https://www.facebook.com/110805570471207/

St. Louis Catholic Church, Akure., Ondo By Pass Road, Akure (2026)

04/10/2026

𝐒𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐚𝐲

𝐎𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟒

𝐒𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭 𝐅𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐀𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐢

1182–1226

Patron Saint of animals, ecologists, families, lacemakers, merchants, needleworkers, peace, and zoos
Invoked against dying alone and fire
Canonized by Pope Gregory IX on July 16, 1228

One of the Church’s beloved saints, Francis of Assisi, was likely born in 1181 in Assisi, about 100 miles north of Rome. Born into the merchant class, the lively youth enjoyed parties, singing, and being the center of attention. He showed only disinterest in joining his father as a silk merchant.

Francis dreamed of doing great things, chiefly to become a knight. In 1202—fitted with fine armor, a sword, and a horse—Francis was sent into battle against the town of Perugia. Success would prepare him to become a Crusader in the pope’s army, but the short battle ended with his capture and imprisonment. Francis suffered captivity for a year until his father paid the ransom for his release; when freed, he spent months battling a serious illness. Francis’ imprisonment and illness led him to reevaluate his life. Even so, outfitted for another battle in the Count of Brienne’s army in 1205, Francis had a vision that caused him to turn around, return to Assisi, and seek God’s will for his life.

For a year, Francis prayed and sought God’s will, while his father insisted that he become a knight or work in the family business. During that time, Francis grew in his love for the poor and served the lepers at a nearby hospital. While praying one day in the dilapidated Church of San Damiano, Francis heard a voice from Heaven say to him, “Go, repair my house which, as you see, is falling completely to ruin.” With that, he began to physically repair that church, live in solitude, and pray continually.

In 1206, when Francis was twenty-five, he and his father formally parted ways in the presence of the Bishop of Assisi. Francis renounced his inheritance and began to live a life of poverty, prayer, and service of God. Most of the townspeople ridiculed Francis, believing he was out of his mind. But as time passed, Francis attracted followers. He and his followers spent much time praying, listening to the voice of God, serving the poor and lepers, and repairing abandoned churches.

In 1209, Francis and eleven followers wrote a Rule for their common life, secured papal approval, and returned to Assisi, taking up residence in a small church called the Portiuncula. From there, Brother Francis and his Friars Minor began their life of prayer and missionary preaching. Instead of rebuilding physical churches, they began to rebuild God’s Church, the spiritual Body of Christ.

Over the next ten years, the Order of Friars Minor grew from twelve to five thousand, spread across Europe. Francis preached and was the instrument of countless miracles. In 1223, the pope approved the definitive Rule of the Friars Minor, and Francis entered into the final years of his life. In 1224, while on a forty-day retreat, Francis received the stigmata, the visible wounds of Christ in his hands, feet, and side. In his final two years, he suffered from various illnesses and lost his sight.

On October 4, 1226, Francis died from his many illnesses, surrounded by his brothers in Assisi at the Portiuncula. Two years later, Pope Gregory IX canonized him a saint, and his legacy grew.

Adapted from: My Catholic Life

04/10/2026

𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐎𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟒, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔
𝐓𝐖𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐘-𝐒𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐇 𝐒𝐔𝐍𝐃𝐀𝐘 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐘𝐄𝐀𝐑 (𝐀)
𝐕𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭: 𝐆𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐧
𝐓𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲’𝐬 𝐑𝐨𝐬𝐚𝐫𝐲: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐌𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐲

𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐒𝐓 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐆

The vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel.
A reading from the Book of Isaiah (Isaiah 5:1-7)

Let me sing for my beloved a love song concerning his vineyard: My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill. He dug it and cleared it of stones, and planted it with choice vines; he built a watchtower in the midst of it, and hewed out a w**e vat in it; and he looked for it to yield grapes, but it yielded wild grapes. And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge, I beg you, between me and my vineyard. What more was there to do for my vineyard, that I have not done in it? When I looked for it to yield grapes, why did it yield wild grapes? And now I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard. I will remove its hedge, and it shall be devoured; I will break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down. I will make it a waste; it shall not be pruned or hoed, and briers and thorns shall grow up; I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it. For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are his pleasant planting; and he looked for justice, but behold, bloodshed; for righteousness, but behold, a cry!

The word of the Lord.

𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐏𝐎𝐍𝐒𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐀𝐋 𝐏𝐒𝐀𝐋𝐌
Ps 80:8 and 11.12-13.14-15 and 17b.18-19(R. Isaiah 5:7a)

R/. The vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel.

