October 18, 2026: 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time/Feast of St. Luke

God declares Himself to be God alone, ruler of all the authorities, kings, and powers of the world.

As mighty as Cyrus is as ruler over Persia, even he is subject to God's power, Who chooses him to fulfill His purposes for bringing Israel back to their land.

The power of God's Kingdom advances further on Earth when Jesus comes.  The religious authorities try to trap Jesus with a question about paying the census tax.  Jesus rebuffs their question and offers an important lesson.  He requests the coin that pays the census tax and then asks whose image is on the coin, and then masterfully says, "Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and to God what belongs to God."  His response calls them to rise above the context of the question to be more aware of our relationship with God and how we put it into action.

By faith, we recognize that we bear God's image, and so we are called to devote our lives to God, striving in faith, hope, and love, remembering that God chose us and revealed the Gospel to us in "power...the Holy Spirit...and with much conviction", as St. Paul writes.  Such a great gift calls us to use it for a glorious, transcendent purpose.

I heard these readings proclaimed at my Confirmation Mass 21 years ago.  They had powerful insights about how I, in this encounter with God, would receive a great gift and be called to offer it back to God while advancing His Kingdom on Earth.

And typically, on October 18, we celebrate the Feast of St. Luke.  His Gospel makes us aware of how God has come to us, incarnate in Christ, and then points our human nature toward Heaven, where He reigns, and from where He sends the Holy Spirit so we can advance the Gospel message in this world, living in accordance with the song of the angels, giving glory to God and bringing peace on Earth.

October 11, 2026: 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time

God invites us to a great feast that is beyond our imagining, with the finest food and drink, like Isaiah the prophet describes.

Furthermore, in His presence, He removes the effects of sin and death, restoring us.

May we, by faith, embrace this feast of salvation, and open ourselves to living in accordance with the dignity of our baptism that begins our journey to it, transformed to reflect God's presence that He has placed upon us.

In this feast, may we see that God provides for us at all times with the abundance that comes with His presence, drawing from Him so that, as St. Paul writes, we can do all things through Him Who strengthens us.

Today in 1962, Pope St. John XXIII convened the Vatican II council, and so we celebrate his feast day.  One major theme that surfaced was the universal call to holiness.  We are all called to holiness in whatever stage of life we're in.  May we draw upon the abundance God provides us so that we can live in this way and reflect God's holiness.

October 4, 2026: 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time

God has given us so much by establishing a covenant with us, His people.

He was clearly disappointed when His people Israel in ancient times didn't follow through and live fully in the covenant, rejecting the prophets and even the Son.

We are called to repentance and transformation so that we may great fruit in building the Kingdom of God as we live out our relationship with Him.

In the spirit of the words of St. Paul, let us focus on what is good, worthy, and valuable.  Let us have no anxiety in the midst of the trouble of this world but ground ourselves in our relationship with God, and live it out to build the Kingdom.

St. Francis of Assisi, whose feast day is today, is a great example in how he devoted his life to rebuilding the Church and advancing the Kingdom. Today is also the birthday of St. Gianna Molla, who advanced the Kingdom through her heroic motherhood in giving her life to save her unborn child.  Such love truly reveals Divine Love at work in this world.

September 27, 2026: 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Once Jesus Christ began His ministry, He called people to repentance.

As the first reading from Ezekiel indicates, lack of repentance leads to death, whereas repentance, turning away from sins, leads to life.

Even when we stumble in sin, we still have the opportunity to embrace God's mercy and grace that lead us into the abundant Life.  While they were seemingly cast out of society, the tax collectors and prostitutes recognized their sins and how God could restore them, and they embraced His mercy and grace.  The religious authorities thought they had it right, and weren't open to the mercy and grace of God.

These are great gifts of God, made available to us because Christ emptied Himself and humbled Himself in obedience, even to death on the Cross. We now honor Him for what He has done, and we seek to abide by the model He gave us, following His way of humility and serving others.

Christ indeed emptied Himself so we could be raised up to newness of Life in which we reflect God's presence at work in this world.

On September 27, 2015, Pope Francis celebrated Mass at the Conclusion of the World Meeting of Families.  It was an extraordinary time to behold how God is at work in our lives through the ways we share and experience love in our families.

September 21, 2026: Feast of St. Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist

The Gospel according to St. Matthew is bookended by an important reality:  God is with us, as the promise of Emmanuel indicates.  Jesus sends His apostles forth, promising to be with them, and with us, always.

This abiding presence of God comes to us in our lives and summons us to live with wholehearted devotion to our God, giving the honor due to Him, as Matthew 22 states, for God frees us from sin and directs our lives with purpose toward Him, as He directed the Magi by the light of a star.

May St. Matthew, whose Cathedral is in Washington, D.C., intercede for the USA, that our 250th anniversary of Independence will inspire us to live with purpose.

September 20, 2026: 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time

The words in the reading from Isaiah set the tone well for the Gospel reading, when God declares, in Isaiah, that His ways are above our ways, as high as the heavens are above the earth.

The parable in the Gospel reading doesn't make sense economically.  It's a story that reveals the abundant generosity of our God.  When our sins broke our relationship with Him, He saved us, offering us abundant grace and mercy so we could live the abundant life of faith in Him.

While we may feel that some are undeserving, like those who come to faith toward the end of earthly life, what counts is that our God is generous in giving us what we don't deserve.  His grace is enough to lead us to Heaven, and to transform us so that we reflect His image in this world while on the way to Heaven.  By embracing His grace and mercy, we can live a life with great purpose in devotion to God, magnifying Him by living out the gifts He has given us.

On this Catechetical Sunday, I'm grateful for the ways I experience Heaven as I lead my students to encounter God and grow in relationship with Him.

September 14, 2026: Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross

By faith, we experience a great triumph in Christ.

He was crucified upon the Cross, a terrible instrument of suffering and death.

He did so in fulfillment of the Father's plan. He has exalted the Son and redeemed even the Cross to be the means of salvation and glory.

Indeed, Jesus Christ was lifted up, and now we praise Him as our Savior, in Whom we have Eternal Life.