United in the Spirit

 The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to seek collaboration and communion with faithful people to activate our Diversity of Gifts in service of God.

“So Great a Cloud of Witnesses”

The Reading from the Letter to the Ephesians exhorts Unity in the Body exercising our Diversity of Gifts.

* [4:1–16] A general plea for unity in the church. Christians have been fashioned through the Spirit into a single harmonious religious community (one body, Eph 4:4, 12; cf. Eph 4:16), belonging to a single Lord (in contrast to the many gods of the pagan world), and by one way of salvation through faith, brought out especially by the significance of baptism (Eph 4:1–6; cf. Rom 6:1–11). But Christian unity is more than adherence to a common belief. It is manifested in the exalted Christ’s gifts to individuals to serve so as to make the community more Christlike (Eph 4:11–16). This teaching on Christ as the source of the gifts is introduced in Eph 4:8 by a citation of Ps 68:18, which depicts Yahweh triumphantly leading Israel to salvation in Jerusalem. It is here understood of Christ, ascending above all the heavens, the head of the church; through his redemptive death, resurrection, and ascension he has become the source of the church’s spiritual gifts. The “descent” of Christ (Eph 4:9–10) refers more probably to the incarnation (cf. Phil 2:6–8) than to Christ’s presence after his death in the world of the dead (cf. 1 Pt 3:19).

* [4:4–6] The “seven unities” (church, Spirit, hope; Lord, faith in Christ [Eph 1:13], baptism; one God) reflect the triune structure of later creeds in reverse.

* [4:8–10] While the emphasis is on an ascension and gift-giving by Christ, there is also a reference in taking prisoners captive to the aeons and powers mentioned at Eph 1:21; 2:2; 3:10; 6:12.

* [4:11] Concerning this list of ministers, cf. 1 Cor 12:28 and Rom 12:6–8. Evangelists: missionary preachers (cf. Acts 21:8; 2 Tm 4:5), not those who wrote gospels. Pastors and teachers: a single group in the Greek, shepherding congregations.

* [4:12] The ministerial leaders in Eph 4:11 are to equip the whole people of God for their work of ministry.

* [4:13] Mature manhood: literally, “a perfect man” (cf. Col 1:28), possibly the “one new person” of Eph 2:15, though there anthrōpos suggests humanity, while here anēr is the term for male. This personage becomes visible in the church’s growing to its fullness in the unity of those who believe in Christ. (Ephesians, CHAPTER 4 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 19 bespeaks the power and wisdom of the Creator.

* [Psalm 19] The heavenly elements of the world, now beautifully arranged, bespeak the power and wisdom of their creator (Ps 19:2–7). The creator’s wisdom is available to human beings in the law (Ps 19:8–11), toward which the psalmist prays to be open (Ps 19:12–14). The themes of light and speech unify the poem.

* [19:4] No speech, no words: the regular functioning of the heavens and the alternation of day and night inform human beings without words of the creator’s power and wisdom.

* [19:5] The sun: in other religious literature the sun is a judge and lawgiver since it sees all in its daily course; Ps 19:5b–7 form a transition to the law in Ps 19:8–11. The six synonyms for God’s revelation (Ps 19:8–11) are applied to the sun in comparable literature. (Psalms, PSALM 19 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Gospel of Matthew presents the Call of Matthew by Jesus.

* [9:9] A man named Matthew: Mark names this tax collector Levi (Mk 2:14). No such name appears in the four lists of the twelve who were the closest companions of Jesus (Mt 10:2–4; Mk 3:16–19; Lk 6:14–16; Acts 1:13 [eleven, because of the defection of Judas Iscariot]), whereas all four list a Matthew, designated in Mt 10:3 as “the tax collector.” The evangelist may have changed the “Levi” of his source to Matthew so that this man, whose call is given special notice, like that of the first four disciples (Mt 4:18–22), might be included among the twelve. Another reason for the change may be that the disciple Matthew was the source of traditions peculiar to the church for which the evangelist was writing.

