Walking with Jesus: 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time A

For Sunday, September 27, 2026

Ezekiel 18:25-28, Philippians 2:1-11, Matthew 21:28-32


It's a fact: God sent Jesus into the world to redeem us, save us, forgive us, and show His love for each and every one of us — and relay the promise that God has reserved a place in heaven for all! Our role is to believe and follow the commandments and live Jesus’ supreme law of Love: Love God, love all — especially those in need.

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments. [Matthew 22:37-40, the gospel to be proclaimed on Oct. 25, 2026, the 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time.]

In our study and training we have repeatedly heard the responsibilities of discipleship, where the words “must,” “should,” and “require” have appeared over and over again. When we think and reflect on this, we realize that following Jesus places demands on us. Being a Christian has responsibilities that come with discipleship. Now, this does not deny us our freedom. God is constantly working on us, leading us to realize the totality of His love as seen in the Passion, Death, Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus. In each of our lives there are times we conform in obedience, and other times when we do not and disobedience sets in. The temptations of Satan are constantly present — bold and brave, subtle and alluring — always leading us astray through the end of time when no places exist but Heaven and Hell. Living the faith we profess is often difficult, yet we are called to do both: people proclaiming our faith with words and living it out in deeds. Today’s readings help us.

One of the gifts of Ezekiel’s writing is his use of oracles or “divine pronouncements” delivered by the prophet during the Babylonian exile. The oracles are predominantly against Israel — Jerusalem — and other foreign nations, reflecting on and confronting their present situations. Ezekiel is speaking for Yahweh, who is not just a local deity of Israel but the supreme ruler over all international nations surrounding them. He explains the effects of their sins of idolatry, injustice and immorality resulting from their exile. The prophet is not concentrating on the sin as much as appealing to human conscience, freedom and responsibility, which enables the people to change their thinking and the direction of their lives. So how can they own up to their sins, their unfair ways, turning from them to find the Lord? Sinners who turn from their evils and choose the path of love and justice will live united with God, the source of all life. Does that sound easy? It is. When we turn from sin and find the Lord, we find life. Do we do this?

Paul is explaining to the Philippians and all his communities that those who follow Christ should be united, selfless, humble, generous: These are essential and, if followed, will enable the communities to survive and thrive. As an example he offers Jesus who, though in the form of God and equal to God, did not cling to the dignity that was rightfully His. He did not use His exalted status for His own ends. He freely gave up the right to the homage He deserved and suffered an extremely shameful and suffering death by crucifixion, and was exalted by God above everyone.

In the gospel passage we again see Jesus struggling with the leaders of the Jewish people over reputation. Words, words ... we all get caught up in them. He tells us a simple story: One son says the wrong thing, but eventually does the right thing. The other son says the right thing, but ultimately does the wrong thing. Jesus asks the chief priest and elders which of the sons does his father’s will. They all answer — correctly — the first son. But then He hammers us with, “Amen I say to you, tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you.” We all talk to God about a lot of things: our problems, worries, dreams, sorrows. We say a lot of things — we talk a good game — but what we fail to do is look at our actions. Actions do speak louder than words. As one scholar says: “Christians are the biggest threat to Christianity.”  

So I reflect on:

• I am embraced by God’s love and help. Do I extend the same to others?
• Can I commit to seeing only the good in every person, and hit the pause button when I judge poorly?

Sacred Space 2026 states:

“We can find ourselves responding to you in different ways, Lord. We can scarcely notice You at all, or only occasionally sense a need for something spiritual, but when we come across people who have no sense of blessings in their lives it can be a very deadening experience. If we discover aimlessness in our own existence, we ask that You give us freedom to spot Your presence more clearly so that we may love You more.”