An Introduction to the Sunday Scripture Readings - October 25, 2026

“You Shall Love The Lord, Your God, With All Your Heart”

Our readings this Sunday focus our attention on the summation of all of Scripture (the law and the prophets) into two great loves— Love of God and love of neighbor.

In our first reading (Exodus 22:20-26), we hear part of the Covenant Code, wherein God instructed Moses how the Israelites were to live in right covenant relationship with God and one another. Particular emphasis was placed on the poor, the widow, the orphan, and the alien (refugee) - the most vulnerable of society.

“Thus says the LORD, you shall not wrong any widow or orphan. If ever you wrong them and they cry out to me, I will surely hear their cry.”

In our Epistle reading (1 Thessalonians 1:5-10), St. Paul praised the faith of the Thessalonians and their turn from worshiping idols to worshiping the one true God. This love of God is the foundation of their faith. Paul reminds us that we are to be imitators of Jesus and of the Saints that have gone before us - with joy, even in affliction. This is how our faith is transmitted from one generation to the next.

In our Gospel reading (Matthew 22:34-40), we hear yet another Jewish leader try to test Jesus. All of our readings from the past few weeks take place during Jesus’ last week of His life, as He entered Jerusalem and the leaders plotted against Him to kill Him. In this passage, Jesus responded to the Jewish scholar by reciting two commands from the Torah. The first was the daily recitation of the Shema’ in Deuteronomy 6:4-6 “Hear oh Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. . . .” The second was from Leviticus 19:18, “You shall love your neighbor as your self.” In this, Jesus summed up the entire law and prophets (meaning all of scripture). In so doing, Jesus did not abandon the ten commandments, but summarized them into two categories—the love of God (commandments 1 thru 3) and love of neighbor (commandments 4 thru 10).

Love is not a passive word; it implies action.

It is easy to love another when there is little cost. That's not the love to which we are called. We are called to love the good of the other completely, with our entire being—”with all of your heart, all of your soul and all of your mind.” It is to love joyfully "even in great affliction". This is how God loves us and it is how He asks us to love Him and one another.

bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/102526.cfm

An Introduction to Sunday's Scripture Readings - October 18, 2026

“I Am The LORD And There Is No Other; There Is No God Besides Me”

Our readings this Sunday remind us that God is the Lord of the universe, subjecting all kings and principalities to Himself, whether they realize it or not. "There is no God besides me", says the Lord”.

In our first reading (Isaiah 45: 1, 4-6), God speaks of the Persian King Cyrus the Great, whom God caused to release the Jewish people from captivity in Babylon. Though Cyrus did not know God, he was nonetheless obedient to Him. When Cyrus conquered the Babylonians in 539 BC, he accomplished the will of God by allowing the Jews to return to Jerusalem and by financing the rebuilding of their temple.

In our Epistle reading (Thessalonians 1:1-5), we hear from the beginning of Paul's letter to the Church in Thessalonica. In this brief opening prayer and greeting, we hear very distinctly the three persons of the Trinity - Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We also hear perhaps the earliest mention in Christian literature of the three theological virtues of Faith, Hope and Love. “. . . unceasingly calling to mind your work of faith and labor of love and endurance in hope of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

In our Gospel reading (Matthew 22:15-21), the Pharisees attempted to entrap Jesus into a binary choice of either speaking against Caesar or against God. He turned the tables on them saying, “Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.” An important point is that because the inscription on the Roman Denarius read, “Caesar Augustus Tiberius, son of the Divine Augustus”, Tiberius saw himself as the son of the god Caesar Augustus. The twist of our Gospel story today is that there is only one Son of God and it was not Tiberius. So, repay to Caesar whatever belongs to him, but we are made in the image and likeness of God. So, we repay to God what is God’s; we return to God our souls, our selves, our lives.

Today’s scripture readings ask us to consider a weighty question: in whose image are we made? Whom do we serve? If we consider that the currency of Caesar bore his image and inscription (the Roman coin), what then might be the currency of God? Who is it that bear's God's image? Is it not we, who are created in the image and likeness of God, whose inscription is written upon our hearts in Baptism?

 bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/101826.cfm

An Introduction to Sunday's Scripture Readings - October 11, 2026

“The Lord of Hosts Will Provide For All Peoples A Feast Of Rich Food”

This Sunday, our readings teach us about the great Messianic Banquet, which is the symbolic wedding feast when we will share in the riches provided by God in the Kingdom of heaven. In this wedding feast, Jesus is the groom and the Church is His bride.

