20260927 PERSONAL AND COLLECTIVE RESPONSIBILITY
27 September 2026, Sunday, 26th Week in Ordinary Time
First reading |
Ezekiel 18:25-28 |
When the sinner renounces sin, he shall certainly live
The word of the Lord was addressed to me as follows: ‘You object, “What the Lord does is unjust.” Listen, you House of Israel: is what I do unjust? Is it not what you do that is unjust? When the upright man renounces his integrity to commit sin and dies because of this, he dies because of the evil that he himself has committed. When the sinner renounces sin to become law-abiding and honest, he deserves to live. He has chosen to renounce all his previous sins; he shall certainly live; he shall not die.’
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 24(25):4-9 |
Remember your mercy, Lord.
Lord, make me know your ways.
Lord, teach me your paths.
Make me walk in your truth, and teach me:
for you are God my saviour.
Remember your mercy, Lord.
Remember your mercy, Lord,
and the love you have shown from of old.
Do not remember the sins of my youth.
In your love remember me,
because of your goodness, O Lord.
Remember your mercy, Lord.
The Lord is good and upright.
He shows the path to those who stray,
He guides the humble in the right path,
He teaches his way to the poor.
Remember your mercy, Lord.
Second reading |
Philippians 2:1-11 |
Be united in your love
If our life in Christ means anything to you, if love can persuade at all, or the Spirit that we have in common, or any tenderness and sympathy, then be united in your convictions and united in your love, with a common purpose and a common mind. That is the one thing which would make me completely happy. There must be no competition among you, no conceit; but everybody is to be self-effacing. Always consider the other person to be better than yourself, so that nobody thinks of his own interests first but everybody thinks of other people’s interests instead. In your minds you must be the same as Christ Jesus:
His state was divine,
yet he did not cling
to his equality with God
but emptied himself
to assume the condition of a slave,
and became as men are;
and being as all men are,
he was humbler yet,
even to accepting death,
death on a cross.
But God raised him high
and gave him the name
which is above all other names
so that all beings in the heavens,
on earth and in the underworld,
should bend the knee at the name of Jesus
and that every tongue should acclaim
Jesus Christ as Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
Gospel Acclamation | Jn14:23 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
If anyone loves me he will keep my word,
and my Father will love him,
and we shall come to him.
Alleluia!
Gospel |
Matthew 21:28-32 |
Tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you
Jesus said to the chief priests and elders of the people, ‘What is your opinion? A man had two sons. He went and said to the first, “My boy, you go and work in the vineyard today.” He answered, “I will not go,” but afterwards thought better of it and went. The man then went and said the same thing to the second who answered, “Certainly, sir,” but did not go. Which of the two did the father’s will?’ ‘The first’ they said. Jesus said to them, ‘I tell you solemnly, tax collectors and prostitutes are making their way into the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you, a pattern of true righteousness, but you did not believe him, and yet the tax collectors and prostitutes did. Even after seeing that, you refused to think better of it and believe in him.’
PERSONAL AND COLLECTIVE RESPONSIBILITY
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [EZEKIEL 18:25-28; PHIL 2:1-11 (OR >< 2:1-5); MT 21:28-32]
As human beings, we are not simply individuals; we are also social beings. There is always a tension in society between stressing one over the other. On one hand, some emphasise the importance of the community. The individual is called to live for the community, for their ancestors, and for their descendants. This is particularly true in some Asian and Eastern cultures, where there is a strong emphasis on communitarian life. Even the way we eat reflects a communal style, with people sitting around a table sharing from the same dishes. In such cultures, the emphasis is on subordinating our personal and individual needs for the greater good of the community. Conversely, individuals who sin bring shame to their family and the entire community. In some ancient cultures–such as in the Old Testament–if someone sinned, especially if it was a leader, the entire community would be punished, even if the rest were never involved in the offence.
This was the context of today’s First Reading. During the time of Ezekiel, the Israelites were exiled to Babylon for the sins of their leaders following the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple. However, the second generation of exiles began to question why they should suffer for the sins of their forefathers. To this objection, God addressed them through the prophet Ezekiel: “When the upright man renounces his integrity to commit sin and dies because of this, he dies because of the evil that he himself has committed. When the sinner renounces sin to become law-abiding and honest, he deserves to live. He has chosen to renounce all his previous sins; he shall certainly live; he shall not die.”
Judgement and punishment, therefore, are not meted out solely to the community, but to the individual. Hence, a person is punished only for his own sins, not for the sins of the community. Furthermore, he is punished only for the sins he has committed and failed to repent of. This means he cannot rely on past good deeds, nor should he be unduly worried that past mistakes will be held against him once he has repented. Scripture makes it clear that God does not take our past into consideration when judging us. God looks at our hearts today, not our past deeds–good or bad. The good we have done cannot be a bargaining chip for mercy today, just as the evil we have done cannot be the basis for punishment once we turn away from it. In this way, everyone is given the opportunity to change. A person is judged here and now, not by what happened in the past.
