The USCCA joins Catholics worldwide in praying for the health and healing of Pope Leo as he recuperates from surgery. In the words of Psalm 41, we sincerely pray to the Lord for the recovery of his servant Pope Leo: 眷顧貧苦，主必賜福。 The Lord will surely bless those who care for the poor. 身罹患難，春回黍谷。主必相之，翼而長之。 Though he is suffering, he will miraculously recover, for the Lord is with him and shields him under his wings. 優遊一世，潤之昌之。敵人欲害，保之障之。 He will live with gladness and ease, nourished and blessed by the Lord. He will be protected from his enemy, who tries to hurt him. 呻吟病榻，扶之掖之。輾轉不寧，康之復之。 When he cries out in his sick bed, the Lord will carry and support him. When he tosses and turns in his distress, the Lord will heal him and renew his health. 中文Chinese: 吳經熊John C. H. Wu, 《聖詠譯意》 English: Re-translation of John C. H. Wu’s Chinese translation of Psalm 41, by Dr. Kathy Stout ---------------------- The USCCA is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization. Your donations are tax-deductible to the maximum extent allowed by law. The success of our work depends upon the generosity of people like you.

God invites everyone to the joy of the heavenly banquet. All He requires is a sincere response and a willingness for the guest to put on the wedding garment of charity. We invite you to read Fr. Joseph Ruan's latest bilingual Scripture reflection, available below in Chinese and then in English: Scripture Reflection in Chinese 常年期第二十八主日甲年 今天是常年期第二十八主日。今天的读经以盛宴讲述天主的救恩，也提醒我们真心回应天主的召叫。福音中，耶稣以国王为儿子摆设婚宴的比喻，表明天主愿意邀请万民分享他的生命。天主诚心邀请，人也要真心接受恩宠，悔改更新，才能分享天国的福乐。 耶稣说：“天国好比一个国王，为儿子摆设婚宴”（玛22:2）。婚宴是分享喜乐的场合，主人预备丰盛的食物，邀请宾客欢聚一堂。在这个比喻中，国王代表天父，儿子代表耶稣。天父派遣圣子来到世上，耶稣藉着苦难、死亡和复活，为人打开通向永生的道路。婚宴所表达的，就是天主愿意人通过基督，分享祂救恩的喜乐。 国王派仆人去邀请宾客，客人却不愿意来。他又派另一批仆人，告诉他们：“一切都齐备了。请来参加婚宴吧！”然而，有人不理睬，去耕田；有人去做生意；还有人凌辱并杀死仆人（玛22:3-6）。国王一再派人邀请，表示出他的诚意；宾客的冷漠和暴行，则表明他们对邀请的拒绝。耶稣讲这个比喻时，面对的是司祭长和民间长老（玛22:1）。这些话表明了他们面对天主召叫时的态度：天主曾派遣先知，劝人听从他、归向他，却有人拒绝接受先知，甚至迫害他们；如今，天主的圣子亲自来到，这些领袖仍然拒绝接受他。 国王震怒，派军队惩罚凶手，焚烧他们的城市（玛22:7）。这段严厉的情节，表明拒绝接受天主、迫害天主派遣的先知，会带来严重的后果。耶稣借此提醒人们，天主的召叫需要人郑重回应。国王随后吩咐仆人：“你们到各路口去，凡是你们遇到的人，都请来参加婚宴。”仆人便把所遇到的，无论坏人好人，都召集了来，婚宴上坐满了客人（玛22:9-10）。这句话充满仁慈与希望：天主邀请罪人，给人悔改、获得赦免和重新开始的机会。人能够来到天主面前，首先是因为天主主动的召叫，愿意赐给人救恩。 国王进入婚宴，看见一个人没有穿婚宴礼服，就问他：“朋友，你没有穿婚宴礼服，怎么就到这里来呢？”那人默默无语，最终被绑住手脚，丢到外面的黑暗中（玛22:11-13）。在故事中，“外面的黑暗”就是婚宴所在的厅堂之外、没有宴席灯光的黑暗地方。那个人被赶出去，不能再与宾客一起分享婚宴的喜乐。“哀号和切齿”描写他痛苦、懊悔的处境。在耶稣所讲的天国比喻中，这个情节也提醒人们：最终被排除在天国的喜乐之外，是何等严重的损失。 前面说坏人好人都受到邀请，后面又要求穿上礼服，这两部分应当连在一起理解：天主愿意接纳罪人，也愿意使罪人悔改更新。邀请向所有人敞开，接受邀请的人也要作出相称的回应。在教会的传统理解中，婚宴礼服常代表爱德，就是爱天主、爱人的心。人领受天主的恩宠，就应当让恩宠改变自己的心，活出新的生命。 圣保禄说，受洗归于基督的人已经“穿上了基督”（迦3:27）。“穿上基督”，就是属于耶稣，接受他的教导，靠着他的恩宠，学习他的爱。婚宴礼服的意义也可以由此理解：进入婚宴的人，要以更新的生命回应国王的邀请。天主召叫人来到他面前，赐给人赦罪的恩宠，也召叫人离开罪恶，活出爱德。 耶稣最后说：“被召请的人多，被选上的人少”（玛22:14）。“被召请”，就是受到邀请；“被选上”，就是最后获准留下，分享宴席。比喻中，有人受到邀请却拒绝前来，也有人虽然来了，却没有穿上婚宴礼服。因此，受到邀请，并不表示最后一定能分享婚宴。耶稣以这句话提醒我们：天主召叫人进入天国，人也要真心接受，悔改更新，活出爱德。这句话没有给出得救人数的比例，而是提醒听众认真回应天主的恩宠。 第一篇读经中，依撒意亚先知说，万军的上主要为万民摆设盛宴，预备丰美的食物和上等的陈酒（依25:6）。这与福音中“凡是你们遇到的人，都请来”的邀请相呼应，表明天主愿意万民分享他的救恩。先知还说，天主要掀去遮住万民的“丧帕”和掩盖各国的“殓布”，并且“永远消除死亡”（依25:7-8）。“丧帕”是带有丧事、哀悼意味的遮盖之布，用来表达死亡所带来的悲伤；“殓布”则是覆盖或包裹死者身体的布。在这段圣言中，先知用这些布作比喻，表明死亡和悲伤好像一层沉重的遮盖，笼罩着全人类。天主许诺掀去这层遮盖，就是许诺战胜死亡，赐给人永远的生命。 天主还要“从每个人的脸上拭去眼泪”（依25:8）。这句话十分亲切，就像母亲看见孩子哭了，替他擦掉眼泪。天主知道人的痛苦，也愿意亲自安慰人。这个许诺在耶稣基督的复活中开始实现，并将在救恩圆满时完全实现：死亡被消除，眼泪被拭去，人永远生活在天主的爱内。因此，人们欢呼：“这是我们所期待的拯救我们的天主”（依25:9）。天国的盛宴所带来的，正是这份永不消逝的生命与喜乐。 第二篇读经中，圣保禄说：“我仰赖加强我力量的那一位，任何事都能做”（斐4:13）。他所说的“任何事”，是指无论饱足或饥饿、富裕或贫乏，都能靠着基督的扶持，继续忠于天主（斐4:12）。顺境也好，逆境也好，基督都是他的力量。保禄也感谢斐理伯信友分担他的困苦，并相信天主会在基督耶稣内满足他们的需要（斐4:14、19）。这里既有对天主的信赖，也有信友之间具体的关怀，让我们看见爱德如何结出果实。召叫人的救主，也扶持人回应；赐给人恩宠的天主，也帮助人活出新的生命。 今天，让我们怀着感恩来到耶稣面前，求耶稣以自己的圣体圣血养育我们，使我们真心接受天父的邀请，悔改更新，穿上爱德的礼服。愿我们在各种境遇中，都能靠着基督的力量忠于天主，直到有一天，与诸圣一起，在天国的盛宴中分享永远的福乐。阿们。 Scripture Reflection in English Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A Today is the Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Today’s readings describe God’s salvation through the image of a feast and call us to respond sincerely to his invitation. In the Gospel, Jesus tells the parable of a king who prepares a wedding feast for his son. This story expresses God’s desire to invite all peoples to share his life. God extends his invitation with love, and we are called to receive his grace, repent, and live a renewed life so that we may share the joy of his kingdom. Jesus compares the kingdom of heaven to “a king who gave a wedding feast for his son” (Mt 22:2). A wedding banquet is an occasion of shared joy: the host prepares a generous meal and welcomes guests to celebrate together. In this parable, the king represents God the Father, and the son represents Jesus. The Father sends his Son into the world, and through his suffering, death, and resurrection, Jesus opens the way to eternal life. The wedding feast expresses God’s desire that we enter into communion with him through Christ and share the joy of salvation. The king sends servants to invite the guests, but they refuse to come. He sends other servants to tell them that everything is ready. Some ignore the invitation and return to their farms or businesses; others mistreat and kill the servants (Mt 22:3-6). The king’s repeated invitation expresses his sincerity, while the guests’ indifference and violence demonstrate their rejection of that invitation. Jesus addresses this parable to the chief priests and elders (Mt 22:1). His words describe their response to God’s call. God had sent prophets to call his people back to him, but some refused to accept those prophets and even persecuted them. Now God’s Son stands before these leaders, and they still refuse to accept him. The king becomes enraged and sends troops to punish the murderers and burn their city (Mt 22:7). This severe episode expresses the serious consequences of refusing to accept God and persecuting the prophets he sends. Jesus reminds his audience to take God’s call seriously. The king then sends his servants to the main roads to invite whomever they find. They gather everyone, “bad and good alike,” and the wedding hall fills with guests (Mt 22:9-10). These words offer mercy and hope. God also invites sinners, giving them the opportunity to repent, receive forgiveness, and begin again. Our coming into God’s presence begins with his initiative: he calls us and desires to give us salvation. When the king enters the wedding hall, he finds a guest without a wedding garment and asks how he came in without one. The man has no answer. His hands and feet are bound, and he is cast into the darkness outside (Mt 22:11-13). Within the story, “the darkness outside” means the dark place beyond the wedding hall, away from the light of the celebration. The man is expelled and can no longer share the guests’ joy. “Wailing and grinding of teeth” describes his suffering and anguish. Within Jesus’ parable of the kingdom, this scene also warns of the profound loss of being excluded from the joy of heaven. The invitation to both bad and good, and the requirement of a wedding garment, belong together. God welcomes sinners and calls them to repentance and a renewed life. The invitation is open to everyone, and those who accept it are called to respond in a fitting way. In the Church’s traditional understanding, the wedding garment often represents charity: love of God and love of neighbor. Those who receive God’s grace are called to let that grace transform their hearts and shape a new way of life. Saint Paul writes that those baptized into Christ have “clothed yourselves with Christ” (Gal 3:27). Belonging to Jesus means receiving his teaching and, through his grace, learning to love as he loves. These words also help us understand the wedding garment: those who enter the feast are called to respond to the king’s invitation with a renewed life. God calls people into his presence and offers forgiveness, while also calling them to turn away from sin and live in charity. Jesus concludes: “Many are invited, but few are chosen” (Mt 22:14). Being invited means being called to the banquet; being chosen means finally being accepted to remain and share the feast. Some guests refuse to come, while another enters without a wedding garment. Thus, receiving an invitation does not automatically mean sharing the banquet to the end. Jesus calls us to accept God’s invitation sincerely, repent, and live in charity. His words do not provide a numerical estimate of how many will be saved. They remind his audience to respond seriously to God’s grace. In the first reading, Isaiah announces that the LORD of hosts will provide a feast of rich food and choice wines “for all peoples” (Is 25:6). This echoes the Gospel’s invitation to everyone the servants encounter and expresses God’s desire that all peoples share his salvation. Isaiah also says that God will destroy the veil covering all peoples and the web woven over all nations, and that he will “destroy death forever” (Is 25:7-8). A veil is a