Homily For Thirteenth Sunday In Ordinary Time Year C. 29th June 2025. The Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul

 

Reading: Acts. 12:1-11; Ps. 34 ; 2 Tim. 4:6-8.17-18; Matt. 16:13-19

Rev.  Fr. Emmanuel Emenike  Onyia

EMBRACING YOUR UNIQUE MISSION JUST LIKE SAINTS PETER AND PAUL

There is something deep and unique about every person as regards the master plans of God for humanity. But sometimes it takes personal experience to discover this uniqueness. I don't know if you have ever had an experience that made you think about your purpose on this earth, as you realise the emptiness of this life. A kind of experience that turns pride into humility, sinfulness into righteousness, an experience that changes your perspective about things or people?

This is the kind of experience Saints Peter and Paul, whose solemnity we are celebrating today, had with Jesus on different occasions that made them change their perception of life as they embraced their mission and mandate from Jesus. 

Their very encounter with Jesus brought a great transformation. Thus, Simon left his fishing profession and became a Fisher of men and a preacher of the word of God with a new name, Peter the Rock on which Jesus built his Church, the same thing with St. Paul.

This is evident in our Gospel passage today, where Peter demonstrated an act of faith as he gave an inspired answer to the question about the personality of Jesus. And Jesus stresses that Peter's faith is a gift from the Father when he says: “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock, I will build my Church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." 

Here the key represents the authority to open the gate of the Kingdom of Heaven, and to judge whether to admit or to refuse. While the expression “binding and loosing” refers to the doctrinal decisions and disciplinary power of St Peter. that is, the faculty to impose and to lift. This is a guarantee that Peter’s decisions in the exercise of his ecclesial function are valid in the eyes of God. 

And that is why in the iconographic tradition we see the keys in the hand of Peter,  because, the faith given to Peter by God is the rock on which Jesus built his Church. This is what St Peter expressed in our first reading today when he said: “Now I know that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from Herod and from all that the Jewish people were so certain would happen”.

Meanwhile, Paul’s encounter brought true conversion in his life and changed his perspective about Christians with a new identity, changing his name from Saul to Paul. A name indicating his new mission as the Apostle of the Gentiles. Little wonder that the iconographic tradition represents St. Paul with a sword. The image of the sword refers to his entire mission of evangelisation, and that was the instrument with which he was killed. 

No doubt that St. Paul carried out his mission with all his zeal and passion, he is regarded as one of the apostles, and today his works still speak about the effect of his personal encounter with Jesus. Hence, we heard him saying in our second reading: I have fought the good fight to the end; I have run the race to the finish; I have kept the faith; all there is to come now is the crown of righteousness reserved for me, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give to me on that Day; and not only to me but to all those who have longed for his appearing.

Thus, the relationship between Peter and Paul is designed by God for the mission entrusted to them. Their lives are symbols of unity in one missionary mandate of Christ. St. Peter was entrusted with the leadership of all the Apostles and the Church, while St. Paul was empowered and entrusted with the mission to the Gentiles (Gal . 2:8). For this mission, they both suffered martyrdom for the faith and their love for God and the mission entrusted to them by Jesus.  

This very sacrificial life of love is what we are celebrating today, as being represented in different images and statues of Saints Peter and Paul as seen in front of Saint Peter’s Basilica, in the seminaries and in parishes, of which they are easily recognizable by their respective attributes: the keys in the hand of St. Peter and the sword held by St. Paul, showing us the fraternal zeal and unity of these two Apostles on their way to martyrdom for the love of Christ. 

Dear friends, like Saints Peter and Paul we must learn to bring our unique mission into one missionary mandate of Christ. This is important following the ugly events of division, manipulation and multiplication of Churches going on in Christianity today. 

Hence, we are called to examine our conscience to know where we are with regard to our faith as Christians, we are called to be convinced of who we are and the need to truly unite together in God and His Church entrusted to St. Peter of which the get of the underworld shall not prevail against it. 

LET US PRAY: Almighty and ever-living God, as we begin our day with the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, create in us we pray, a pure heart and renew a steadfast spirit of true faith within us, so that your Church may truly be united as one. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.  Have a fruitful day.

Homily For Saturday, Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time, Year C, 27th June, 2025. The Memorial of the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary

 

Reading: Gene. 18:1-15; Ps. Lk. 1; Matt 8:5-17

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

CONTEMPLATING ON THE IMMACULATE HEART OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Biologically, the heart is the main organ in the circulatory system of the human body. It is the structure primarily responsible for the circulation of blood and transportation of nutrients in all parts of the body. This special task uplifts the role of the heart as a vital organ whose normal operation is constantly required. In biblical language, “heart” indicates the centre of the human person where his sentiments and intentions dwell.

