September 23, 2026
Memorial of Saint Pius of Pietrelcina, Priest
Lectionary: 451
Reading 1
Every word of God is tested;
he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.
Add nothing to his words,
lest he reprove you, and you will be exposed as a deceiver.
Two things I ask of you,
deny them not to me before I die:
Put falsehood and lying far from me,
give me neither poverty nor riches;
provide me only with the food I need;
Lest, being full, I deny you,
saying, "Who is the LORD?"
Or, being in want, I steal,
and profane the name of my God.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm
119:29, 72, 89, 101, 104, 163
R. (105) Your word, O Lord, is a lamp for my feet.
Remove from me the way of falsehood,
and favor me with your law.
R. Your word, O Lord, is a lamp for my feet.
The law of your mouth is to me more precious
than thousands of gold and silver pieces.
R. Your word, O Lord, is a lamp for my feet.
Your word, O LORD, endures forever;
it is firm as the heavens.
R. Your word, O Lord, is a lamp for my feet.
From every evil way I withhold my feet,
that I may keep your words.
R. Your word, O Lord, is a lamp for my feet.
Through your precepts I gain discernment;
therefore I hate every false way.
R. Your word, O Lord, is a lamp for my feet.
Falsehood I hate and abhor;
your law I love.
R. Your word, O Lord, is a lamp for my feet.
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Kingdom of God is at hand;
repent and believe in the Gospel.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Jesus summoned the Twelve and gave them power and authority
over all demons and to cure diseases,
and he sent them to proclaim the Kingdom of God
and to heal the sick.
He said to them, "Take nothing for the journey,
neither walking stick, nor sack, nor food, nor money,
and let no one take a second tunic.
Whatever house you enter, stay there and leave from there.
And as for those who do not welcome you,
when you leave that town,
shake the dust from your feet in testimony against them."
Then they set out and went from village to village
proclaiming the Good News and curing diseases everywhere.
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/092326.cfm
Commentary on
Proverbs 30:5-9
Today we have our last selection of readings from Proverbs.
They give us a taste of what the rest of the book is like. In this reading,
there are two pieces of advice for us to reflect on.
Our reading today is taken from chapter 30, which begins:
The words of Agur son of Jakeh. An oracle.
(Proverbs 30:1)
It is not known who Agur is. He is simply called ‘son of
Jakeh the Massaite’. Massa is in northern Arabia and elsewhere referred to as
an encampment of the Ishmaelites (Gen 25:13-14). However, the word may not be
meant as a place name, but rather signify ‘an oracle’ or ‘a prophecy’.
First we are urged to take refuge in the unalloyed or
flawless word of God, which will be our most effective security in life. When
we fully assimilate that word, we are endowed with a vision of life which
enables us to see where real truth and goodness lie.
At the same time, we are not to play around with God’s word
and distort it to suit our own convenience. Moses gave a warning to the
Israelites about that long before (Deut 4:2). It is something we can do very
easily, especially when we take a text out of its context as some people,
including preachers, tend to do. As Shakespeare wrote, “The devil can cite
Scripture for his purpose”. It is not at all difficult for us to do the same.
The reading ends with a prayer to God for two things. This
begins a section of the chapter called ‘numerical proverbs’. Further on the
author introduces sets of proverbs with “three things” and “four things”:
Remove far from me falsehood and lying…
In other words, the writer begs for the gift of integrity.
The author desires wholeness, where there is perfect harmony between his inner
self and his outward behaviour, and between God’s will and the deepest desires
of his heart. Jesus said:
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
(Matt 5:8)
He also prays for a basic security in life, that he be
supplied with his essential needs. We pray for this when we say the Lord’s
Prayer:
Give us each day our daily bread…
He wants neither wealth nor destitution. Both have their
dangers. Wealth can alienate one from God. In the arrogance of wealth I may be
tempted to say, “God? Who is he? What has he got to do with me? I don’t need
him.” We remember the parable of the rich fool with his full barns (Luke
12:13-21). Moses predicted that Israel would forget God when their food was
plentiful and their herds large (Deut 8:12-17). The ever-growing prosperity of
western society has led to a parallel growth in secularism.
Destitution, on the other hand, can lead to criminal ways in
order to survive. In our day of great material prosperity coupled with enormous
areas of destitution and poverty, the Christian community can give formidable
witness by repudiating the consumerist, hedonistic mentality through living a
life of decent simplicity. We also need to work hard to bring about a more
equitable sharing of the vast wealth that parts of our world are generating.
