Households of Faith

Good News Reflection for

25th Sunday in Ordinary Time
September 20, 2026

Isaiah 55:6-9
Psalm 145:2-3, 8-9, 17-18
Romans 1:20c-24, 27a
Matthew 20:1-16a

God’s not fair!

God’s not fair! How many times have we felt that way? And it’s true, at least by our standards. The parable in this Sunday’s Gospel reading is a fine example of this.

The landowner seems to be very unfair. We can begin to understand him, however, if we think of this parable in terms of parenthood. A loving father cares about each of his children equally. Although he gives more attention to the child who needs it more, he loves the others just as much.

God the Father is like a vineyard owner who gives equally to all. Since we cannot earn our way into heaven, equal benefits are not an injustice to those who labored longer. Rather, God gives complete and perfect love even to those who only discovered, at the last minute, the value of having a relationship with him. He can do no less.

The first reading reminds us that as high as the heavens are above the earth, God’s ways are greater than our ways and his thoughts are higher than our thoughts. We think that justice (fairness) means equal treatment, but that harkens back to the Old Testament concept of justice: “an eye for an eye”. Jesus raised justice to its highest level, which means being equally loving and kind to all, whether they deserve it or not.

We don’t have to understand God’s higher ways. We only have to be grateful that God loves us even when we are unloving. No matter how undeserving of his love we might be, he still gives us the same amount of love that he gives to the holiest of saints. He loves us as much as he loves Mary the Blessed Mother of Christ! “Am I not free to do as I wish with my own love?” he asks.

Questions for Personal Reflection:

When have you felt undeserving of God’s goodness? What evidence proves that he never stopped loving you? What did he do for you? How has your own opinion of yourself interfered with feeling his love?

Questions for Community Faith Sharing:

Share the story of a time when you saw something good happen to a “bad” or undeserving person, or a time when you prayed for something that you didn’t get while an unfaithful person received it without turning to God for help. Despite the unfairness of this, why are you glad that you have known God’s love? Can you also be glad for the blessings that unbelievers receive from God?

© 2026 by Terry A. Modica, Good News Ministries, GNM.org

Used by permission 

Good News Reflection for

24th Sunday in Ordinary Time
September 13, 2026

Sirach 27:30–28:9
Ps 103:1-4, 9-12
Romans 14:7-9
Matthew 18:21-35

The freedom of forgiveness

Jesus’ message In this Sunday’s Gospel reading explains a line from the “Our Father” prayer he had taught earlier (Matthew 6:12): “Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.”

The strongest word here is “AS” — the same as, just like, in equal measure.

If there is anyone we have not forgiven, if there is anyone we cannot pray for with love, we’d better keep our mouths shut during this part of the prayer to our Father, who is the Father of all.

Sometimes, it’s difficult to forgive because we think “forgiving” means “forgetting”. Jesus never said that we must forget what the debtor owes. Forgiveness means remembering — and learning from the memory — without demanding repayment or retribution.

Unforgiveness is a form of punishment: it’s payback time. For example, if we remain angry, we hope that our anger or coldness will somehow punish the sinner into repentance. Well, guess what. That never works.

Here’s something else we do that never works: holding a grudge to protect ourselves from getting hurt again. Grudges do not free us from the pain of bad memories. It chains us to them.

When we free others from the debts they owe us for hurting us (whether they seek it or not, whether they’re still alive or not), we free ourselves and our healing begins — OUR healing!

It’s the most loving gift that we can give to ourselves, as it’s a gift of love to others. Even when they don’t recognize our gift, God does.

Questions for Personal Reflection:
Who angers you because they don’t deserve your forgiveness? What are you gaining from unforgiveness and resentment? What will you lose if you forgive?

Questions for Community Faith Sharing:
What is the most difficult part of forgiveness? What steps do you take for pushing yourself into truly letting go of unforgiveness so you can find healing? Sharing this with others will spread good ideas that could change someone’s life!

Good News Reflection for

23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time
September 6, 2026

Ezekiel 33:7-9
Ps 95:1-2, 6-9
Romans 13:8-10
Matthew 18:15-20

3 steps for calling others to repentance

This Sunday’s readings all speak of the need to stand up for what is holy and right and true in a way that that invites others to turn away from sin. If we don’t, we indirectly play a part in the sins he or she commits, and we will be held accountable (see the first reading).

If we do take a stand against sin but without compassion and mercy and unconditional love, that too is a sin (the second reading).

Jesus shows us in the Gospel reading that in our efforts to stop a fellow Christian from sinning, it’s important to rely on our Christian community for advocacy and prayer support. How?

First, we speak to the sinner. When we know that someone is harming himself and others (all sins are harmful even when we can’t see the harm), if we don’t try to impart this knowledge to him or her at least once, our silence is unloving and uncaring.

Once we’ve shared the truth, even if the sinner does not change, we’re free of any guilt. But we must not stop trying, and so we take one or two others with us in a stronger effort to help the sinner understand and repent.

And if that fails, we try again with still more backing.

When every attempt to help someone has failed, only then do we quit. In reality, it’s not us who’s walking away. The sinner is the one who has chosen the path of separation. However, remember how Jesus treated the Gentiles and tax collectors (i.e., the outsiders, the separated ones): He never stopped loving them. He still chose to die for them.

Questions for Personal Reflection:
Whose sins have greatly disturbed you lately? What have you done about it? How loving and caring have you been in handling it?

Questions for Community Faith Sharing:
What bothers you about the way some people have pointed out your sins or the sins of others? How could they have been more compassionate? Share the story of a time when someone successfully led another into repentance and growth. Explain why the effort was effective.