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/

Perseverance Intellect and Wealth

 The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to contemplate the nature of God, the role of love in our lives, and our hope in the Resurrection of our Body.

Way of the Resurrection

In the First Letter to the Corinthians, Paul presents an understanding of The Resurrection Body.

* [15:35–58] Paul imagines two objections that the Corinthians could raise: one concerning the manner of the resurrection (how?), the other pertaining to the qualities of the risen body (what kind?). These questions probably lie behind their denial of the resurrection (1 Cor 15:12), and seem to reflect the presumption that no kind of body other than the one we now possess would be possible. Paul deals with these objections in inverse order, in 1 Cor 15:36–49 and 1 Cor 15:50–58. His argument is fundamentally theological and its appeal is to the understanding.

* [15:35–49] Paul approaches the question of the nature of the risen body (what kind of body?) by means of two analogies: the seed (1 Cor 15:36–44) and the first man, Adam (1 Cor 15:45–49). (1 Corinthians, CHAPTER 15 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 56 keeps the vow to give thanks for God’s gift of life.

* [Psalm 56] Beset physically (Ps 56:2–3) and psychologically (Ps 56:6–7), the psalmist maintains a firm confidence in God (Ps 56:5, 9–10). Nothing will prevent the psalmist from keeping the vow to give thanks for God’s gift of life (Ps 56:13). A refrain (Ps 56:5, 11–12) divides the Psalm in two equal parts. (Psalms, PSALM 56 | USCCB, n.d.)

In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus presents The Parable of the Sower, The Purpose of the Parables and The Parable of the Sower Explained.

* [8:4–21] The focus in this section is on how one should hear the word of God and act on it. It includes the parable of the sower and its explanation (Lk 8:4–15), a collection of sayings on how one should act on the word that is heard (Lk 8:16–18), and the identification of the mother and brothers of Jesus as the ones who hear the word and act on it (Lk 8:19–21). See also notes on Mt 13:1–53 and Mk 4:1–34.

* [8:4–8] See note on Mt 13:3–8.

* [8:11–15] On the interpretation of the parable of the sower, see note on Mt 13:18–23. (Luke, CHAPTER 8 | USCCB, n.d.)

* [13:18–23] See Mk 4:14–20; Lk 8:11–15. In this explanation of the parable the emphasis is on the various types of soil on which the seed falls, i.e., on the dispositions with which the preaching of Jesus is received. The second and third types particularly are explained in such a way as to support the view held by many scholars that the explanation derives not from Jesus but from early Christian reflection upon apostasy from the faith that was the consequence of persecution and worldliness, respectively. Others, however, hold that the explanation may come basically from Jesus even though it was developed in the light of later Christian experience. The four types of persons envisaged are (1) those who never accept the word of the kingdom (Mt 13:19); (2) those who believe for a while but fall away because of persecution (Mt 13:20–21); (3) those who believe, but in whom the word is choked by worldly anxiety and the seduction of riches (Mt 13:22); (4) those who respond to the word and produce fruit abundantly (Mt 13:23). (Matthew, CHAPTER 13 | USCCB, n.d.)

Suzanne Braddock comments that we are asked to choose. This is the bottom line in the Parable of the Sower.

We are not born with one type of soil on which the Word of God - the seed - falls or is sown. We are not determined from birth to be one way or another. Who among us has not experienced periods of dryness, emotional or spiritual? Who among us has not been anxious, distracted by the worries and troubles of our lives? I would argue that during our lives we experience all of the different types of growing conditions described in Luke 8:4-15. We are trampled by the cruelty of others, we lack the moisture of familial love, even of the rain  that does or doesn’t fall in these times. We can be choked by our own failures, or by the overwhelming perception of what our duties demand of us. We may lack deep roots, roots that can be fostered by faithful attendance at Mass and the sacrament of Reconciliation, fostered by deeds of kindness to others. Fostered by desiring a realization of the nearness of God and His faithful love. A God who reaches out His hand to us as He did with Peter sinking in the sea. I like to imagine Jesus lovingly reaching out His hand to me immediately when I am in need - which is pretty much all the time. (Braddock, 2026)

Don Schwager quotes “The Devil snatches good seed off the path,” by Cyril of Alexandria (376-444 AD).

