Weekly Digest of the Regnum Christi Daily Meditations: October 11th – 18th 2026
WEEKLY DIGEST OF rc
DAILY MEDITATIONS
Week of October 11 - 18, 2026
Sunday, October 11, 2026 – A Banquet Invitation
Monday, October 12, 2026 – Something Greater Here
Tuesday, October 13, 2026 – Reparation Is the Remedy
Wednesday, October 14, 2026 – Banishing Pride
Thursday, October 15, 2026 – Praying for Families
Friday, October 16, 2026 – God Sees
October 11, 2026 – A Banquet Invitation
Twenty-Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Matthew 22:1-14
Jesus again in reply spoke to the chief priests and elders of the people in parables, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son. He dispatched his servants to summon the invited guests to the feast, but they refused to come. A second time he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those invited: “Behold, I have prepared my banquet, my calves and fattened cattle are killed, and everything is ready; come to the feast.”’ Some ignored the invitation and went away, one to his farm, another to his business. The rest laid hold of his servants, mistreated them, and killed them. The king was enraged and sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city. Then he said to his servants, ‘The feast is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy to come. Go out, therefore, into the main roads and invite to the feast whomever you find.’ The servants went out into the streets and gathered all they found, bad and good alike, and the hall was filled with guests. But when the king came in to meet the guests, he saw a man there not dressed in a wedding garment. The king said to him, ‘My friend, how is it that you came in here without a wedding garment?’ But he was reduced to silence. Then the king said to his attendants, ‘Bind his hands and feet, and cast him into the darkness outside, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.’ Many are invited, but few are chosen.”
Opening Prayer: Lord, today I come to you with deep hope and desire to know you and recognize your grace at work in my life. I know that my life here on earth is a short journey moving closer to the eternal wedding feast in the Father’s house. Help me to persevere through any difficulty or challenge I encounter on my journey with you this day. How I need your help, your guidance, and your protection! Increase my faith in your presence and your goodness toward me, granting all I need as your chosen and beloved child.
Encountering Christ:
- Accepting the Gift: God is never outdone in generosity. How consoling to know his generosity is not dependent upon what we deserve, but rather on his abundant goodness, love, and desire for our happiness. No one who had been invited to the feast was there because of merit or status, but purely by decree of the king’s initiative. Christ himself is the banquet of divine life and abundant grace. We don’t deserve to receive him (“Lord, I am not worthy,” Mt 8:8). It is his longing to share the joy of his existence with us that overflows in bountiful generosity. Our first duty in response to God’s loving generosity is to accept his gift of grace. Let us run forward, embracing the opportunity to receive grace through the regular reception of the Eucharist, frequent confession, and openness to his will.
- Called and Chosen: Three times the king dispatched servants to extend his invitation far and wide to anyone interested. We see that many were foolish and self-absorbed, preoccupied by their own worldly pursuits. Attached to good things (work, well-being, and profitability), they sadly rejected the opportunity for something far better. Here lies the mystery and drama of our human freedom. We overlook admitting how indebted we are to God’s goodness as the cause and purpose of our very being. In our own lives, self-reliance, distraction, and busyness can lead us to consider God’s plans an interruption to our own, and forget that ours have no meaning if not centered and focused on his. The possibility that we could reject God’s invitation should motivate us to continually care for our life of grace in friendship with Christ and to share with others an invitation to the feast.
- Christian Joy: Wedding feasts are a time for great joy, celebration, and happiness. Jesus often used this favored image for heaven—for his Kingdom. It describes what he longs to share and promises to us if we follow the way of faithful obedience to his will. The joy that awaits us will far exceed and outlast any suffering we may carry in this life. Hope in the Resurrection and life with God for all eternity should fill us with overwhelming joy and happiness. How does my faith and hope for heaven influence my witness to living as a joy-filled Christian before the challenges in this fallen world?
