, with the same love,
united in heart, thinking one thing.
Do nothing out of selfishness or out of vainglory;
rather, humbly regard others as more important than yourselves,
each looking out not for his own interests,
but also for those of others.
Have in you the same attitude
that is also in Christ Jesus,
Who, though he was in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God
something to be grasped.
Rather, he emptied himself,
taking the form of a slave,
coming in human likeness;
and found human in appearance,
he humbled himself,
becoming obedient to the point of death,
even death on a cross.
Because of this, God greatly exalted him
and bestowed on him the name
which is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bend,
of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that
Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
From the Gospel according to Matthew
21:28-32
Jesus said to the chief priests and elders of the people:
"What is your opinion?
A man had two sons.
He came to the first and said,
‘Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.’
He said in reply, ‘I will not,’
but afterwards changed his mind and went.
The man came to the other son and gave the same order.
He said in reply, ‘Yes, sir, ‘but did not go.
Which of the two did his father’s will?"
They answered, "The first."
Jesus said to them, "Amen, I say to you,
tax collectors and prostitutes
are entering the kingdom of God before you.
When John came to you in the way of righteousness,
you did not believe him;
but tax collectors and prostitutes did.
Yet even when you saw that,
you did not later change your minds and believe him."
If your heart is not a repentant heart, if you do not listen to the Lord, if you do not accept correction and do not trust in Him, you have an unrepentant heart. But these hypocrites who take offence at what Jesus says about tax collectors and prostitutes, yet then secretly went to them, either to indulge their passions or to do business – but all in secret – they were ‘pure’! And the Lord does not want them. (…) These people cannot receive Salvation. They are closed off to Salvation. “I will leave in the midst of you a people humble and lowly; they shall seek refuge in the name of the Lord”, for their whole lives. And this remains true to this day, does it not? When we see God’s holy people who are humble, who find their riches in faith in the Lord, in trust in the Lord – the humble, lowly people who trust in the Lord: these are the saved, and this is the way of the Church, is it not? She must take this path, not the other path that does not listen to the voice, that does not accept correction and does not trust in the Lord. (…). When we are able to say to the Lord: “Lord, these are my sins – they are not his, or hers, they are mine… They are mine. Take them upon yourself, and so I shall be saved” – when we are able to do this, we shall be the beautiful people, the “humble and poor people”, who trust in the name of the Lord. May the Lord grant us this grace. (Pope Francis, Homily of 16 December 2014)