Sunday, October 4th 2026

Dear Parishioners of Pope St. John XXIII Parish Faith Community,

Welcome you to the 27th Sunday of the Ordinary time in the liturgical year. In the liturgy of the Word today, the image of the vineyard runs through all three readings. God lovingly plants, protects, and tends his vineyard. He gives everything necessary for it to flourish. Yet the vineyard produces wild grapes in one case, and in another the tenants refuse to give the owner what belongs to him. The allegory is evident, the vineyard is Israel, but it is also the Church, our families, and each human heart. God has entrusted us with many gifts: life, faith, Scripture, the sacraments, loving people, and opportunities to serve. He does not ask us to produce fruit by our own strength. He first prepares the ground and patiently cares for us. The question is whether we are offering him the harvest of a faithful life.

Isaiah tells us what God seeks: not merely religious appearance, but justice and righteousness. In the Gospel, the tenants want the vineyard for themselves. They forget that they are stewards, not owners. That temptation remains with us. We can begin to treat our time, possessions, abilities, or even our faith as though they belong entirely to us. Further, to enhance human perception and understanding, the Father sends his Son, Jesus Christ, whom the tenants reject and kill. Yet the rejected stone becomes the cornerstone. Because the Cross is not God’s defeat; it is the foundation of our salvation. Christ transforms rejection into redemption and death into life.

The vineyard belongs to God, but he lovingly entrusts it to us. How, then, do we become fruitful tenants? Saint Paul gives us a practical answer: bring everything to God in prayer, dwell on what is true, honorable, just, pure, and worthy of praise, and put the Gospel into practice. Then “the God of peace” will be with us. Today, let us ask honestly: What fruit is God seeking from my life? Perhaps forgiveness, generosity, fidelity, courage, or a renewed commitment to prayer. May our lives not give him wild grapes, but the harvest of love, justice, and holiness.

I strongly believe all of you have begun to pray the Rosary at home or in the church for the special intentions. In this month of October, specially dedicated to our Lady of Rosary let’s call on our heavenly Mother for our aid, that She would intercede and obtain blessings from God for us. Besides prayer, we also have a Fall Harvest celebration at St. John of the Woods campus. We begin the preparations tomorrow, while thanking the volunteer team for organizing it, I also invite everyone to step in to render any possible help. We will have the celebrations on Friday and Saturday.  

We are having our second Pastoral Council and Finance Council meetings next Wednesday. Make sure to have the members of this committee on your prayer list, as we will discuss the step forward in the One Parish Plan. We have begun this Saturday the pilot single vigil mass at the main campus, I encourage your co-operation and input regarding this change as well. We are already discussing your feedback of our vigil service at St. John of the Woods past three weeks. The PFAC will bring them and their considerations to this meeting, as we look forward for your feedback in the upcoming week as well.

I urge you to prayerfully consider the Stewardship of Time, Talent and Treasure appeal for the parish. It is your generosity and co-operation that helps us serve you better in every aspect of life. Before I conclude, may I welcome all new parishioners who registered on any campus of our Parish Family. I invite everyone to pray for all the members of our parish who are sick. Keep also in your prayer special intentions for the parish, that we as faith community will be guided by the Spirit to reach out and serve everyone better. May God bless and guide us all.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Fr. Tuan Nguyen, D. Min

Pastor