Sunday Daily TV Mass Sunday October 4, 2026

0:03 From the St. Ignatius Chapel at the Manresa Jesuit Spiritual Renewal Center in Pickering, Ontario. The National Catholic Broadcasting Council presents the Sunday TV Mass.

0:25 Welcome to the celebration of the Sunday TV Mass on the 27th Sunday in ordinary time. I am Father Reto Davitz. The televising of this Mass is made possible by the contribution from Marilyn O'Hara from Richborough, Pennsylvania. This Mass is offered in Thanksgiving for her son's birthday today and for all the blessings received this year for her family.

0:51 Our thanks to Marilyn for making it possible for tens of thousands of the faithful across Canada, the USA, and around the world to share in this celebration. Today, we gather with joy and gratitude to celebrate the 800th anniversary of the death of St. Francis of Assisi, a man whose life continues to inspire the church and people throughout the world.

1:18 Eight centuries after his death, Francis remains a compelling witness to the gospel. He heard Christ's call to rebuild his church, embraced a life of simplicity and poverty, cared deeply for the poor and marginalized, and became a joyful instrument of peace. His love extended beyond humanity to all of creation, reminding us of our responsibility to be good stewards of the world entrusted to us by God.

1:48 May this Eucharist renew in each of us something of Francis's own love for Christ and his church. May we become, in our own time, instruments of peace, compassion, and reconciliation. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

2:17 My brothers and sisters, let us acknowledge our sins and so prepare ourselves to celebrate the sacred mysteries. You were sent to heal the contrite of heart. Lord have mercy. You came to call sinners, Christ have mercy. You are seated at the right hand of the Father to intercede for us. Lord have mercy.

2:45 May Almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life.

2:51 Amen.

2:53 Glory to God in the highest and on earth, peace to people of good will. We praise you, we bless you, we adore you, we glorify you, we give you thanks for your great glory. Lord God, Heavenly King, O God, Almighty Father, Lord Jesus Christ, only begotten Son, Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.

3:23 You take away the sins of the world, receive our prayer. You are seated at the right hand of the Father, have mercy on us. For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord, you alone are the Most High Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit in the glory of God the Father, amen. And let us pray. Almighty, ever living God, who in the abundance of your kindness surpass the merits and the desires of those who entreat you, pour out your mercy upon us to pardon what conscience dreads, and to give what prayer does not dare to ask.

4:06 Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God forever and ever.

4:14unknown Amen.

4:15 A reading from the book of the prophet Isaiah. My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill. He dug it and cleared it of stones and planted it with choice vines. He built a watchtower in the midst of it, and hewed out a wine vat in it. He expected it to yield grapes, but it yielded wild grapes. And now inhabitants of Jerusalem and people of Judah judge between me and my vineyard.

4:48 What more was there to do for my vineyard that I have not done in it? When I expected it to yield grapes, why did it yield wild grapes? And now I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard. I will remove its hedge and it shall be devoured. I will break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down. I will make it a waste, it shall not be pruned or hoed, and it shall be overgrown with briars and thorns.

5:16 I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it. For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the people of Judah and his pleasant planting. He expected justice, but saw bloodshed, righteousness, but heard a cry. The word of the Lord.

6:00 You brought a vine out of Egypt. You drove out the nations and planted it. It sent out its branches to the sea, and it shoots to the river. So that all who pass along the way lock its fruit. The boy from the forest ravages it, and all that move in the field feared. The vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel.

7:13 Turn again, O God of hosts. Look down from heaven and see have regard for this vine the stalk that your right hand planted. The vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel.

7:49 A reading from the letter of Saint Paul to the Philippians. Brothers and sisters, do not worry about anything, but in everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your request be made known to God, and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

8:12 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.

8:40 The word of the Lord.

9:48 A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Matthew. Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people, listen to another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a pit, a wine press in it, and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to tenants and went to another country.