Conversing with Christ: My Lord, you want to offer me every good gift and grace I need to draw closer to you as the source of my happiness. You offer your intimate friendship to every single person. Your goodness, love, and mercy are for everyone, including me. Please forgive me for the moments I have rejected you out of foolishness over my own concerns. You know how hard it is for me to overcome attachments to seeking security in my achievements, in how others perceive me, and in worldly comforts. Help me to respond freely to seeking your grace and expressing my gratitude with a generous and joy-filled heart each day.
Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will spend a moment contemplating and fostering my longing for heaven. With hope in the Resurrection, I will seek to give witness to living with Christian joy in responding to any challenge today.
For Further Reflection: The Kingdom Without End: A Retreat Guide on Christ the King
Lucy Honner is a Consecrated Woman of Regnum Christi and the Assistant Director of Campus Ministry at University Catholic, a community of students in the Nashville area who are serious about their faith. Since 1998, she has exercised her apostolate as a speaker, spiritual director, integrated health coach, and retreat director throughout North America.
October 12, 2026 – Something Greater Here
Monday of the Twenty-Eighth Week in Ordinary Time
Luke 11:29-32
While still more people gathered in the crowd, Jesus said to them, “This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it, except the sign of Jonah. Just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation. At the judgment the queen of the south will rise with the men of this generation and she will condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and there is something greater than Solomon here. At the judgment the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation and condemn it, because at the preaching of Jonah they repented, and there is something greater than Jonah here.”
Opening Prayer: Lord, again I come before you, coming into your presence with a humble heart in need of hearing your voice speak to me words of hope and encouragement. I know you never stop thinking of me and desiring for me to stay close to you. As I pray and reflect on your words today, I want to be open to the grace of a conversion of heart, to live in the truth of who I am and how I can come closer to you. Enlighten and strengthen me, Lord, to have the courage to follow what you ask of me.
Encountering Christ:
- What Are We Looking For?: Why is it that we need tangible signs and ratifications for what we believe? Why are we so stubborn and slow of heart to overlook what has been revealed to us in the person of Jesus? Jonah preached God’s salvation to the Gentiles of Nineveh, and the wisdom of Solomon attracted the Gentile Queen of Sheba. Such conversions of non-Jews were powerful signs to the Jews of that time. Jesus makes it clear that in him is something even superior. Yet many rejected and refused to accept him as the Messiah. Jesus himself came to establish the Kingdom of God and so fulfill the promise of blessedness to the descendants of Abraham. What more do we seek? What other signs, proof, or confirmation are we looking for? We need to contemplate every day the reality of his claim, to see in him (not just in passing marvels or supernatural phenomena) how this truth gives perspective and meaning to our lives as his faithful friends. Am I content and open to accepting Jesus as my Lord and Savior, or do I hesitate and wait for “signs” as proof?
- Repentance: Through the preaching of Jonah many hearts were converted. In contrast, the scribes and Pharisees remained obstinate, refusing to repent. They were discontent with the miracles and wonders of Jesus and demanded more signs. They wanted Jesus to submit himself to their criteria. They wanted him to fit into the framework of their idea of the Messiah. There was no openness for possible conversion in them. But Jesus did not submit himself to their request. The only sign he gave them was his Resurrection. This is the sign given to all of us. Jesus, who was condemned to death and death on the cross, who rose from the dead through the power of God, will continue to resurrect in many ways the lives of those who believe in him. The sign which converts is not the miracles but the witness of life! Let us ask for the grace to be open to seeing and being converted by the many ways his grace is bringing life, hope, and joy to our lives.
- Heart of the Matter: We easily can become critical and doubt the power of Christ in our lives when we are inundated with the chaos and evil unleashed in the world around us. Jesus is greater than Jonah, greater than Solomon. For us Christians, he is the principal key for interpreting the events of our daily life. Do I believe that there is no space, circumstance, or time that Jesus is not Lord and cannot bring some good, no matter the challenge? Jesus criticizes the scribes and the Pharisees who managed to deny the evidence, rendering themselves incapable of recognizing the call of God in the events. As a Christian in today’s world, do I deserve the same criticism from Jesus? Today, the calls of reality are an invite to a change and conversion of heart. Whatever the political unrest, injustice, violence, cause, etc., what is the call of God in my reality?