covering, while a web is something woven and spread across a surface. Here, these images portray death and sorrow as a heavy covering spread over humanity. God promises to remove that covering, overcome death, and give his people lasting life. God will also wipe away “the tears from every face” (Is 25:8). This is a tender image, like a mother gently wiping away the tears of a crying child. God knows human suffering and promises his consolation. This promise begins to be fulfilled in the resurrection of Jesus and will reach its fullness when God’s saving work is complete: death will be overcome, tears will be wiped away, and his people will live forever in his love. They therefore rejoice: “Behold our God, to whom we looked to save us!” (Is 25:9). The heavenly banquet brings this enduring gift of life and joy. In the second reading, Saint Paul says, “I can do all things in him who strengthens me” (Phil 4:13). His meaning is given by the preceding verse: whether well fed or hungry, living in abundance or in need, he can remain faithful through the strength Christ gives him (Phil 4:12). Christ sustains him in both favorable and difficult circumstances. Paul also thanks the Philippians for sharing in his distress and trusts that God will supply their needs in Christ Jesus (Phil 4:14, 19). Here, confidence in God is joined to practical care for another person. We see charity bearing fruit. The Savior who calls us also strengthens us to respond; the God who gives us grace helps us live a renewed life. Today, let us come before Jesus with gratitude and ask him to nourish us with his Body and Blood, so that we may sincerely accept the Father’s invitation, repent, and put on the garment of charity. May the strength Christ gives us help us remain faithful to God in every circumstance, until we join the saints at the heavenly banquet and share its everlasting joy. Fr. (Joseph) Guozhang Ruan was born and ordained in China. After serving in parish ministry in the Diocese of Mindong, Fujian, he pursued advanced studies in moral theology in Rome, earning a doctorate from the Pontifical Lateran University. Since coming to the United States in 2004, he has served in several parishes in the Archdiocese of New York. He is currently the Director of the Chinese Apostolate for the Archdiocese of New York and Parochial Vicar of Holy Rosary Church on Staten Island. His ministry focuses on serving Chinese Catholics, promoting evangelization, and fostering greater understanding between the Church in China and the universal Church. ---------------------- The USCCA is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization. Your donations are tax-deductible to the maximum extent allowed by law. The success of our work depends upon the generosity of people like you.

Tertullian once famously asked, “What does Athens have to do with Jerusalem?” The USCCA community considers a similar question today: What does Chinese art have to do with Christian faith? On Thursday, October 29, 2026, the USCCA Friendship Happy Hour will explore the relationship between traditional Chinese art and Christian spirituality. The 7th chapter of the Analects describes Confucius’s pedagogical vision for his students: 志于道 据于德 依于仁 游于艺 (《论语》7.6). In translation: Aspire to the Dao, build upon Virtue, depend on human-heartedness, and wander freely in the arts. In this vision, the arts are intimately interwoven with the pursuit of Dao and the life of virtue. How does this vision apply in the context of Christian faith? Traditional Chinese art forms such as Tai Chi and landscape painting are no longer strange fixtures in the West. Many American Christians have taken an interest in them and cultivated a personal practice. Some have even integrated their experience of Chinese arts with a formal reflection on their Christian faith. Take, for example, Dr. Bede Benjamin Bidlack, a systematic theologian at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, New Hampshire, who practices Tai Chi and gave a talk at the 2026 USCCA conference about the interesting points of contact between Tai Chi and the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises. Dr. Bidlack engages deeply with the theological relationship between body, soul, and spirit, and finds his knowledge and practice of Tai Chi a helpful inspiration. Or Fr. Henri Capdeville, an Episcopalian priest serving at St. Michael and All Angels church in Tucson, Arizona, who spent 43 years as a Benedictine monk and priest. He has practiced Tai Chi as a meaningful part of his monastic life since 1978. He has found that Tai Chi fits quite well with Christian monastic spirituality. Or Ms. Terri McNichol, an award-winning artist and former museum director residing in New Jersey. Ms. McNichol is now President of Ren Associates, a consulting business for transformational leadership that applies Asian Wisdom traditions. In her published articles, she has shared profound thoughts about how Chinese landscape art can inspire a different way of being and acting, with positive ramifications for inner development, leadership, and sustainability. Join us on Thursday, October 29, 2026, at 7 pm ET to hear directly from these three experts. To register, click the link below: The USCCA Friendship Happy Hour is a round-table virtual conversation designed for mutual learning and fellowship within the USCCA community. It is not an academic lecture but a semi-structured conversation that allows specialists, clergy, religious, and laity to exchange their minds and hearts. We will discuss important topics of faith and culture in the spirit of friendship and dialogue. Join us! ---------------------- The USCCA is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization. Your donations are tax-deductible to the maximum extent allowed by law. The success of our work depends upon the generosity of people like you.

Photo by Kathy Stout, St. Anthony's Church in Shenzhen, China Today’s readings show us that God lovingly cultivates his people, sends his prophets, and finally sends his own Son, expecting them to bear fruit in justice and faithfulness. His grace brings a calling, and what he entrusts to us calls for a response. We invite you to read more in Fr. Joseph Ruan's latest bilingual Scripture reflection, included below in Chinese and then in English: Scripture Reflection in Chinese 常年期第二十七主日（甲年） 今天我们庆祝常年期第二十七主日。所宣读的圣经以葡萄园为中心，讲述天主怎样爱护自己的子民，也说明他期待什么样的果实。福音中的恶佃户一再拒绝园主的使者，最后连园主的儿子也被杀害。然而，人的拒绝并没有使天主的救恩计划落空：被弃而不用的石头，竟成了屋角的基石。 福音的比喻从园主的细心预备开始。他栽种葡萄园，围上篱笆，掘好榨酒池，筑起瞭望台，然后把葡萄园租给佃户，就远行去了（玛21:33）。这些细节呼应依撒意亚先知的葡萄园之歌，使人想到天主对以色列子民的悉心照顾。园主先作了充分的预备，才把葡萄园交托出去；他对出产的要求，建立在先前的照顾与托付之上。 葡萄园属于园主，佃户受托耕种和管理，并不因此成为葡萄园的主人。到了收成的季节，园主派仆人来收取应得的出产，要求佃户履行约定。然而，佃户却殴打一个，杀害一个，用石头打死另一个。园主再派别的仆人，他们仍遭到同样的对待（玛21:34-36）。佃户一再用暴力拒绝园主的使者，也拒绝承认园主对葡萄园的权利。 比喻中的仆人使人想到天主历代派遣的先知。他们传达天主的圣言，呼唤子民忠于盟约、实行正义，却屡遭拒绝和迫害。园主再次派遣仆人，显出天主持续的呼唤；佃户坚持抗拒，则显出人不愿接受天主的圣言，也不愿结出他所期待的果实。 最后，园主派遣了自己的儿子，心想他们会尊敬他（玛21:37）。儿子的到来，把比喻推到了紧要关头。他与先前的仆人不同：他是继承人，与园主有着独一无二的关系。在这里，耶稣启示了自己的身份和使命——他就是父所派遣的圣子。 佃户认出这是继承人，却彼此商议，要杀害他、夺取他的产业。他们把他推出园外，杀了他（玛21:38-39）。这段叙述预示耶稣将遭到拒绝，并使人想到他将在耶路撒冷城外受难。佃户以为杀了继承人就能占有葡萄园，这一举动却暴露了他们的企图：摆脱园主的权柄，把受托管理的葡萄园据为己有。他们拒绝儿子，也就拒绝了派遣他的园主。 耶稣接着问：园主来到时，会怎样处置这些佃户？司祭长和长老回答，他会严厉惩罚那些恶人，把葡萄园另租给按时交纳出产的佃户（玛21:40-41）。他们承认园主有权追究佃户的责任，却也在回答中说出了针对自身的警告：领受托付的人，必须向托付者负责。 耶稣随即引用圣咏，指出匠人弃而不用的石头，反而成了屋角的基石；这是上主的作为，在人眼中神妙莫测（玛21:42；参咏118:22-23）。这句话使比喻从儿子的死亡，进一步指向基督的复活。人拒绝了耶稣，天主却使他成为救恩的基石。人的罪恶造成真实的伤害，也必受到天主的审判；然而，天主仍在基督内为人开启救恩的道路。 因此，耶稣宣告：天主的国要从“你们”手中夺去，交给能结果实的百姓（玛21:43）。这里的“你们”，直接针对司祭长和民间长老。经文强调的是领受托付者的责任，以及天国子民应当结出的果实。宗教身份和传统地位，都不能代替对天主的忠信。天国是天主的恩赐，领受这份恩赐的百姓，蒙召接受基督、遵行天父的旨意。葡萄园仍然属于天主，受托的人必须按照他的心意照顾它。 读经一进一步说明，天主所期待的果实究竟是什么。依撒意亚先知描述园主的悉心照顾：葡萄园位于肥沃的山冈，土地经过翻耕，石块已经除去，种下的是精选的葡萄树，瞭望台和榨酒池也都齐备（依5:1-2）。园主期待葡萄，结出的却是野葡萄。于是他痛心地问：为自己的葡萄园，还有什么该做而没有做的呢？（依5:4）这句问话邀请耶路撒冷和犹大的居民作出判断，也让他们看清自己的责任。问题出在葡萄园辜负了所领受的照顾，没有结出应有的果实。 先知最后把比喻点破：万军上主的葡萄园就是以色列家，犹大居民就是他所钟爱的幼苗。上主期待正义，看见的却是流血；期待公平，听见的却是冤声（依5:7）。希伯来原文在这里运用了读音相近、意义截然不同的词语，使这份反差格外鲜明，也显出子民的生活与天主的期待相距何等遥远。 天主所期待的果实，是合乎盟约的生活：人的生命受到尊重，受压迫的人得到公正的对待，弱小者的呼声有人聆听。正义与公平，是子民忠于天主应有的表现。流血与冤声则表明，他们的实际生活违背了所领受的盟约。 至于撤去篱笆、拆毁围墙、任凭荆棘丛生，则是先知宣告的审判：天主将撤去保护，让子民面对背弃盟约的严重后果（依5:5-6）。园主悉心照顾葡萄园，也期待它结出应有的果实；子民若持续背弃盟约，就必须为自己的选择负责。 读经一与福音同样以葡萄园为背景，重点却有所不同。依撒意亚责问葡萄园为何结出野葡萄；耶稣则揭露佃户如何拒绝园主的使者和儿子。两篇经文共同指出：天主悉心照顾自己的子民，也要求他们以忠信的生活回应他的恩典。 在读经二中，圣保禄劝斐理伯的信友，在一切事上怀着感恩，以祈祷和恳求把自己的需要告诉天主（斐4:6）。他劝信友不要忧虑，是邀请他们在困难中学习信赖，把真实的挂虑带到天主面前。祈祷使人承认自己的需要，感恩则使人记得已经领受的恩典。信友在恳求中依靠天主，也在感恩中确认他的眷顾。 天主所赐、超越人理解的平安，将在基督耶稣内守护他们的心思意念（斐4:7）。“守护”带有警卫守城的意味：这份平安像卫兵一样看守人的内心，使人身处困境，仍能依靠基督。困难未必立即消失，人却可以在天主的临在中获得力量，继续忠信地生活。 今天的圣经让我们看见：天主以爱栽培自己的子民，派遣先知，最终派遣自己的圣子，并期待他们结出正义与忠信的果实。他的恩典带来召叫，他的托付也要求回应。 我们的生命、时间、能力，以及家庭、工作和教会中的责任，都需要我们怀着感恩善加运用。我们怎样使用这些恩赐，怎样对待交托给我们的人和事，正显出我们是否忠于天主。 