Salt of the Earth

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to experience Presence and Peace in being in nature as our hemisphere transitions to winter restoration.

The Keystone previously rejected

The Reading from the Prophet Isaiah is The Song of the Vineyard*

* [5:1–7] Vineyard: although the term is sometimes used in an erotic context (Sg 1:6; 8:12), “vineyard” or “vine” is used more frequently as a metaphor for God’s people (27:2; Ps 80:9, 14, 15; Jer 2:21; 12:10; Ez 17:7; Hos 10:1; Na 2:2). The terms translated “friend” (yadid) and “beloved” (dod) suggest the Lord’s favor (Dt 33:12; 2 Sm 12:25; Ps 127:2) and familial background rather than introducing the piece as a “love song,” as is sometimes suggested. The prophet disguises the real theme (the people’s infidelity) so that the hearers will participate in the unfavorable judgment called for (vv. 3–4). Cf. the reversal of this parable in 27:2–6.

* [5:5–6] Trampled…thorns and briers: this judgment is echoed in the description of the devastated land in 7:23–25.

* [5:7] Judgment…bloodshed…justice…outcry: in Hebrew there is an impressive play on words: mishpat parallels mispah, sedaqah parallels se‘aqah. See also the threefold “waited for” in vv. 2, 4, 7. (Isaiah, CHAPTER 5 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 80 is a community lament in time of military defeat.

* [Psalm 80] A community lament in time of military defeat. Using the familiar image of Israel as a vineyard, the people complain that God has broken down the wall protecting the once splendid vine brought from Egypt (Ps 80:9–14). They pray that God will again turn to them and use the Davidic king to lead them to victory (Ps 80:15–19).

* [80:9] A vine: a frequent metaphor for Israel, cf. Is 5:1–7; 27:2–5; Jer 2:21; Hos 10:1; Mt 21:33.

* [80:12] The sea: the Mediterranean. The river: the Euphrates, cf. Gn 15:18; 1 Kgs 5:1. The terms may also have a mythic nuance—the seas that surround the earth; sea and river are sometimes paralleled in poetry.
* [80:16] The Vulgate and Septuagint use “son of man.” (Psalms, PSALM 80 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Reading from the Letter of Paul to the Philippians exhorts us to Joy and Peace in our Christian community..

* [4:1–9] This series of ethical admonitions rests especially on the view of Christ and his coming (cf. Phil 4:5) in Phil 3:20–21. Paul’s instructions touch on unity within the congregation, joy, prayer, and the Christian outlook on life.

* [4:9] Cf. note on Phil 3:17. (Philippians, CHAPTER 4 | USCCB, n.d.)

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus presents The Parable of the Tenants.

* [21:33] Planted a vineyard…a tower: cf. Is 5:1–2. The vineyard is defined in Is 5:7 as “the house of Israel.”

* [21:34–35] His servants: Matthew has two sendings of servants as against Mark’s three sendings of a single servant (Mk 12:2–5a) followed by a statement about the sending of “many others” (Mk 12:2, 5b). That these servants stand for the prophets sent by God to Israel is clearly implied but not made explicit here, but see Mt 23:37. His produce: cf. Mk 12:2 “some of the produce.” The produce is the good works demanded by God, and his claim to them is total.

* [21:38] Acquire his inheritance: if a Jewish proselyte died without heir, the tenants of his land would have final claim on it.

* [21:39] Threw him out…and killed him: the change in the Marcan order where the son is killed and his corpse then thrown out (Mk 12:8) was probably made because of the tradition that Jesus died outside the city of Jerusalem; see Jn 19:17; Heb 13:12.

* [21:41] They answered: in Mk 12:9 the question is answered by Jesus himself; here the leaders answer and so condemn themselves; cf. Mt 21:31. Matthew adds that the new tenants to whom the vineyard will be transferred will give the owner the produce at the proper times.

* [21:42] Cf. Ps 118:22–23. The psalm was used in the early church as a prophecy of Jesus’ resurrection; see Acts 4:11; 1 Pt 2:7. If, as some think, the original parable ended at Mt 21:39 it was thought necessary to complete it by a reference to Jesus’ vindication by God.

* [21:43] Peculiar to Matthew. Kingdom of God: see note on Mt 19:23–24. Its presence here instead of Matthew’s usual “kingdom of heaven” may indicate that the saying came from Matthew’s own traditional material. A people that will produce its fruit: believing Israelites and Gentiles, the church of Jesus. (Matthew, CHAPTER 21 | USCCB, n.d.)