Conversing with Christ: Lord, you know how easily I get swept up in the pace of life, how I seek clarity, affirmation, consolations, and assurances through the seductions of worldly comforts, wealth, and popularity. I have so many concerns in temporal realities that I forget to open my eyes to the marvels of your grace at work actively shaping my life. Open the eyes of my heart to recognize that following only you and your will gives lasting fruitfulness. Help me desire to treasure every word you have revealed to me of yourself in Scripture to discern and follow your will.
Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will seek you for a moment in Adoration to contemplate who you really are as my Creator and the Redeemer of all things, the all-powerful and all-loving God. With gratitude and awe, I will place before you every area of my life, trusting in the power of the Resurrection to order all things for your glory and my eternal place with you in heaven.
For Further Reflection: Reflect and pray with the words from 2 Corinthians 3:7-18.
Now if the ministry of death, carved in letters on stone, was so glorious that the Israelites could not look intently at the face of Moses because of its glory that was going to fade, how much more will the ministry of the Spirit be glorious?For if the ministry of condemnation was glorious, the ministry of righteousness will abound much more in glory.Indeed, what was endowed with glory has come to have no glory in this respect because of the glory that surpasses it.For if what was going to fade was glorious, how much more will what endures be glorious. Therefore, since we have such hope, we act very boldly and not like Moses, who put a veil over his face so that the Israelites could not look intently at the cessation of what was fading. Rather, their thoughts were rendered dull, for to this present day the same veil remains unlifted when they read the old covenant, because through Christ it is taken away. To this day, in fact, whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their hearts, but whenever a person turns to the Lord the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. All of us, gazing with unveiled face on the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, as from the Lord who is the Spirit.
Lucy Honner is a Consecrated Woman of Regnum Christi and the Assistant Director of Campus Ministry at University Catholic, a community of students in the Nashville area who are serious about their faith. Since 1998, she has exercised her apostolate as a speaker, spiritual director, integrated health coach, and retreat director throughout North America.
October 13, 2026 – Reparation Is the Remedy
Tuesday of the Twenty-Eighth Week in Ordinary Time
Luke 11:37-41
After Jesus had spoken, a Pharisee invited him to dine at his home. He entered and reclined at table to eat. The Pharisee was amazed to see that he did not observe the prescribed washing before the meal. The Lord said to him, “Oh you Pharisees! Although you cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish, inside you are filled with plunder and evil. You fools! Did not the maker of the outside also make the inside? But as to what is within, give alms, and behold, everything will be clean for you.”
Opening Prayer: Lord, you know the contents of my busy mind as I settle down to pray. I want to drink in the Scriptures and learn something new about you. Please bless my time and inspire me to leave distractions aside and focus on you.
Encountering Christ:
- Something Greater: Jesus had been preaching that “something greater” (Lk 11:32) was in their midst when this Pharisee invited him to dinner. Did he want to be seen with this popular rabbi? Had he been curious about Jesus and wanted to hear more? Might he have been more openhearted to the message of salvation if he hadn’t been so full of prideful indignation at the fact that Jesus hadn’t washed before the meal? The dinner had just begun when he raised his objection. He hadn’t even given himself time to “be” with Jesus before he leveled his criticism. Jesus sometimes visits us in unexpected ways—through the poor, through an unexpected stranger, or through a contentious family member. May we treat every soul as a brother or sister in Christ and encounter him there.
