Homily: 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time 

September 27, 2026

My dear brothers and sisters, this weekend, we are hearing again the voice of Jesus in another parable of His beckoning on us to be committed in the vineyard of the Lord; son, go and work in my vineyard, daughter, go and work in my vineyard. When we take a little evaluation on ourselves concerning the way we live our Christian life and how our response to this divine call have been, how do we score ourselves? Have we indeed said yes to God and persevered in our fidelity to God, or have we said yes but unfortunately our initial yes has turned into no, or further still have we first said no but later reflected and made a ‘U’ turn to correct our mistakes. This parable is a constant reminder to us that even if we have wavered in our fidelity to God, God continues to beckon, He continues to ask us to make a retreat and put right what went wrong.

The situation which this parable of today captures is not in anyway a thing of the past, it perfectly addresses the Christian challenge of our time. Someone made a funny analysis how the yes to God in the fifties and sixties has swiftly turned into a no to God in our time. Then, marriages were celebrated more in the Church, but now they are celebrated more on a boat cruise, if it will be celebrated at all. Then, infants were baptized with the name of saints but now they are baptized with names closer to the name of dogs and cats. Then, one mum could take her eight kids to Sunday Mass but now eight children and twenty-eight grandchildren cannot drive one grand mum to the church for her to receive the sacrament. Then, main discussions in Christian communities were how to build new churches or expand old ones to contain the teeming population of worshippers but now the discussion is getting closer on how to sell off the churches because of lack of worshippers. What really went wrong?

One principal in a Catholic High School recently narrated his experience with their recent high school graduates. He decided to conduct a survey, and he tracked their graduates in the past five years of graduation. The result of the responses he got from these graduates showed that 68% no longer identified with the Catholic Faith or go to Church. These were students who had their monthly Masses, confessions, received the sacrament of Holy Eucharist and Confirmation and received Catholic education. Where have we gotten it wrong? Why is the yes to Jesus speedily turning into no in our time?

In this parable of today, the speed with which the second servant said yes to his father showed that he must have meant his yes, he must have had the intention to do the work, he was not out to deceive his father. What happened then that in the end no work was done and he was lost? A lot of factors might have played a role: laziness, laisse-faire attitude, procrastination which is the thief of time, all might have played a role. Association and modelling himself with his other friends and buddies who did not work in their own father’s house, the social climate of his time, where many persons have abandoned their father’s vineyard, all these might have calmed him down and normalized his actions that whether he did the work or not, no harm would be done. Unfortunately, when he realized that not working in his father’s vineyard was seriously harmful, it was already too late.

This is the tactics of the evil one, Satan may not come to destroy us taking the form of creepy, fierce and frightening Halloween images, instead he will take subtle and hidden deception that normalizes and clothes evil to look good. This parable reminds us that lip service of God will not merit heaven. Fine words cannot take the place of fine deeds. Mt 7:21- “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.” Nominal Christians are not working in the Lord’s vineyard. Blessed Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen beatified four days ago at St Louis in Missouri once said that “you cannot be a good Catholic without going to Church.” This parable encourages us never to mind if we have said no, we can still say yes, never to mind if our life had been a bit naughty, we can still make up, with God’s grace, we can wipe out the sinful pages of our life.