This was originally the purpose of religious life and it is
still the ideal, but it is not often as visible in the lives of religious as it
could be. This is partly because some religious themselves are not immune to
the consumerist ‘bug’, but also because the normally simple lifestyle of the
majority of religious is not seen enough by people.
In our day, lay people too can give this witness of
simplicity, living according to one’s needs. A good definition of a person who
is really rich: one whose needs are the least.
Commentary on Luke
9:1-6
As we move on to chapter 9, we have left out a number of
stories in chapter 8—the calming of a storm on the lake, the healing of a
demoniac, the raising of Jairus’ daughter and the healing of a woman with a
haemorrhage. However, these are dealt with elsewhere in our readings from the
other Gospels. We are now moving into a turning point in the public life of
Jesus and in his relationship with his disciples.
This is, in fact, the third tour of Galilee by Jesus. On the
first tour he was accompanied just by the four fishermen he had called
first—Peter, Andrew, James and John. On the second, all the Twelve were with
him and on the third, he was alone after sending out the Twelve on their own
mission.
We begin the reading today with Jesus sending his chosen
Twelve on their mission. It is the first time he has sent them out on their own
without his being with them. Basically, they are to do exactly as their Master
does. They are given power over evil forces and to heal sicknesses. They are
also to proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom.
They are to travel in total freedom and so are not to bring
anything with them which would make traveling more difficult:
Take nothing for your journey: no staff, nor bag, nor
bread, nor money—not even an extra tunic.
It is understood that the people will support them in return
for the services they render. It is expected that hospitality will be extended
to them in the traditional way of the Middle East.
And they are not to be choosy about where they are received:
Whatever house you enter, stay there, and leave from
there.
And, in places where they and their message and their
services are not welcome:
…as you are leaving that town shake the dust off your
feet as a testimony against them.
This was a symbolic act which the Pharisees practised when
they left an ‘unclean’ gentile area. In this case, the act signifies
that the disciples are aware the people are rejecting not
just them, but God himself, whom they bring with their message and their
healing.
So they departed and went through the villages, bringing
the good news and curing diseases everywhere.
It really was the beginning of the Church. And it was the
work of making the Kingdom a reality, God’s will being done on earth.
The same mission is entrusted to each one of us, although it
will obviously be adapted to our life situation. We are called, individually
and in community, to proclaim the gospel by word and lifestyle. We are called
to help liberate people from negative forces and addictions of all kinds that
can enslave. We are called to be sources of healing and wholeness, and for this
we do not need to be part of the medical profession. We are called to live
lives of simplicity, using only those things which we need for life and work
and rejecting all superfluity and luxury. As we have already noted: the really
rich are those whose needs are the least. It is a message our consumer world
needs to hear and see.
https://sacredspace.com/commentary/o2254g/
Wednesday, September
23, 2026
Ordinary
Time
Opening Prayer
Father,
guide us, as You guide creation
according to Your law of love. May we love one another and come to perfection
in the eternal life prepared for us.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives
and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Gospel Reading - Luke 9: 1-6
Jesus summoned the Twelve and gave them power and authority
over all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them to proclaim the Kingdom
of God and to heal the sick. He said to them, "Take nothing for the
journey, neither walking stick, nor sack, nor food, nor money, and let no one
take a second tunic. Whatever house you enter, stay there and leave from there.
And as for those who do not welcome you, when you leave that town, shake the
dust from your feet in testimony against them." Then they set out and went
from village to village proclaiming the Good News and curing diseases
everywhere.
Reflection
Today’s Gospel describes the mission which the twelve received
from Jesus.
Later, Luke speaks about the mission of the seventy-two
disciples (Lk 10: 1-12).
The two Gospels complete one
another and reveal the mission of the Church.
•
Luke 9: 1-2: The sending out of the twelve on
mission. “Jesus called the twelve together and gave them power and authority
over all devils and to cure diseases. And He sent them out to proclaim the
Kingdom of God and to heal.” In calling the Twelve, Jesus intensifies the
announcement of the Good News.