Susan Naatz comments that, in today’s gospel, Jesus invites us into the life of a vineyard owner who becomes a victim of extreme betrayal and violence. He, his employees and his family are profoundly rejected. It is a deeply troubling story. But in the end, Jesus reminds his disciples and us: “Did you never read in the Scriptures: ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone?’”

The Eucharist is a cornerstone of our Catholic faith. Bread and wine become the body and blood of Jesus Christ, who is our primary cornerstone. As we eat the bread and lift the cup, we become connected with our essence which is faith, Jesus Christ and one another.

We are a complex people. I believe that Jesus knew what he was doing when he chose the elements of our Eucharistic table. He invites us to place our lives upon this cornerstone each time we participate in the Eucharist. We then become the fruit of that table so beautifully described in today’s second reading from Paul’s letter to the Philippians as we go out to seek: “…whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious… Keep on doing what you have learned and received and heard and seen in me. Then the God of peace will be with you.” (Naatz, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes “Life through death,” by Augustine, Bishop of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.

"Unless the Word of God had first assumed our mortal flesh He could not have died for us. Only in that way was the immortal God able to die and to give life to mortal humans. Therefore, by this double sharing He brought about a wonderful exchange. We made death possible for Him, and He made life possible for us." (excerpt from Sermon 218C, 1) (Schwager, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winker comments on the texts for today. In the text from Isaiah, the chosen people of God are likened to a vineyard that fails to produce good fruit. The theme is continued in the Gospel of Matthew. Israel has been unfaithful and turned against God as the Keeper of the Vineyard. The Letter of Paul to Philippians is a parenesis, a series of instructions, that exhorts Paul’s audience to choose gratitude over anxiety. Paul, writing from prison, expresses gratitude for blessings and a full life with virtues. This passage may be an examination of conscience for us like 1 Corinthians 13. If we surround ourselves with good, we are likely to be good. Time spent with superficial things will not bring true joy, The tenants in Matthew’s Gospel mistreat the only son who is thrown out of the vineyard and murdered. The Israelites have rejected God’s Son. The Son rejected is Jesus. Friar Jude notes the physical connection to Jesus at Golgotha. The Cross was anchored in a rock, shaped like a skull, that had been rejected by builders to restore the temple in Jerusalem.

The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 21:33-43 comments that our heavenly Father holds nothing back in his attempts to bring his people back to himself. His love is relentless! When they produced only “wild grapes,” he sent Isaiah to call them back to him. Then, over time, he sent Jeremiah and Ezekiel and more and more prophets to speak his word to them. No matter what happened, the Lord never gave up on them.

God never gives up on us, either. He cares for us even when we ignore him, even when we reject him, even when we are not fruitful. He is always extending mercy to us and giving us another chance. So welcome him in today. Let his love sweep you off your feet. Let it inspire you to respond with faith and trust to his invitation to return.

“Lord, help me to love you and bear fruit for you and your kingdom.” (Meditation on Matthew 21:33-43, 2026)

Father Richard Rohr, OFM, explains how Saint Francis of Assisi (1182–1226) experienced the natural world as filled with God’s presence. Daily cosmic events in the sky and on the earth are the reality above our heads and beneath our feet every minute of our lives: a continuous sacrament. I find that a preoccupation with religious rituals tends to increase the more we remain untouched by Reality Itself—to which the best rituals can only point.

Jesus himself commonly points to things like the red sky, a hen, lilies, the fig tree, a donkey caught in a pit, the birds of the air, the grass in the field, the Temple animals (which he released from their cages), and on and on. He was clearly looking at the seemingly “nonreligious” world, ordinary things all around him, and he appeared to do most of his teaching outside.

In the five-day Men’s Rites of Passage that was a focus of my work for fifteen years, many men discovered that prayers and rituals inside of human-scale buildings made with artificial materials also came to seem very domesticated and controlled. They often perceived that the salvation offered there was also “small” and churchy. Almost without exception, the greatest breakthroughs for the men occurred during extended times of silence in nature, where the human and the merely verbal were not in control—or during rituals that were raw and earthy. (Rohr, n.d.)

We implore the Spirit to remind us to STOP, (Stop, Take a Breath, Observe, Proceed) as we communicate with Creation during the glorious season of preparation for the necessary requiem of winter. 

Harvest Time for Change

References

Isaiah, CHAPTER 5 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved October 4, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/isaiah/5? 