Scripture Reflection in English Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A) Today we celebrate the Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time. The Scripture readings centre on the vineyard, revealing God’s loving care for his people and the fruit he expects them to bear. In the Gospel, the wicked tenants repeatedly reject the owner’s servants and finally kill his son. Yet human rejection does not defeat God’s plan of salvation: the stone rejected by the builders becomes the cornerstone. The Gospel parable begins with the owner’s careful preparation. He plants a vineyard, puts a fence around it, digs a winepress, builds a watchtower, and then leases it to tenants and goes away (Mt 21:33). These details echo Isaiah’s Song of the Vineyard, recalling God’s attentive care for the people of Israel. The owner makes every preparation before entrusting the vineyard to others; his claim to its produce follows from the care he has given and the responsibility he has entrusted to them. The vineyard belongs to the owner. The tenants are entrusted with cultivating and managing it, but this does not make them its owners. When harvest time arrives, the owner sends his servants to collect the produce due to him, expecting the tenants to honour their agreement. Instead, they beat one servant, kill another, and stone a third. When the owner sends other servants, they receive the same treatment (Mt 21:34–36). The tenants repeatedly use violence to reject his messengers and refuse to acknowledge his rights over the vineyard. The servants in the parable recall the prophets whom God sent throughout Israel’s history. They proclaimed his word and called his people to covenant faithfulness and justice, yet they repeatedly faced rejection and persecution. The owner’s sending of further servants reveals God’s persistent call; the tenants’ continued resistance reveals humanity’s unwillingness to receive God’s word and bear the fruit he expects. Finally, the owner sends his own son, believing that they will respect him (Mt 21:37). The son’s arrival brings the parable to its decisive moment. He is different from the servants who came before him: he is the heir and stands in a unique relationship with the owner. Here Jesus reveals his identity and mission: he is the Son sent by the Father. The tenants recognise the heir, but they plot to kill him and seize his inheritance. They throw him out of the vineyard and kill him (Mt 21:38–39). This anticipates Jesus’ rejection and recalls his coming suffering and death outside Jerusalem. The tenants imagine that killing the heir will give them possession of the vineyard. Their action exposes their intention: to escape the owner’s authority and claim as their own what was entrusted to their care. In rejecting the son, they also reject the owner who sent him. Jesus then asks what the owner will do to these tenants when he comes. The chief priests and elders answer that he will punish those wicked men severely and lease the vineyard to other tenants who will deliver its produce at the proper time (Mt 21:40–41). They acknowledge the owner’s right to hold the tenants accountable, yet their answer also pronounces a warning against themselves: those entrusted with responsibility must answer to the one who entrusted it to them. Jesus then quotes the psalm, declaring that the stone rejected by the builders has become the cornerstone. This is the Lord’s doing, and it is wonderful in human eyes (Mt 21:42; cf. Ps 118:22–23). These words lead the parable beyond the son’s death towards Christ’s resurrection. Humanity rejects Jesus, but God makes him the cornerstone of salvation. Human sin causes real harm and is subject to God’s judgment; nevertheless, God continues to open the way of salvation through Christ. Jesus therefore declares that the kingdom of God will be taken from “you” and given to a people who will produce its fruit (Mt 21:43). Here, “you” directly addresses the chief priests and the elders of the people. The passage emphasises the responsibility of those entrusted with God’s gifts and the fruit that the people of his kingdom must bear. Religious identity and inherited status cannot take the place of faithfulness to God. The kingdom is God’s gift, and those who receive it are called to welcome Christ and do the Father’s will. The vineyard still belongs to God, and those entrusted with it must care for it according to his purpose. The first reading explains more fully what fruit God expects. Isaiah describes the owner’s attentive care: the vineyard lies on a fertile hillside; the soil has been dug, the stones removed, and choice vines planted. A watchtower and winepress have also been prepared (Is 5:1–2). The owner expects good grapes, but the vineyard yields wild grapes. In sorrow, he asks what more he could have done for it (Is 5:4). His question invites the inhabitants of Jerusalem and Judah to judge for themselves and recognise their responsibility. The vineyard has failed to respond to the care it received and has not produced the fruit it should have borne. The prophet finally explains the image: the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the people of Judah are his cherished planting. The Lord expects justice but sees bloodshed; he expects righteousness but hears cries of distress (Is 5:7). The Hebrew text uses words that sound similar but have sharply different meanings. This makes the contrast especially striking and reveals how far the people’s lives have departed from God’s expectations. The fruit God expects is a life faithful to his covenant: human life is respected, the oppressed receive justice, and the voices of the vulnerable are heard. Justice and righteousness are the proper expressions of the people’s faithfulness to God. Bloodshed and cries of distress reveal that their conduct has violated the covenant they received. The removal of the hedge, the breaking down of the wall, and the growth of thorns express the judgment announced by the prophet: God will withdraw his protection and allow the people to face the grave consequences of breaking the covenant (Is 5:5–6). The owner has cared attentively for the vineyard and expects it to bear good fruit. If the people persist in their unfaithfulness, they must answer for their choices. The first reading and the Gospel both use the vineyard as their setting, but their emphasis differs. Isaiah asks why the vineyard has produced wild grapes; Jesus exposes how the tenants reject the owner’s servants and his son. Together, the two readings show that God cares attentively for his people and calls them to respond to his grace through faithful living. In the second reading, Saint Paul urges the Philippians to bring their needs before God in prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, in every circumstance (Phil 4:6). His exhortation not to worry invites them to learn trust amid difficulty and bring their real anxieties before God. Prayer acknowledges their need, while thanksgiving recalls the grace they have already received. In petition they depend on God; in thanksgiving they recognise his care. The peace God gives, surpassing human understanding, will guard their hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (Phil 4:7). The word “guard” evokes soldiers keeping watch over a city. This peace watches over the heart, helping believers continue to rely on Christ even in difficult circumstances. Their troubles may not disappear immediately, but in God’s presence they can find the strength to remain faithful. Today’s readings show us that God lovingly cultivates his people, sends his prophets, and finally sends his own Son, expecting them to bear fruit in justice and faithfulness. His grace brings a calling, and what he entrusts to us calls for a response. Our lives, our time, our abilities, and our responsibilities in the family, at work, and in the Church all call for grateful and faithful stewardship. How we use these gifts and care for the people and responsibilities entrusted to us reveals whether we are faithful to God. Fr. (Joseph) Guozhang Ruan was born and ordained in China. After serving in parish ministry in the Diocese of Mindong, Fujian, he pursued advanced studies in moral theology in Rome, earning a doctorate from the Pontifical Lateran University. Since coming to the United States in 2004, he has served in several parishes in the Archdiocese of New York. He is currently the Director of the Chinese Apostolate for the Archdiocese of New York and Parochial Vicar of Holy Rosary Church on Staten Island. His ministry focuses on serving Chinese Catholics, promoting evangelization, and fostering greater understanding between the Church in China and the universal Church. ---------------------- The USCCA is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization. Your donations are tax-deductible to the maximum extent allowed by law. The success of our work depends upon the generosity of people like you.