You brought a vine out of Egypt;
You drove out the nations and planted it.
It stretched out its branches to the sea;
To the River it stretched out its shoots. R/.

Then why have you broken down its walls?
It is plucked by all who pass by the way.
It is ravaged by the boar of the forest,
Devoured by the beasts of the field. R/.

God of hosts, turn again, we implore;
look down from heaven and see.
Visit this vine and protect it,
the vine your right hand has planted,
the son of man you have claimed for yourself. R/.

And we shall never forsake you again;
give us life that we may call upon your name.
O Lord God of hosts, bring us back;
Let your face shine forth, and we shall be saved. R/.

𝐒𝐄𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐃 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐆

This do and the God of peace will be with you.
A reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Philippians (Philippians 4:6-9)

Brethren: Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, do; and the God of peace will be with you.

The word of the Lord.

𝐆𝐎𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐋 𝐀𝐂𝐂𝐋𝐀𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍
John 15:16
Alleluia. Alleluia.
I chose you from the world that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, says the Lord. Alleluia.

𝐆𝐎𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐋

He leased the vineyard to other tenants.
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (Matthew 21:33-43)

At that time: Jesus said to the chief priests and elders of the people, “Hear another parable. There was a householder who planted a vineyard, and set a hedge around it, and dug a w**e press in it, and built a tower, and leased it to tenants, and went into another country. When the season of fruit drew near, he sent his ‘servants to the tenants, to get his fruit; and the tenants took his servants and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. Again he sent other servants, more than the first; and they did the same to them. “Afterwards he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ “But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir; come, let us kill him and have his inheritance.’ And they took him and cast him out of the vineyard, and killed him. When therefore the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” They said to him, “He will put those wretches to a miserable death, and lease the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons.” Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: ‘The very stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes’? Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a nation producing the fruits of it.

The Gospel of the Lord.

𝐑𝐄𝐅𝐋𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍

The Parable of the Wicked Tenants is rich in Old Testament imagery. The image of the vineyard comes from the Prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 5:1–7) and represents the people of Israel. The landowner is God, who, from the time of Abraham, has lovingly and intentionally cultivated His people. The hedge, tower, and w**epress symbolize God’s providential care, protection, and the structure He established for their spiritual growth, respectively.

The tenants are the religious elite of Israel who were entrusted with guiding the people in holiness. The servants sent by the landowner are the prophets—faithful messengers consistently rejected and mistreated. Finally, the son is Jesus Himself, sent by the Father as the culmination of His divine outreach.

The parable ends in tragedy with the son’s murder. Yet from that tragedy arises a new beginning: “The kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that will produce its fruit” (Matthew 21:43). Though Jesus was addressing the religious leaders of His time—the scribes, Pharisees, chief priests, Sadducees, and elders—His enduring promise of a new beginning speaks to us today.

We are invited to be part of the people to whom God now entrusts His vineyard, the Church. Today, the hedge, w**epress, and tower represent the Sacraments, the teaching authority of the Church, Sacred Scripture, and the communion of the faithful. God continues to cultivate His vineyard with great care, expecting it to bear fruit through our lives of holiness, fidelity, charity, and truth. Each of us, as members of the Body of Christ, is called to receive this trust with gratitude and to labor diligently for the Kingdom, never forgetting the price paid by the Son who was cast out and killed for our redemption.

Sometimes, when we speak of “the Church,” we do so as if it were some distant institution. Our minds may turn immediately to the Vatican, the pope, or the local bishop. While these shepherds hold crucial and foundational roles within the vineyard, we need to understand the Church in a more encompassing way.

To use the image from today’s parable, the vineyard and the fruit it is meant to bear are not equated exclusively with the tenants, the servants, the son, or even the landowner. The vineyard itself represents the entire people of God. The fruit it produces is the grace-filled witness of lives transformed by faith. This includes all of us: clergy, religious, and laity alike. Every member of the Church is a laborer in the vineyard, called to work together, under the guidance of Christ, the true Son, and to offer to the Father a rich harvest of justice, mercy, and truth.

