Early. Late (2026-09-20, Sunday 25th)

[ver_07]   25^th Sunday _Year A September 20, 2026

  ● Isaiah 55:6-9 ● Psalm 145 ● Philippians 1:20c-24, 27a ● Matthew 20:1-16 ●  

— SINGING TOGETHER

Before I begin the homily, I want to ask something of all of us.

The Church calls us to full and active participation in the Mass, and one of the ways we participate is by singing. Singing isn't simply something the choir or our cantor does for us while we listen. They have their role: they lead us. But we have a role too.

As Saint Augustine said, “Singing is for one who loves.”

So please pick up the hymnal and join in. If you're not accustomed to singing, begin with a part of the Mass or a hymn that seems familiar to you. Even picking up the hymnal sets an example of prayer.

Together, we sing the praises of God.

And that word “together” is important in today's Gospel.

1. CROSSWALK — PAY ATTENTION

A few hours ago, I was standing outside the church, about to cross the street. It was sunny and hot, and a young person walked up to me and simply said:

“Stay hydrated.”

It was a small kindness, but it caught my attention.

Sometimes we need somebody to interrupt us with a simple reminder that helps us.

And God continues to do that in our lives.

In today's Gospel, the landowner keeps going out looking for workers—early in the morning, at nine, at noon, at three, and finally at the eleventh hour.

God keeps going out.

God keeps calling.

2. CONTINUOUS CALLING — NEVER TOO EARLY, NEVER TOO LATE

That means it is never too late to hear God's Word.

It is never too late to come back to church.

It is never too late to invite someone else to come back.

And if you're a parent with children, it is never too early to bring them to church.

We want your children here.

We recognize that children are not always going to be perfectly still or perfectly silent. That's okay. They are learning that this is their church too. They are experiencing prayer, worship, and community.

Some of us have practiced the faith for many years.

Some may only be discovering the faith.

Some may be beginning again after being away.

The landowner keeps going out because God's invitation continues.

3. COMMUNITY — ONE VINEYARD

But notice something else.

The landowner calls each worker individually, but he doesn't give each worker a separate vineyard.

He calls them into one vineyard.

God calls you individually. God calls me individually. But God also calls us to work together.

We are seeing that here in our own parish as we prepare to welcome the relics of Saint Bernadette on October 7.

I've been very encouraged by the response of so many people who have volunteered.

Some will welcome visitors. Some will help with practical arrangements. Some will pray. Many will simply come and participate faithfully.

We don't all have the same role.

But together we can welcome people to Our Lady of Lourdes and, through the witness of Saint Bernadette, help point people toward Christ.

The same is true in a family.

One person may provide financially. Someone else may prepare meals. Someone may care for an elderly relative. Someone may simply be the person who keeps everybody communicating.

We are called individually.

But we work in the vineyard together.

4. CONTRIBUTION — GIVE SOMEONE A PLACE TO BEGIN

Sometimes we need somebody to show us where we can begin.

That's an important detail in today's Gospel.

The landowner asks the workers, “Why do you stand here idle all day?”

They answer:

“Because no one has hired us.”

The Gospel doesn't tell us that they refused to work. It doesn't tell us that they were lazy.

No one had given them the opportunity.

That reminds me of something from my own life.

When I was in college, I tried out for the soccer team. I had played soccer in high school, and I thought maybe I could make the team.

I didn't.

I got cut.

But I still wanted to participate in sports, so I became a sports writer for the college newspaper. Eventually I covered the men's basketball team.

Their coach was a very serious man. One day he took some time with me and taught me how to interview someone after a game—how to listen, how to ask better questions, how to communicate.

I wasn't one of his players.

I wasn't even on his team.

I was on the periphery.

But what he taught me has stayed with me all these years.

One opportunity had closed. But someone showed me another place where I could begin.

And we can do that for one another.

We can make the phone call.

We can invite somebody to church.

We can tell someone about confession.

We can invite someone to help.

Sometimes somebody who appears uninterested may simply not know where to begin.

The landowner doesn't stand in the vineyard complaining that nobody is helping him.

He goes out and invites them in.

5. CONTRITION — BEGIN AGAIN

And perhaps one of the most important places where we discover that it is never too late to begin again is in confession.

Maybe it has been a few weeks.

Maybe a few months.

Maybe many years.

We come back. We acknowledge our sins. We ask God's forgiveness. And, through God's grace, we begin again.

But God's mercy doesn't mean that nothing is expected of us.

The workers who were hired at the eleventh hour still went into the vineyard and worked.

The early worker is not excused from humility.

The late worker is not excused from fidelity.

Whenever God's call comes, it asks for a response.

It asks for fidelity.

It asks for virtue.

It asks us to love and serve one another.

And God keeps going out.

Sometimes He calls us through Scripture. Sometimes through prayer. Sometimes through another person. Sometimes even through a simple reminder we weren't expecting.

The invitation remains.

It is never too early, and it is never too late, to hear God's call, to receive His mercy, to enter His vineyard—and to begin again.