* [9:10] His house: it is not clear whether his refers to Jesus or Matthew. Tax collectors: see note on Mt 5:46. Table association with such persons would cause ritual impurity.

* [9:11] Teacher: see note on Mt 8:19.

* [9:12] See note on Mk 2:17.

* [9:13] Go and learn…not sacrifice: Matthew adds the prophetic statement of Hos 6:6 to the Marcan account (see also Mt 12:7). If mercy is superior to the temple sacrifices, how much more to the laws of ritual impurity. (Matthew, CHAPTER 9 | USCCB, n.d.)

Rev. George Meze, SJ, comments that Matthew would have also discovered the limitation of money: it could provide comfort and security, but it could not satisfy the deeper longing of the human heart.

Saint Augustine beautifully reminds us that, “our hearts are restless until they rest in you.” Saint Paul, in his Letter to the Philippians, likewise considers everything else as, “rubbish compared with the surpassing worth of knowing Christ.” These words remind us that our deepest longings and thirst cannot be fully satisfied by anything the world can offer. Ultimately, our hearts can find true peace, fulfillment, and rest only in Jesus.

As Jesus draws Matthew to Himself through grace, Matthew leaves behind everything he once placed his trust in and chooses to follow Christ. He steps away from the security of what he knows and into a new world of faith—a journey into, “the delightful unknown with hope.” (Meze, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes “Matthew did not delay when called by Jesus,” by Chromatius (died 406 AD).

"The Lord, about to give salvation to all sinners believing in him, willingly chose Matthew the former publican. The gift of his esteem for Matthew stands as an example for our salvation. Every sinner must be chosen by God and can receive the grace of eternal salvation if one is not without a religious mind and a devout heart. So Matthew was chosen willingly by God. And though he is immersed in worldly affairs, because of his sincere religious devotion he is judged worthy to be called forth by the Lord ("Follow me"), who by virtue of his divine nature knows the hidden recesses of the heart. From what follows, we know that Matthew was accepted by the Lord not by reason of his status but of his faith and devotion. As soon as the Lord says to him, "Follow me," he does not linger or delay, but thereupon "he arose and followed him." (excerpt from TRACTATE ON MATTHEW 45.1)

[Note: Chromatius was an early Christian scholar and bishop of Aquileia, Italy. He was a close friend of John Chrysostom and Jerome. He died in 406 AD. Jerome described him as a "most learned and most holy man."] (Schwager, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments that the text from the Letter to the Ephesians speaks of the bond of unity in the community. Scholars are not sure Paul is the author of the letter which may have been written in his name and style. Paul is a prisoner for the Lord facing execution. When facing death, people often call in the family and make sure they are getting along. The Christian community has people with different charisms and gifts with which to serve the Lord. We celebrate the call of Matthew. As a tax collector, Matthew was part of an unusual method of tax collection that had no incentive to honesty. Tax collectors were thought of as collaborators with Rome and outcasts. Jesus eats a meal with tax collectors and Jesus wants to end their exile from the community. Friar Jude reminds us that Pharisees had concern of contagion from association with sinners. Jesus' response is that it is not the healthy who need a physician. We need to reach out to those who have messed up by welcoming them and seeking to heal their brokenness.

The Word Among Us Meditation on Ephesians 4:1-7, 11-13 comments that especially in his Gospel, Matthew highlighted how Jesus fulfilled God’s promises to Israel—especially his promise to make the Jewish people “the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14; Isaiah 49:6).

But he also made it clear that Jesus belongs to “all nations” equally, not just to the Jews (Matthew 28:19). He is the one who recounted Jesus’ Beatitudes, which bless those who seek not to divide but to bring people together: “the poor in spirit,” “the merciful,” and “the peacemakers” (5:3, 7, 9). And he is the one who preserved Jesus’ parable of the unforgiving servant as an illustration of his desire that we not foster division but be willing to forgive “not seven times but seventy-seven times” (18:22).

All these pleas for unity continue to resound today, especially in a world marked by such deep divisions. Like Matthew, may we all come to cherish the “one Body and one Spirit” that belongs to us all (Ephesians 4:4)!

