The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today exhort us to put God first in our humble recognition that fullness in mission and life is in harmony with Divine Will.
The Reading from the Prophet Haggai is a Prophetic Call to Work on the Temple.
* [1:1] First day of the sixth month in the second year: August 29, 520 B.C. This is the first of six chronological indicators in Haggai. Darius: Darius I, emperor of Persia from 522 to 486 B.C. Governor: term used for local rulers of provinces in the Persian imperial structure. Zerubbabel: grandson of King Jehoiachin (cf. 2 Kgs 24:8–17).
* [1:4] Your paneled houses…house lies in ruins: the contrast here is between the unfinished Temple and the completed houses of the Judeans.
* [1:5] Reflect on your experience: the prophet exhorts the people to consider the futility of their efforts as a result of their neglecting work on the Temple. The following verses call attention to harsh conditions in Judah after the return from exile and the preoccupation of the people with their personal concerns.
* [1:8] That I may be glorified: for the prophet, the rebuilding of the Temple restores the glory God had lost in the eyes of the nations by the Temple’s destruction. (Haggai, CHAPTER 1 | USCCB, n.d.)
Psalm 149 celebrates that the Lord takes delight in his people.
* [Psalm 149] A hymn inviting the people of Israel to celebrate their God in song and festive dance (Ps 149:1–3, 5) because God has chosen them and given them victory (Ps 149:4). The exodus and conquest are the defining acts of Israel; the people must be ready to do again those acts in the future at the divine command (Ps 149:6–9). (Psalms, PSALM 149, n.d.)
The Gospel of Luke explores Herod’s Opinion of Jesus.
* [9:7–56] This section in which Luke gathers together incidents that focus on the identity of Jesus is introduced by a question that Herod is made to ask in this gospel: “Who then is this about whom I hear such things?”(Lk 9:9) In subsequent episodes, Luke reveals to the reader various answers to Herod’s question: Jesus is one in whom God’s power is present and who provides for the needs of God’s people (Lk 9:10–17); Peter declares Jesus to be “the Messiah of God” (Lk 9:18–21); Jesus says he is the suffering Son of Man (Lk 9:22, 43–45); Jesus is the Master to be followed, even to death (Lk 9:23–27); Jesus is God’s son, his Chosen One (Lk 9:28–36).
* [9:7] Herod the tetrarch: see note on Lk 3:1.
* [9:9] And he kept trying to see him: this indication of Herod’s interest in Jesus prepares for Lk 13:31–33 and for Lk 23:8–12 where Herod’s curiosity about Jesus’ power to perform miracles remains unsatisfied. (Luke, CHAPTER 9, n.d.)
Larry Hopp comments that our priorities are important. They reflect our character and what we feel is worthy of our time and attention. They are an accurate gauge of our heart.
As I consider what I put first in my life, I shutter at how God views me. Of course the world is OK with my choices. What I do, think, and say, every single day, is often precisely what the world expects. But that is simply NOT ACCEPTABLE. As today’s Gospel in John reminds us, the world will never understand how crucial it is to put Jesus first in our life each and every day. The resulting peace and joy of the Lord is simply incredible ! ! Only with the Lord as our top priority, can we indeed be effectively used by Him. Our life can truly point to Jesus. His powerful light can indeed shine through our lives. We can become the person that God created us to be.
Dear Heavenly Father, I come to you in humility. I have not consistently put you first and foremost in my life. I want to be the man you created me to be. I truly want your light to shine through all of my thoughts, my words, and my actions. Please forgive me when I have allowed the world to influence me. Help me to faithfully keep my constant focus upon you and you alone. In the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ. Amen (Hopp, n.d.)
Don Schwager quotes “Integrity is a hardship for the morally corrupt,” by Peter Chrysologus (400-450 AD).
"John aroused Herod by his moral admonitions, not by any formal accusation. He wanted to correct, not to suppress. Herod, however, preferred to suppress rather than be reconciled. To those who are held captive, the freedom of the one innocent of wrongdoing becomes hateful. Virtue is undesirable to those who are immoral; holiness is abhorrent to those who are impious; chastity is an enemy to those who are impure; integrity is a hardship for those who are corrupt; frugality runs counter to those who are self-indulgent; mercy is intolerable to those who are cruel, as is loving-kindness to those who are pitiless and justice to those who are unjust. The Evangelist indicates this when he says, "John said to him, 'It is not lawful for you to have the wife of your brother Philip.'" This is where John runs into trouble. He who admonishes those who are evil gives offense. He who repudiates wrongdoers runs into trouble. John was saying what was proper of the law, what was proper of justice, what was proper of salvation and what was proper certainly not of hatred but of love. And look at the reward he received from the ungodly for his loving concern!" (excerpt from SERMONS 127.6-7)
[Peter Chrysologus, 400-450 AD, was a renowned preacher and bishop of Ravena in the 5th century] (Schwager, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler notes the time period of Haggi and Ezra with Haggi writing right after the return from exile in Babylon and criticizing the people who have taken care of themselves but not the Temple of the Lord. Haggi asserts they need God at the centre of their lives. The son of King Herod has heard of Jesus but doesn’t know who He is. Friar Jude comments that, in Luke’s Gospel, Pilate sends Jesus to Herod before His crucifixion.
Fr. Mike Schmitz continues to take us through the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem, and the importance of moving on from the past to see what God is doing in our lives right now.
Father Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces activist and organizer Paul Engler who connects nonviolence and the contemplative path.
Our Earth, once assumed infinite in its bounty, now groans under the weight of extractive systems that for the first time in history hit their limits of total expansion. Climate change is just the tip of the iceberg. We are entering the sixth mass extinction. Ecosystems are collapsing. The coral reefs are dying, the forests are being cut, and over the last 80 years half of bird, and over half of fish populations have been wiped out. The canary in the coal mine is indeed dying. A third of the planet may soon experience drought annually. And still, the dominant culture accelerates forward—driven by a propaganda machine of individualism and consumerism.
Even astronauts, peering back at Earth as a blue marble suspended in darkness, speak of a revelation: that Eden is not a myth but a fragile truth we’ve exiled ourselves from.
Contemplation—whether through the Christian mystics, Buddhist mindfulness, or Indigenous ceremony—reveals this loss. And it invites us into the paschal mystery: a cycle of life, death, and resurrection that Jesus lived, not only as theology, but as cosmic pattern. What if the streams of contemplation and nonviolent resistance merged? What if our movements toward personal healing were also movements toward systemic transformation? To live the Gospel fully is to embrace both. (Rohr, n.d.)
We ponder the disorder and chaos that comes to our environment when we place our gratification and glorification above the humility and surrender that opens the door for the Peace of the Lord to bring fullness and joy to our lives.
References
Haggai, CHAPTER 1 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved September 25, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/haggai/1?1
Hopp, L. (n.d.). Daily Reflection. Creighton Online Ministries: Home. Retrieved September 25, 2025, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-september-25-2025
Luke, CHAPTER 9. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved September 25, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/9
Psalms, PSALM 149. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved September 25, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/149?1
Rohr, R. (n.d.). Contemplation and Nonviolence. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved September 25, 2025, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/contemplation-and-nonviolence/
Schwager, D. (n.d.). Suppressing Truth to Ease a Guilty Conscience. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved September 25, 2025, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2025&date=sep25
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