We invite you to join us for a free online public lecture by Rev. Dr. Kim-Kwong Chan. The lecture, entitled "A Tale of Two Churches: The developments and challenges of the Catholic and Protestant communities in China during the past 45 years," will be held on October 22, 2026, at 7:30 PM ET (7:30 AM on October 23 in Chinese Standard Time). Register today! ---------------------- The USCCA is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization. Your donations are tax-deductible to the maximum extent allowed by law. The success of our work depends upon the generosity of people like you.

A letter from Executive Director Benjamin T. OuYang, Ph.D. Dear USCCA Family, I hope you are enjoying the cooler days of fall and time with family and friends. At our USCCA Conference in Houston this summer, I met Father Dave, a priest from New Orleans who ministers within the Chinese Catholic community. As he reflected on the Conference, he spoke not only about what he had learned, but about something perhaps even more important: he was reminded that he is not alone. That simple observation captures something essential about the mission of the US-China Catholic Association. The USCCA brings together people who might otherwise never find one another—priests and parishioners, scholars and students, Chinese Catholics and friends of China, people with decades of experience and those just beginning to discover this ministry. Through these relationships, we strengthen one another in faith, friendship, and service. Our gathering in Houston was one expression of that mission. We are taking steps to carry it forward throughout the year. New USCCA Happy Hour conversations are bringing people together between conferences. A Chinese-language Book Study is creating another opportunity for faith and learning. The Membership program offers opportunities for fellowship and mutual learning. Expanded communications and bilingual resources are helping us reach Chinese Catholic parishes, missions, families, and friends. As these efforts grow, so does the financial support required to sustain them. Your gift to the USCCA Annual Appeal helps us create programs and resources, welcome new participants, strengthen our outreach, and build a community in which people like Father Dave—and the parishes, students, families, and communities they serve—know that they are not alone. This is Faith in Action: Sharing Our Blessings to Strengthen Our USCCA Community. Our Board of Directors is joining in this effort through membership, personal giving, and inviting others to support the mission. Our annual appeal goal is to raise 80K. I invite you to consider making a gift to the USCCA Annual Appeal through this link: If you would prefer to mail a check in support of our mission, please make your gift payable to US-China Catholic Association. Our mailing address is as follows: US-China Catholic Association 1501 N. Oakley Blvd, #214 Chicago, IL 60622 Thank you for believing in this mission and for the many ways you share in it—through your participation, your prayers, your friendship, and your generosity. Together, we can continue to carry forward the mission of USCCA—one relationship, one conversation, and one small step at a time. God bless, Benjamin T. OuYang, Ph.D. Executive Director US-China Catholic Association Dr. Benjamin T. OuYang is the Executive Director of the US-China Catholic Association. Prior to joining the USCCA, he served as a podcast host and coordinator for the US Catholic Missions Association. He has extensive experience in youth ministry, marriage ministry, OCIA, prison ministry, and missionary work. A lifelong educator, Dr. OuYang dedicated thirty-two years to public education, including fifteen years as a school administrator. ---------------------- The USCCA is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization. Your donations are tax-deductible to the maximum extent allowed by law. The success of our work depends upon the generosity of people like you.

Chen Yuandu 陈缘督, no date, Société des Auxiliaires des Missions (SAM) China Photograph Collection, Whitworth University Library, Spokane. The Parable of Two Sons seems straightforward enough: the moral of the lesson is that action speaks louder than words. However, Jesus follows the parable with a startling declaration to his audience: "Tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you!" The story takes a serious turn. We invite you to read more in Fr. Joseph Ruan's latest bilingual Sunday Scripture reflection, included below in Chinese and then in English: Scripture Reflection in Chinese 常年期第二十六主日（甲年） 今天是常年期第二十六主日。福音中，耶稣向司祭长和民间长老讲述两个儿子的比喻：父亲叫他们到葡萄园工作，一个拒绝了，后来却悔悟去了；另一个答应了，后来却没有去。耶稣问他们，哪一个履行了父亲的旨意，他们回答：“大儿子。”（玛21:28–31）故事似乎到这里就可以结束了，教训也似乎十分清楚：做人应当言行一致，答应的事，应当付诸实行。然而，耶稣接着说：“税务员和娼妓要比你们先进天国。”（玛21:31）这句话突然把听众带进了故事。他们原本正在判断两个儿子，如今却发现，耶稣所说的正是他们自己。 要明白这句话的分量，需要留意耶稣随后所作的解释：若翰来了，税务员和娼妓相信了他，司祭长和长老却没有相信；即使看见这些人相信，他们仍不肯回心转意，承认自己先前的拒绝有误，转而相信若翰（玛21:32）。因此，这个比喻所触及的，远比一般的言行一致更深。那些曾以自己的生活拒绝天主的人，开始接受天主的召叫；那些熟悉经书、肩负宗教职责的人，却固步自封，没有接受眼前的邀请。耶稣请他们辨认的，是天主的恩宠正在何处结出果实，也请他们省察，自己为何仍然停在原处。 比喻开始时，父亲称呼儿子：“孩子！”随后才吩咐他今天到葡萄园工作（玛21:28）。这个称呼使整段对话带着父子关系的温度。儿子还没有工作，就已经是父亲的孩子；父亲把工作交给他，也是在邀请他关心家中的事，承担属于这份关系的责任。由此看来，进入葡萄园，不只是完成一项任务，也意味着儿子以实际行动回应父亲。信仰生活同样如此：天主先以慈爱召叫我们，又使我们在服务、正义和爱德中，活出与祂的关系。 第一个儿子回答：“我不去。”这句话显露了他的抗拒。若故事停在这里，他就是一个拒绝父亲的儿子。然而，耶稣说，他后来悔悟，就去了（玛21:29）。这个“后来”，使原本看似确定的结局重新敞开。福音没有描述他内心经历了怎样的挣扎，却让我们看见，他没有继续受自己先前的决定支配。他知错能改，用脚步作出了新的回答。父亲的话曾被他拒绝，后来却真正进入了他的生活。 回头往往需要这样的谦卑。人有时已经知道自己错了，却因为说过的话、维护过的立场，而一意孤行；也可能因为害怕失去面子，迟迟不肯道歉。最初的错误，就这样成了后来更多错误的理由。大儿子的转变使我们看见，人不必为了维护自己而一直错下去。承认错误，并没有使他失去儿子的身份，反而使他重新活出这份身份。他走进葡萄园时，先前的拒绝仍然是事实，但拒绝已经不再是他与父亲关系的最后一句话。所谓迷途知返，在这里有了具体的样子：他起身去做父亲交托的事。 另一个儿子回答：“主，我去。”可是，他没有去（玛21:30）。耶稣没有交代原因，我们也不必揣测他是否从一开始就在敷衍。经文清楚呈现的是，他说了合宜的话，却没有让这句话改变自己的安排。父亲听见了答复，葡萄园却等不到他的脚步。这个儿子的处境尤其容易使熟悉宗教生活的人警醒：我们可能习惯赞同福音，知道应该怎样回答，也能够解释何为正确，却在具体的选择上继续照自己的意思生活。听懂了、赞同了，甚至受到感动了，都还需要身体力行，使所信的成为所行的。 耶稣让司祭长和长老亲口判断，哪个儿子履行了父亲的旨意。他们答对了，却没有把这个判断用在自己身上。比喻中，他们承认一个拒绝过父亲的人可以回头；现实中，他们却没有因税务员和娼妓的相信，而重新审视自己对若翰的拒绝（玛21:31–32）。他们能够辨认故事里的悔改，却没有接受发生在眼前的悔改所带来的召叫。福音也由此追问我们：我们读经时，是否很容易想到别人应该改变什么，却很少反躬自省，让经文纠正自己的判断？ 耶稣特别强调，他们看见了以后，仍然没有回头相信若翰（玛21:32）。罪人的悔改，本来是一件使人赞美天主的事：破碎的生命开始得到修复，远离天主的人重新聆听祂的话。然而，别人的改变也可能触动我们不肯放下的优越感。一个人开始悔改，我们便需要重新认识他，不能抱残守缺，永远以他的过去定义他。那个曾被我们责备的人，也可能在某一刻，比我们更认真地回应天主。此时，我们能否为他喜乐，能否见贤思齐，承认自己也需要学习？天主施恩给别人，也可能正在借此召叫我们回头。 因此，“税务员和娼妓要比你们先进天国”是一句严肃的警告，也是一份仍然敞开的邀请（玛21:31）。他们走在前面，是因为相信了若翰，接受了悔改的召叫；他们的罪并没有因此被说成无关紧要。司祭长和长老也不能凭借身份与知识，代替对天主的信从。耶稣此刻仍向他们说话，正催促他们接受同一份救恩。读经一帮助我们明白：恶人弃恶从善、遵行正义，就能获得生命；义人若离弃正义，也不能靠过去的善行保障自己（则18:25–28）。人的过去需要诚实面对，天主今天的召叫也需要今天的回应。 父亲说：“你今天到葡萄园里去工作吧。”（玛21:28）“今天”使整个比喻带着迫切感，也带着希望。已经答应的人，不能无限期地推迟；曾经拒绝的人，也不必认定一切已经太迟。我们生命中，或许都有一处尚未进入的葡萄园：一段明知需要修复却始终搁置的关系，一项应当承担却反复推卸的责任，一种知道伤害别人却不肯停止的做法。天主的召叫，往往就在这些具体的事情上等待我们的回应。回头从这里开始，信德也在脚踏实地的行动中获得可见的形体。 然而，认识自己的迟疑与抗拒，还需要求天主赐下改变的力量。读经二使我们仰望讲述这个比喻的耶稣：祂“空虚自己，取了奴仆的形体”，并且“自谦自卑，服从至死，而且死在十字架上”（斐2:7–8）。祂以整个生命承行天父的旨意，也以自己的交付，为罪人打开与天父和好的道路。保禄劝勉信友怀有基督的心情（斐2:5），正帮助我们深入理解回头所需要的谦卑：放下对自己的维护，接受真理的纠正，关心别人的需要。我们与基督结合，就能从祂领受重新起步的力量，在日常生活中学习舍己为人。 今天的福音结束时，司祭长和长老已经作出判断，他们自己的回应却仍摆在面前。耶稣的邀请同样临到我们：先前的拒绝可以被悔改更新，已经说出的承诺需要以行动完成。在感恩祭中，我们领受那位完全承行父旨意的基督，回答“阿们”，宣认信德，也把自己的软弱带到祂面前。走出圣堂以后，那件一直推迟的善事、那个需要关怀的人、那份等待承担的责任，就是这句“阿们”需要抵达的地方。父亲今天仍在召叫，我们可以依靠基督的恩宠，起身走进祂的葡萄园，在每一天的生活中忠信不渝。 