Matthew, CHAPTER 21 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings, Audio and Video Every Morning | USCCB. Retrieved October 4, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/21?33 

Meditation on Matthew 21:33-43. (2026, October 4). The Word Among Us. Retrieved October 4, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/10/04/1687059/ 

Naatz, S. (n.d.). Daily Reflection. Creighton Online Ministries: Home. Retrieved October 4, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-october-4-2026 

Philippians, CHAPTER 4 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved October 4, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/philippians/4? 

Psalms, PSALM 80 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings, Audio and Video Every Morning | USCCB. Retrieved October 4, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/80?9 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). God’s Resting Place. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved October 4, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/gods-resting-place/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). The Stone Which the Builders Rejected. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved October 4, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/ 

Vindication and Vision

 The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to consider the path of our life’s journey and express gratitude for the life and love that guides our story. 

“See Everything Limitlessly Forever”

In the Reading from the Book of Job, he encounters Vindication.

* [42:2–4] In his final speech, Job quotes God’s own words (see 38:2–3; 40:7).

* [42:5] In 19:25–27 Job had affirmed a hope to “see” (three times) his vindicator. Now he has seen the Lord about whom he had heard so much.

* [42:6] A difficult verse. Some doubt, in view of God’s commendation in v. 7, that Job does in fact express repentance, and alternative translations are often given. Along with v. 5, it describes a change in Job, which the encounter with the Lord has brought about. Dust and ashes: an ambiguous phrase. It can refer to the human condition (cf. Gn 18:27; Jb 30:19) or to Job’s ash heap (2:8).

* [42:15] Ordinarily daughters did not inherit property unless there were no sons; cf. Nm 27:1–11. (Job, CHAPTER 42 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 119 praises God for such splendid laws and instruction.

* [Psalm 119] This Psalm, the longest by far in the Psalter, praises God for giving such splendid laws and instruction for people to live by. The author glorifies and thanks God for the Torah, prays for protection from sinners enraged by others’ fidelity to the law, laments the cost of obedience, delights in the law’s consolations, begs for wisdom to understand the precepts, and asks for the rewards of keeping them. Several expected elements do not appear in the Psalm: Mount Sinai with its story of God’s revelation and gift to Israel of instruction and commandments, the Temple and other institutions related to revelation and laws (frequent in other Psalms). The Psalm is fascinated with God’s word directing and guiding human life. (Psalms, PSALM 119 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Gospel of Luke presents the Return of the Seventy-two and Praise of the Father in The Privileges of Discipleship.

* [10:18] I have observed Satan fall like lightning: the effect of the mission of the seventy-two is characterized by the Lucan Jesus as a symbolic fall of Satan. As the kingdom of God is gradually being established, evil in all its forms is being defeated; the dominion of Satan over humanity is at an end. 

* [10:21] Revealed them to the childlike: a restatement of the theme announced in Lk 8:10: the mysteries of the kingdom are revealed to the disciples. See also note on Mt 11:25–27.(Luke, CHAPTER 10 | USCCB, n.d.)

Colleen Chiacchere, Creighton University’s Director for Mission Engagement, authored this reflection from Creighton’s Online Ministries archives. We find that we experience lessons or even ‘successes’ in our spiritual journeys by paying attention, by being open, by being more aware of God’s presence than by our own preferences or will.

A theme for me that also surfaced here with these readings is the idea of journey. The disciples are with Jesus as he journeys toward Jerusalem.  They are learning, listening, praying; literally and figuratively walking with him.  Having recently participated in an Ignatian pilgrimage with a group of faculty, staff and student pilgrims from around Creighton to Spain and Rome, this notion of being a pilgrim has continued with me even on my return from the pilgrimage, to my regular life.  I have been praying to be a companion on the journey with Jesus, as Ignatius was.  Being a companion often reveals successes and spiritual lessons.  Being a companion is often difficult and involves walking uphill.

I pray for each of us, humble pilgrims on our own journeys (and collective journey) towards God, with Jesus, that we don’t get too disappointed by setbacks or too self-congratulatory about successes.  Let us continue to be aware and guided by Jesus as we accompany him in our everyday responsibilities, tasks and steps in this “ordinary time.” (Chiacchere, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes “The power of the Kingdom of God,” by Cyril of Alexandria (376-444 AD).

