Msgr. Roger J. Landry
National Director, The Pontifical Mission Societies
September 17, 2025
Here is the video of today’s reflection.
The YouTube generated transcript for today’s reflection is:
I’m Monsignor Roger Landry, National Director of the Pontifical Mission Societies. It’s September 17th and in today’s gospel Jesus asked to what should he compare the generation to which he was speaking and in a sense every generation. He said it’s like a bunch of children sitting in the marketplace trying to play music screaming out we played the flute for you but you didn’t dance. We sang a dirge but you didn’t weep. In other words, the generation is trying to be in control. They’re trying to be the ones at the jukebox.
They’re the ones trying to set the melody rather than aligning their life to what God is saying and singing. They’re trying to control even God. They’re seated in a marketplace. They’re not ready to follow Jesus wherever he goes. They want to remain where they are without changing. And then Jesus gave an example to illustrate his point. He said John the Baptist came fasting from food and drink and everybody said he was crazy.
And then Jesus came and he was eating and drinking showing that the fundamental attitude in life has got to be gratitude toward God and feasting for the gift of life. And instead, the same children in the marketplace were accusing him of being a drunkard and a glutton, a friend of tax collectors and sinners. In other words, they were going to criticize anybody who was calling him to change. John the Baptist on the truly aesthetic side, Jesus Christ on the feasting side. They just didn’t want to change.
We’ve always got to examine ourselves to make sure we’re not in the classification that Jesus gives of this generation that we are ones who are trying to align our whole life to what the Church sings in the liturgy. Holy, holy, holy, glory to God in the highest, Kyrie Eleison, Agnus Dei, you name it. God’s playing the music. At the very end of today’s gospel passage, Jesus says something beautiful. He says wisdom is vindicated by her children. Even though just like Jesus, we will be criticized for the living of the faith by some people who don’t want to change based on our examples or based on our passing on Jesus’ words.
Wisdom will be vindicated by our children. The wise way we live following Jesus wisdom incarnate is actually going to be vindicated in the end. This is the great hope that inspires missionaries to go all across the globe, even many times suffering persecution, want and martyrdom, in order to pass on the true wisdom that comes from the Lord. When they heard the Lord in their life, they were not to remain seated. They got up and they followed him to the ends of the earth. And they like St. Francis Xavier, the patron of the missions, used to teach the faith by singing. They themselves have been the great echo of the tune that comes from heaven.
Today, let’s get up. Let’s follow Jesus and let’s be the living vindication of his truth. God bless you.
The Gospel reading on which the reflection was based on:
Gospel
Jesus said to the crowds:
“To what shall I compare the people of this generation?
What are they like?
They are like children who sit in the marketplace and call to one another,
‘We played the flute for you, but you did not dance.
We sang a dirge, but you did not weep.’
For John the Baptist came neither eating food nor drinking wine,
and you said, ‘He is possessed by a demon.’
The Son of Man came eating and drinking and you said,
‘Look, he is a glutton and a drunkard,
a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’
But wisdom is vindicated by all her children.”