October 1st, 2023 - Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

The readings this Sunday are all about sustaining hope in the midst of a mess.  The prophet Ezekiel rose above the depressing situation of the exile of the people of Israel and held out hope for his people -- he reminded them that they each had the power, they each had the freedom, and they each held the personal responsibility to turn away from wickedness and evil, and live in accord to God’s will. The parable of the two sons teaches us that even the most marginal figures, the most public sinners, the most hardened hearts can hear and act upon Jesus’ invitation to enter God’s kingdom and labor in the Lord’s vineyard.  With God’s help, there is always hope, even for the seemingly hopeless! The readings today urge us to keep our hope alive, and to place our hope in the power of Christ to transform us, to make all things new, to change our ways, our attitudes, our strategies, our predicaments.