Reflect today on how to make this parable your personal calling. The Kingdom of God has been partly entrusted to you to be one who will labor for the salvation of souls—“people that will produce its fruit.” The work of evangelization is an ongoing and urgent mission. In what ways is God calling you to work in His Divine Vineyard? Is it through faithful prayer, by which the vines of grace are pruned and nourished? Is it through the work of harvesting, where you draw others to Christ by your words, your witness, and your works of love? Is it through quiet perseverance in suffering, offered in union with the Crucified One? However God calls you, do not delay. Receive His trust with humility, and labor with joy. The vineyard is His, but the fruit depends, in part, on you.

Adapted from: My Catholic Life

03/10/2026

𝐆𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐀𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐥𝐬

“See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven always look upon the face of my heavenly Father” (Matthew 18:10). Jesus says these words just before He teaches the Parable of the Lost Sheep that shows His deep love for every person, for each of the “little ones.” He seeks out the lost sheep and gives them their own guardian angels, whom we honor today, who always look upon God’s face and whose sole task is to get us to Heaven.

Our belief in guardian angels is rooted in Scripture, the writings of the saints, and Church teaching. In the Psalms we read, “For he commands his angels with regard to you, to guard you wherever you go. With their hands they shall support you, lest you strike your foot against a stone” (Psalm 91:11–12). Saint Jerome, writing Matthew 18:10, says, “The worth of souls is so great that from birth each one has an angel assigned to him for his protection.” Saint Thomas Aquinas says, “Each man has an angel guardian appointed to him. This rests upon the fact that the guardianship of angels belongs to the ex*****on of Divine providence concerning men” (Summa Theologiae 1.113.2). In a General Audience in August 1986, Pope Saint John Paul II taught, “God has entrusted to the angels a ministry in favor of people. Therefore the Church confesses her faith in the guardian angels, venerating them in the liturgy with an appropriate feast and recommending recourse to their protection by frequent prayer, as in the invocation “Angel of God.” The Catechism quotes Saint Basil, “Beside each believer stands an angel as protector and shepherd leading him to life” (CCC #336).

Guardian angels are not just a comfort for fearful children; they are for all of us, and we ought not forget about our own. Angels are intercessors and mediators. God entrusts them with His divine power. They act in His name and on His behalf, to deliver His grace, reveal His Truth, direct us down the right path, and protect us from evil. Instead of distributing His grace Himself, God bestows his gifts on us through mediators who are instruments, cooperating with His divine plan.

The memorial celebration of the Guardian Angels became a universal feast in the latter part of the seventeenth century, when Pope Clement X placed it on the Roman Calendar. Pope Leo XIII elevated the feast, emphasizing its importance in the late nineteenth century. Near the same time, he composed the “Saint Michael the Archangel” prayer, mandating that it be prayed at the end of every Mass. The feast of the Archangels, on September 29, and the Memorial of the Guardian Angels emphasize that God uses archangels for specific purposes and guardian angels to care for each of our specific needs. The archangels and guardian angels are closest to humanity, acting as mediators between God and man. While Saint Thomas defined the guardian angels as the lowest of the choirs of angels, this only means that their direct concern is the care of humanity. They continually behold the Beatific Vision.

Saint Thomas Aquinas gives the most detail regarding the guardian angels’ function (See Summa Theologiae 1.113). He teaches that every person receives an angel at birth, rather than at baptism. These angels are not recycled, but are assigned to one person alone. The guardian angels can put ideas before our minds to direct us toward God’s will, but they cannot control our wills. By working upon our senses, they can cause us to feel what is right or wrong and urge us to make the right choices. They act contrary to the fallen angels, or demons, who tempt us through false reasoning and base sensate delights. Finally, in Heaven, the guardian angel’s role of leading us to salvation will be complete. Saint Thomas believed that even then they will communicate with us and will continue to enlighten us with God’s never-ending and deepening Truth.

Adapted from: My Catholic Life

27/09/2026

𝐒𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐚𝐲

𝐒𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭 𝐕𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐝𝐞 𝐏𝐚𝐮𝐥, 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬𝐭

c. 1581–1660

Patron Saint of charitable societies and workers, horses, hospitals and hospital workers, lepers, lost articles, prisoners, spiritual help, and volunteers
Canonized by Pope Clement XII on June 16, 1737

Vincent de Paul was born to peasants in Pouy, France. Highly intelligent, he grew up working the fields and tending the livestock. A devout child, Vincent was ashamed of his poverty and longed to rise in society. Later, his father sold an ox to finance Vincent’s education at the Franciscan seminary in Dax. A few years later, he studied theology at the University of Toulouse and was ordained a priest. There, he completed his studies in theology and canon law, paying for school by tutoring.

