October 23, 2026
Friday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 477
Reading 1
Brothers and sisters:
I, a prisoner for the Lord,
urge you to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received,
with all humility and gentleness, with patience,
bearing with one another through love,
striving to preserve the unity of the spirit
through the bond of peace;
one Body and one Spirit,
as you were also called to the one hope of your call;
one Lord, one faith, one baptism;
one God and Father of all,
who is over all and through all and in all.
Responsorial Psalm
R. (see 6) Lord, this is the people
that longs to see your face.
The LORD’s are the earth and its fullness;
the world and those who dwell in it.
For he founded it upon the seas
and established it upon the rivers.
R. Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.
Who can ascend the mountain of the LORD?
or who may stand in his holy place?
He whose hands are sinless, whose heart is clean,
who desires not what is vain.
R. Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.
He shall receive a blessing from the LORD,
a reward from God his savior.
Such is the race that seeks for him,
that seeks the face of the God of Jacob.
R. Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth;
you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Jesus said to the crowds,
“When you see a cloud rising in the west
you say immediately that it is going to rain–and so it does;
and when you notice that the wind is blowing from the south
you say that it is going to be hot–and so it is.
You hypocrites!
You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky;
why do you not know how to interpret the present time?
“Why do you not judge for yourselves what is right?
If you are to go with your opponent before a magistrate,
make an effort to settle the matter on the way;
otherwise your opponent will turn you over to the judge,
and the judge hand you over to the constable,
and the constable throw you into prison.
I say to you, you will not be released
until you have paid the last penny.”
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/102326.cfm
Commentary on
Ephesians 4:1-6
Today and tomorrow we read a powerful call to unity in the
Church. It is in two parts, and in today’s reading Paul speaks of the sources
of unity, i.e. the elements in our Christian life which we have in common.
Tomorrow he will speak rather of the variety that exists in the community.
Today, there is a general plea for unity in the church.
Christians have been:
- fashioned
through the Spirit into a single harmonious religious community (one body,
also see Eph 4:12),
- belonging
to a single Lord (in contrast to the many gods of the pagan world),
- and
by one way of salvation through faith,
- brought
out especially by the significance of baptism (see also Rom 6:1-11).
But Christian unity is more than adherence to a common
belief. It is manifested in the exalted Christ’s gifts to individuals to serve
so as to make the community more Christlike (Eph 4:11-16). This teaching on
Christ as the source of the gifts is introduced in verse 8 by a citation of
Psalm 68:18, which depicts Yahweh triumphantly leading Israel to salvation in
Jerusalem.
According to the New American Bible:
In Paul’s letter, it is understood that Christ, ascending
above all the heavens, the head of the church, through his redemptive death,
resurrection, and ascension, has become the source of the church’s spiritual
gifts. The “descent” of Christ (Eph 4:9-10) refers more probably to the
incarnation (see Phil 2:6-8) than to Christ’s presence after his death in the
world of the dead. (edited)
Chapter 4 of Ephesians begins and ends with exhortations to
love and forgive one another, which is part, of course, of the overall theme of
unity in the Letter. In fact, the chapter lists three different
threats that could lead to disunity in the community:
- arguments
between Christians (vv 1-3);
- diversity
of service in the church (vv 7-11); and
- unorthodox
teaching (vv 14-15).
Each of these threats can be dealt with by all being united
together in Christ. We will see the first of these calls to unity in today’s
reading.
So far Paul has taught that God brought Jew and Gentile into
a new relationship to each other in the Church, and that he called on the
church to give witness to his wisdom. Paul now shows how God made provision for
those in the church to live and work together in unity, and to grow together
into maturity.
Real unity can only be said to exist when there is a
harmonious relationship between a variety of elements. It is not the same as
uniformity; the last thing Paul wanted was to have a church of clones. The
distinction between unity and uniformity is crucial in the life of the Church
today.
Paul, speaking from his place of captivity (though it may
not have been much more than house arrest), appeals to the Church to remain
faithful to its original calling, that is, the call to be a follower of Christ.
