26 SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME – A – 2023 

Ø  In the previous Sundays Jesus taught us about fraternal love 

Ø  And about  how different are the ways of God from our waysle o

Ø  Today the Lord tells us a very short parable about the two sons,

Ø  One said no, but did what the father asked him, the other said yes but did not do it

Ø  Which one are we? Maybe we are both.

FIRST READING – Ez 18:25-28

v  God says to the prophet and through him, to everyone.

v  If the just choses to follow what is sinful and wrong, in so doing he is killing himself

v  Maybe he continues to live like everybody else, but his spirit is dead.

v  But if turns away from his wrong path and does good, he has saved his life,

v  God always waits for us, he also seeks us an call us, like Jesus told us in the parable of the lost sheep.

v  When we return to him we live because he is life.

v  Let us always remember his love and that he never gets tired of seeking us and forgiving our sins.

v  He loves us, he is our Creator, our Redemer, our Teacher,  our companion in life.

 Responsorial Psalm   -  Ps 25:4-5, 6-7, 8-9

R. (6a) Remember your mercies, O Lord.
Your ways, O LORD, make known to me;
teach me your paths,
guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my savior.
R. Remember your mercies, O Lord.
Remember that your compassion, O LORD,
and your love are from of old.
The sins of my youth and my frailties remember not;
in your kindness remember me,
because of your goodness, O LORD.
R. Remember your mercies, O Lord.
Good and upright is the LORD;
thus he shows sinners the way.
He guides the humble to justice,
and teaches the humble his way.
R. Remember your mercies, O Lord.

The congregation gathered in the Eucharistic celebration next Sunday will repeat the humble and trusting supplication “remember your mercies, O Lord.”

WWE hope in God our creator and our savior; He will lead us through the right path.  

ü  We know he will remember us and thus we call upon him.  

ü  And all of this because the Lord is just and kind, he reveals himself to the humble.

ü  We know that, but we need to repeat it over and over to attain peace and trust in our loving Father.  

GOSPEL Mt 21:28-32

Ø  Jesus addresses the high priests and elders of his people, the highest representatives of the chosen people  

Ø  What is your opinion?

….. go to work in my vineyard  … yes sir … but the eldest son did not go   

…… go to work in my vineyard   … I do not want to   …. But the youngest son changed his mind and went …  

  ….. which one of the two made the will of his father?  The second one they said.  

Ø  And now Jesus will share with them what is dearest to his heart: the sinners of all sorts, those we despised because they are sinners because we think that we are holy; they have taken the first place in the road to God before those who live very secure in their own “holiness and justice.” 

Ø  And he tells them something they had all been witnesses of: John was austere, strong, demanding…. And you did not believe him, but the prostitutes believed…. 

Ø  Does that same situation happen in our Christian communities?  How do we look at those who living a life of sin, one day they have encountered the Lord and want to follow him? Do we make it easy for them or do we continue to mistrust them not sharing our groups and ministries with them? …. 

SECOND READING : Phil 2:1-11

      Paul invokes the love that the community of Philippi has for him and the love he has for the community.   

      And he asks them to give him the joy to see the community united .

      And he continues recommending them to do nothing for rivalry, or vainglory, but to act with humility, that is, in truth. 

      And he asks them something else, to look at the others as superior to them, not because they have a better education, or they belong to a higher social class, no, he simply says to consider the others superior to oneself. And this first paragraph ends inviting the community of Philippi to have the same attitude as Christ Jesus.  

      Who being God became one like us. The people in his town saw him as the carpenter’s son and of Mary, being carpenter himself. He was not important….   

      Let us reflect on this during this coming week. 

      All of this for our sake.

CLARETIAN  CORNER  

There are many kinds of poor, among them, he dedicated a special attention to the common prisoners.   He had frequent personal contacts dignifying them with the dedication of his time, his concern and pastoral care.  I visited prison inmates; I catechized and preached them very often, and then gave each one a peseta, and so they listened to me with pleasure... He writes in his Plan of Reformation.  They shall be kept in every comfort possible and instructed in religion and morals, they shall be given a mechanical occupation and part of their earnings shall be allocated to the establishment and the rest shall be given to the prisoner on the day of his departure, so that this prison sentence will have been for him a principle of his happiness, he will be instructed in religion and morals and in trade to earn his livelihood and with money to undertake it, and the once pernicious member comes to be from prison useful to himself and to society.   He became spokesman for the project "Workshops in the prisons of the province of Cuba". (Galerón)

BIBLIOGRAPHY

GALERÓN, María Soledad RMI. Llamada que la Memoria de Significativos Acontecimientos Históricos Congregacionales nos hacen Hoy.  Santiago de Cuba 2023.

PAGOLA, José A.   El camino abierto por Jesús. PPC 2012