In 1604, Father Vincent traveled to Marseilles to sell property he had inherited from a wealthy woman. On his return, Muslim pirates intercepted his boat, killing some onboard and injuring everyone else, including Father Vincent who was shot in the shoulder with an arrow. The survivors were taken to the port of Tunis, in modern-day Tunisia, and sold. Over two years, Father Vincent was bought and sold multiple times. His last owner was a Franciscan priest who had renounced his faith to win his freedom. After Father Vincent helped him convert back, they escaped together.

Father Vincent’s slavery transformed him. His faith deepened, as did his concern for the poor and suffering. In 1607, Father Vincent met Monsignor de Berulle (later Cardinal Berulle) and traveled to Rome with him to continue his studies. Monsignor de Berulle helped found the French School of Spirituality that fostered a deep personal relationship with Christ, apostolic works, devotion to the Blessed Virgin, abandonment to God’s will, and reliance on the Holy Spirit.

In 1609, Father Vincent returned to France to coordinate almsgiving for Queen Marguerite of Valois, a task that helped him realize how the wealthy could help the poor. As a pastor, he entered the wealthy Gondi family’s service, giving missions to the rural populations on their properties. He ministered to prisoners who rowed in the French galley ships and formed the Confraternities of Charity, an association of laywomen who care physically and spiritually for the poor and sick.

In 1625, Father Vincent founded the Congregation of the Missions, later known as the Vincentians. The new congregation ministered to the rural poor with catechesis, sacramental celebrations, and spiritual direction while meeting the physical needs of the sick and poor. Soon, Father Vincent and his fellow priests realized the need to improve clergy formation. The Congregation of the Missions began managing seminaries and offering ongoing formation to the clergy. A century after Vincent’s death, the Vincentians controlled about one-third of the seminaries in France.

Also in 1625, Father Vincent became Louise de Marillac’s spiritual director, inviting her to work with the Confraternities of Charity four years later. Father Vincent and Louise gradually discerned that wealthy women could help with fundraising while a new congregation cared for the poor. In 1633, they co-founded the Daughters of Charity, dedicated to serving the poor in soup kitchens, hospitals, schools, orphanages, job training, and prison outreach. Father Vincent spent twenty-seven years expanding the Daughters of Charity, Confraternities of Charity, and Congregation of the Missions; all were thriving at the time of his death.

Adapted from: My Catholic Life

27/09/2026

𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐒𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟕, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔
𝐓𝐖𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐘-𝐒𝐈𝐗𝐓𝐇 𝐒𝐔𝐍𝐃𝐀𝐘 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐘𝐄𝐀𝐑 (𝐀)
𝐕𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭: 𝐆𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐧
𝐓𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲’𝐬 𝐑𝐨𝐬𝐚𝐫𝐲: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐌𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐲

𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐒𝐓 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐆

When the wicked man turns away from his wickedness, he shall save his
A reading from the Book of the Prophet Ezekiel (Ezekiel 18:25-28)

Thus says the Lord: You say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ Hear now, O house of Israel: Is my way not just? Is it not your ways that are not just? When a righteous man turns away from it his righteousness and commits iniquity, he shall die for it; for the iniquity which he has committed he shall die. Again, when a wicked man turns away from the wickedness he has committed and does what is lawful and right, he shall save his life. Because he considered and turned away from all the transgressions which he had committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die.

The word of the Lord.

𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐏𝐎𝐍𝐒𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐀𝐋 𝐏𝐒𝐀𝐋𝐌

Psalm 25:4-5.6-7.8-9 (R. 6a)

𝑹/. 𝑹𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒂𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏, 𝑶 𝑳𝒐𝒓𝒅.

O Lord, make me know your ways.
Teach me your paths.
Guide me in your truth, and teach me;
for you are the God of my salvation.
I have hoped in you all day long. R/.

Remember your compassion, O Lord,
and your merciful love,
for they are from of old.
Do not remember the sins of my youth,
nor my transgressions.
In your merciful love remember me,
because of your goodness, O Lord. R/.

Good and upright is the Lord;
he shows the way to sinners.
He guides the humble in right judgement;
to the humble he teaches his way. R/.

𝐒𝐄𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐃 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐆

Have this mind among yourselves which was in Christ Jesus.
A reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Philippians (Philippians 2:1-11)

Brethren: If there is any encouragement in Christ, any incentive of love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfishness or conceit, but in humility count others better than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

The word of the Lord.

