Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

October 4, 2026

Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God.

— Philippians 4:6

BEARING THE RIGHT KIND OF FRUIT

Today’s readings focus our attention on vineyards. Isaiah’s song concerning his friend’s vineyard begins with inspiring and poetic images of an idyllic vineyard where the choicest harvest is expected. Instead, the vineyard yields wild grapes, which causes the owner to abandon it. The psalmist cries out to God, asking that God once again take care of the vineyard, which is the house of Israel. The parable told in today’s Gospel offers a stern warning that those who commit treachery in the hopes of attaining personal wealth will be “put . . . to a wretched death” (Matthew 21:41). Jesus warns his listeners not to act like the murderous tenants in the vineyard. Instead he exhorts them to produce the kind of fruit that will lead them to the kingdom of God.

Masses for the Week

Sun. Oct. 4 9:00 AM & 12:00 PM — Spanish
Mon. Oct. 6 8:30 AM
Weds. Oct. 7 8:30 AM & 6:30 PM
Thurs. Oct. 8 8:30 AM
Fri. Oct. 9 8:30 AM
Sat. Oct. 10 8:30 AM & 5:30 PM
Sun. Oct. 11 9:00 AM & 12:00 PM — Spanish

Announcements

Fr. Regi in India for October — Fr. Praveen Kumar Covering

Fr. Regi will be in India for the month of October. Fr. Praveen Kumar will be staying at the rectory for the month. The Mass schedule will remain the same.

Religious Education & OCIA — Meeting Today; No Classes Oct. 11

Religious Education and OCIA will meet today at 10:15–11:30. Classes will not meet on Oct. 11. Have a nice fall break.

Knights of Columbus — Meeting Monday, Oct. 5 at 6:30 PM

The next meeting for the Knights of Columbus, Milan Kukula Chapter, is slated for Monday, October 5 at 6:30 PM in the Social Hall of St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church. Several important topics will be covered. All men of the parish are welcome to attend.

Important Notice — Social Hall Stabilization Project Begins Oct. 19

On Monday, October 19, 2026, the Social Hall Stabilization Project is planned to start. This project will see the Social Hall crawl space being cleared of debris, existing supports cleaned to remove traces of mold, sealing of the crawl space, additional supports to strengthen the Social Hall floor, and placement of dehumidifiers. This project is expected to lengthen the life of the Social Hall by many years. A projected completion date is expected for Tuesday, October 27, 2026, but could be earlier if things work out smoothly.

Online Giving

Here is the established QR code for the parish if you would like to make your donation online.

Today’s Readings

First Reading: The vineyard of the LORD is the house of Israel (Isaiah 5:1-7).

Psalm: The vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel (Psalm 80).

Second Reading: God’s peace will guard your hearts and minds (Philippians 4:6-9).

Gospel: The kingdom of God will be given to those who will produce its fruit (Matthew 21:33-43).

Readings for the Week

Monday: Jon 1:1 — 2:2, 11; Jon 2:3-5, 8; Lk 10:25-37

Tuesday: Jon 3:1-10; Ps 130:1b-4ab, 7-8; Lk 10:38-42

Wednesday: Jon 4:1-11; Ps 86:3-6, 9-10; Lk 11:1-4

Thursday: Mal 3:13-20b; Ps 1:1-4, 6; Lk 11:5-13

Friday: Jl 1:13-15; 2:1-2; Ps 9:2-3, 6, 16, 8-9; Lk 11:15-26

Saturday: Jl 4:12-21; Ps 97:1-2, 5-6, 11-12; Lk 11:27-28

Sunday: Is 25:6-10a; Ps 23:1-6; Phil 4:12-14, 19-20; Mt 22:1-14 [1-10]

Reflecting on the Word

The inclusion of this particular passage from Isaiah as a lens through which to reflect on the gospel parable seems to make the interpretation easy and clear. The people of Israel are the wicked tenants who make a habit of killing the prophets sent to them, and finally, they kill Jesus, the beloved Son. However, since parables provide many different entry points, we can try to find a window that will allow us to view the parable differently from the one outlined above. I am struck by two particular gifts that I see God giving to humanity: the gift of immense patience, and the gift of perfect trust. The tenants don’t own the land or the vineyard. They can only share in the profit of the harvest. But their greed takes their annexation of the land and the harvest. The owner is patient in sending messengers repeatedly in the hope that the tenants would relent. Greed is a bottomless pit, and nothing is unreasonable in their quest for possession and control. I would argue that the greed obvious in our modern world is not different from that which is evident in the readings. And yet, God continues to be patient with us, meeting us in our needs and gently guiding us on the path to authentic stewardship of God’s implicit trust in us.

Excerpted from Living the Word

Mission Statement

We, the members of Saint John the Evangelist Catholic Church, recognize and respect our diverse and multicultural character. By the grace of God, we will nurture our spiritual community through prayer, service, and example to become one family in Christ.

Adoration

8:00 AM — 1st Saturday of the month

7:00 PM — 1st & 3rd Friday (Spanish)