Scripture Reflection in English Twenty-Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A) Today we celebrate the Twenty-Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time. In the Gospel, Jesus tells the chief priests and elders a brief parable about two sons. A father asks both to work in his vineyard. One refuses but later changes his mind and goes; the other agrees but never goes. When Jesus asks which son did his father’s will, they answer, “The first” (Mt 21:28–31). The lesson seems straightforward: our actions should match our words. Yet Jesus continues with a startling declaration: tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of them (Mt 21:31). Suddenly, those listening are drawn into the story. They thought they were judging two sons; now they discover that Jesus is speaking about them. Jesus explains why: John came to them, and the tax collectors and prostitutes believed him, but the chief priests and elders did not. Even after seeing others believe, they did not reconsider their refusal and believe John themselves (Mt 21:32). The parable therefore reaches beyond the familiar lesson of keeping our promises. People whose lives had contradicted God’s commands were beginning to respond to his call, while those entrusted with religious leadership resisted it. Jesus asks them to recognize where God’s grace is bearing fruit and to examine why they themselves remain unmoved. At the beginning of the parable, the father addresses his son as his child before asking him to work in the vineyard (Mt 21:28). The request arises within a relationship. The son belongs to the family before he does any work, and the father invites him to share responsibility for what belongs to their common life. Entering the vineyard means responding to that relationship through action. This helps us understand our own calling. God first draws us to himself in love, then calls us to express our relationship with him through service, justice, and charity. The first son answers bluntly: “I will not.” If the story ended there, we would know him simply as the son who refused his father. But Jesus tells us that he later changed his mind and went (Mt 21:29). That word “later” opens a future that his refusal seemed to have closed. The Gospel does not describe his inner struggle. It shows us that his first decision did not have to govern every decision that followed. He recognized his mistake and gave a new answer through his actions. The father’s request, initially rejected, eventually shaped the course of his day. Returning requires this kind of humility. Sometimes we know that we are wrong, yet continue defending a position because we have already argued for it. Sometimes we delay an apology because we fear losing face. An initial mistake then becomes the reason for further mistakes. The first son shows us that we do not have to keep going in the wrong direction simply to protect our pride. Acknowledging his fault did not make him less of a son; it allowed him to live more faithfully as one. When he entered the vineyard, his earlier refusal remained part of his history, but it was no longer his final answer to his father. The other son responds respectfully, “I go, sir,” but does not go (Mt 21:30). Jesus gives no explanation, so we need not assume that he intended to deceive his father from the beginning. What matters is that his respectful answer never became an act of obedience. His father received an assurance, but the vineyard received no worker. Here the parable speaks particularly closely to those familiar with religious life. We may readily agree with the Gospel, know the appropriate responses, and explain what is right, while continuing to make our choices on our own terms. Understanding, agreement, and even deep emotion still need to become faithful action. Jesus invites the chief priests and elders to identify the obedient son. They answer correctly, yet fail to apply their judgment to themselves. Within the story, they recognize that someone who has refused his father can turn back. In the events before their eyes, however, the faith of tax collectors and prostitutes does not lead them to reconsider their rejection of John (Mt 21:31–32). They recognize repentance in a parable but resist its challenge in real life. This raises a searching question for us: when we hear Scripture, do we readily think of someone else who needs to change, while rarely allowing it to correct our own judgments? Jesus emphasizes that even after seeing what happened, they did not change their minds and believe John (Mt 21:32). The repentance of sinners should have been a reason to praise God: people who had wandered far from him were beginning to listen. Yet another person’s conversion can also challenge our sense of superiority. When someone changes, we must be prepared to see that person anew instead of defining them forever by their past. Someone we once rightly corrected may now respond to God more faithfully than we do. Can we rejoice in that? Can we humbly learn from them? God’s grace at work in another person may also be his invitation for us to turn back. The declaration that tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom ahead of the religious leaders is therefore both a serious warning and an invitation (Mt 21:31). They are going ahead because they believed John and accepted his call to repentance. Their sins have not become insignificant, and the chief priests and elders cannot substitute religious standing or knowledge for faith. Jesus is still speaking to them, urging them to receive the salvation offered to them. The first reading supports this message: those who turn from wickedness and act justly can live, while those who abandon righteousness cannot rely on their past goodness to secure their future (Ez 18:25–28). We must face our past honestly, while responding faithfully to God in the present. The father asks his son to work in the vineyard “today” (Mt 21:28). That word carries both urgency and hope. Those who have agreed cannot postpone their response indefinitely; those who have refused need not assume that it is already too late. Each of us may have some part of the vineyard we have yet to enter: a relationship we know needs healing, a responsibility we repeatedly avoid, or a harmful practice we know we must stop. God’s call often meets us in these ordinary circumstances. Repentance begins there, and faith takes visible form through concrete action. Recognizing our resistance, however, also brings us to ask for the grace to change. The second reading directs our attention to Jesus, the one telling this parable. He emptied himself, took the form of a servant, and became obedient even to death on a cross (Phil 2:7–8). He fulfilled the Father’s will through the gift of his whole life and opened the way for sinners to be reconciled with God. Paul’s invitation to share the mind of Christ illuminates the humility that repentance requires: relinquishing our self-defence, accepting correction, and attending to the needs of others (Phil 2:3–5). In communion with Christ, we receive the strength to begin again and to grow in self-giving love. At the end of the Gospel, the chief priests and elders have given their judgment, but their own response remains before them. Christ’s invitation also reaches us: an earlier refusal can give way to repentance, and a spoken promise can become faithful action. In the Eucharist, we receive the Son who perfectly fulfills the Father’s will. Our “Amen” professes our faith as we bring our weakness before him. Beyond the church doors, that “Amen” finds expression in the good we have postponed, the person who needs our care, and the responsibility awaiting our attention. The Father is still calling today. Through the grace of Christ, we can rise, enter his vineyard, and persevere in the work he entrusts to us. Fr. (Joseph) Guozhang Ruan was born and ordained in China. After serving in parish ministry in the Diocese of Mindong, Fujian, he pursued advanced studies in moral theology in Rome, earning a doctorate from the Pontifical Lateran University. Since coming to the United States in 2004, he has served in several parishes in the Archdiocese of New York. He is currently the Director of the Chinese Apostolate for the Archdiocese of New York and Parochial Vicar of Holy Rosary Church on Staten Island. His ministry focuses on serving Chinese Catholics, promoting evangelization, and fostering greater understanding between the Church in China and the universal Church. ---------------------- The USCCA is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization. Your donations are tax-deductible to the maximum extent allowed by law. The success of our work depends upon the generosity of people like you.

Photo by Kathy Stout, Holy Family church in Wuhan, China At the end of each month, the USCCA compiles a brief list of interesting news articles about Chinese Catholicism. Here is an aggregate of links for September 2026. Upcoming USCCA Friendship Happy Hour discussion: "Chinese Arts and Christian Spirituality," October 29, 2026. Antonio Spadaro, SJ, “Sino-Vatican Deal: 8 Years, 18 Chinese Bishops,” Global Catholic, Sept 11, 2026. Marta Zhao, “Andrew Ding Yang Ordained Archbishop of Chongqing,” Agenzia Fides, Sept 8, 2026. Marta Zhao, “Paul Liu Honggang Ordained Bishop of Datong,” Agenzia Fides, Aug 31, 2026. ---------------------- The USCCA is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization. Your donations are tax-deductible to the maximum extent allowed by law. The success of our work depends upon the generosity of people like you.