𝐆𝐎𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐋 𝐀𝐂𝐂𝐋𝐀𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍
John 10:27

Alleluia. My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord; and I know them, and they follow me. Alleluia.

𝐆𝐎𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐋

Afterwards he repented and went. The tax collectors and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you.
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (Matthew 21:28-32)
At that time: Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people, “What do you think? A man had two sons; and he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ “And he answered, ‘I will not’; but afterwards he repented and went. “And he went to the second and said the same; and he answered, ‘I go, sir, ’but did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father? ”They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the harlots believed him; and even when you saw it, you did not afterwards repent and believe him.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

𝐑𝐄𝐅𝐋𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍

Jesus said to the chief priests and elders of the people: “What is your opinion? A man had two sons. He came to the first and said, ‘Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.’ He said in reply, ‘I will not,’ but afterwards changed his mind and went. The man came to the other son and gave the same order. He said in reply, ‘Yes, sir,’ but did not go. Which of the two did his father’s will?” Matthew 21:28–31

This parable must have been difficult for the chief priests and elders to hear, especially since it was clearly directed at them. In fact, after Jesus tells them a second parable, not included in today’s Gospel, we read, “although they were attempting to arrest him, they feared the crowds, for they regarded him as a prophet” (Matthew 21:46). It seems they dismissed Jesus’ words and His rebuke, but fear of public backlash, rather than fear of God’s judgment, kept them silent for a time.

In today’s Gospel, the first son represents the tax collectors and prostitutes, those who initially violated God’s law but later repented after hearing the preaching of John the Baptist and Jesus. The second son represents the chief priests and elders. After telling the parable, Jesus declares, “Amen, I say to you, tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you.”

Like the second son, the religious and civic leaders paid lip service to God’s law, but their actions did not align with its intent. They were hypocrites, blind to their own rejection of God’s saving Word, and they misled others by their outward piety and self-righteous attitudes.

Consider more carefully the reactions of the two sons. We might imagine that the second son, who said, “Yes, sir,” represents all who put on a false appearance of holiness. In the sight of others, they say the right things, but behind closed doors they fail to act.

The first son is markedly different. Though he initially responds with defiance—“I will not”—his conscience eventually moves him to do what is right. Some may wonder why Jesus didn’t include a third son, one who says “Yes, sir,” and then follows through. But Jesus likely omits such a son because all of us fall into one of the two categories He presents. Only our Blessed Mother obeyed perfectly in both word and deed from the first moment of her Immaculate Conception.

The first son becomes our model because each of us, in some way, struggles to enter into perfect obedience to God’s will. From childhood, we contend with what the Church calls concupiscence, the disordered tendency that arises from Original Sin. Though we are created good and in the image of God, our nature is wounded and inclined toward what is contrary to His will. The spiritual journey we undertake in this life is one in which grace slowly reorders our fallen inclinations and restores us to the obedience we are called to live.

Reflect today on the first son, and humbly see yourself in him. In what ways do you find it difficult to say “Yes” to God’s will right away? It is not a sin to struggle with obedience. This struggle is part of our fallen human nature. Like the first son, we must allow grace to work within us, forming our conscience and compelling us to act in accordance with God’s will, especially in the areas where we resist. When we allow grace to move us beyond our initial hesitation, we grow in virtue and become more like our Blessed Mother and our Lord Jesus, who both said “Yes” to the Father and followed through completely.

Adapted from: My Catholic Life

20/09/2026

𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐒𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟎, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔
𝐓𝐰𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐲-𝐅𝐢𝐟𝐭𝐡 𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫
𝐕𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭: 𝐆𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐧
𝐓𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲’𝐬 𝐑𝐨𝐬𝐚𝐫𝐲: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐌𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐲

𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐒𝐓 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐆

“My thoughts are not your thoughts.”
A reading from the Book of Isaiah (Isaiah 55:6-9)

Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

The word of the Lord.

𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐏𝐎𝐍𝐒𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐀𝐋 𝐏𝐒𝐀𝐋𝐌

Psalm 145:2-3. 8—9. 17-18 (R.18a)

R/. The Lord is close to all who call him.

I will bless you day after day,
and praise your name forever and ever.
The Lord is great and highly to be praised;
his greatness cannot be measured. R/.

The Lord is kind and full of compassion,
slow to anger, abounding in mercy.
How good is the Lord to all,
compassionate to all his creatures. R/.