Implying that there are some divisions among them, he asks them to be more
accepting and understanding of each other:
…with all humility and gentleness, with patience…
They can do this by:
…bearing with one another in love, making every effort to
maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace…
That peace is the sign of the Spirit at work among them. And
it is a truly inner peace and not just an external absence of conflict.
He then lists the gifts they all share in common. There are
several paths towards unity as revealed by God:
- one
Body: that is, the Body of the Church with Christ as its unifying
Head;
- one
Spirit: the Spirit of the Father and the Son, given to them in baptism;
- one
shared hope: a confident assurance that they will be called together
one day to enjoy a glorious future of happiness without end, face to face
with God;
- one
Lord: Jesus Christ;
- one
faith: faith in Jesus Christ and his gospel;
- one
baptism: referring most probably not just to a ‘baptism in the
Spirit’, but to the external sacramental celebration by which one was
publicly marked as a member of the community;
- one
God: the Father of each one without exception, “who is above all and
through all and in all”.
With such bonds linking the members together, both Jews and
Gentiles, there can be no place for disunity and conflict. The links are both
with the Persons of the Trinity and with the members of the community—all
sharing in the one Divine Life.
Let us remind ourselves that, today, we too as Christians
have all these in common. Let us pray that we may grow more deeply aware of
these common elements and they may help to bring us all closer together in a
common faith, hope and love.
Commentary on Luke
12:54-59
Today we have two inter-related pieces of advice from Jesus.
It is striking how simple and down to earth are the examples which Jesus uses
to illustrate his teaching.
Here he takes the common phenomenon of the farmer reading
the sky to forecast the weather. With experience, one can become very accurate,
at least in the short-term, forecasting by observing the colour and shape of
the clouds, the direction and strength of the wind and so on. The wind from the
west came from the Mediterranean and so brought rain. The south wind blew from
the desert and so brought hot weather.
First, Jesus asks his listeners, if they are so good at
reading the weather signs, why are they not equally good at reading the signs
that are taking place before their very eyes:
You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and
sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?
They were now in the messianic age. Jesus has been performing
one sign after another through the power of his teaching and the authority that
he brings, through the healing of the sick, the feeding of the hungry, the
calming of storms, the liberating of people from evil forces and so many other
miraculous events.
Yet, the people do not seem to be able to see the clear hand
of God in what he does. They follow him with curiosity to see what they may be
able to get for themselves, but very few commit themselves to following him as
disciples.
Second, he asks them:
…why do you not judge for yourselves what is right?
He urges them to solve issues here and now instead of
dragging their opponents to court only to find they lose the case and end up in
jail.
If that is wise advice in everyday life, how much more
important to be ready when we come to face the Judge of judges? If we do not
settle our affairs now, in the future it may be too late. Linking this with
what has already been said, it is time for us to read the clear signs of God’s
call coming through Jesus and to respond by a change of heart and behaviour
(Greek, metanoia). Then, with no evidence to incriminate us, we will
have nothing to fear from the Judge on that day of reckoning and accounting.
Bringing all this down to a more earthly level, we might say
that in our own time, we live in an age that is litigation-crazy. In many
situations, both sides often end up the losers (but not their lawyers!). The
bitter aftermath can last for years.
There may be times when recourse to a court is the only way
to see justice done, but very often, disputes are best worked out between the
parties involved. For example, for many, the pain of marriage breakdowns can be
vastly increased by litigation, and can be a source of long-lasting bitterness,
especially where the arguments are over large—or even small—amounts of
property.
As Christians, we need to develop a real sense of justice as
shown by wanting the best for all concerned. Forgiveness and reconciliation
should be a high priority for us. There should be no place in our lives for
sheer vindictiveness or, perhaps worse, simply a desire to make someone suffer
more cruelly than we have.
https://sacredspace.com/commentary
Friday,
October 23, 2026
Ordinary
Time
Opening Prayer
Almighty and everlasting God, our source of power
and inspiration, give us strength and joy in serving you as followers of
Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever
and ever. Amen.
