Although this series carries the title Advent Daily Reflection, the liturgical calendar places September 21, 2026, in Ordinary Time. The title nevertheless points to a continuing Christian discipline: watchfulness before the word of Christ and readiness to respond when that word arrives.
The Church observes the Feast of Saint Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist, with Lectionary 644. The day’s Catholic daily reflection centers on the immediate response of Matthew, the mercy of Jesus toward those placed on the margins, and the responsibility of the Church to form disciples for service.
The Daily Mass Readings for September 21, 2026
The daily Mass readings for September 21, 2026 present a unified message:
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First Reading: Ephesians 4:1-7, 11-13
Saint Paul calls Christians to live according to their vocation with humility, gentleness, patience, and love. The Church is one Body, united in one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one hope. Christ gives apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers to equip the faithful and build up the Body of Christ. -
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 19:2-3, 4-5
The refrain declares: “Their message goes out through all the earth.” -
Gospel: Matthew 9:9-13
Jesus sees Matthew sitting at the customs post and says, “Follow me.” Matthew rises and follows. Jesus then eats with tax collectors and sinners, declaring, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice,” and, “I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.” -
Gospel Acclamation
“We praise you, O God, we acclaim you as Lord; the glorious company of apostles praise you.”
The readings move from personal vocation to ecclesial mission. Matthew receives a call, enters the company of the apostles, and becomes an evangelist whose message continues to serve the Church.
Matthew at the Customs Post: A Call Without Delay
Matthew is introduced as a tax collector seated at a customs post. His occupation placed him in a difficult position within Jewish society. Tax collectors were associated with the Roman system of taxation and were frequently viewed with suspicion because of the possibility of exploitation and dishonesty.
Jesus does not begin with a public examination of Matthew’s past. He sees Matthew where Matthew is and speaks a direct command: “Follow me.” The Gospel records an immediate response: Matthew gets up and follows.
This movement contains the central spiritual action of the feast. Christ’s call is not merely an invitation to admire his teaching. It is a summons to leave an established position and enter a new form of life. Matthew moves from the customs post to discipleship, from collecting revenue to proclaiming the Gospel, and from social isolation to communion with Christ and the apostolic Church.
This does not mean that conversion requires the denial of history. Matthew’s history becomes part of the testimony of grace. The apostle and evangelist remains a witness that Christ calls people from ordinary, complicated, and unexpected circumstances.
The same principle remains visible in the Church today. Vocations to the priesthood and religious life arise in families, villages, schools, workplaces, and communities across the world. Christ continues to call men and women through circumstances that may not initially appear significant. The Church’s responsibility is to recognize those vocations, accompany them, and provide the formation required for faithful service.
Mercy at the Table
After Matthew follows Jesus, a meal takes place in Matthew’s house. Tax collectors and sinners sit at table with Jesus and his disciples. The Pharisees question this conduct, but Jesus answers by identifying himself as a physician for the sick.
The table becomes a sign of the mission of Christ. He does not treat sinners as acceptable because sin is unimportant. Instead, he approaches them because mercy is necessary for restoration. His words, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice,” place the conversion of the human person at the center of religious practice.
This theme has particular importance for Catholic spirituality. Christian discipleship cannot be reduced to external observance, social respectability, or separation from those who need healing. The Church receives people in the concrete circumstances of their lives and directs them toward conversion, reconciliation, and holiness.
The Gospel also challenges assumptions about who is prepared to serve. Matthew’s former occupation did not prevent Christ from calling him. The Church therefore cannot limit the possibility of vocation according to social background, economic condition, geography, or cultural expectation.
The Eucharist as Table and Mission
A Eucharist reflection Catholic communities can carry into the day begins with the table described in the Gospel. The Eucharist is the table at which Christ receives sinners who seek mercy, nourishes the faithful, and sends disciples into the world.
The Eucharist does not leave the baptized at the point of reception. Those who are gathered are also sent. The grace received at the altar is directed toward service, witness, reconciliation, and the building up of the Church.
The Eucharistic pattern is therefore closely related to the formation of priests and religious. A local priest serves the Eucharistic life of a community through the proclamation of the Gospel, the celebration of the sacraments, pastoral care, and the formation of future disciples. Where local clergy are prepared and supported, Christian communities can grow with leadership rooted in their own culture and pastoral circumstances.
The Society of St. Peter the Apostle serves this ecclesial need in mission territories. The Society was founded in 1889 through the collaboration of Bishop Jules-Alphonse Cousin, then a missionary bishop in Japan, and Stéphanie and Jeanne Bigard in France. Bishop Cousin had encountered young men with priestly vocations but lacked the resources necessary to receive and educate them. The Bigards responded by dedicating themselves to the formation of local clergy.
The Society now supports the formation of seminarians, novices, religious sisters, and future seminary educators in mission territories. Its assistance includes:
- Ordinary subsidies for the daily needs and formation of seminarians, novices, and religious sisters.
- Extraordinary subsidies for constructing and renovating seminaries.
- Self-sustainability projects that help seminaries develop more stable local resources.
- Mass intentions that assist seminary formators.
- Scholarships for future seminary educators.
This work reflects the movement of the Gospel: Christ calls individuals, the Church forms them, and the formed are sent to build up the Body of Christ.
One Body, Many Gifts
Saint Paul’s teaching in Ephesians provides the framework for understanding this mission. The Church is one Body, but Christ gives different gifts for the service of that Body. Apostles, evangelists, pastors, teachers, and other ministers do not receive gifts for private distinction. Their gifts are given “for the work of ministry” and “for building up the Body of Christ.”
The formation of indigenous clergy expresses this principle in a concrete way. Local priests and religious leaders bring the Gospel into the language, history, customs, and pastoral realities of their communities. Their ministry strengthens the unity of the universal Church without erasing the legitimate diversity of local Churches.
The Psalm’s refrain, “Their message goes out through all the earth,” describes the missionary character of the Church. The message travels through the witness of apostles, evangelists, pastors, teachers, religious communities, families, and lay faithful. Each vocation contributes to the Church’s proclamation.
A daily devotional based on this feast can therefore ask not only whether Christ is calling, but also how the Church is making room for that call. Prayer, formation, material support, and responsible pastoral accompaniment all have a place in the response.
Prayerful Resolution
The following resolutions provide a practical response to the readings:
- The faithful will identify one area of delay or resistance and place it before Christ’s command, “Follow me.”
- The faithful will practice mercy toward a person or group commonly dismissed or judged.
- The faithful will pray for seminarians, novices, religious sisters, and seminary formators in mission territories.
- The faithful will examine whether personal gifts are being used to build up the Body of Christ.
- The faithful will participate attentively in the Eucharist as both a table of mercy and a source of mission.
- The faithful will learn more about the formation of indigenous clergy and the needs of local Churches in mission territories.
Support the Formation of Indigenous Clergy
The Society of St. Peter the Apostle provides a direct Catholic structure for supporting local clergy and religious formation in mission territories. Individuals, parishes, and Catholic communities may participate through financial assistance, Mass intentions, and prayer.
- Support the Society of St. Peter the Apostle
- Request a Mass intention
- Learn more about the Society of St. Peter the Apostle
Saint Matthew’s response began with a movement away from the customs post and toward Christ. The Church continues that mission by helping local communities recognize, form, and sustain the vocations through which the Gospel is proclaimed throughout the earth.
Contact the Pontifical Mission Societies
The Pontifical Mission Societies
70 West 36th Street, 8th Floor
New York, NY 10018, USA
Phone: 212-563-8700
Email: contact@pontificalmissions.org