25th Sunday in Ordinary Time
20th September 2026
Lectionary Readings: Isaiah 55:6-9; Psalm 145:2-3, 8-9, 17-18;
Philippians 1:20c-24, 27a; Matthew 20:1-16a
The readings for this Sunday teach us that God must be the reference point for all our attitudes, our actions, and our entire lives; He must be our greatest good, without expecting a wage or reward from Him—on the contrary, our pleasure should lie in the very act of serving Him. As the Psalm from today’s reading says: “I will extol thee, my God, O king; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever. Every day will I bless thee; and I will praise thy name for ever and ever”. In reality, God does not work for us. We are His creatures, and therefore we are dependent on Him.
Today we read in Isaiah, which says: “My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways”. This infinite difference between God and people is not defined by distance or the impossibility of closeness. Midrash Tanchuma, Vayeshev 11, comments on this passage by drawing a comparison: “This may be compared to a mortal king who sits in judgment over a person. The judge says to him, ‘Tell me, did you kill or did you not kill?’ If he says, ‘I killed,’ the judge executes him; if he does not confess, he is not executed. But the Holy One, blessed be He, is not like this. One who confesses, God has mercy upon him, as it says, ‘Whoever confesses and forsakes [his sins] will obtain mercy’”.
The Gospel reading follows the same teaching; however, the final verse of Matthew chapter 19—which is not included in the proposed reading—summarizes the teaching that follows: this could facilitate the reading process, although that same sentence concludes the cited text, in which decisions come from God, independent of us. Our purpose should be solely to serve Him: “But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first”.
Jesus tells a parable about a vineyard owner who hires workers. He employs some in the morning and others at various times throughout the day. He sets a daily wage for each, yet the text states that the Master of the vineyard pays the same amount to everyone—whether they worked the entire day or arrived late and thus worked for a shorter time. Faced with the reaction of those who worked longer hours yet received the same pay, the Master explains that he was fair regarding the agreed-upon wage and simply chose to pay the same amount to those who arrived later. The Master was both just and generous. Those who arrived later were called later, yet they responded the moment they were summoned, just as those called first had done. It is the Master of the vineyard who decides when and whom to call, and everything hinges on the response to the call to serve. The true value lies in serving the Lord, and Jesus likens God to the Master of the vineyard in this parable.
This teaching echoes what is found in the rabbinic tradition, which was certainly already part of the Jewish religious culture of Jesus’s time. We read in Pirkei Avot 1:3: “Rather, be like servants who serve the master not for the sake of receiving a reward, and let the fear of Heaven be upon you”.
We find the same idea in the Talmud (Avodah Zarah 19a) regarding the Psalm.112: 1: “He that delighteth greatly in his commandments”. “Rabbi Eliezer reads: ‘that delighteth greatly in his commandments — in His commandments, and not in the reward of His commandments”. “His commandments, and not the reward of His commandments” — one’s desire becomes directed toward the commandment itself, rather than toward one’s own benefit.
We learn that the readings proposed by the liturgy reflect a harmony between the texts and their teachings, wherein serving God out of love—and without seeking personal gain—is the greatest commandment. God never fails to be present, just, and merciful; the only thing He asks of us is to return to Him or to answer when He calls us to His service, and therein—at any time of day—should lie our joy.
However, as the Church teaches us through its numerous documents, there is a need to better understand the Jewish religious universe—the world in which Jesus lived and from which He drew the teachings that illuminate our understanding of His message, rooted as it is in the tradition of His people.
This week’s Sunday Liturgy Commentary was prepared by
Elio Passeto, NDS, Jerusalem–Israel, Director
[Copyright © 2026]
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