Catholic Mass Readings and Reflection September 28, 2026
Monday – 26th Week of Ordinary Time
28th September 2026 (Monday)
Psalter: Week 2
Here are the Catholic Mass readings and a daily Gospel reflection for Monday, September 28, 2026. Ecclesiastes urges us to remember our Creator in our youth, and Jesus foretells His suffering while the disciples fail to understand
Catholic Mass Readings
Readings of the Day
First Reading: Job 1:6-22
There was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them. The Lord said to Satan, “From where have you come?” Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.” And the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?” Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “Does Job fear God for no reason? Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face.” And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand.” So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord. Now there was a day when his sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, and there came a messenger to Job and said, “The oxen were ploughing and the donkeys feeding beside them, and the Sabeans fell upon them and took them and struck down the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.” While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, “The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants and consumed them, and I alone have escaped to tell you.” While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, “The Chaldeans formed three groups and made a raid on the camels and took them and struck down the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.” While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, “Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, and behold, a great wind came across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young people, and they are dead, and I alone have escaped to tell you.” Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped. And he said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong.
Psalm 17:1, 2-3, 6-7 (R. 6b)
R/. Lord, turn your ear to me; hear my words.
Gospel Acclamation
V/. Alleluia
R/. Alleluia
V/. The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.
R/. Alleluia
Gospel: Luke 9:46-50
At that time: An argument arose among disciples as to which of them was the greatest. But Jesus, knowing the reasoning of their hearts, took a child and put him by his side and said to them, “Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. For he who is least among all of you is the one who is great.” John answered, “Master, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he does not follow with us.” But Jesus said to him, “Do not stop him, for the one who is not against you is for you.”
Monday – 26th Week in Ordinary Time
Daily Gospel Reflection
Main Point: In a single day Job loses his wealth, his servants, and all ten of his children. His response is not what we expect. He falls to the ground and worships. Two very different pictures of the human heart sit in today’s readings.
1. The messengers come one after another, and each brings worse news. The oxen and donkeys, stolen. The sheep, burned. The camels, raided. And then the last messenger: a great wind struck the house where his children were feasting, and they are all dead. In one afternoon Job loses everything.
2. We brace for the collapse. Instead Job stands, tears his robe, falls to the ground, and worships. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away, he says. Blessed be the name of the Lord. This is not cold denial. It is grief and faith in the same breath, a man on the ground and still turned toward God.
3. We should be careful not to make this look easy. Job was not spared the pain; he felt every blow. His worship did not erase his sorrow, and the rest of his book is full of raw, honest anguish and hard questions flung at heaven. Faith did not mean pretending he was fine. It meant he did not let go of God even as he wept.
4. That is worth holding for anyone in loss right now, a bereavement, a diagnosis, a marriage or a livelihood gone. Job does not teach us to smile through pain. He shows us we can grieve honestly and still worship, that the two can live together, and that God is big enough for our tears and our trust at once.
5. Then the Gospel sets a smaller human picture beside this enormous one. The disciples, walking with Jesus, are arguing about which of them is the greatest. After Job’s stripped and worshipping heart, their pettiness is almost jarring. We reach for status even while walking beside the Lord.
6. Jesus does not scold them harshly. He takes a child, someone with no rank at all, and stands the child beside Him. Whoever receives this little one receives me, He says, and the one who is least among you is the one who is great. He turns their ladder upside down. Greatness in His kingdom is not being served, but receiving the lowly.
7. The two readings meet in what they ask us to release. Job releases his grip on everything he owned and kept his hold on God. The disciples are asked to release their grip on being important. Both are about open hands. And Christ, who Himself came down to the lowest place, is the one who teaches us to let go.
My Practice: Name the thing you are gripping hardest right now, a possession, a grief, or a need to be seen as important, and open your hand to God today, even through tears. Then do one small, unseen service for someone who cannot repay you.
Prayer
Lord, Job lost everything in a day and still fell down and worshipped You, grieving and trusting at once. Teach us that we do not have to hide our pain to keep our faith. When loss comes, let us weep honestly and still turn toward You, as he did. And free us from the disciples’ hunger to be the greatest. You took a child and showed us that the least is the greatest in Your kingdom, You who came down to the lowest place for us. Open our clenched hands, Lord, both around what we own and around our pride, and teach us to receive the lowly as we would receive You. Amen.
Question to Reflect Today
- What are you holding most tightly today, a loss, a possession, or your own status, and what would it mean to open that hand to God, even if you are grieving as you do it?
Thank You 🙏🙏🙏
Tags: Daily Mass Reflection, Ordinary Time, Book of Job, Gospel of Luke, Catholic Mass Readings, September 2026