In our first reading (Isaiah 25:6-10), the prophet Isaiah foretells of the end times when the final salvation will be like a banquet beyond anything imaginable on earth, a time when the people of all nations, Jew and Gentile alike, will be joined together and every tear will be wiped away.
At that time, “he will destroy the veil that veils all peoples . . . He will destroy death forever”.

In our Epistle reading (Philippians 4:12-14, 19-20), St. Paul concludes his letter to the church in Philippi by teaching that in Christ, rich and poor are the same. Our peace does not stem from our riches on earth but from the “glorious riches of Christ Jesus.” The secret of which Paul speaks is to stay rooted in Christ. “I can do all things in Him who strengthens me.”

Our Gospel reading (Matthew 22:1-14) takes place during Jesus' final passion week. Jesus continued His warnings to the Jewish leaders with a third parable in a row about their failure to welcome and believe in the Messiah. This parable is rich in symbolism that the leaders would certainly have understood. It draws on the symbolism of our first reading. The king (God) holds a wedding feast for His son (Jesus). He sent His servants (the prophets) but they were rejected and killed. In anger, the king destroyed their city (Jerusalem) and then invited everyone from the main roads who would come to the banquet, Jew and Gentile alike, good and bad alike.

Our Gospel passage concludes with a perplexing story of a man without a wedding garment being cast into the darkness. “Many are invited but few are chosen.” It is important to know the symbolism of this message. First, the wedding host would have supplied the garment to be worn. Secondly, the garment can be seen to represent the gift of baptism, and wearing the garment to represent putting on Christ - living our baptismal promises. It is a garment of love, a life of charity for our neighbor. And so it is with the garment of our own baptism. Do we put on Christ? Do we keep Christ centered in our daily living? Do we live a life of love, focused on Christ?

bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/101126.cfm

An Introduction to the Sunday Scripture Readings - October 4, 2026

“The Vineyard Of The Lord Is The House Of Israel”

In today’s readings, we hear two powerful allegories of a Vineyard (representing the people or leaders of Israel) and the land owner (representing God). In both the first reading and the Gospel, we hear how God lovingly cared for His beloved vineyard (akin to His spouse), only to have it come to naught. Imagine the sorrow on the part of the Lord.

In the first reading from the Prophet Isaiah(Isaiah 5:1-7), we hear Isaiah’s "Song of the Vineyard", telling of a beloved friend's vineyard that, after so much toil and effort, produced only wild grapes. The wild grapes and the owner's response can be seen as an metaphor for the sinfulness of the people of Israel and resultant exile into captivity in a foreign land. “Now, I will let you know what I mean to do with my vineyard: take away its hedge, give it to grazing,”

In our Epistle reading (Philippians 4:6-9), St. Paul wrote to his beloved Philippians from prison while they themselves were experiencing severe persecution. He exhorts them to keep their eyes and prayers fixed on Jesus, who will provide a peace beyond all human comprehension, a peace that will enable them to transcend their current difficulties and trials. Paul writes, “keep on doing what you have learned and heard and seen in me. Then, the God of peace will be with you.”

In our Gospel reading (Matthew 21:33-43), Jesus continued His rebuke of the chief priests and elders with this parable, drawing upon Isaiah's Song of the Vineyard in our first reading. “Therefore, I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that will produce its fruit." This is something the leaders of Israel would have almost certainly recognized and seen themselves in. In this parable, Jesus likened the tenants to the chief priests and elders of Israel, the servants sent by the land owner as the prophets sent by God, and the son of the owner as Jesus Himself.

We may be tempted to see our readings today as having to do with the people of Israel and the early Christians long ago and having little to do with us. But perhaps we can see ourselves in these stories as well. How would we fare today in God's vineyard? What have we done with the gifts God has given us? What are the fruits God expects of us? Would God be disappointed in our actions? Or would He be delighted in us?

bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/100426.cfm