The Lord is just in all his ways,
and holy in all his deeds.
The Lord is close to all who call him,
who call on him in truth. R/.

𝐒𝐄𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐃 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐆

“For to me to live is Christ.”
A reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Philippians (Philippians 1:20c-24.27a)

Brethren: Christ will be honoured in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If it is to be life in the flesh, that means fruitful labour for me. Yet which I shall Choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. Only let your manner of life be worthy of the Gospel of Christ.

The word of the Lord.

𝐆𝐎𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐋 𝐀𝐂𝐂𝐋𝐀𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍
Acts 16:14b
Alleluia. Open our hearts, O Lord, that we may listen to the words of your Son. Alleluia.

𝐆𝐎𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐋

“Do you begrudge my generosity?”
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (Matthew 20: 1-16)

At that time: Jesus told his disciples this parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a householder who went out early in the morning to hire labourers for his vineyard. After agreeing with the labourers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And going out about the third hour he saw others standing. Idle in the market place; and to them he said, ‘You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.’ So they went. “Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same. And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing; and he said to them, ‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’ “They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ “He said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too.’ “And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, ‘Call the labourers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.’ And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius. Now when the first came, they thought they would receive more; but each of them also received a denarius. And on receiving it they grumbled at the householder, saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’ “But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what belongs to you, and go; I choose to give to this last as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do what 1 choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?’ So the last will be first, and the first last.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

𝐑𝐄𝐅𝐋𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍

Jesus told his disciples this parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out at dawn to hire laborers for his vineyard. After agreeing with them for the usual daily wage, he sent them into his vineyard. Matthew 20:1–2

As the parable unfolds, the landowner returns to the marketplace four more times—at nine o’clock, noon, three, and finally at five—to hire additional workers. When the day’s labor concluded at six o’clock, each received the same full daily wage. Was this fair? To those who had worked the entire day, it certainly did not seem so. They grumbled, “These last ones worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us, who bore the day’s burden and the heat” (Matthew 20:12).

God is perfectly just. Yet His justice is never separated from His mercy. Together they form a harmony we may call Divine Equity, a principle that transcends limited human notions of fairness. God gives not merely according to labor performed but according to the wisdom of His eternal love and providence. What appears to us as inequality is, in truth, the generous outpouring of grace from the One who sees hearts, not hours. His ways are not our ways, and His judgments surpass the grasp of reason unaided by faith (cf. Isaiah 55:8–9).

At the heart of this parable is God’s abundant generosity. To better understand Divine Equity, it is helpful to prayerfully place ourselves among each group of laborers. Among those who have labored in Christ’s vineyard, we may find some who have far surpassed us in devotion and sacrifice, as well as others who arrived much later than we did.

Yet God sees each soul individually. He does not measure us against one another. He sees each worker according to his own disposition, his interior response to His call, and the sincerity of his effort. Grace is distributed not based on external accomplishments alone but on the openness of heart and fidelity to His will.

For example, when we work for God—meaning we live in a state of grace and are faithful to His divine will—we merit spiritual rewards by His generosity. But even the most devout soul can lose everything through mortal sin. If such sin is unrepented, Divine Equity, which always respects both justice and freedom, demands the consequence of eternal separation from God.

Conversely, a soul that lives much of life far from God, mired in sin, yet sincerely repents near the end—perhaps even in the final hour—can receive an abundance of grace. A genuine, humble, and complete conversion at the end of life opens the floodgates of Divine Mercy. In such a case, God’s Divine Equity responds not by withholding grace, but by pouring it out lavishly, in accord with His infinite mercy.

Equity is not equality. In modern discourse, the term “equity” is often misused or distorted. But Divine Equity is something altogether different. It flows from God’s perfect justice and mercy, distributing grace according to the truth of each soul’s interior life—not according to a purely external standard.

Reflect today on your own place among the laborers in the vineyard. Are you tempted to compare your spiritual journey with others? Do you resent the blessings others have received, or do you trust that God sees your heart and will reward you with generosity beyond measure? Rejoice that Divine Equity governs the Kingdom of Heaven; in that justice, perfected by mercy, all things are made right.

Adapted from: My Catholic Life

St. Louis Catholic Church, Akure.

04/10/2026

04/10/2026

03/10/2026

27/09/2026

27/09/2026

20/09/2026

Address

Website

Alerts

Shortcuts

Share

Category

Listing takedown request