“Lord, heal all divisions in your Church and in the world!” (Meditation on Ephesians 4:1-7, 11-13, n.d.)

Father Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces priest and theologian Emmanuel Katongole who considers how nonviolence reflects God’s love, modeled and experienced in the life of Jesus.

The excess of love is what shapes a revolution—a revolution of nonviolent love—into which God invites Christians. For, as Pope Francis reminds us, “The Son of God, by becoming flesh, summoned us to the revolution of tenderness.” [2]…

This revolution of nonviolent love is not a utopian fantasy. There are many stories of Christians whose lives bear witness to this revolution of tenderness and from whom we can learn the requirements of the way of nonviolence….

[Archbishop] Christopher Munzihirwa was pointing to this revolution when, shortly before he was assassinated, he reminded the people of Bukavu that every Christian is invited to enter “the way of Christ.” For Munzihirwa, entering the way of Christ was not simply a pious exhortation; it was an invitation into a social vision and engagement that leads to “the construction of true and durable peace.” [3]…

Surrounded by a cloud of witnesses, perhaps we too can dare to not only say no to violence, but to respond to violence through an excess of love. When we do so, we find ourselves as part of the revolution of tenderness. (Rohr, n.d.)

Richard Floyd Pastor Emeritus of First Church of Christ in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, offers “So Great a Cloud of Witnesses” A Sermon on Hebrews 12: 1-2.

This is such an important way to think about the church. We have been learning to think of the church ecumenically; to consider the breadth of the church across denominational lines and national boundaries. 

But how quickly we forget the length of the church, its trans–temporal reality across the generations. That is where the role of tradition comes to play in the church, the place where the communion of saints gets their say. As C.K. Chesterton put it, “Tradition is only democracy extended through time.” 

And that’s important because a church that forgets what the saints have learned from generation to generation will hardly be equipped to be the church in its own generation. So, the church rightly remembers the communion of saints, and even more than that, claims that in Christ, we share with them in the divine life.

Let me change the metaphor, that we might imagine the communion of saints as a choir; a large choir, like one of those Welsh men’s choirs made up of a thousand voices. (Floyd, n.d.)

We are invited by the Spirit to contemplate the “Great Cloud of Witnesses” with whom we share our mission to bring healing to the “brokenness” of the environment in which we are called to serve.

References

Ephesians, CHAPTER 4 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved September 21, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/ephesians/4? 

Floyd, R. L. (n.d.). “So Great a Cloud of Witnesses” A Sermon on Hebrews 12: 1-2. Richard Floyd. Retrieved September 21, 2026, from https://richardlfloyd.com/2024/11/03/so-great-a-cloud-of-witnesses-a-sermon-on-hebrews-12-1-2/ 

Matthew, CHAPTER 9 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved September 21, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/9?9 

Meditation on Ephesians 4:1-7, 11-13. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved September 21, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/09/21/1673812/ 

Meze, G. (n.d.). Daily Reflection September 21, 2026 | Creighton Online Ministries. Creighton Online Ministries. Retrieved September 21, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-september-21-2026 

Psalms, PSALM 19 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings, Audio and Video Every Morning | USCCB. Retrieved September 21, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/19?2 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Nonviolence: An Excess of Love. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved September 21, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/nonviolence-an-excess-of-love/  

Schwager, D. (n.d.). I Desire Mercy - Not Sacrifice. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved September 21, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2026&date=sep21a

Fairness and Love

 The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge our western industrial concepts of fairness and offer a Way of Love to demonstrate our desire to be like Christ. 

Invited to the Table

The Reading from the Prophet Isaiah is an invitation to seek the Lord.

* [55:6–9] The invitation to seek the Lord is motivated by the mercy of a God whose “ways” are completely mysterious. (Isaiah, CHAPTER 55 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 145 invites all to praise God.

