Below is my homily for the Twenty-Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time. It was given to Ss. Cosmas & Damian Parish in Punxsutawney, PA on Saturday, September 30, 2017, at the 4:30 PM parish mass.

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Matthew

Jesus said to the chief priests and elders of the people:
“What is your opinion?
A man had two sons.
He came to the first and said,
‘Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.’
He said in reply, ‘I will not, ‘
but afterwards changed his mind and went.
The man came to the other son and gave the same order.
He said in reply, ‘Yes, sir, ‘but did not go.
Which of the two did his father’s will?”
They answered, “The first.”
Jesus said to them, “Amen, I say to you,
tax collectors and prostitutes
are entering the kingdom of God before you.
When John came to you in the way of righteousness,
you did not believe him;
but tax collectors and prostitutes did.
Yet even when you saw that,
you did not later change your minds and believe him.”

The Gospel of the Lord

You’ll notice that there is no written script this weekend. I tried something different, I tried going beyond my “comfort zone.” So take a listen and allow yourself to reflect on the spoken word.

A note about a part of my homily. My grandmother fell down a flight of stairs and ended in the hospital a week ago, hence my announcement at the beginning of my homily. I continue to ask for prayers for her healing as well as her spirit, that she stays positive and grows stronger.