OMELIE / Omelie EN

27 set 2026

27/09/2026 – 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year A

27/09/2026 – 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year A

1st reading: Ezekiel 18:25–28; Psalm 23; 2nd reading: Philippians 2:1–11; Gospel: Matthew 21:28–32

It does us a world of good to hear St Paul’s heartfelt words to the Philippians, as he seeks consolation and comfort from them. Will he find it? Just as a good parent finds consolation in the unity and harmony amongst their children, so too does Paul find comfort in the unity of his Christian flock, in their mutual love, and in their victories over the temptations of division or jealousy, which can so easily arise even within Christian communities. The ‘Divider’, the enemy of mankind, is always lying in wait, and knows that all it takes is to divide hearts to destroy God’s work amongst them. St Paul therefore strongly urges us not to give in to the desire for supremacy or vainglory, but to compete in humility: ‘Let each of you regard others as better than yourselves. Let no one seek their own interests, but also those of others’.

This is certainly not easy, but the path to self-denial and to achieving full unity and serene harmony does exist: it is the contemplation of Jesus’ humanity, of his journey on earth, of his humbling himself from divine life to live a human life with all the difficulties and contradictions that this entails. In his life, humility occupies a prominent place, which we see when he accepts humiliations, particularly the humiliation of death – and, moreover, a death that was not only painful but even shameful.

Look to Jesus! It seems such an obvious thing, and yet the Apostle feels compelled to remind Christians of it: it is easy to forget. By keeping our eyes fixed on the Incarnation and the Passion of the Lord, we receive guidance and inner strength to overcome the tensions and friction that become overwhelming within parishes and groups, precisely because some people forget to keep their gaze fixed on Jesus.

When we look to him, we see not only the cross, but also his exaltation by the Father. Now ‘every knee shall bow’ before him and ‘every tongue’ shall glorify him. This fills us with hope and gives us even greater strength to bear with patience the errors and sins of our brothers and sisters, and to continue our service and our faithfulness with meekness.

The first reading and the Gospel seek to make us mindful of our personal responsibility. The prophet Ezekiel warns us against a recurring temptation: that of blaming God for our sins, given our presumption that we can teach him something, saying, ‘The Lord’s way of acting is not just.’ Each of us, even if we are good, when we disobey is as though we were bringing death upon ourselves. If, on the other hand, a wicked person repents, they set themselves on the path of life. Within the Christian community, everyone must be mindful of their own behaviour: if a brother behaves badly, I have no right to imitate him, nor to react without love.

Jesus emphasises this teaching with the parable of the two sons: the one who refuses to obey but then feels remorse and obeys, and the one who says ‘yes’ to his father but then does nothing. The Lord uses the one who says a fine ‘yes’ in words to represent the pious and the devout who boast of being worthy of God and extol him with fine titles and beautiful hymns, but who then pay no heed to what he does, and do not carry out his will, above all that of receiving God’s gift, his Son: for they refuse to recognise that it is precisely in him and through him that the ancient prophecies are fulfilled. Through the other son, he represents those people who are completely off track, who live as atheists, immersed in the things of this world and indulging their passions, but who then recognise that Jesus comes from God, draw near to him, listen to him, and, beginning to love him, change their lives: they are the tax collectors and the prostitutes.

These things do not happen on the moon, but right here, today, amongst us. Jesus knew that his words sounded like a rebuke to the distinguished and respected figures, the chief priests and the scribes standing before him: they were not merely a rebuke, but also a guide, advice and an exhortation to welcome him and listen to him, recognising that his word is the Word of God.

Well, these words of his are meant above all for me. It is I who need to believe that Jesus is the one whom God has sent; I need to be called back to truly obey God, by welcoming and listening to his Son; otherwise, within the Christian community to which I belong, divisions, pretensions and touchiness will easily arise. And these will come from me too. I would not, and we will not, give glory to God.

So let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, and resolve to remain with him always.

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)