Twenty-Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Also Read: Mass Readings for 24 September 2023 Homily for 24 September 2023 – Sunday
First Reading: Isaiah 55: 6-9
The Redeemed!
6 Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near;
We hear God’s voice in different ways, yet we tend to run away from him like Jonah. Let us turn our ears to the Lord, each time he whispers. We know that he is near the brokenhearted; so in our deepest disappointments, we can find him near! Call upon him and He will answer.
We also thank the Lord that his ways and thoughts are much above ours! Therefore in the little glimpses and whispers that we are blessed to experience, let us absorb and grow through them.
Amen!
Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 145: 2-3, 8-9, 17-18
3 Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; his greatness is unsearchable.18 The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.
Alleluia, Amen!
Second Reading: Philippians 1: 20c-24, 27a
The Disciplined Athletes!
27 Only, live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that, whether I come and see you or am absent and hear about you, I will know that you are standing firm in one spirit, striving side by side with one mind for the faith of the gospel.
St. Paul encourages the Philippians here to remain strong in their faith. He ensures them of his prayers and blessings in the previous verses. Then he also asks them to continue to live their lives in a gospel-worthy manner, whether he can visit them or not.
In applying these principles to our lives today, we too are encouraged by St. Paul to continue our journey. We too are then assured of his prayers and blessings on us! Therefore we ought to lead a life “in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ”! We must strive to do this! In a world that is in opposition to God and His Spirit, we must not be surprised to see the weaknesses, weeds, worries, and more spring upon us. Being humans we carry inherent flaws. But we must acutely be aware of the flaws or else the enemy may seep into unguarded territory and wage war on us spiritually, emotionally, psychologically, and in any way he can.
Hence, as disciplined athlete who perseveres in training, we too must persevere each day. (1 Cor 9: 27) “I punish my body and enslave it, so that after proclaiming to others I myself should not be disqualified.” Here St. Paul cautions us about our lack of self-control. Let us remain alert in every moment and defend the fortresses of our souls, spirits, minds, hearts, and bodies. The gadgets, devices, apps, and gossip; envy, anger, hate, pride, sloth, and cowardice could potentially be used by the evil one to slither in with his nefarious agenda. We must rely on the Goliath-killing stones given to us by the Holy Spirit, (i.e.) the Word of God! We can memorize and repeat the life-saving verses from the Bible. (eg): Luke 10:19. As we mouth those words aloud, we will miraculously find it in us to move about in Christ-like manner. We know of many people in today’s world; who can operate in this fashion. Let us strive to do the same because Faith is what Faith does!
In Jesus’ name, Amen!
Gospel: Matthew 20: 1-16a
The 5 O’clock Batch!
6 And about five o’clock he went out and found others standing around, and he said to them, ‘Why are you standing here idle all day?’
Do not be envious of others because of God’s generosity to them! Many before us have been martyred for their faith, many saints have borne suffering and pain, much more than we could ever imagine! We could very well be the ones on the 5 O’clock batch! Yet we too have been promised the same redemption in Christ Jesus! We have been blessed! Let us not grudge the salvation Christ has promised to all who will believe in the future! Praise God! Let us rejoice for our salvation and theirs is near!
In Jesus’ Name, Amen!
