Week of october 4, 2026

Divine Liturgy for the Eighteenth Sunday after Trinity Sunday

My Sisters and Brothers in Jesus Christ,

In this week’s readings, Saint Paul gives thanks for the grace God has given to the Christians in Corinth. What makes that thanksgiving so striking is that the Corinthian community was far from perfect. Paul knew their divisions, their conflicts, and their failures very well. He did not ignore those problems, but neither did he allow those problems to become the only thing he saw. Even in a difficult community, Paul could still recognize the grace of God at work.

We see something similar in the Gospel. Jesus is surrounded by people who question and challenge him, yet when one of the scribes responds with genuine understanding, Jesus recognizes it and says, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” Jesus does not simply place people into categories of friend or enemy. He sees the person in front of him. He notices sincerity, faith, and the movement of grace even in someone who might otherwise have been dismissed as an opponent.

That is an important lesson for us in a time when disagreement so quickly becomes division. It is easy, especially in the world of social media, to reduce people to a label, an opinion, or one thing they have said or done. The Christian life calls us to something better. We can disagree, correct, and even challenge one another while still recognizing that every person is more than their worst moment. Perhaps one of the questions we should ask more often is: Where is the grace of God already at work in this person?

I also want to thank everyone who has continued to pray for me as I recover from surgery. Your prayers, kindness, and encouragement mean more to me than I can easily express. Recovery continues, and I am deeply grateful for the support I have received. Please know that I am praying for you as well—for your needs, your families, your struggles, and your joys. May we continue to hold one another in prayer and learn to recognize the grace of God at work in one another.

Peace,
Rev. Ben