The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to ponder how we “run the race of discipleship and live for service to God’s people”.
In the Reading from the First Letter to the Corinthians, Paul offers his Reason for Not Using His Rights and choosing to be All Things to All.
* [9:1–27] This chapter is an emotionally charged expansion of Paul’s appeal to his own example in 1 Cor 8:13; its purpose is to reinforce the exhortation of 1 Cor 8:9. The two opening questions introduce the themes of Paul’s freedom and his apostleship (1 Cor 9:1), themes that the chapter will develop in reverse order, 1 Cor 9:1–18 treating the question of his apostleship and the rights that flow from it, and 1 Cor 9:19–27 exploring dialectically the nature of Paul’s freedom. The language is highly rhetorical, abounding in questions, wordplays, paradoxes, images, and appeals to authority and experience. The argument is unified by repetitions; its articulations are highlighted by inclusions and transitional verses.
* [9:15–18] Paul now assigns a more personal motive to his nonuse of his right to support. His preaching is not a service spontaneously undertaken on his part but a stewardship imposed by a sort of divine compulsion. Yet to merit any reward he must bring some spontaneous quality to his service, and this he does by freely renouncing his right to support. The material here is quite similar to that contained in Paul’s “defense” at 2 Cor 11:5–12; 12:11–18.
* [9:19–23] In a rhetorically balanced series of statements Paul expands and generalizes the picture of his behavior and explores the paradox of apostolic freedom. It is not essentially freedom from restraint but freedom for service—a possibility of constructive activity.
* [9:24–27] A series of miniparables from sports, appealing to readers familiar with Greek gymnasia and the nearby Isthmian games.
* [9:27] For fear that…I myself should be disqualified: a final paradoxical turn to the argument: what appears at first a free, spontaneous renunciation of rights (1 Cor 9:12–18) seems subsequently to be required for fulfillment of Paul’s stewardship (to preach effectively he must reach his hearers wherever they are, 1 Cor 9:19–22), and finally is seen to be necessary for his own salvation (1 Cor 9:23–27). Mention of the possibility of disqualification provides a transition to 1 Cor 10. (1 Corinthians, CHAPTER 9 | USCCB, n.d.)
Psalm 84 expresses the sentiments of the pilgrims eager to enjoy the divine presence.
* [Psalm 84] Israelites celebrated three pilgrimage feasts in Jerusalem annually. The Psalm expresses the sentiments of the pilgrims eager to enjoy the divine presence.
* [84:4] The desire of a restless bird for a secure home is an image of the desire of a pilgrim for the secure house of God, cf. Ps 42:2–3, where the image for the desire of the pilgrim is the thirst of the deer for water.
* [84:7] Baca valley: Hebrew obscure; probably a valley on the way to Jerusalem.
* [84:8] Strength to strength: pass through outer and inner wall.
* [84:10] Our shield…your anointed: the king had a role in the liturgical celebration. For the king as shield, cf. Ps 89:19. (Psalms, PSALM 84 | USCCB, n.d.)
The “Sermon on the Plain” from the Gospel of Luke addresses Judging Others.
* [6:20–49] Luke’s “Sermon on the Plain” is the counterpart to Matthew’s “Sermon on the Mount” (Mt 5:1–7:27). It is addressed to the disciples of Jesus, and, like the sermon in Matthew, it begins with beatitudes (Lk 6:20–22) and ends with the parable of the two houses (Lk 6:46–49). Almost all the words of Jesus reported by Luke are found in Matthew’s version, but because Matthew includes sayings that were related to specifically Jewish Christian problems (e.g., Mt 5:17–20; 6:1–8, 16–18) that Luke did not find appropriate for his predominantly Gentile Christian audience, the “Sermon on the Mount” is considerably longer. Luke’s sermon may be outlined as follows: an introduction consisting of blessings and woes (Lk 6:20–26); the love of one’s enemies (Lk 6:27–36); the demands of loving one’s neighbor (Lk 6:37–42); good deeds as proof of one’s goodness (Lk 6:43–45); a parable illustrating the result of listening to and acting on the words of Jesus (Lk 6:46–49). At the core of the sermon is Jesus’ teaching on the love of one’s enemies (Lk 6:27–36) that has as its source of motivation God’s graciousness and compassion for all humanity (Lk 6:35–36) and Jesus’ teaching on the love of one’s neighbor (Lk 6:37–42) that is characterized by forgiveness and generosity.
* [6:37–42] See notes on Mt 7:1–12; 7:1; 7:5. (Luke, CHAPTER 6 | USCCB, n.d.)
Greg Dyche comments that Paul is talking to people who think they have it made after being baptized. He’s using their love of sporting events as his metaphor. Paul’s preaching is the same as the role of one announcing the rules of the game and then participating in the game. Even after telling everyone how to run, he is wise to be diligent should he violate the rules and be disqualified.