Photo by Kathy Stout, St. Anthony's Church, Shenzhen, China Today's Gospel teaches us the paradox of God's generosity: The last will be first, and the first will be last. May we grow in gratitude rather than resentment, in faithfulness rather than rivalry. We invite you to read the latest reflection from Fr. Joseph Ruan, included below in Chinese and then in English: Scripture Reflection in Chinese 常年期第二十五主日（甲年） 今天是常年期第二十五主日，今天的福音借着葡萄园工人的比喻，邀请我们省察自己怎样理解公平，也学习天主怎样看待人。清晨进入葡萄园的工人，劳苦受热了一整天；傍晚才来的人，只工作了一个小时，最后却领到同样的工资。先来的工人便抱怨说：“这些最后雇来的人，只工作了一个小时，你竟把他们与我们这整天劳苦受热的，一样看待。”（玛20:12）如果我们是先来的工人，也许同样意难平：付出不同，为什么所得一样？ 现代社会讲究按劳分配，也常按工作的成果决定酬劳。付出更多劳动、承担更大责任、创造更多价值，通常应当得到相应的回报。这合乎常理，因为劳动值得尊重，辛苦不应被轻视。不过，按工时计算与按成果计算，也未必得出相同的报酬。人的公平需要考虑不同因素，不能只凭一把尺子。尤其需要了解：工作成果可以作为计酬的依据，却不能用来衡量一个人的全部价值。有人能力强、机会多，容易有所成就；有人同样尽心，却因疾病、年老或缺少机会，成果有限，加上男女有别。若只看产出，不问处境，就容易以偏概全。 福音中，最后受雇的人说：“因为没有人雇我们。”（玛20:7）他们并非好逸恶劳，也并非故意拖延。先来的工人看见他们只工作了一小时，家主却看见他需要养家糊口。我们容易从一个人的表现判断人，天主却认识人的整个生命，包括我们看不见的困难与挣扎。家主从清晨到傍晚，多次出去寻找工人，正让我们体会这份关怀。人有时急于论资排辈，天主却不断向人发出邀请；人容易根据过去下定论，天主仍为愿意回应的人打开大门。 那么，天主的慷慨是否有失公义？家主说：“朋友！我并没有亏负你，你不是和我议定了一个银币吗？”（玛20:13）他信守承诺，没有扣减先来者应得的工资；随后又说：“我愿意给这最后来的和给你的一样多。”（玛20:14）这份额外的给予，由家主自己承担。在这个比喻中，他既向先来者守信，也向后来者施恩。天主的公平包含祂对人的信实，祂的慷慨没有以亏待别人为代价。因此，这个比喻不能直接成为现实中的工资制度，更不能用来要求受亏待的人保持沉默。应付的工资、应负的责任，必须认真履行；关怀有需要的人，也不能成为侵害他人权益的借口。 先来工人的困扰在于：原先接受的工资，因为别人得到同样的数目，忽然变得难以接受。自己所得虽没有减少，心中的尺度却改变了。我们也可能如此：起初盼望辛苦得到肯定，后来却需要别人少得一些，才觉得心里平衡。别人受称赞，我们便耿耿于怀；别人有机会，我们便觉得自己吃亏。家主问：“还是因为我心好，你就嫉妒吗？”（玛20:15）这句话值得反复省察：我们所追求的公平，是让每个人得到应有的尊重，还是自己必须高人一等？据理力争合理待遇，与嫉妒别人蒙恩，需要分辨清楚。 这份分辨也适用于信仰生活。我们若把计酬的方式带进与天主的关系，就容易认为：自己进堂多年、奉献不少，理应比后来者得到更多的爱。然而，天主的恩典并不按工时计价。早日认识天主，包含多年的奉献，也包含多年受到圣言滋养、在软弱中得到扶持。应该饮水思源，我们记得自己为天主做了什么，也要记得天主怎样陪伴我们走到今天。答唱咏说：“上主亲近所有呼求他的人，所有诚心诚意呼求他的人。”（咏145:18）一个刚刚回头的人，同样可以诚心呼求上主；他得到宽恕，并没有减少我们所领受的恩宠。 第一篇读经说：“因为我的思念不是你们的思念，你们的道路也不是我的道路。”（依55:8）这句话的前文，正是邀请罪人归向天主：“他该归附上主，上主必会怜悯他；他该归附我们的天主，因为他富于仁慈。”（依55:7）天主道路的高远，在这里显露为宽恕的丰厚。人可能认定某个人已经无可救药，天主却仍呼唤他改过自新。不过，仁慈也要求回应。先知说：“罪人应离开自己的道路，恶人该抛弃自己的思念。”（依55:7）后来受雇的人，也确实进入葡萄园工作。我们既不应因过去的失败而灰心，也不应把悔改一拖再拖。 第二篇读经中的保禄，为我们指出奉献的方向。他说：“因为对我来说，基督就是生命，死亡就是获益。”（斐1:21）他渴望与基督在一起，也顾念信友的需要：“但是我活在世上，为你们却更重要。”（斐1:24）他衡量劳苦的意义，关心基督是否受到光荣，弟兄姊妹是否得到益处。这样的心，使人愿意成人之美。我们服务团体、陪伴信友，若看见别人因此成长，就能认出自己付出的果实，不必处处比较谁更受重视。 耶稣最后说：“这样，落后的将要领先，领先的反而落后。”（玛20:16a）这提醒我们，信仰资历不能成为居功自傲的凭据。身在葡萄园中，还要学习园主的心意。多年默默服务的人，应当得到感谢与嘉奖；刚刚来到教会的人，也需要欢迎与陪伴。推己及人，我们能够珍惜自己的辛苦，也体谅别人的处境；能够坚持公义，并愿意慷慨相助。少一些斤斤计较，多一些感恩与宽厚，在忠信中成长，在奉献中体会喜乐，也为每一个回应天主召叫的人真诚祝福。 Scripture Reflection in English Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A) Today we celebrate Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Today’s Gospel invites us to examine our understanding of fairness and to learn how God sees people. The laborers hired at dawn work through the burden and heat of the day. Those hired toward evening work only one hour, yet receive the same wage. The first workers complain: “These last ones worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us, who bore the day's burden and the heat.” (Mt 20:12) If we were in their place, we might feel the same resentment. Why should different amounts of work receive the same reward? Modern society generally links pay to work performed or results achieved. Greater effort, heavier responsibility, and higher productivity normally deserve greater compensation. This is reasonable: work deserves respect, and effort should not be taken for granted. Yet paying by hours and paying by results can produce different outcomes. Fairness requires careful judgment. Above all, a person’s output may help determine their wages, but it cannot measure their entire worth. Some people have strong abilities and abundant opportunities. Others work just as faithfully but face illness, age, limited opportunities, or discrimination. If we judge only by results, we risk overlooking the person. In the Gospel, the last workers explain why they are still waiting: “Because no one has hired us.” (Mt 20:7) The passage gives us no reason to assume that they were lazy or deliberately avoiding work. The first workers notice how little these men have done; the landowner notices that they have been left without employment. We can imagine their concern about providing for themselves and their households. We often judge people by what is visible, while God knows their whole lives, including struggles hidden from us. The landowner’s repeated journeys into the marketplace reveal his concern. Even as the day draws to a close, he continues to invite people into his vineyard. Does this generosity come at the expense of justice? The landowner replies: “My friend, I am not cheating you. Did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage?” (Mt 20:13) He has kept his promise and withheld nothing owed to the first workers. He then asks: “What if I wish to give this last one the same as you?” (Mt 20:14) The additional gift comes from his own resources. He honors his agreement with the first workers and treats the last with generosity. God’s justice includes faithfulness to his promises; his generosity does not require cheating anyone. This parable should therefore never become an excuse for unfair wages or for silencing those who suffer injustice. Wages owed must be paid, responsibilities fulfilled, and workers treated with dignity. Charity toward some cannot justify mistreatment of others. The first workers’ difficulty is that a wage they had accepted now seems insufficient because others receive the same amount. Their pay has not changed; their measure of fairness has. We can recognize this tendency in ourselves. We begin by wanting our efforts appreciated, but gradually we may need someone else to receive less before we feel satisfied. Another person’s praise becomes our grievance. Another person’s opportunity feels like our loss. The landowner asks: “Are you envious because I am generous?” (Mt 20:15) His question invites an honest examination of conscience. Do we want everyone to receive proper respect, or do we need to stand above others? Defending our legitimate rights and resenting another person’s blessings are different things. This distinction matters in our life of faith. If we approach God as though we were negotiating payment, we may assume that years of worship and service entitle us to more love than someone who has only recently returned. Yet grace cannot be calculated by the hour. Knowing God from an early age means years of commitment, but it means years of being nourished by his word and sustained in weakness. Gratitude asks us to remember the source of what we have received. Alongside what we have done for God, we should recall how God has carried us. Today’s psalm says: “The LORD is near to all who call upon him, to all who call upon him in truth.” (Ps 145:18) Someone returning today can call upon him sincerely. The mercy they receive takes nothing away from the grace already given to us. The first reading declares: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the LORD.” (Is 55:8) These words follow an invitation to repentance: “let him turn to the LORD for mercy; to our God, who is generous in forgiving.” (Is 55:7) Here, the greatness of God’s ways is revealed in the abundance of his forgiveness. We may decide that someone is beyond hope; God continues to call that person to a new beginning. His mercy calls for a response: “Let the scoundrel forsake his way, and the wicked his thoughts.” (Is 55:7) The workers hired late accept the invitation and enter the vineyard. Past failure need not lead to despair, and present mercy should never become an excuse to postpone repentance. In the second reading, Saint Paul shows us how to understand the purpose of our labor. He says: “For to me life is Christ, and death is gain.” (Phil 1:21) He longs to be with Christ, yet remains concerned for the community: “Yet that I remain in the flesh is more necessary for your benefit.” (Phil 1:24) He measures his labor by whether Christ is glorified and others are helped. Such a heart can rejoice in another person’s growth. When our service helps someone deepen their faith or find the courage to return, we can recognize the fruit of our efforts. We do not have to keep comparing who receives more attention. Jesus concludes: “Thus, the last will be first, and the first will be last.” (Mt 20:16a) Years of faithfulness should never become grounds for claiming superiority. Being in the vineyard means continuing to learn the heart of its owner. Those who have served quietly for years deserve gratitude and support; those just arriving need welcome and companionship. We can value our own efforts while remaining attentive to another person’s circumstances. We can uphold justice and give generously. May we grow in gratitude rather than resentment, in faithfulness rather than rivalry, and in the joy of welcoming every person who answers God’s call. Fr. (Joseph) Guozhang Ruan was born and ordained in China. After serving in parish ministry in the Diocese of Mindong, Fujian, he pursued advanced studies in moral theology in Rome, earning a doctorate from the Pontifical Lateran University. Since coming to the United States in 2004, he has served in several parishes in the Archdiocese of New York. He is currently the Director of the Chinese Apostolate for the Archdiocese of New York and Parochial Vicar of Holy Rosary Church on Staten Island. His ministry focuses on serving Chinese Catholics, promoting evangelization, and fostering greater understanding between the Church in China and the universal Church. ---------------------- The USCCA is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization. Your donations are tax-deductible to the maximum extent allowed by law. The success of our work depends upon the generosity of people like you.