"The seed is the Word of God. Those on the way are they who have heard. Afterwards, the devil comes and takes away the Word from their heart, that they may not believe and be saved. We see in a moment that the hardness of the ground causes the seed on the pathways to be snatched away. A pathway always is hard and untilled, because it is exposed to every one's feet. It does not admit any seed into it, but it lies rather upon the surface, ready for any birds that will to snatch it away. All whose minds are hard and unyielding, and so to speak, pressed together, do not receive the divine seed. The divine and sacred admonition does not find an entrance into them. They do not accept the words that would produce in them the fear of God and by means of which they could bring forth as fruits the glories of virtue. They have made themselves a beaten and trampled pathway for unclean demons, yes, for Satan himself, such as never can bear holy fruit. Let those who are awake, whose heart is sterile and unfruitful, open your mind, receive the sacred seed, be like productive and well-tilled soil, bring forth to God the fruits that will raise you to an incorruptible life."(excerpt from COMMENTARY ON LUKE, HOMILY 41) (Braddock, 2026)

Friar Jude Winkler comments on the texts for today. In the First Letter to the Corinthians Paul addresses the nature of the Resurrected Body. What will our body look like? We really don’t know. There will be both continuity and discontinuity with our body now. The resurrected body is not bound by time and space, but as descendants of Adam we have a glorious body and in the New Heaven and New earth it is a resurrected body. In some ways, it is a foolish question. We really don’t know the answer. Friar Jude comments that the Parable of the Seed is an explanation of the Great Commandment. We honour God in our heart with the good soil of our intellect. Our soul honours God in times of persecution when the Devil tries to take it away. Honouring good with our strength refers to our possessions. The growth of our relationship with God grows a hundred fold, a yield that is much more than 4 or 5 times usual in Palestine. Friar Jude explains the apparent ambiguity in Jesus, comments on the failure to understand. Jesus teaching in parables is not that he doesn’t want understanding. He speaks in the simplest form so if they don’t understand they never will.

The Word Among Us Meditation on 1 Corinthians 15 :35-37, 42-49 comments that Paul avoids speculating about what our resurrected bodies will look like. Instead, he uses an analogy from farming. “What you sow is not the body that is to be,” he says, “but a bare kernel” in comparison to what it will become (1 Corinthians 15:37).

This, Paul says, is how we should think about our resurrection. Our bodies, like seeds, are “corruptible,” but our risen bodies will be “incorruptible.” They will be “glorious.” And they will be “powerful.” We will have “spiritual” bodies—bodies so filled with the Holy Spirit that the temporary and limited natures of our earthly bodies will be overcome (1 Corinthians 15:42, 43, 44). “There shall be no more death or mourning, wailing or pain, for the old order has passed away” (Revelation 21:4).

What will you look like in heaven? So magnificent that you can’t even imagine! But one thing is clear: you’ll finally see Jesus. And seeing him, you’ll be filled with joy!

“Jesus, I can’t wait to see you and to become glorious like you!” (Meditation on 1 Corinthians 15 :35-37, 42-49, n.d.)

Father Richard Rohr, OFM, invites us to pray with Paul who trusts in God’s love over any law.

When we have experienced our own weakness and, at the same time, been filled with the Spirit of Love, then we will know the truth of that beautiful Pauline prayer: 

I bow my knees before the Father,  

from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name.  

I pray that, according to the riches of God’s glory,  

God may grant that you may be strengthened  

in your inner being with power through the Spirit,  

and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith,  

as you are being rooted and grounded in love. 

I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints,  

what is the breadth  

and length  

and height  

and depth,   

and to know the love of Christ  

that surpasses knowledge,  

so that you may be filled  

with all the fullness of God (Ephesians 3:14–19). (Rohr, n.d.)

We invite the Spirit to enlighten our prayer about using our intellect, perseverance, and material possessions to share our faith, hope, and charity in our environment.

References

Braddock, S. (2026, September 19). Daily Reflection September 19, 2026 | Creighton Online Ministries. Creighton Online Ministries. Retrieved September 19, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-september-19-2026 

Luke, CHAPTER 8 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved September 19, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/8? 

Matthew, CHAPTER 13 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings, Audio and Video Every Morning | USCCB. Retrieved September 19, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/13 

Meditation on 1 Corinthians 15 :35-37, 42-49. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved September 19, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/09/19/1672351/ 

1 Corinthians, CHAPTER 15 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved September 19, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1corinthians/15? 

Psalms, PSALM 56 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved September 19, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/56? 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Paul’s Transforming Vision: Weekly Summary. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved September 19, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/pauls-transforming-vision-weekly-summary/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). He Who Has Ears to Hear, Let Him Hear. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved September 19, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/