- You Fools!: Jesus knew that the hearts of the Pharisees were full of “plunder and evil.” He called them fools because they valued the wrong things—status, wealth, power. We too would be “foolish” if we said, “Thank God I’m not like them.” Every one of us has a propensity to sin. The difference between us and this Pharisee is that we draw near to Christ, not out of pride or vanity (hopefully), but because we recognize our need for a savior and redeemer. We approach Jesus with a humble heart full of contrition for our sinfulness. We praise him, even when we don’t perfectly understand his ways.
- The Remedy: Our Lord did not condemn this Pharisee so full of plunder and evil. Rather, he assessed the state of the Pharisee’s soul and prescribed a remedy: “But as to what is within, give alms, and behold, everything will be clean for you.” The “cure” is reminiscent of the story about the rich young man who heard from Jesus, “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me” (Mt 19:21). Our Lord knows exactly what keeps us from giving our whole mind, body, and soul to him. We can trust him to provide every grace we need. He desires our sanctity more than we do.
Conversing with Christ: Lord, this Pharisee did not understand why you hadn’t followed the rules about washing before meals. Sometimes I don’t understand your ways either, but I trust that you want my eternal salvation—you died for me. Give me the grace to put aside anything that stands in the way of my becoming a saint. I want to live with you one day in heaven.
Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will give alms of my time, talent, or treasure in reparation for my sins.
For Further Reflection: “We do not have to discover in which of several people Christ is to be found; we must look for him in them all. And not in an experimental spirit, to discover whether he is in them… but with the absolute certainty that he is… Christ does not choose to be known through outward appearances—even the appearance of virtue” (Caryll Houselander, The Reed of God: A New Edition of a Spiritual Classic).
Maribeth Harper celebrated paying the last tuition bill for her kids’ college by writing a book for parents who have college-aged young adults: A Spiritual Toolbox: Tips for Parenting through the First Year of College. She is a wife of over thirty-five years, mother of four, and grandmother of twelve and counting.
October 14, 2026 – Banishing Pride
Wednesday of the Twenty-Eighth Week in Ordinary Time
Luke 11:42-46
The Lord said: “Woe to you Pharisees! You pay tithes of mint and of rue and of every garden herb, but you pay no attention to judgment and to love for God. These you should have done, without overlooking the others. Woe to you Pharisees! You love the seat of honor in synagogues
and greetings in marketplaces. Woe to you! You are like unseen graves over which people unknowingly walk.” Then one of the scholars of the law said to him in reply, “Teacher, by saying this you are insulting us too.” And he said, “Woe also to you scholars of the law! You impose on people burdens hard to carry, but you yourselves do not lift one finger to touch them.”
Opening Prayer: Lord, as I spend time with you reflecting on the Scriptures, keep me free from distractions so that I may hear what you want to say to me.
Encountering Christ:
- Focus: Our Lord chastised the Pharisees many times for their hypocrisy, and in these first few lines, he criticized their empty pious gestures. They tithed every garden herb, with meticulous attention to the law, but did so without reverence, respect, or love for the Lord. We strive to love the Lord, but we can also sometimes just “go through the motions” of Mass attendance, rosaries, novenas, confession preparation, etc. In every instance, our acts of piety are received into the loving hands of God our Father. Are we doing all we can to make our offerings pure and acceptable? Are we putting aside distractions and focusing on the relationship we are building with God?
- Honor: Christ admonished the Pharisees for seeking places of honor and wanting to be greeted in the marketplace. The honor they sought was false, attributable to their “class” as leaders of the synagogue, not to any virtuous actions on their part. We see in the lives of many saints, however, that their quiet, humble, sacrificial actions—so full of purity and love of God—are much more worthy of honor than the behaviors of ostentatious leaders. St. Therese of Lisieux, for example, lived behind the walls of her convent and died at age twenty-four, but is renowned worldwide for her sanctity. May we always remember that God rewards humility, not those seeking honor. For you to be deserving of honor, it must find you.