by Huili (Kathy) Stout, Ph.D. 18th Century Wood Sculpture, Mater Dolorosa, public domain This Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026, was the feast day of Our Lady of Sorrows. The feast commemorates the seven sorrows of Mary in different stages of her life, beginning with Simeon's prophecy at Jesus’s presentation in the temple and culminating in Mary standing at the foot of the cross to witness her son's death. In this short reflection, I would like to offer four reasons from a Chinese Catholic perspective for why we honor Mary, Our Lady of Sorrows. The first reason is a general principle of all Marian devotions: never separate Mary from Jesus. Marianist priest and scholar, Fr. Bertrand Buby, taught me this a long time ago when he commented on the scripture from Matthew 2:11: when the magi from the east came to Bethlehem, “on entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother.” Jesus is always “with Mary his mother,” as she is always with him. This unbreakable bond between Mother and Son is celebrated by the fact that the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows comes right after the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross on Monday, Sept 14, 2026. The second reason for honoring Our Lady of Sorrows is to overcome our forgetfulness of God. Some Church Fathers, such as St. Mark the Ascetic, teach that forgetfulness is one of the primary roots of sin that supports and reinforces other vices. By turning to Mary in the depth and purity of her human sorrow, we are reminded of her love for God, God’s love for us, and the degree of God’s loving kindness. Mary is a gentle reminder for us to remember and turn to Christ. The third reason is a very Chinese one. It is part of traditional Chinese morality that we must strive to repay all the graces we receive from others. Every Chinese, Christian or not, recognizes the rightness and justice of the moral command to repay a grace 报恩. Even though it is theologically impossible to repay the grace of God, it is right and just to live with gratitude to God for his loving kindness and redemptive care, and try to give back, however little it may be. Christ is our debtor and redeemer—我们最大的恩人. It is only right and just to remember the suffering of Christ and the sorrows of his mother in the spirit of gratitude and giving back. Finally, Our Lady of Sorrows reminds us of the reality of suffering in human existence and beckons us to live with courage and perseverance in this valley of tears. Often, we try to avoid suffering. Sometimes, we try to ignore the reality of suffering by distractions, overstimulation, or simply running away. Social media tries to sell us a false dream of glitzy happiness. Yet suffering is the ordinary texture of human life that none of us can escape: old age, illness, death, separation from loved ones, frustrated desires, disappointment, bad relationships, and the burning of the passions/vices within. Finding true happiness in this life and in the next is no small task. It requires a face-to-face confrontation with the reality of suffering and the courage to go on, with the help of God, Mary Our Lady, and all the saints both in heaven and on earth. Dr. Huili (Kathy) Stout is the USCCA's Membership Coordinator and the facilitator of the USCCA Book Circle. She received her Ph.D. in theology from the University of Dayton, and she has taught classes on Catholic theology and Chinese traditions at the University of Dayton and the University of Oklahoma. Her current research interest is the dialogue between Chinese Buddhism and Christian spirituality. You may reach her via email at membership@uscatholicchina.org. ---------------------- The USCCA is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization. Your donations are tax-deductible to the maximum extent allowed by law. The success of our work depends upon the generosity of people like you.

"Jesus and the Children" by Chen Yuandu 陈缘督 (1902-1967) The strength to forgive comes from God, who continues to treat us with mercy. By forgiving others, we extend God's mercy to our families and communities. We invite you to read Fr. Ruan's latest bilingual Sunday Scripture reflection, included below in Chinese and then in English: Scripture Reflection in Chinese 常年期第二十四主日（甲年） 今天，教会在常年期第二十四主日的圣言中，邀请我们默想宽恕。人与人相处，难免有误解、摩擦与伤害。有些事情看似已经过去，心里却仍然耿耿于怀；有些伤口平日不易察觉，一句话、一次相遇，便可能使往事涌上心头。我们知道应当宽恕，却未必知道如何迈出第一步。今天的福音为我们指出一条道路：要学习宽恕别人，先要记起天主怎样宽恕了自己。每当我们真诚悔罪，怀着改过的决心领受和好圣事，天主都赦免我们的罪，赐予我们重新开始的恩宠。主耶稣邀请我们，让这份亲身领受的慈悲，渐渐改变我们对待近人的方式。 伯多禄来到耶稣面前，问道：“主啊！如果我的弟兄得罪了我，我该宽恕他多少次呢？七次够了吗？”（玛18:21）上主日，耶稣教导门徒怎样劝告犯错的弟兄，帮助他回心转意，修复关系。今天，伯多禄进一步提出一个切身的问题：如果对方一再得罪我，我究竟还要宽恕多少次？这个问题，也道出了许多人的心声。宽恕一次，或许还能勉强做到；一而再、再而三地宽恕，便容易令人心灰意冷。我们不禁会想：我已经如此忍让，难道还不够吗？伯多禄愿意宽恕，却仍希望知道一个明确的限度。耶稣回答他，要宽恕“七十个七次”（玛18:22）。主的这句话，使我们看见：宽恕不能停留在计较次数上。只要心中仍握着一本账簿，时时计算对方欠了自己多少，我们便很难真正走出怨恨。 随后，耶稣讲述君王与仆人结账的比喻，把我们的目光从别人亏欠了什么，带回自己领受了什么。一个仆人欠了君王一万金元宝，债台高筑，根本无力偿还。他俯伏在地，恳求主人宽容，并许诺还清一切。他所求的只是宽限时日，主人却动了怜悯的心，释放了他，并免去全部债务（参阅玛18:24-27）。这份恩惠远远超出他的请求。他能够重获自由、重新开始，完全出于主人白白赐下的慈悲。可是，这个仆人一出门，就遇见欠他一百银币的同伴。他抓住对方，掐住他的喉咙，逼他还债。同伴苦苦哀求，所说的话几乎与他刚才向主人说的一模一样。他却毫不留情，把同伴关进监牢（参阅玛18:28-30）。 一百银币虽非微不足道，然而，与主人刚刚免去的巨债相比，两者实在相去甚远。这个仆人的问题，在于他领受了莫大的怜悯，却没有让这份恩惠进入内心。他只记得别人欠了自己什么，转眼便忘记自己蒙受了多大的恩典。主人于是质问他：“难道你不该怜悯你的同伴，如同我怜悯你一样吗？”（玛18:33）这句话点明了整个比喻的核心，也触及我们每个人的良心。我们既然不断领受天主的宽赦，就应当学习推己及人，以慈悲回应近人的软弱。福音结尾的警告十分严肃，耶稣要求我们“从心里宽恕”弟兄（玛18:35）。天主的慈悲白白赐下，也召叫我们真实地悔改。若我们一面恳求祂的宽恕，一面执意拒绝怜悯别人，就需要认真省察：我们是否愿意让祂的恩宠改变自己？ 从心里宽恕，需要诚实面对自己的伤痛，也需要逐渐放下报复的愿望，不再以对方受苦作为自己的满足。伤痛的平复往往需要时间，信任的重建也需要悔改与实际行动。面对持续的伤害，我们仍可以设立必要的界限，寻求保护，并维护公义。在这样的过程中，我们依然可以求主保守自己的心，不让仇恨生根，不让伤害决定自己往后怎样生活。宽恕的道路可能并非一帆风顺，但当我们愿意把伤痛带到天主面前，祂的恩宠便能扶持我们，逐渐走出怨恨的束缚。 今天的读经一同样指出怀恨的危险。德训篇提醒我们：当我们向上主祈求宽赦时，也应当省察自己是否仍对近人怀怒（参阅德28:3-5）。我们希望天主体谅自己的软弱，却有时对别人的过失紧抓不放；我们盼望自己的过去获得宽赦，却可能不断翻出别人的旧账。这份反省，邀请我们将心比心，以自己所盼望得到的体谅去体谅别人。德训篇也劝我们记得生命的结局，停止仇恨，并记念至高者的盟约，宽恕近人的过错（参阅德28:6-9）。人生有限，能够用来爱人的时日弥足珍贵。若任由积怨盘踞心中，我们便容易错失眼前行善与修和的机会。记念天主的盟约，则帮助我们看见：无论自己经历怎样的软弱，祂始终信守祂的爱，也不断召唤我们回到祂身边。 今天的答唱咏邀请我们赞颂天主，记念祂的恩惠。感恩能够帮助我们学习宽恕。当我们细数自己领受过的赦免、扶持与忍耐，心便有机会渐渐柔软。我们会发现，自己能够走到今天，同样有赖于天主的慈悲，也有赖于许多人曾经给予的包容。第二篇读经进一步提醒我们：“所以我们或生或死，都属上主。”（罗14:8）我们属于基督，因此，怎样面对伤痛、处理愤怒、解决冲突，也应当接受祂的引导。基督死而复活，成为生者和死者的主。那些我们无力处理的关系、难以启齿的委屈，以及多年未愈的伤处，都可以带到祂面前，求祂医治，求祂带领。 回顾自己的信仰生活，我们已经多少次在告解中，承认同样的软弱？有些过错曾经立志改正，却又一再重犯。然而，每当我们真诚悔改，怀着改过的决心领受和好圣事，天主仍然赦免我们，扶持我们重新起步。祂对我们的耐心，使我们在跌倒之后仍能怀着希望站起来。想到这里，我们也可以扪心自问：我曾多少次求天主给我重新开始的机会？当别人需要我的宽容时，我是否愿意为他留下一条回头的路？当我希望别人不要以一次过失断定我的一生时，我是否也愿意相信，对方能够在恩宠中改变？ 宽恕，往往就从生活中的一小步开始。家人的一句话再次刺痛我们时，可以先停下来祈祷，避免以恶言相向；朋友令我们失望时，可以诚实表达自己的感受，给彼此倾听的机会；堂区里的旧事又勾起怨恨时，可以克制传播是非的冲动，为有关的人祈祷，并在合宜的时候寻求沟通与和解。这些选择未必立刻消除伤痛，却能帮助我们逐渐走出怨恨。即使此刻还做不到心平气和，我们仍可以向天主承认自己的困难，求祂赐予我们一颗愿意学习宽恕的心。 亲爱的弟兄姊妹，宽恕的力量，来自那位始终以慈悲对待我们的天主。每一次走近告解亭，每一次获得罪赦，我们都重新领受祂的恩宠，也重新受派遣，把这份慈悲带进家庭、堂区和日常生活。愿我们常怀感恩，记念天主对自己的忍耐；愿我们每次想到别人亏欠了自己，也记得自己怎样一次又一次蒙受宽赦。让每一次领受的宽恕，都成为我们怜悯近人的力量，使天主的爱在我们的言语和行动中结出果实。 Scripture Reflection in English Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time — Year A The readings for this Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time invite us to reflect on forgiveness. Misunderstandings, disagreements, and hurt are part of our relationships. Some experiences seem to be behind us, yet resentment remains. A word or an unexpected encounter can bring an old wound painfully to the surface. We know that we are called to forgive, but we may struggle to know where to begin. Today’s Gospel shows us a way forward: to learn to forgive others, we must remember how God has forgiven us. Whenever we approach the Sacrament of Reconciliation with sincere repentance and a firm purpose of amendment, God forgives our sins and gives us the grace to begin again. Jesus calls us to allow the mercy we have received to shape the way we treat our neighbor. Peter approaches Jesus with a practical question: how often must he forgive a brother who sins against him? Would seven times be enough? (See Matthew 18:21.) In last Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus taught his disciples how to correct a brother who has sinned, seeking his conversion and the restoration of their relationship. Now Peter asks what happens when forgiveness must be offered again and again. His question speaks to an experience many of us recognize. Forgiving once may already be difficult. Repeated offenses can leave us discouraged and exhausted. We may find ourselves thinking: I have already been so patient. How much more can be expected of me? Peter is willing to forgive, but he wants to know the limit. Jesus answers, “not seven times but seventy-seven times” (Matthew 18:22). His response calls us beyond keeping count. When we carry an inner ledger, carefully recording everything another person owes us, we struggle to become free of resentment. Jesus then tells the parable of a king settling accounts with his servants. Through this story, he directs our attention from what others owe us to what we ourselves have received. One servant owes the king ten thousand talents, an overwhelming debt he has no means of repaying. Falling before his master, he begs for patience and promises to repay everything. He asks for more time. Moved with compassion, however, the master releases him and cancels the entire debt (see Matthew 18:24–27). The gift far exceeds the request. His freedom and his opportunity to begin again come entirely from his master’s generosity. Yet when this servant leaves, he finds a fellow servant who owes him a hundred denarii. He seizes the man by the throat and demands payment. His fellow servant begs for patience in almost the same words he himself has just used. He refuses to listen and has the man put in prison (see Matthew 18:28–30). A hundred denarii was a meaningful sum, and the debt was real. Yet it was small beside the enormous debt the master had forgiven. The servant’s failure was that he received extraordinary mercy without allowing it to change his heart. He remembered what someone else owed him and immediately forgot the gift he had received. The master confronts him: having received compassion, should he not have shown compassion to his fellow servant? (See Matthew 18:33.) This question lies at the