The objective of the mission is
simple and clear: they received the power and authority to cast out devils, to
cure the sick and to announce the Kingdom of God. Just as people were admired,
astonished seeing Jesus’ authority over the unclean spirits, and seeing His way
of announcing the Good News (Lk 4: 32,
36),
the same thing should happen with the preaching of the twelve apostles.
•
Luke 9: 3-5. The instructions for the mission.
Jesus sends them out with the following recommendations: “Take nothing for the
journey, neither staff, nor haversack, nor bread, nor money and do not have a
spare tunic.” Do not go from one house to another, but “Whatever house you
enter stay there; and when you leave let your departure be from there.” “As for
those who do not welcome you, when you leave their town shake the dust from
your feet as evidence against them.” As you will see these recommendations,
which seem strange to us, have a very important significance.
•
Luke 9: 6. The execution of the mission. They
go. It is the beginning of a new stage. Now, not only Jesus, but the whole
group goes to announce the Good News to the people. If the preaching of Jesus
caused conflict, now, with the preaching of the whole group, there will be a
greater conflict.
•
The four fundamental points of the mission. At
the time of Jesus, there were diverse movements of renewal: the Essenes, the
Pharisees, and the Zealots. They also were seeking a new way to live in
community and they had their own missionaries (cf. Mt 23: 15). But when they
went on mission, they were advised: to carry a staff, and a haversack to put in
it their food. They did not trust the food which was literally not “pure.”
Contrary to the other missionaries, the disciples of Jesus received diverse
recommendations which help us to understand the fundamental points of the
mission, to announce the Good News:
•
They should take nothing (Lk 9: 3; 10: 4). That
means that Jesus obliges them to trust in the hospitality; because one who goes
with nothing, goes because He trusts in the people and thinks that He will be
welcomed, received. With this attitude they criticize the laws of exclusion
taught by the official religion and they show, by means of a new practice, that
they had other criteria in the community.
•
They should remain in the first house where they
enter, until they leave the place (Lk 9: 4; 10: 7). That is, they should live
together in a stable way and not go from one house to another. They should work
with all and live from what they receive in exchange “because the laborer
deserves his wages” (Lk 10: 7). In other words, they should participate in the
life and work of the people, and the people will receive them in their
community and will share with them house and food. That means that they have to
trust in sharing. This explains the severity of the criticism against those who
reject the message: shake off the dust from the feet, as a protest against them
(Lk 10: 10-12), because they are not rejecting anything new but rather their
past.
•
They should cure the sick and drive out the
devils (Lk 9: 1; 10: 9; Mt 10: 8). That is, they should carry out the function
of “defenders” (goêl) and accept in
the clan, in the community, the excluded. With this attitude they criticize the
situation of disintegration of community life of the clan and they indicate
concrete openings. The expulsion of the devils is a sign of the coming of the
Kingdom of God (Lk 11: 20).
•
They should eat what the people give them (Lk
10: 8). They could not live separated having their own food, but they should
accept the communion with others, eat with others. That means that in the
contact with the people, they should not be afraid of losing the purity as it
had been taught to them. With this attitude they criticize the laws of purity
which were in force and indicate, by means of the new practice, that they
possess another access to purity, that is, intimacy with God.
•
These were the four fundamental points of
community living which should characterize the attitude of the missionaries who
announce the Good News in the name of Jesus: hospitality, sharing, communion
and acceptance of the excluded (defender, goêl).
If there is a response to these four requirements, then it is possible to cry
out all over to the four corners of the world: “The Kingdom has arrived!” (cf.
Lk 10: 1-12; 9: 1-6; Mk 6: 7-13; Mt 10: 6-16). And the Kingdom of God which
Jesus has revealed to us is not a doctrine, nor a catechism, nor a law. The
Kingdom of God comes and becomes present when persons, motivated by their faith
in Jesus, decide to live together in community to give witness and to reveal,
in this way, to all, that God is Father and Mother and that we, the human
beings, are brothers and sisters. Jesus wanted the local community to be a new
expression of the Covenant of the Kingdom, of the love of God the Father, who
makes us all brothers and sisters.
Personal Questions
•
Has participation in the community helped you to
accept and to trust persons, especially the simpler and poorer?
•
Which is the point of the mission of the
Apostles which for us today has greater importance? Why?
Concluding Prayer
Lord, set me free from
taunts and contempt since I observe Your instructions.
Though princes sit plotting
against me,
Your servant keeps pondering Your
will. (Ps 119:22-23)