* [Psalm 145] A hymn in acrostic form; every verse begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Acrostic poems usually do not develop ideas but consist rather of loosely connected statements. The singer invites all to praise God (Ps 145:1–3, 21). The “works of God” make God present and invite human praise (Ps 145:4–7); they climax in a confession (Ps 145:8–9). God’s mighty acts show forth divine kingship (Ps 145:10–20), a major theme in the literature of early Judaism and in Christianity. (Psalms, PSALM 145 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Reading from the Letter of Paul to the Philippians urges Steadfastness in Faith.

* [1:19–25] Paul earnestly debates his prospects of martyrdom or continued missionary labor. While he may long to depart this life and thus be with Christ (Phil 1:23), his overall and final expectation is that he will be delivered from this imprisonment and continue in the service of the Philippians and of others (Phil 1:19, 25; Phil 2:24). In either case, Christ is central (Phil 1:20–21); if to live means Christ for Paul, death means to be united with Christ in a deeper sense. (Philippians, CHAPTER 1 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Gospel of Matthew presents the parable of the Workers in the Vineyard.

* [20:1–16] This parable is peculiar to Matthew. It is difficult to know whether the evangelist composed it or received it as part of his traditional material and, if the latter is the case, what its original reference was. In its present context its close association with Mt 19:30 suggests that its teaching is the equality of all the disciples in the reward of inheriting eternal life.

* [20:4] What is just: although the wage is not stipulated as in the case of those first hired, it will be fair.

* [20:8] Beginning with the last…the first: this element of the parable has no other purpose than to show how the first knew what the last were given (Mt 20:12).

* [20:13] I am not cheating you: literally, “I am not treating you unjustly.”

* [20:14–15] The owner’s conduct involves no violation of justice (Mt 20:4, 13), and that all the workers receive the same wage is due only to his generosity to the latest arrivals; the resentment of the first comes from envy.

* [20:16] See note on Mt 19:30. (Matthew, CHAPTER 20 | USCCB, n.d.)

Larry Hopp comments that he and his wife have four children and eight grandchildren and they often worry about being fair when doing something for one of these loved ones – will the others perceive our actions as being fair? Today’s Daily Readings clearly speak to this issue from God’s perspective rather than from the world’s viewpoint.

While it is easy to understand that it doesn’t seem fair for a worker working all day to receive the same compensation as the one who only works an hour, Jesus teaches us in this example that the landowner did not cheat anyone, but rather he was simply being generous. The parable could end with this lesson on giving lavishly, but it does not end there, rather it provides us a crucial understanding of grace and redemption. As a fallen man, I have lived too much of my life following sinful thoughts, words and actions. In this story God has left no doubt that He views fairness through a heart lens. I can confidently run to my Savior, knowing it is not too late to bask in His incredible love and mercy. What is important is turning to Jesus, no matter when we make that choice or what the world may think of our choice.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for the incredible wisdom you provide throughout your Word. Help us to better grasp how high your ways and thoughts are above ours so that we can confidently seek your truth in every moment of our life. In the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ. Amen (Hopp, n.d.)

Don Schwager asks “What can work and wages, welfare and the unemployed tell us about the kingdom of God?” In the parable of the laborers in the vineyard we see the extraordinary generosity and compassion of God (Matthew 20:1-16). There is great tragedy in unemployment, the loss of work, and the inability to earn enough to live and support oneself or one's family. In Jesus' times laborers had to wait each day in the marketplace until someone hired them for a day's job. No work that day usually meant no food on the family table. The laborers who worked all day and received their payment complain that the master pays the late afternoon laborers the same wage. The master, undoubtedly, hired them in the late afternoon so they wouldn't go home payless and hungry.

Don Schwager quotes “Christ our householder,” author unknown, from the 5th century A.D.