- Jesus Knew: The scholars of the law must have thought themselves immune from Jesus’ criticism, or they wouldn’t have joined the conversation. How surprised they must have been to hear Jesus expose their guilt. Jesus knows all our flaws, too. In fact, Jesus knows us much better than we know ourselves—and he loves us dearly. Let’s not fall into the scholars’ trap by presuming we’re “not guilty” of this or that sin. Instead, may we humbly invite the Lord to show us our sins and accept them, so that we can prepare to make a good confession. “As patience leads to peace, and study to science, so are humiliations the path that leads to humility” (St. Bernard of Clairvaux).
Conversing with Christ: Lord, in all the criticism you leveled against the Pharisees and scholars, it was their pride you objected to. Woe to me when I am proud! I am proud when I take for granted my easy access to the sacraments. It is pride that causes me to seek affirmation from others now and then. And when my faults are unexpectedly made known to me, my pride is wounded. My prideful tendencies are “curable” only by you, Lord. Show me the path to humility, and give me the grace to follow it.
Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will do something “honorable” without being seen or noticed.
For Further Reflection: How Can I Overcome the Root Sin of Pride?
Maribeth Harper celebrated paying the last tuition bill for her kids’ college by writing a book for parents who have college-aged young adults: A Spiritual Toolbox: Tips for Parenting through the First Year of College. She is a wife of over thirty-five years, mother of four, and grandmother of twelve and counting.
October 15, 2026 – Praying for Families
Memorial of Saint Teresa of Jesus, Virgin and Doctor of the Church
Matthew 11:47-54
The Lord said: “Woe to you who build the memorials of the prophets whom your fathers killed. Consequently, you bear witness and give consent to the deeds of your ancestors, for they killed them and you do the building. Therefore, the wisdom of God said, ‘I will send to them prophets and Apostles; some of them they will kill and persecute’ in order that this generation might be charged with the blood of all the prophets shed since the foundation of the world, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah who died between the altar and the temple building. Yes, I tell you, this generation will be charged with their blood! Woe to you, scholars of the law! You have taken away the key of knowledge. You yourselves did not enter and you stopped those trying to enter.” When Jesus left, the scribes and Pharisees began to act with hostility toward him and to interrogate him about many things, for they were plotting to catch him at something he might say.
Opening Prayer: Lord, help me to hear what you want to say to me in the Scriptures today. If my behavior warrants a “woe to you,” allow me to be open and docile to your loving correction.
Encountering Christ:
- Woe to You: The Lord is very clear in these lines from Scripture that there are consequences for sin. When we sin, the ripple effect of our evil choice can extend beyond our own soul to those we love, to others around us, and to the whole Church. Conversely, a good confession can benefit not only us but the entire community. “Sin damages or even breaks fraternal communion. The sacrament of Penance repairs or restores it. In this sense it does not simply heal the one restored to ecclesial communion, but has also a revitalizing effect on the life of the Church which suffered from the sin of one of her members” (CCC 1469). Woe to us if our sin goes unconfessed, but blessed are we (and those we love) if we make good and holy use of the sacrament of reconciliation.
- Our Ancestors: We know from experience that sinful patterns of behavior can corrupt whole families well beyond the present generation down to children and grandchildren and beyond. For example, we see the effects of pornography, material greed, sexual sin, and overindulgence on our current generation of children. Sadly, the U.S. has the world’s highest rate of children living in single-parent households, according to the Pew Research Center. We counteract this tsunami of evil affecting family life by our dedication to prayer, the sacraments, and works of mercy. The God who invited Peter to walk on water will make use of our small offerings to reinvigorate family life for the good of all mankind. “Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God” (Phil 4:6).
- Plotting: The scribes and Pharisees plotted energetically to do away with Jesus. They wasted time and effort fighting the wrong battle by investing themselves in exacting an outcome they foresaw would serve the Jewish leadership. To them, Jesus was just another false prophet, and a dangerous one. They weren’t innocently misled, however. Jesus made it clear that they were culpable for their hatred and revenge-seeking (cf. Mt 23). How faithful we must be to prayer and the sacraments! Only by uniting ourselves to Christ can we hope to avoid the fate of the Pharisees. Prayer is literally a matter of spiritual life or death.
