Are you envious?

September 20, 2026

Are you envious?

Are you envious? The mass readings for this Sunday are powerful and a good reminder for all of us! We need to be careful how we live and know God's ways are much higher than ours. He knows what He is doing. He wants us to follow Jesus. He wants us to realize we are not God, we cannot predict what He thinks or will do with our lives. So the best thing to do, is live like Jesus, try our best to follow, reflect, forgive, imitate, and love like Him! If someone wants to be generous, don't question it. Today the big problem we see in society is jealousy, envy, and insecurities. All which lead to many problems, strife, hate, terror, and so many wars and problems around the world. We should remove all envy, jealousy, and insecurities from our being. They are not healthy for us at all, they lead to problems. I have seen it in my own life, people are jealous or envious of your success, even from family, coworkers, classmates, or friends, they become envious, they become jealous, and it leads to insecurities and sometimes hate and cancel culture. This is one reason I do not advocate social media and getting likes. None of it is healthy. We need to be happy for others and their successes. We need to be humble. Humility is so important, but often so forgotten in our lives. We need to not let pride, ego, vanity, and selfishness come over us and then treat others badly. I know I always try to be kind to others, write, call, email, text, send gifts and thoughtful messages just out of love, but people do not want to be bothered. They treat your generosity and kindness as something envious, instead of embracing it. Or they see that you have had great success in life or with a project, so they become insecure and ignore or hate on your, or just dismiss you or do not say thank you or dismiss you. I saw as a professor at the university, so much envy, jealousy, and insecurities from faculty. Instead of celebrating other's successes, they become envious and turn that into hate, jealousy, and cancel culture. It is not nice to see or experience. God wants us to love all, never harbor hate, envy, jealousy, or let our insecurities get the best of us. I know that the Lord is near to all who call upon him! I call on Him a lot, He has looked out for me now for 63 years, we just need to try to stay humble, do all with love, and be more like Jesus the best we can. Like Jesus said in the Gospel, :the last will be first, and the first will be last." This is so true, that was the case with me in high school, I was last, and then in life it was just the opposite, I have been first and have done so much in my life and career. I want all envy removed from my heart and now to put Jesus first. While I had a blessed career as an educator for almost 40 years, now I am dedicating my life to be a disciple for Christ, writing this blog, sharing God's word and miracles, and trying my best to love like Jesus and live for Him!

Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 133

Reading 1

Isaiah 55:6-9

Seek the LORD while he may be found,
call him while he is near.
Let the scoundrel forsake his way,
and the wicked his thoughts;
let him turn to the LORD for mercy;
to our God, who is generous in forgiving.
For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
nor are your ways my ways, says the LORD.
As high as the heavens are above the earth,
so high are my ways above your ways
and my thoughts above your thoughts.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 145:2-3, 8-9, 17-18

R. (18a) The Lord is near to all who call upon him.
Every day will I bless you,
and I will praise your name forever and ever.
Great is the LORD and highly to be praised;
his greatness is unsearchable.
R. The Lord is near to all who call upon him.
The LORD is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and of great kindness.
The LORD is good to all
and compassionate toward all his works.
R. The Lord is near to all who call upon him.
The LORD is just in all his ways
and holy in all his works.
The LORD is near to all who call upon him,
to all who call upon him in truth.
R. The Lord is near to all who call upon him.

Reading 2

Philippians 1:20c-24, 27a

Brothers and sisters:
Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death.
For to me life is Christ, and death is gain.
If I go on living in the flesh,
that means fruitful labor for me.
And I do not know which I shall choose.
I am caught between the two.
I long to depart this life and be with Christ,
for that is far better.
Yet that I remain in the flesh
is more necessary for your benefit.

Only, conduct yourselves in a way worthy of the gospel of Christ.

Alleluia

Cf. Acts 16:14b

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Open our hearts, O Lord,
to listen to the words of your Son.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

Matthew 20:1-16a

Jesus told his disciples this parable:
"The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner
who went out at dawn to hire laborers for his vineyard.
After agreeing with them for the usual daily wage,
he sent them into his vineyard.
Going out about nine o'clock,
the landowner saw others standing idle in the marketplace,
and he said to them, 'You too go into my vineyard,
and I will give you what is just.'
So they went off.
And he went out again around noon,
and around three o'clock, and did likewise.
Going out about five o'clock,
the landowner found others standing around, and said to them,
'Why do you stand here idle all day?'
They answered, 'Because no one has hired us.'
He said to them, 'You too go into my vineyard.'
When it was evening the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman,
'Summon the laborers and give them their pay,
beginning with the last and ending with the first.'
When those who had started about five o'clock came,
each received the usual daily wage.
So when the first came, they thought that they would receive more,
but each of them also got the usual wage.
And on receiving it they grumbled against the landowner, saying,
'These last ones worked only one hour,
and you have made them equal to us,
who bore the day's burden and the heat.'
He said to one of them in reply,
'My friend, I am not cheating you.
Did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage?
Take what is yours and go.
What if I wish to give this last one the same as you?
Or am I not free to do as I wish with my own money?
Are you envious because I am generous?'
Thus, the last will be first, and the first will be last."