O God, who manifest your almighty power above all by pardoning and showing mercy, bestow, we pray, your grace abundantly upon us and make those hastening to attain your promises heirs to the treasures of heaven. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.
First ReadingEz 18:25-28
The Lord says this: “You object, O House of Israel! 25 You say, ‘The way of the Lord is unfair.’ Hear now, O house of Israel: Is my way unfair? Is it not your ways that are unfair? 26 “When the righteous turn away from their righteousness and commit iniquity, they shall die for it; for the iniquity that they have committed they shall die. 27 “Again, when the wicked turn away from the wickedness they have committed and do what is lawful and right, they shall save their life. 28 Because they considered and turned away from all the transgressions that they had committed, they shall surely live; they shall not die.”=
Responsorial Psalm
R/. Remember your mercies, O Lord.
Second ReadingPhil 2:1-5
If there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, 2 then make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. 5 Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus.
Alleluia Jn. 10:27
Gospel Mt 21:28-32
When Jesus entered the temple, the chief priests and elders of the people came to him as he was teaching, and challenged his authority. So Jesus asked them this question. 28 “What do you think? A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ 29 He answered, ‘I will not’; but later he changed his mind and went. 30 The father went to the second and said the same; and he answered, ‘I am going, sir’; but he did not go. 31 “Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you. 32 For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him; and even after you saw it, you did not change your minds and believe him.”
Catena Nova
The doors are open for all who sincerely and wholeheartedly return to God; indeed, the Father is most willing to welcome back a truly repentant son or daughter.….God pardons what is past, then, but for the future we are each responsible for ourselves. By repenting we condemn our past misdeeds and beg forgiveness of the Father, the only one who can in his mercy undo what has been done, and wipe away our past sins with the dew of his Spirit.(St. Clement of Alexandria)
Goddid not disdain the poverty of human nature. As God he wished to make that flesh which was held in the grip of sin and death evidently superior to sin and death. He made it his very own, and not soulless as some have said, but rather animated with a rational soul, and thus he restored flesh to what it was in the beginning. He did not consider it beneath him to follow a path congruous to this plan, and so he is said to have undergone a birth like ours, while all the while remaining what he was. He was born of a woman according to the flesh in a wondrous manner, for he is God by nature, as such invisible and incorporeal, and only in this way, in a form like our own, could he be made manifest to earthly creatures. He thought it good to be made human and in his own person to reveal our nature honored in the dignities of the divinity (St. Cyril of Alexandria).
Theologians in all the great faiths have devised all kinds of myths to show that this type ofkenosis, of self-emptying, is found in the life of God itself. They do not do this because it sounds edifying, but because this is the way that human nature seems to work. We are most creative and sense other possibilities that transcend our ordinary experience when we leave ourselves behind (Karen Armstrong).
The God-human lived his own life throughout along the line of this simultaneous self-abasement on two levels. Christ our Lord underwent all the limitations and infirmities of human life. He was subject to every human propensity which does not involve sin: he experienced hunger and thirst, exhaustion, grief, temptation—though without yielding to this last. He himself bore witness to his ignorance, or at least the limitation of his knowledge to the measure of human inference. He continually prayed to his Father in heaven as God. His mighty works, his miracles, he performed in the power of the Spirit and of prayer, showing himself in this “a prophet mighty in deed and word. He performed his ministry as teacher and prophet, imparting divine Wisdom in human terms. And finally he fell into the hands of his human enemies and was betrayed to death (Sergei Bulgakov).
Thekenosisof the Son reveals the mystery of God who is Love. This gift of life is an extension of a mysterious exchange at the heart of the Deity. In God himself the One does not exclude the Other, it includes it. The Unity of God is so complete, so rich, that it is not solitude enclosed in itself, but rather the fullness of communion. And thereby, the source of all communion (Olivier Clement).
[The Incarnation is like] a wave of the sea which, rushing up on the flat beach, runs out, even thinner and more transparent, and does not return to its source but sinks into the sand and disappears.” From the above you might be able to surmise that kenosis, as with just about anything in theology and philosophy has two aspects: the human and the divine. From the divine perspective kenosis is the self-emptying of God into His creation. From the human perspective this involves the human emptying himself or herself in order to receive the fullness of God. Granted, the two perspectives aren’t entirely mutually exclusive (Hans Urs von Balthasar).