Conversing with Christ: Lord, by these lines of Scripture you speak to me of the seriousness of the battle in which we are engaged for our souls and the souls of those we love. Sin is a great evil with serious consequences, and we can too easily shrug our shoulders and move on without stopping to contemplate this truth. May I be an apostle of light, bringing joy and healing to a suffering world. May I serve individuals and families in need of nourishment of every kind on your behalf. May you guard and protect our country, our families, our children, and our grandchildren for generations to come.
Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will pray for my immediate family and offer a small sacrifice for their spiritual well-being.
For Further Reflection: Pew Research Center: Americans are most likely to mention family when asked what makes life meaningful in an open-ended question, and they are most likely to report that they find “a great deal” of meaning in spending time with family in a closed-ended question about where they find the most meaning and fulfillment: https://www.pewforum.org/2018/11/20/where-americans-find-meaning-in-life.
Maribeth Harper celebrated paying the last tuition bill for her kids’ college by writing a book for parents who have college-aged young adults: A Spiritual Toolbox: Tips for Parenting through the First Year of College. She is a wife of over thirty-five years, mother of four, and grandmother of twelve and counting.
October 16, 2026 – God Sees
Friday of the Twenty-Eighth Week in Ordinary Time
Luke 12:1-7
At that time: So many people were crowding together that they were trampling one another underfoot. Jesus began to speak, first to his disciples, “Beware of the leaven—that is, the hypocrisy—of the Pharisees. There is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known. Therefore whatever you have said in the darkness will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered behind closed doors will be proclaimed on the housetops. I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body but after that can do no more. I shall show you whom to fear. Be afraid of the one who after killing has the power to cast into Gehenna; yes, I tell you, be afraid of that one. Are not five sparrows sold for two small coins? Yet not one of them has escaped the notice of God. Even the hairs of your head have all been counted. Do not be afraid. You are worth more than many sparrows.”
Opening Prayer: Lord, as I come before you today to be blessed by your presence, help me to remember that I am your precious child, and have nothing to fear.
Encountering Christ:
- Hypocrisy: Jesus told his disciples that everything spoken in darkness will eventually come to light. Our whispers will be proclaimed on the housetops! The Pharisees were probably very shaken by these words of Jesus because of their obvious hypocrisy. As Christians, however, we should have nothing to fear, right? When we live authentically, our integrity ensures that our secrets will not embarrass us or offend God if they are widely shared. When we fail at charity, and we all sometimes do, our remedy is the sacrament of reconciliation. The grace of confession cleanses our souls and we are, once again, empowered to live transparently.
- Fear: All people fear death—our own and the deaths of those we love. Jesus knows that, but he encourages us, “his friends,” to fear only the one who has the power to cast us into Gehenna. After all, Jesus has taught us that the death of a holy soul is a beautiful reality. That soul fulfills its destiny and remains forever with God in heaven. Even those who stop at purgatory can rejoice that they will soon arrive at their eternal home. While we live as sojourners on this earth, however, we should fear sin for its power to rob us of heaven. “Yes, I tell you, be afraid of that one,” Jesus says of the devil. Father, lead us not into temptation and deliver us from evil, Amen.
- God Sees: Jesus reveals to us an intimate truth about God the Father—the Father knows the number of hairs on our heads. He notices and concerns himself with everything about us. We are worth “more than many sparrows,” which is quite an understatement considering that Jesus spilled his Precious Blood to redeem each and every one of us. In our broken humanity, we are often tempted to discount our value, to call ourselves “worthless,” to give into sadness or discouragement about some distasteful aspect of ourselves. To God, our value is inestimable. When we deny this fact of our creation, we offend our loving Father.
