Proper 4(9) – Year A
Not observed 2026
Gospel Lectionary Text
Matthew 7:21-29
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.
7:22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’
7:23 Then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; go away from me, you who behave lawlessly.’
7:24 “Everyone, then, who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock.
7:25 The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall because it had been founded on rock.
7:26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on sand.
7:27 The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell—and great was its fall!”
7:28 Now when Jesus had finished saying these words, the crowds were astounded at his teaching,
7:29 for he taught them as one having authority and not as their scribes.
Context
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Question
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Reflections
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Praying Eucharistically - Weekly Homily by James Alison:
Coming soon.
Girardian Lectionary Weekly Reflection:
Understanding the Bible anew through the Mimetic Theory of René Girard.
Poetry
A Ritual To Read To Each Other
by William Stafford
If you don't know the kind of person I am and I don't know the kind of person you are a pattern that others made may prevail in the world and following the wrong god home we may miss our star.
For there is many a small betrayal in the mind, a shrug that lets the fragile sequence break sending with shouts the horrible errors of childhood storming out to play through the broken dike.
And as elephants parade holding each elephant's tail, but if one wanders the circus won't find the park, I call it cruel and maybe the root of all cruelty to know what occurs but not recognize the fact.
And so I appeal to a voice, to something shadowy, a remote important region in all who talk: though we could fool each other, we should consider—lest the parade of our mutual life get lost in the dark.
For it is important that awake people be awake, or a breaking line may discourage them back to sleep; the signals we give — yes or no, or maybe —should be clear: the darkness around us is deep.
Prayer
Coming soon.