In today’s Gospel, the one who makes the best impression is the first brother, not because he said “no” to his father, but because after his “no” he converted to “yes”, he repented. God is patient with each of us: He does not tire, He does not desist after our “no”; He leaves us free even to distance ourselves from Him and to make mistakes. Thinking about God's patience is wonderful! How the Lord always waits for us; He is always beside us to help us; but He respects our freedom. And He anxiously awaits our “yes”, so as to welcome us anew in His fatherly arms and to fill us with His boundless mercy. Faith in God asks us to renew every day the choice of good over evil, the choice of the truth rather than lies, the choice of love for our neighbour over selfishness…. But conversion, changing the heart, is a process, a process that purifies us from moral encrustations. And at times it is a painful process, because there is no path of holiness without some sacrifice and without a spiritual battle. … But this, even the smallest concrete commitment, cannot be made without grace. Conversion is a grace we must always ask for: “Lord, give me the grace to improve. Give me the grace to be a good Christian”.(Pope Francis)
Homily
Those of us who might be considered theologians (in fact, everyone has a theology, even atheists) meaning those who have taught the subject in an academic setting with a qualifying credential and record of public position, have always had to navigate a sometimes tense relationship with church authority. Many of us lived through the chilling years not so long ago when the Vatican, upon investigation, stripped some academics of their status as a "Catholic theologians." Early in the last century such censoring reached epic proportion as theologians were regularly "delated" for their supposed lack of orthodoxy resulting at times in excommunication and more often in loss of employment. This period of the so-called "Modernist crisis" dampened Catholic scholarship — especially in seminaries — for decades until the Second Vatican Council when a number of those affected were rehabilitated and even served as theological advisors to bishops at the Council. There followed what I call the "Post-modernist crisis" leading to the punitive measures I mentioned earlier in the years following the Council.
But what were the perceived offenses of these latter theologians? Well, thefor his questioning of papal infallibility. A fellow Rochestarian, Charles Curran, for his reaction to Pope Paul VI's encyclical on birth control. Note how these are priests. It's much easier for church authority to censure them. But now the members the theological guild are far more likely to be laymen and women. So it's not so easy to have them dismissed, say, from a teaching post unless their institution is directly under the aegis of the Holy See.
Which brings me to a professor of theology from the Catholic University of America — from which Fr. Curran lost his position in 1968 — Chad Pecknold, who has taken a leave of absence to become the head of cultural outreach at the Department for Homeland Security’s Office for Partnership and Engagement. (I can't help thinking there's something Orwellian about that!) In any case, he poses a new kind of dilemma for ecclesiastical oversight. Apart from being a layman, his views are in an area church authority has not been as keen to label unorthodox — unlike doctrinal matters and those related to sexual morality. I speak of the church's social teaching.
For Professor Pecknold is now working for a government agency responsible for the draconian policies of the current administration concerning immigration enforcement, detention, and deportation. All matters about which the bishops of this country — not to mention Pope Leo — have expressed serious objection. His own bishop, Cardinal McElroy (who has the authority to grant or withdraw the ecclesiastical "mandate" to teach theology on a Catholic faculty) has called these policies “a comprehensive governmental assault designed to produce fear and terror among millions of men and women who have through their presence in our nation been nurturing precisely the religious, cultural, communitarian and familial bonds that are most frayed and most valuable at this moment in our country’s history.” As for the protests against ICE in Minneapolis he said moreover, “we are witnessing a grave departure from our nation’s deepest moral commitments and from the values of human dignity, restraint, and accountability that our faith traditions uphold. When the power of the state is exercised without regard for life, justice, or the common good, the foundations of democracy itself are put at risk.”