Conversing with Christ: Lord, help me to see myself and others as you see us. Each one of us is a masterpiece of your creation. Our beauty may be temporarily hidden, or even disfigured by sin, but you value us more than we can ever value ourselves. Fill my soul with this truth, Lord, so that I run to your embrace through the sacraments of reconciliation and the Eucharist. Keep me clean and pure so that I may one day spend my life with you in heaven.
Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will make a thorough examination of conscience to prepare for the Sacrament of Reconciliation at the earliest opportunity.
For Further Reflection: Bishop Barron: “The Irresistible Beauty That Draws Atheists to God”
Maribeth Harper celebrated paying the last tuition bill for her kids’ college by writing a book for parents who have college-aged young adults: A Spiritual Toolbox: Tips for Parenting through the First Year of College. She is a wife of over thirty-five years, mother of four, and grandmother of twelve and counting.
October 17, 2026 – Bless My Words, Lord
Memorial of Saint Ignatius of Antioch, Bishop and Martyr
Luke 12:8-12
Jesus said to his disciples: “I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before others the Son of Man will acknowledge before the angels of God. But whoever denies me before others will be denied before the angels of God. Everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. When they take you before synagogues and before rulers and authorities, do not worry about how or what your defense will be or about what you are to say. For the Holy Spirit will teach you at that moment what you should say.”
Opening Prayer: Holy Spirit, you are my light and guide. Please bless me during this time of prayer by opening my ears to hear the message you have for me today.
Encountering Christ:
- Angels as Our Witnesses: Christians by definition acknowledge that they live for Christ. We do our best to know, love, and serve the Lord and we begin each day by reflecting on his holy word so as to grow more “Christian.” Today, we learn that Jesus may someday “introduce” us to the angels—perhaps by name. What delight! It’s good to reflect from time to time on heaven and imagine what it might be like. These thoughts can help to enliven our faith and motivate us to do just a little bit better today than we did yesterday, all for God’s glory.
- Blaspheming the Spirit: Can’t Jesus forgive anything we do? Yet, he tells us in this Scripture that we will not be forgiven if we blaspheme against the Holy Spirit. Saint John Paul II explains: “‘Blasphemy’ does not properly consist in offending against the Holy Spirit in words; it consists rather in the refusal to accept the salvation which God offers to man through the Holy Spirit, working through the power of the cross” (Dominum et Vivificantem, 46). If we are so hard of heart as to reject the mercy God offers through the Holy Spirit, “it may lead to final impenitence and eternal loss,” according to the Catechism of the Catholic Church (n. 1864). May our pride never be so great as to assume we can’t be forgiven for something we’ve done!
- No Words: How many times have we found ourselves at a loss for words? Or speaking the wrong words? Jesus reassures us in this Gospel passage that when we call on the Holy Spirit in those moments of grief, fear, or suffering, we will find the words we need to communicate God’s love to another. What a consolation it is to know that the Holy Spirit stands by to put his words on our hearts, so that we may speak God’s healing into this needy world. May we often whisper a prayer to the Holy Spirit before we speak! “Set a guard, Lord, before my mouth, keep watch over the door of my lips” (Ps 141:3).
Conversing with Christ: Lord, as someone who often speaks before I think, I find the promise you make to send the Holy Spirit to inspire my words very comforting. Thank you for sharing your awesome power and might, your light and love with me. May I always bring glory to you in speech and actions.
Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will whisper “Come, Holy Spirit” before I speak to my friends at work about anything substantive.
For Further Reflection: In “Following the Spirit,” Fr. John Bartunek shares four ways that each one of us can actively cooperate with the Holy Spirit on a day-to-day basis.
Maribeth Harper celebrated paying the last tuition bill for her kids’ college by writing a book for parents who have college-aged young adults: A Spiritual Toolbox: Tips for Parenting through the First Year of College. She is a wife of over thirty-five years, mother of four, and grandmother of twelve and counting.