This is what the parable in today’s Gospel teaches us. In the parable, the first son refers to all of us who initially rebelled against God but later repented. He refused to work in the vineyard at first, but after reflecting, he thought better of it and went. The second son responded positively to his father, saying he would go and work, but never did. This second son refers to the people of Israel, whom God chose to be His people and a light to the nations. Instead of living up to their calling, however, they broke the covenant by worshipping false gods and living lives of greed, dishonesty, discrimination, and oppression.
The Lord pointedly asked the leaders of Israel: “Which of the two did the father’s will?” “The first,” they said. Jesus said to them, “I tell you solemnly, tax collectors and prostitutes are making their way into the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you, a pattern of true righteousness, but you did not believe him, and yet the tax collectors and prostitutes did. Even after seeing that, you refused to think better of it and believe in him.” Indeed, this is Jesus’ warning to those who rely on social, religious, or political privileges: these privileges offer no guaranteed standing. It is not enough to depend on past merits unless those merits have actually led to personal conversion. What matters most is the decision right now to repent and do what is right. The moment we repent and seek to do good, God forgives us and embraces us in His Kingdom. He looks not at our past, but at our present. Love keeps no record of wrongs. He simply wants us to turn back to Him, live in truth, and find life. As the psalmist prayed, “Do not remember the sins of my youth. In your love remember me, because of your goodness, O Lord.”
At the same time, we remain social beings; we are part of an interconnected ecosystem. While personal responsibility is primary in the decisions we make and the consequences we assume, we do not live on an island alone. We are invariably connected with one another, with nature, and with everything around us. We cannot claim, “My decision affects only me, so I can do whatever I like and it is no one else’s business.” The reality is that our decisions and actions affect the rest of the community. The closer people are to us, the greater our influence on them–for better or for worse. Whether we like it or not, the choices we make affect others, especially our loved ones.
Therefore, we cannot deny our collective responsibility toward others–especially those of us who are leaders. Our decisions and actions carry wider implications and repercussions for those dependent on us. This is particularly clear when countries go to war: not only do their soldiers and citizens suffer, but the entire world experiences the consequences, as we are more economically interdependent than ever. When one link in the chain breaks, the whole structure suffers. This calls us to be thoughtful in what we say and do, knowing our choices impact the lives of others. People can suffer innocently because of our unwise decisions or hurtful words.
This is why St. Paul urges us to have a common mind in Christ: “If our life in Christ means anything to you, if love can persuade at all, or the Spirit that we have in common, or any tenderness and sympathy, then be united in your convictions and united in your love, with a common purpose and a common mind.” Unity in values and purpose keeps us together. Ultimately, there should be no opposition between individual and collective responsibility, since we are deeply connected as the Body of Christ. As St. Paul wrote, “that there may be no dissension within the body, but the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honoured, all rejoice together with it. Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it” (1 Cor 12:25-27).
For this reason, our happiness and success are inextricably tied to the happiness and success of those around us and in the world. In whatever we do, we must ask not only “What’s in it for me?” but “What’s in it for us?” We share our joys and our sorrows together. The best way to protect our own happiness is to protect the happiness of others. We rejoice and celebrate not merely as isolated individuals, but as a community. This explains St. Paul’s exhortation: “That is the one thing which would make me completely happy. There must be no competition among you, no conceit; but everybody is to be self-effacing. Always consider the other person to be better than yourself, so that nobody thinks of his own interests first but everybody thinks of other people’s interests instead.”
“In your minds you must be the same as Christ Jesus.” Jesus is our model: “His state was divine, yet he did not cling to his equality with God but emptied himself to assume the condition of a slave, and became as men are; and being as all men are, he was humbler yet, even to accepting death, death on a cross. But God raised him high and gave him the name which is above all other name.” Jesus freely became man for our salvation and freely gave His life on the cross so that we might be set free from sin and raised with Him in glory. His self-giving love must guide how we conduct ourselves in our relationships with others. Let us pray with the psalmist: “Lord, make me know your ways. Lord, teach me your paths. Make me walk in your truth, and teach me: for you are God my saviour.” Let us seek the Lord, for “he guides the humble in the right path.”
Best Practices for Using the Daily Scripture Reflections
- Encounter God through the spirit of prayer and the scripture by reflecting and praying the Word of God daily. The purpose is to bring you to prayer and to a deeper union with the Lord on the level of the heart.
- Daily reflections when archived will lead many to accumulate all the reflections of the week and pray in one sitting. This will compromise your capacity to enter deeply into the Word of God, as the tendency is to read for knowledge rather than a prayerful reading of the Word for the purpose of developing a personal and affective relationship with the Lord.
- It is more important to pray deeply, not read widely. The current reflections of the day would be more than sufficient for anyone who wants to pray deeply and be led into an intimacy with the Lord.
Note: You may share this reflection with someone. However, please note that reflections are not archived online nor will they be available via email request.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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