10:18 When the harvest time had come, he sent his slaves to the tenants to collect his produce. But the tenants seized his slaves and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. Again, he sent other slaves more than the first, and they treated them in the same way. Finally, he sent his son to them, saying, They will respect my son.

10:45 But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and get his inheritance. So they seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants? They said to him, He will put those wretches to a miserable death and lease the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at the harvest time.

11:17 Jesus said to them, Have you never read in the scriptures the stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone? This was the Lord's doing. And it is amazing in our eyes. Therefore, I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of the kingdom.

11:42 The gospel of the Lord. Today's readings remind us that God wants us to be fruitful in whatever we can be. Throughout biblical history, he has shown us what that looks like. And in the lives of the saints, he has patterned lifestyles and spiritualities that we might emulate. As goodness itself, God always attracts.

12:24 And over the past eight centuries, through the fruitfulness of people like Saint Francis, we have come to know other facets of God's loving goodness. What comes to your mind when you think of Saint Francis? He must be more than bird baths and dreaming about poppies. To truly get to know this man is to realize that God wished him to become someone who could inspire others to imitate him as Saint Paul imitated Christ, but also to find their own deepest self, since the kingdom of God lies within us.

13:02 For Francis, this also meant taking time to pray in secret, where the Father sees in secret, by going to caves and spending time in overnight prayer asking what God's will was for him. Not everyone is called to found a new religious community, but God wants all of us to be lights in the world as he was the light itself.

13:32 We received a candle at our baptism, one that was meant to be kept burning brightly. Imagine 800 years of Franciscanism. And that's just one type of charism amongst many. I felt called to this 17 years ago. My life as a Franciscan conventual friar looks different than that of Saint Francis, but his spirit impels me forward as I too desire the Father to see me and hear me in the most secret part of my being.

14:07 Why? Because I know that that is where true joy lies. And that is what the source of Saint Francis's joy was. We are called to produce the fruits of the kingdom. For Francis, this became an urgent calling. Remember, God is always a calling. And as we know, he sent his only begotten son to us. So we know the Father is serious, and that fact, that the fact that he died for us tells us just what length he is willing to go in order to reach us.

14:42 So like St. Francis, let us in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make our requests known to God. After all, God is the one who began a good work in us and who will bring it to completion on the day of Christ Jesus. Please join us now as together we pray the Apostles' Creed. I believe in God, the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.

15:32 He descended into hell on the third day, rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. There he will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting.

15:58 Amen. Sisters and brothers, as we give thanks to God for the life and witness of St. Francis of Assisi, who 800 years ago returned to the Father's house, let us place before the Lord the needs of the Church and of the whole human family. For all those in our daily TV Mass Prayer Intentions book, let us pray to the Lord.

16:24 Lord the prayer.

16:26 For the Holy Catholic Church, that inspired by Saint Francis, she may faithfully proclaim the gospel with humility, simplicity, and joy, and be a sign of peace and reconciliation in the world. Let us pray to the Lord.

16:41 Lord the Prayer.

16:43 For Pope Leo the Fourteenth, our bishops, priests, deacons, and all who serve the church, that the example of Saint Francis may renew in them a deep love for Christ and a generous spirit of service to God's people. Let us pray to the Lord. For the Franciscan family throughout the world, the Friars Minor conventual Franciscans, Capuchins, Poor Clairs, secular Franciscans, and all who follow the Franciscan charism, that they may continue to be faithful witnesses to the gospel in the spirit of Saint Francis, their founder.

17:23 Let us pray to the Lord. For an increase in vocations to the priesthood, diaconate, religious life, and lay ecclesial ministry that young people may generously respond to God's call as Saint Francis did. Let us pray to the Lord. Heavenly Father, in Saint Francis you gave the church a faithful disciple of your Son and a witness to gospel joy.

