Ecclesiastes speaks directly about youth, aging, mortality, and the passing of earthly strength. Its exhortation to remember the Creator before life’s later years is not pessimism but wisdom. The Gospel, however, reveals that the disciples struggle to understand the meaning of Jesus’ coming Passion even while they marvel at his works. They see glory but […]
25 September 2026 | Friday of the Twenty-Fifth Week in Ordinary Time | First Reading: Ecclesiastes 3:1–11 | Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 144:1b and 2abc, 3–4, 5–6 | Gospel: Luke 9:18–22
Ecclesiastes teaches that there is a season for every human experience: birth and death, planting and uprooting, mourning and rejoicing. Yet the Gospel moves beyond merely accepting life’s seasons by asking the decisive question: who is Jesus? Peter answers that he is the Christ of God, but Jesus immediately explains that his messianic mission will […]
24 September 2026 | Thursday of the Twenty-Fifth Week in Ordinary Time | First Reading: Ecclesiastes 1:2–11 | Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 90:3–4, 5–6, 12–13, 14, 17 | Gospel: Luke 9:7–9
Ecclesiastes begins with a sobering reflection on the passing nature of earthly existence. Generations come and go, the earth continues, and human beings often discover that what seems new is already part of an ancient pattern. The Gospel introduces Herod, who is perplexed by the reports about Jesus and wonders who he truly is. Herod’s […]
23 September 2026 | Saint Pius of Pietrelcina, Priest — Memorial | First Reading: Proverbs 30:5–9 | Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 119:29, 72, 89, 101, 104, 163 | Gospel: Luke 9:1–6
Saint Pio’s memorial presents a beautiful convergence of simplicity, trust, and missionary discipleship. Proverbs asks God for neither poverty nor riches but only what is necessary, recognizing that both abundance and deprivation can become occasions for forgetting God. Psalm 119 praises the divine word as more precious than wealth. The Gospel then sends the Twelve […]