heart of the parable and reaches into our own conscience. Since we continually receive God’s forgiveness, we are called to respond mercifully to the weaknesses of others. The Gospel ends with a solemn warning: Jesus calls us to forgive “from your heart” (Matthew 18:35). God freely offers his mercy, and that mercy calls for genuine conversion. If we ask him to forgive us while deliberately refusing compassion to others, we must examine whether we are allowing his grace to transform us. Forgiving from the heart requires us to acknowledge our pain honestly and gradually relinquish the desire for revenge. It means learning to stop taking satisfaction in another person’s suffering. Healing often takes time, and rebuilding trust requires repentance and concrete action. Where harm continues, we may still need appropriate boundaries, protection, and justice. Throughout that process, we can ask the Lord to keep hatred from taking root and to help us move forward without allowing the injury to govern our lives. The path of forgiveness may be difficult, but as we bring our wounds before God, his grace can sustain us and gradually free us from resentment. The first reading also reveals the danger of resentment. Sirach asks us to examine the anger we hold toward others when we approach God seeking pardon (see Sirach 28:3–5). We want God to be patient with our weaknesses, yet we sometimes cling to another person’s failures. We hope our past will be forgiven, yet we may repeatedly bring up someone else’s mistakes. These words invite us to offer others the understanding we hope to receive ourselves. Sirach also urges us to remember the end of our lives, set aside hostility, and remain mindful of the covenant of the Most High. Our time on earth is limited, and our opportunities to love are precious. When we allow resentment to occupy our hearts, we can overlook the good we might do today and the possibilities for reconciliation before us. Remembering God’s covenant reminds us that, through all our weakness, he remains faithful in love and continues to call us back to himself. Today’s responsorial psalm invites us to praise God and remember his gifts. Gratitude can help us learn to forgive. As we recall the forgiveness, patience, and support we have received, our hearts can gradually soften. We begin to recognize how much our own journey has depended on God’s mercy and on the kindness of people who have made room for our shortcomings. The second reading places all of this within our relationship with Christ. Saint Paul reminds us that we belong to the Lord in both life and death (see Romans 14:8). Because we belong to Christ, we are called to seek his guidance in the way we face pain, respond to anger, and resolve conflict. Through his death and Resurrection, Christ is Lord of the living and the dead. We can bring him the relationships we do not know how to repair, the hurts we struggle to express, and the wounds that have remained with us for years. Consider our own experience of confession. How often have we confessed the same weaknesses? How often have we sincerely resolved to change, only to fall again? Yet whenever we return with genuine repentance and a firm purpose of amendment, God forgives us in the Sacrament of Reconciliation and strengthens us to begin anew. His patience gives us hope that, after falling, we can rise again. Remembering this, we can examine our hearts. How many times have I asked God for another beginning? When someone needs my forgiveness, am I willing to leave room for that person to turn back? When I hope others will not define my whole life by one failure, am I also willing to believe that another person can change through grace? Forgiveness often begins with a small, concrete step. When a family member’s words hurt us again, we can pause and pray before responding harshly. When a friend disappoints us, we can speak honestly about our feelings and make room to listen. When an old disagreement in the parish stirs up resentment, we can resist the impulse to spread gossip, pray for those involved, and seek conversation and reconciliation when appropriate. These choices may not remove the pain immediately, but they can help us move toward freedom from resentment. Even when peace seems beyond our reach, we can acknowledge our struggle before God and ask him for a heart willing to learn forgiveness. Dear brothers and sisters, the strength to forgive comes from the God who continues to treat us with mercy. Each time we approach the Sacrament of Reconciliation and receive forgiveness, we receive his grace anew. We are also sent to carry that mercy into our families, our parishes, and our daily lives. May we remain grateful for God’s patience with us. Whenever we remember what someone else owes us, may we also remember how often we ourselves have been forgiven. May every gift of forgiveness we receive strengthen us to show compassion to our neighbor, so that God’s love may bear fruit in our words and actions. Fr. (Joseph) Guozhang Ruan was born and ordained in China. After serving in parish ministry in the Diocese of Mindong, Fujian, he pursued advanced studies in moral theology in Rome, earning a doctorate from the Pontifical Lateran University. Since coming to the United States in 2004, he has served in several parishes in the Archdiocese of New York. He is currently the Director of the Chinese Apostolate for the Archdiocese of New York and Parochial Vicar of Holy Rosary Church on Staten Island. His ministry focuses on serving Chinese Catholics, promoting evangelization, and fostering greater understanding between the Church in China and the universal Church. ---------------------- The USCCA is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization. Your donations are tax-deductible to the maximum extent allowed by law. The success of our work depends upon the generosity of people like you.

by Fr. Xavier, SJ* Dear You—A Heartfelt Portrayal of Family, Migration, and Love 給阿嬤的情書Dear You (literally translated Love Letters to My Grandmother) emerged as a remarkable dark horse in China’s 2026 film market. It opened with 3.77 million RMB in box office receipts and held the top spot for five consecutive weeks, resonating strongly across Malaysia, Singapore, and other markets, where it set new records for Chinese-language cinema. Directed by Lan Hongchun(藍鴻春), this Teochew-dialect family drama is the third installment of his acclaimed Teochew Trilogy, weaving nostalgia, migration, and kinship into a quietly powerful narrative that triumphed through authentic word of mouth. At its core, the film centers on Southeast Asian Chinese immigrants and the enduring bonds of family. For those who leave home to build a life abroad, love for family remains an unshakable anchor and spiritual strength to endure hardship—and this love is mutual. The fidelity, loyalty, and quiet devotion between separated loved ones strike a deeply human chord. Letters carrying news of life overseas, paired with hard-earned remittances that sustain families and villages, become tangible expressions of hometown affection, duty, and solidarity. Beyond blood ties, the film also honors the fraternal friendship forged in shared toil. To find a kindred spirit in a foreign land, especially amid struggle, is a grace; over time, integrity, humility, and genuine virtue draw hearts together, nurturing steadfast friendship that ripples outward to embrace a wider community. Here, respect, admiration, and selfless love transcend fleeting impulse, completing one another in life’s journey. It is a different kind of love, yet the same love; a different family, yet the same family of care. Love need not be named or proclaimed; it is lived, felt, and bound in truth. From a Catholic perspective, these themes echo our Church’s timeless social teaching: to welcome the stranger, honor the family, and live in love and solidarity. The Bible reminds us, “I was a stranger and you welcomed me” (Matthew 25:35), calling us to see Christ in every migrant and displaced person. The film’s portrayal of cross-border sacrifice, faithful remembrance, and quiet charity aligns with the virtue of caritas—love of God and neighbor—that animates Christian life. The story begins with a quest for inheritance, yet gently evolves into a search for truth, a testimony to love, and ultimately a journey toward meaning. In this process—rooted in time and animated by love—characters are transformed: from selfishness to generosity, from prejudice to understanding, from greed and cowardice to courage and fidelity. They are changed by encountering selflessness, loyalty, and kindness in others, reflecting the grace of conversion that Christ offers to all. Nostalgia in the film is embodied not in rhetoric, but in quiet acts of charity, faithful friendship, and reverent teacher-student bonds. Life is shown to be simple, yet ablaze with love that transcends boundaries of gender, age, distance, culture, and even division, touching the deepest core of the human heart. Widely screened around the world, Dear You will premiere in North America as the closing film of the 25th New York Asian Film Festival on July 26. Well Go USA will co-distribute the film, with a theatrical release across North America this September. For Catholic viewers and families, this film is more than a moving family story: it is a witness to the dignity of the migrant, the sanctity of the family, and the power of self-sacrificial love. It invites us to cherish our loved ones, welcome those far from home, and live out the truth that love—rooted in fidelity, mercy, and grace—transcends all borders and lasts forever. *This piece was originally published July 23, 2026. You can now watch "Dear You" in select U.S. theaters after its release on Sept 4, 2026. ---------------------- The USCCA is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization. Your donations are tax-deductible to the maximum extent allowed by law. The success of our work depends upon the generosity of people like you.