"The householder [in Matthew's parable - chapter 20] is Christ, to whom the heavens and the earth are like a single house; the family is as it were the multitude of creatures both angelic and earthly. It is as if he built a three-storied house: hell, heaven and earth, so that those struggling may live upon the earth, those conquered below the earth, those conquering in heaven. We too, set in the middle, should strive not to descend to those who are in hell but ascend to those who are in heaven. And in case perhaps you do not know which one you ought to shun or which one you ought to aspire to, he has given you as it were a little taste of both while you live between light and darkness: night as a taste of hell, daylight as a taste of heaven." (excerpt from an incomplete Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew, HOMILY 34) (Schwager, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments that Isaiah speaks about leaving our former ways and turning to the Lord. We have to ask for that mercy. The ways and thoughts of the Lord are not ours. We have to do the best we can, Philippians are a community Paul very much likes and as Paul is facing persecution he proclaims acceptance of living or dying as both serve the Lord. Both alternatives are in God’s hands. An attitude that we should consider is the peace of surrender to what God is calling us to be. In the Gospel of Matthew, the ones who work a short time get a day’s wage as do the ones who worked all day in the heat. Is the anger and jealousy of the first hired out of place? Friar Jude comments that in this end time parable, common in Matthew’s Gospel, we consider that when we are with God that is enough. “Last minute” conversions are for celebrations of mercy and love of God.

The Word Among Us Meditation on Philippians 1:20-24, 27 asks “”So what can we learn from St. Paul’s perspective?” 

First, heaven is something that we can wholeheartedly look forward to. While we may initially think of all that we might lose when we pass away, the truth is that we can expect to experience far more joy and satisfaction in eternity than we ever could in our earthly lives.

Second, we can experience a foretaste of the joy that awaits us in heaven right here and now. We can be so consumed with Christ that we say, with Paul, “To me life is Christ” (Philippians 1:21). How can we be consumed with Christ? Like Paul, we can spend our lives in “fruitful labor,” serving others and pointing to Jesus in all we do (1:22). As Paul delighted in seeing people grow in their faith, so, too, can we find joy in seeing our lives draw others closer to Jesus, even as we await the fullness of life in heaven.

“Lord, open my eyes to the beauty of this life, today and in eternity.” (Meditation on Philippians 1:20-24, 27, 2026)

Father Richard Rohr, OFM, reflects on nonviolent resistance as the primary Christian response to a world of violence.

The gospel and the church both teach nonviolent resistance. Some call it gentle firmness. I believe that it is the Christian moral response. It does not imply absolute pacifism or deny the right to legitimate self-defense, but it requires creative and constant firmness in opposition to evil. Each of us is complicit in this mystery of evil, violence, and harm. Seeking to justify wars, people say, “Well, someone has to die”—but the gospel says, “First of all, it’s you!” Jesus tells us to die to ourselves (see Luke 9:24). This process requires us to agree to carry some of the burden of sin and pain of the world…

The journey of contemplative prayer leads us to a sense of universality, of bearing the burden and resisting the violence of the entire world and not just that of our own country. To be a true Christian, I think, means to be a giant juggler of all kinds of contradictions, all kinds of absurdities, all kinds of death, and all kinds of life. We are each being led to a depth of universal God experience that allows us, in our own spirit, mind, and heart, to know a gospel response to the world’s violence. I don’t think there’s any way we can call ourselves Christians without aiming for nonviolence as our ideal. (Rohr, n.d.)

We seek the Wisdom and Understanding gifts of the Spirit to instruct and guide our conversion to live in accord with the “mind of Christ”.

“I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.”

― Mahatma Gandhi

References

Hopp, L. (n.d.). Daily Reflection September 20, 2026 | Creighton Online Ministries. Creighton Online Ministries. Retrieved September 20, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-september-20-2026 

Isaiah, CHAPTER 55 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved September 20, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/isaiah/55? 

Matthew, CHAPTER 20 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings, Audio and Video Every Morning | USCCB. Retrieved September 20, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/20 

Meditation on Philippians 1:20-24, 27. (2026, September 20). The Word Among Us. Retrieved September 20, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/09/20/1673137/ 

Philippians, CHAPTER 1 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved September 20, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/philippians/1?20 

Psalms, PSALM 145 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings, Audio and Video Every Morning | USCCB. Retrieved September 20, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/145?2 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Nonviolent Resistance. Nonviolent Resistance. Retrieved September 20, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/nonviolent-resistance/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Do You Begrudge My Generosity? Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved September 20, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/