"He also gave the holy apostles power and might even to raise the dead, cleanse lepers, heal the sick, and by the laying on of hands to call down from heaven the Holy Spirit on anyone they wanted. He gave them power to bind and to loose people's sins. His words are 'I say to you, whatever you will bind on earth, will be bound in heaven (Matthew 18:18). Whatever you will loose on earth, will be loosed in heaven.' These are the things we see ourselves possessing. Blessed are our eyes and the eyes of those of all who love him. We have heard his wonderful teaching. He has given us the knowledge of God the Father, and he has shown him to us in his own nature. The things that were by Moses were only types and symbols. Christ has revealed the truth to us. He has taught us that not by blood and smoke, but rather by spiritual sacrifices, we must  honor him who is spiritual, immaterial and above all understanding."(excerpt from COMMENTARY ON LUKE, HOMILY 67) (Schwager, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winker comments on the texts for today. Job is reflecting on the wisdom of God and his coming to see how God knows and controls. Job understands that he does not understand the mystery of suffering for which we have to trust in God. Friar Jude comments that the last verses stand out as a possible addition to the book where Job declares acceptance of the mystery of suffering. The later rewards from God indicate a different and difficult concept that is “ Do Good and you will be blessed.” Job celebrates the sight of God in the flesh more than material restoration. In the Gospel of Luke, the Seventy Two return and celebrate that the demons were subject to them. Friar Jude suggests that our spiritual gifts are not signs of holiness. Holiness is not what we can do but who we are. The childlike live in the Kingdom in trusting filled with wonder. The disciples were truly blessed, as we are, by gifts of faith, sacraments, sacred scripture, the hierarchy, and community.

The Word Among Us Meditation on Job 42:1-3, 5-6, 12-17 comments that we, too, might need to let God expand our view of him. We can forget that our loving Father is also the all-powerful Creator, the source of all life, the judge of every living thing, the Lord who rules all of history. We live in a world that tells us to live for ourselves: to prioritize what we need to do, what we deserve, and how we can better ourselves. The demands of life can keep our attention fixed on our immediate needs and leave little room for God. Or perhaps, like Job, sadness and loss have tempted us to lose hope in the Lord. It’s no wonder that we can lose sight of him at times!

But Job’s story reminds us of what an encounter with God is like and how it can change us. The same can happen to you! Follow Job’s lead today: quiet yourself in prayer and ponder who God is. How can you be all-powerful, perfect, completely just, and merciful at the same time? Ask the Holy Spirit to open your “spiritual eyes.” Let him bring these words to life for you, so that they fill your heart with love and awe.

“Father, you are beyond all that I can know or imagine. Show me more of who you are.” (Meditation on Job 42:1-3, 5-6, 12-17, 2026)

James Finley comments that we might say the mother realizes the infant is the essence of limit, and yet—here’s the mystical and poetic part—with the imperial strength with which her infant clasps her extended little finger, like a king or queen holding a scepter, the infant in all its limitations carries her heart away. She knows that if she were to die in the act of saving the life of this infant, she would die in the truth. She realizes unexplainably the limitless nature of the infant in the midst of its limits.

When we love someone very much—father, mother, brother, sister, lover, spouse, whatever—and look at their face, we see the face that everybody sees. But in our love for them, when we see their face, we see their soulful presence, for which we are immensely grateful in our life. It is a soulful presence that we see in the face of the beloved.

Who did Jesus see when he looked at Thérèse’s face—and who does he see when he looks at your face? Jesus contemplates the divinity of your face. When Jesus walked this earth and looked into the face of each person, he saw that face. Jesus comes to walk this earth so that in his presence, we might see reflected in his eyes, the face that he sees, which is the face of the unborn divinity of ourselves hidden with Christ. [2] (Finley, n.d.)

The Spirit today brings a reflection on “See Everything Limitlessly Forever” to mind today as we seek to understand our mission as siblings of Jesus who share love, mercy, and compassion with the people in our environment.

References

Chiacchere, C. (n.d.). Daily Reflection October 3, 2026 | Creighton Online Ministries. Creighton Online Ministries. Retrieved October 3, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-october-3-2026 

Finley, J. (n.d.). Thérèse of Lisieux: The Way of Love: Weekly Summary. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved October 3, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/therese-of-lisieux-the-way-of-love-weekly-summary/ 

Job, CHAPTER 42 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved October 3, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/job/42?1 

Luke, CHAPTER 10 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved October 3, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/10? 

Meditation on Job 42:1-3, 5-6, 12-17. (2026, October 3). The Word Among Us. Retrieved October 3, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/10/03/1686578/ 

Psalms, PSALM 119 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings, Audio and Video Every Morning | USCCB. Retrieved October 3, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/119?66 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Your Names Are Written in Heaven. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved October 3, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/