And while it's possible a Catholic working for the Department of Homeland Security might bring a faith perspective to the agency, Professor Pecknold is on record expressing what amounts to support. He has said, for example, that “mass deportations may be a legitimate response to mass migration,” (cf.Commonweal, September 15, 2026). With regard to the administration's challenge to birthright citizenship, he has asked, "Why shouldn't citizenship have something to do with the moral and religious particularities of our country?" (The American Mind; March 3, 2026). Other comments and interviews have demonstrated a sympathy for Christian nationalism —- whether the word "White" should be added here I will refrain from speculating — comments such as, "Making America Great Again is, in part, actually remembering our Christian past, both Catholic and Protestant. I think not to have think tanks that are thinking in Christian terms about all the things that matter for life is unacceptable. We need them" (cf.Hungarian Conservative; November 7, 2025).
Oc course, the question here is, "Whose version of Christianity should be so privileged?" Pete Hegseth's pastor, Doug Wilson who would deny women the vote?Or charlatan Paula White — the White House Faith Office's senior adviser? Or how about Baptist minister, Mike Huckabee, US ambassador to Israel, whose Christian Zionism has made him an apologist for Netanyahu's genocidal polices? And what happens when a Catholic theologian's views conflict with a church from which he has a canonical mission to teach?
Well, by now, you must be wondering what happened to the Scripture readings for today’s liturgy! Have I completely abandoned the homilist’s charge? Not at all. For it seems to me that the political landscape reflects the dynamics of the Parable of the Two Sons (or Brothers, take your pick). For one thing, both sons are asked to work in their father’s vineyard and one may assume, like brothers do, that they have varied interests; younger brothers might have different priorities than their elder siblings. They might also work in different sectors of the vineyard tending to different varieties of grape. Much like theologians.
Looks, however, can be deceiving when trying to judge who is more “faithful” to their charge. One may pay it lip service, or merely pretend to be working, or go work for someone else altogether, or simply ignore the Chardonnay in favor of the Pinot Noir grape. Something to consider as we theologians, one and all, drink from the Lord's Cup this morning — the fruit of the Vine, namely Christ,the wellspring of all blessing laid open before us(cf. Prayer Over the Offerings). Who lives and reigns, forever and ever. Amen.
Intercessions
For the Church, that the presence of the Gospel, alive and at work in her, may make her like the vineyard in the parable, a vital place where all men and women who seek meaning in their life find a place, a word, and a breath of hope.
For us gathered here in communion with Christian communities throughout the world: that by tasting the goodness of the Lord that comes to each one in the body and blood of Jesus, we may receive from him a fresh view of our neighbor and be made witnesses to generosity in the world in which we live.
For the grace of conversion: that God will help all who have made poor or destructive choices to change course and follow Christ who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
For peace in our cities and neighborhoods: that God will help us recognize the systemic injustices that exist within our communities and give us the courage to work for change and reconciliation.
For all who are suffering from the aftermath of hurricanes, floods or wildfires: that God will protect them from further harm, help them to connect with family and friends, and fill their hearts with courage.
For migrants and refugees: that all who have fled violence, starvation, or persecution may find welcome and places of safety to live.
For healing of the earth: that God will inspire us to act boldly in addressing climate change and other abuses of the earth so that those who are suffering may be relieved and that the future may hold many blessings for the human family.
O God, you alone judge rightly and search the depths of the heart. Make us swift to do your will and slow to judge our neighbour, that we may walk with those who follow the way of repentance and faith and so enter your heavenly kingdom. Grant this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Offertory Antiphon
Offertory Hymn(John Michael Talbot)
And if there be therefore any consolation And if there be therefore any comfort in his love And if there be therefore any fellowship in spirit If any tender mercies and compassion
We will fulfill His joy And we will be like-minded We will fulfill His joy We can dwell in one accord And nothing will be done Through striving or vainglory We will esteem all others better than ourselves
This is the mind of Jesus This is the mind of Our Lord And if we follow Him Then we must be like-minded In all humility We will offer up our love
Though in the form of God He required no reputation Though in the form of God He required nothing but to serve And in the form of God He required only to be human And worthy to receive Required only to give
Communion Antiphon
Closing Hymn
Take O Lord and receive All my liberty Take O Lord and receive My memory, My understanding My entire will You have given me all that I have, You have given me all I possess I now give it back to you.
Take O Lord and receive Everything that I am Dispose of it according to your will Give me only your love And your grace O God And is enough for me.
Take O Lord and receive Take O Lord and receive For you have given me all that I have, You have given me all I posses I now give it back to you.