Am I to be anxious and afraid? No. Am I to be a realist and remember how I can drift? Do I believe I have free will, and I can choose to drift to comfort and ease in a world without God? Even at the peak of my relationship with God, I am aware of what can happen over time.
Lest I forget. Grace is free to all and sufficient. I have no reason to be afraid or anxious, but I also know this isn’t a game. My life is on the line, not just my eternity. With God’s help, I must run so as to win. (Dyche, 2026)
Don Schwager quotes “Seeing the speck in another's eye”, by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"The word hypocrite is aptly employed here (Luke 6:42, Matthew 7:5), since the denouncing of evils is best viewed as a matter only for upright persons of goodwill. When the wicked engage in it, they are like impersonators, masqueraders, hiding their real selves behind a mask, while they portray another's character through the mask. The word hypocrites in fact signifies pretenders. Hence we ought especially to avoid that meddlesome class of pretenders who under the pretense of seeking advice undertake the censure of all kinds of vices. They are often moved by hatred and malice. Rather, whenever necessity compels one to reprove or rebuke another, we ought to proceed with godly discernment and caution. First of all, let us consider whether the other fault is such as we ourselves have never had or whether it is one that we have overcome. Then, if we have never had such a fault, let us remember that we are human and could have had it. But if we have had it and are rid of it now, let us remember our common frailty, in order that mercy, not hatred, may lead us to the giving of correction and admonition. In this way, whether the admonition occasions the amendment or the worsening of the one for whose sake we are offering it (for the result cannot be foreseen), we ourselves shall be made safe through singleness of eye. But if on reflection we find that we ourselves have the same fault as the one we are about to reprove, let us neither correct nor rebuke that one. Rather, let us bemoan the fault ourselves and induce that person to a similar concern, without asking him to submit to our correction."(excerpt from Sermon on the Mount 2.19.64) (Schwager, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler comments on the texts for today. Paul declares to the Corinthians that he has no reason to boast. The reward for service is the ability to serve. He compares himself to a spiritual athlete trying to win the race to which God has called him. The lifetime choice to serve as our vocation is undertaken with enthusiasm. We should follow those with insight and we will be like them. We are not to judge others, but by recognizing what they are capable of we need to bring them to conversion. Friar Jude offers that by observing our own conversion they may want to be what we have and we may become one through our own conversion.
The Word Among Us Meditation on 1 Corinthians 9:16-19, 22-27 comments that St. Paul is warning us not to assume that Jesus’ sacrifice lets us off the hook from loving the Lord and serving his people. We need to approach our faith in the same way that a runner trains for a race or a boxer for a match: with intensity and discipline. Just as committed athletes structure their lives around their sport—devoting hours to practice, getting enough sleep, eating well—we should structure our lives around the Lord and make pleasing him our top priority. If an athlete does all this for love of the sport, how much more should we dedicate ourselves for love of our Savior!
There’s no way around it: the Christian life takes time and effort. But remember Paul’s words: everyone who runs the race of discipleship and service to God’s people will win an “imperishable” crown when they meet the Lord (1 Corinthians 9:25).
“Jesus, may I never lose sight of the salvation you have won for me!” (Meditation on 1 Corinthians 9:16-19, 22-27, n.d.)
Brian McLaren explains how he found support in the Bible to welcome uncertainty and expand his faith. He asks: “Are you a believer who puts your distinct beliefs first, or are you a person of faith who puts love first?…”
That phrase I just used, person of faith, in one sense makes a simple generalization. It serves as a description that makes room for Christians, Muslims, Jews, and so on. But I am coming to see that person of faith is not just a generalization. It is also a differentiation, in contrast to a person of beliefs. It reflects a shared desire among people in all these diverse traditions to be identified not by lists of beliefs that exclude one another but by something deeper, by faith in a universal, non-discriminatory love that calls us all together.
In that light, the word doubt can mean two very different things. When it is applied to faith that expresses itself in beliefs, it means one thing. When it is applied to faith that expresses itself in revolutionary love, it means something very different. Sometimes, it is only by doubting a religion that expresses itself in beliefs that we can discover a faith that expresses itself in revolutionary love. (McLaren, n.d.)
We recognize our need for the Spirit to assist our contemplation of our mission and affirm our commitment to use our talents in service of faith expressed in love.
References
Dyche, G. (2026, September 11). Daily Reflection September 11, 2026 | Creighton Online Ministries. Creighton Online Ministries. Retrieved September 11, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-september-11-2026
Luke, CHAPTER 6 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved September 11, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/6?
McLaren, B. (n.d.). A Person of Faith and Love. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved September 11, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/a-person-of-faith-and-love/
Meditation on 1 Corinthians 9:16-19, 22-27. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved September 11, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/09/11/1667011/
1 Corinthians, CHAPTER 9 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved September 11, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1corinthians/9?
Psalms, PSALM 84 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved September 11, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/84?
Schwager, D. (n.d.). Do You Not See the Log in Your Own Eye? Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved September 11, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/
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