Gospel Reading - Luke 12: 54-59
Jesus said again to the crowds, 'When you see a cloud
looming up in the west you say at once that rain is coming, and so it does. And
when the wind is from the south you say it's going to be hot, and it is.
Hypocrites! You know how to interpret the face of the earth and the sky. How is
it you do not know how to interpret these times? 'Why not judge for yourselves
what is upright? For example: when you are going to court with your opponent,
make an effort to settle with him on the way, or he may drag you before the
judge and the judge hand you over to the officer and the officer have you
thrown into prison. I tell you, you will not get out till you have paid the
very last penny.'
Reflection
The Gospel today presents the call on
the part of Jesus to learn to read the signs of the times. This was the text
which inspired the Pope John XXIII to convoke the Church to be more attentive
to the signs of time and to better perceive the calls of God in the events of the
history of humanity.
•
Luke 12: 54-55: Everybody knows how to interpret
the face of the earth and of the sky... “When you see a cloud looming up in the
west you say at once that rain is coming, and so it does. And when the wind is
from the south you say it’s going to be hot and it is.” Jesus reports a
universal human experience. Everybody in his own country or region, knows how
to read the face of the sky and of the earth. The body itself understands when
there is threat of rain or when the time begins to change. They may say “It
will rain.” Jesus refers to the contemplation of nature since it is one of the
most important sources of knowledge and of experience which He himself had of
God. It was the contemplation of nature that helped his discovery of new aspects
of faith and in the history of His people. For example, rain which falls on the
good and the bad, and the sun which rises on the upright and on the unjust,
helped Him to formulate one of the revolutionary messages: “Love your enemies!”
(Mt 5: 43-
45).
•
Luke 12: 56-57: ..., but they do not know how to
read the signs of the time. And Jesus draws the conclusion for his
contemporaries and for all of us: “Hypocrites!” You know how to interpret the
face of the earth and the sky. How is it you do not know how to interpret these
times? Why not judge for yourselves what is upright? Saint Augustine said that
nature, creation, is the first book that God wrote. Through nature, God speaks
to us. Sin mixes up the letters of the book of nature, and because of this, we
have not succeeded in reading God’s message printed in the things of nature and
in the facts of life. The bible is the second book of God, it was written not
to occupy or substitute life but to help us interpret nature and life and to
learn again to discover the calls of God in the facts of life. “Why not judge
for yourselves what is upright?”
Sharing
among ourselves what we see in nature, we will be able to discover
God’s call in life.
•
Luke 12: 58-59: To know how to draw lessons for
life. “When you are going to court with your opponent , make an effort to
settle with him on the way, or he may drag you before the judge and the judge
will hand you over to the officer and the officer will have you thrown into
prison. I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the very last
penny.” One of the points on which Jesus insists most is reconciliation. At
that time there were many tensions and conflicts among the radical groups which
had different tendencies, without dialogue: Zelots, Essenes, Pharisees,
Sadducees, and Herodians... No one wanted to give in before others. The words
of Jesus on reconciliation which require acceptance and understanding enlighten
this situation, because the only sin which God does not forgive is our lack of
forgiveness toward others (Mt 6: 14). This is why He advises to seek
reconciliation before it is too late! When the time of judgment comes, it will
be too late. When there is still time try to change life, behavior, and way of
thinking, and seek to act justly (cf. Mt 5: 25-26; Col 3: 13; Ep 4: 32; Mk 11:
25).
Personal Questions
•
Read the signs of the Times. When I listen or
read the news on TV or in the newspaper am I concerned with perceiving God’s
call in these facts?
•
Reconciliation: to be reconciled is the most
insistent request of Jesus. Do I try to collaborate in reconciliation between
persons, the races, the people, the tendencies?
Concluding Prayer
To Yahweh belong the earth and all it contains, the world
and all who live there; it is He who laid its foundations on the seas, on the
flowing waters fixed it firm. (Ps 24: 1-2).