17:53 Hear the prayers we offer today and help us to follow Christ with generous hearts. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Accept, O Lord, we pray, the sacrifices instituted by your commands, and through the sacred mysteries which we celebrate with dutiful service. Graciously complete the sanctifying work by which you are pleased to redeem us through Christ our Lord.

19:58 The Lord be with you.

20:00 And with your spirit.

20:01 Lift up your hearts. Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. It is right and just it is truly right and just our duty and our salvation, always and everywhere to give you thanks, Lord Holy Father, Almighty and Eternal God, through Christ our Lord, for out of compassion for the waywardness that is ours, he humbled himself and was born of the Virgin.

20:27 By the passion of the cross, he freed us from unending death, and by rising from the dead, he gave us life eternal. And so, with angels and archangels, with thrones and dominions, and with all the hosts and powers of heaven, we sing the hymn of your glory, as without end we acclaim.

21:06 Hazanna in the highest. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hazanna in the highest.

21:33 Make holy, therefore, these gifts, we pray, by sending down your spirit upon them like the dewfall, so that they may become for us the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. At the time he was betrayed and entered willingly into his passion, he took bread, and giving thanks, broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, Take this, all of you.

22:00 And eat of it. For this is my body, which will be given up for you. In a similar way, when supper was ended, he took the chalice, and once more giving thanks, he gave it to his disciples, saying, Take this, all of you, and drink from it, for this is the chalice of my blood, the blood of the new and eternal covenant, which will be poured out for you and for many for the free forgiveness of sins.

22:42 Do this in memory of me.

23:04 For by your cross and resurrection, you have set us free.

23:16 Therefore, as we celebrate the memorial of his death and resurrection, we offer you, Lord, the bread of life and the chalice of salvation, giving thanks that you have held us worthy to be in your presence and minister to you. Humbly we pray that partaking of the body and blood of Christ, we may be gathered into one by the Holy Spirit.

23:39 Remember, Lord, your church spread throughout the world, and bring her to the fullness of charity. Together with Leo, our Pope and our bishop and all the clergy, remember also our brothers and sisters who have fallen asleep in the hope of the resurrection, and all who have died in your mercy, welcome them into the light of your face.

24:00 Have mercy on us all, we pray, that with the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, with blessed Joseph, her spouse, with the blessed apostles, and all the saints who have pleased you throughout the ages, we may merit to be co-heirs to eternal life, and may praise and glorify you through your Son, Jesus Christ.

24:24 Through him and with him and in him, O God, Almighty Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor is yours forever and ever.

24:35unknown Amen.

24:39 At the Savior's command and formed by divine teaching, we dare to say, Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

25:07 Deliver us, Lord, we pray, from every evil. Graciously grant peace in our days, and by the help of your mercy we may be always free from sin and safe from all distress as we await the blessed hope and the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Lord Jesus Christ, who said to your apostles, peace I leave you, my peace I give you.

25:36 Look not on our sins, but on the faith of your church, and graciously grant her peace and unity in accordance with your will, who live and reign forever and ever.

25:47unknown Amen.

25:48 The peace of the Lord be with you always.

25:50 And we are spirit.

25:51 Let us offer each other the sign of peace.

26:22 You take away the sins of the heart of mercy on heart. Love God you take away the sins of thou heart. Grant for me protection of mine of my healing remedy.

26:58 Behold the Lamb of God. Behold him who takes away the sins of the world. Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb. Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word, and my soul shall be healed.

27:29 Please join me now in this act of spiritual communion. My Jesus, I believe that you are present in this holy sacrament of the altar. I love you above all things, and I passionately desire to receive you into my soul. Since I cannot now receive you sacramentally, come spiritually into my soul, so that I may unite myself wholly to you now and forever.

28:04 Amen.

28:12 Let us pray. Grant us, Almighty God, that we may be refreshed and nourished by the sacrament which we have received so as to be transformed into what we consume through Christ our Lord. The Lord be with you. May Almighty God bless you, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen. Go forth in the peace of Christ.

28:43 Our thanks to our donor for the gift of this massive.