October 18, 2026 – Giving What Is Owed and Beyond
Twenty-Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Matthew 22:15-21
The Pharisees went off and plotted how they might entrap Jesus in speech. They sent their disciples to him, with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are a truthful man and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. And you are not concerned with anyone’s opinion, for you do not regard a person’s status. Tell us, then, what is your opinion: Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not?” Knowing their malice, Jesus said, “Why are you testing me, you hypocrites? Show me the coin that pays the census tax.” Then they handed him the Roman coin. He said to them, “Whose image is this and whose inscription?” They replied, “Caesar’s.” At that he said to them, “Then repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.”
Opening Prayer: Holy Spirit, visit my soul in this moment of prayer. Widen my heart and sharpen my mind so that I can find what you have prepared for me.
Encountering Christ:
- What “Belongs to God?”: The Pharisees, we’re told, were trying to trap Jesus with this question about paying taxes. In general, their opposition to Our Lord was mounting. Jesus did not humiliate them with his answer. He simply invited them to give to God what belongs to God. The last line of this anecdote, which was not included in today’s reading, tells us, “When they heard this they were amazed, and leaving him they went away” (Mt 22:22). Were they amazed because they wondered what belongs to God? We can ask the same question today, “What belongs to God?” Specific things belong to God for what they are: Sundays, for example; or an object consecrated for sacred use only; or things that are owed to God by pure justice, like gratitude, praise, obedience, etc. There are also things that belong to God because we freely choose to give them to him, like our time, our energies, and our sacrifices.
- Things I Want to Give to God: Let’s stop here for a moment and consider and specify what kinds of things we have chosen to give to God. To make a free gift not rooted in justice or duty is an act of generosity and love. If you have given some of your belongings to God, call them to mind now. Talk to Jesus about it. Maybe you have given your talent to Jesus. Once more, reaffirm that gift. Or have you contributed your time? Conversely, are there things you have given over to God that you keep retracting? Look at these also, ponder them, and talk to Jesus about it. Ask for the grace to once again place them in Jesus’ loving, open hands.
- More Than Generosity: Loving God by giving to him our thoughts, words, actions, time, talents, and sufferings is an act more beautiful than we realize. It might feel like mere renunciation. But when we bring those treasures into the light of God, he lets them shine and sparkle. Handing them to God makes them even more precious. Hence, giving God what belongs to him warrants a celebration, because we don’t lose out; rather, we receive it back in greater splendor, even a hundredfold. As Jesus told St. Catherine of Siena,“… here they receive the fire of divine charity figured by the number of a hundred… And because they have received this hundredfold from Me, they possess a wonderful and hearty joy, for there is no sadness in charity, but the joy of it makes the heart large and generous, not narrow or double” (Dialogue of St. Catherine).
Conversing with Christ: Lord, I recognize that everything I have you have given me. Giving over what belongs to you means that you ask me to deeply acknowledge this fact. When I’m tempted to covet something—anything—remind me, Lord, of this truth. “My Lord and my God, take from me everything that distances me from you. My Lord and my God, give me everything that brings me closer to you. My Lord and my God, detach me from myself to give my all to you” (St. Nicholas of Flüe).
Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will consciously give of my time, talent, or treasure in a particular moment or situation.
For Further Reflection: “And so, today, with great strength and great conviction, on the basis of long personal experience of life, I say to you, dear young people: Do not be afraid of Christ! He takes nothing away, and he gives you everything. When we give ourselves to him, we receive a hundredfold in return. Yes, open, open wide the doors to Christ—and you will find true life. Amen” (Homily of Pope Benedict XVI on Sunday, April 24, 2005, during the Mass for the beginning of the Petrine Ministry of the Bishop of Rome).
Father Gabriel von Wendt, LC, is a priest who works as a professor at the Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum. He has a passion for philosophy and the role of Catholic faith in contemporary culture. He is a co-founding member of the Catholic Worldview Fellowship, a study-abroad program for talented college students who want to evangelize culture.
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