Yesterday we celebrated the solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Heart where we embrace God’s infinite love and mercy for humanity and His will for our universal salvation. Following the Sacred Heart of Jesus is the Immaculate Heart of His Mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Hence today, the liturgy invites us to venerate the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The Immaculate Heart of Mary is a devotional name used to refer to the interior life of the Blessed Virgin Mary, her joys and sorrows, her virtues and hidden perfections, and, above all, her virginal love for God the Father, her maternal love for her son Jesus, and her compassionate love for all people.

Here we recall Mary’s great love for God, her faith and piety, her commitment to serve the Lord wholeheartedly, and how she loved her Son dearly from the moment of conception, his birth, his finding in the Temple and even up to his passion of the Cross. We contemplate that when Mary followed her Son faithfully as he picked up his Cross and bore that burden to Calvary, she bore and pondered all these sorrows deep within her Immaculate Heart.

This is the event we celebrate today, where we recall how Mary having struggled to understand the mysterious events in the life of her Son Jesus, stored up all these events in her heart. A heart that is propelled by love and filled with genuine faith in God, a heart so pure and contemplative. For such is the immaculate heart of Mary, having been conceived without sin, and pure from any taints of evil and wickedness.

Yet, this loving and caring Immaculate Heart has to endure great sorrows and in the midst of these sorrows she did not stop being loving, compassion and caring to her Son and also to all of us, as she fulfills the mandate entrusted to her by Jesus at the Cross of Calvary saying: Mother behold your son and son behold your mother. By this mandate, all of us are blessed to have been placed under the maternal care of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, a great saint and our role model.

Dear friends, today we are called to imitate and embrace the Immaculate Heart of Mary, whose maternal care we have been commended by Jesus at the Cross of Calvary. So, let us like Mary express our faith in God just like the Roman centurion in our Gospel passage today, who sorts help for his sick servant, he approached Jesus for healing, but when Jesus accepted to come to his home, the centurion hesitates, feeling unworthy of Jesus’ presence in his home, said to him “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; but only speak the word, and my servant will be healed”.

What a great faith, unlike Sarah in our first reading who doubted the promise of the Lord. But we are truly fortunate to have received such abundant love and compassion from the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary his mother, who is also our loving mother. Let us therefore cultivate a heart that mirrors that of our mother, let us imitate the purity of her heart, let us be caring, loving, contemplative and compassionate in our relationship with one another.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, as we imitate the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary, graciously grant that through her intercession we may be a worthy temple of your glory and make our hearts a loving, caring and compassionate vessel for all through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a fruitful weekend.

Homily For Friday Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time Year C, The Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus (The World Day of Prayer for the Sanctity of Priestly Life)

 

Reading: Ezk.34:11-16; Ps. 23; Rom. 5:5-11; Luke 15:3-7

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

CELEBRATING THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS WHERE TRUE LOVE ABIDES

Today, the Church celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. An event that occurs every Friday after Sunday, in which we celebrate the solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. In this solemnity, the Church invites us to contemplate and celebrate the love of God pouring forth from the Most Loving Heart of Jesus the Good Shepherd, whose heart was pierced for the salvation of humanity.

A great act of love which God revealed through his influences on mystic saints such as St. Gertrude the Great, which was made more obvious through St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in the revelation she had around the 17th century.

In this revelation, the Lord appeared to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque and showed her his heart and the anguish and sorrow which he had for the sins and disobedience of humanity, despite the incomprehensible act of love, compassion and mercy that God has lavished upon us.

Then the Lord said to her: “Behold the Heart that has loved so many men, and yet, instead of gratitude, all I received were ingratitude…” and asking in particular that the Friday after the week in which the Solemnity of Corpus Christi is celebrated should be dedicated to him as the Feast of reparation to the Most Sacred Heart. The Lord also promised St. Margaret Mary that all those who devoted themselves to His Most Sacred Heart with faith will be protected and receive the graces of God.

So, the long development of these revelations led to the devotion to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus as we have it today. Though it was Pope Pius IX who extended and placed this great Feast and Solemnity in its current form and honour.

Moreover, this great feast also marks the occasion of the World Day of Prayer for the Sanctity of Priestly Life, keeping in mind that the priesthood is the product of Christ's sacrificial heart of love for humanity.

Hence, we remember all of us priests who have been called to model ourselves after the life of Christ’s love by giving ourselves to the ministerial priesthood, that we may truly model ourselves and our hearts after that of the Most Sacred Heart of Christ the Good Shepherd.

Let us be filled with love for all humanity while recognising that the priestly life is a very difficult undertaking, especially in our world today. Let us be supported by all, knowing that priests, though humans just like everyone, have their flaws and imperfections, but we are at the same time held up to a much higher expectation to care and guide the people of God.

Meanwhile, in the midst of all our difficulties, challenges, daily temptations and pressures of life, we are called to abide in the loving heart of Christ, for he who abides in love, abides in God, and God abides in him. (1 John 4:7-16). Little wonder, St Paul in our second reading says: The love of God has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, which has been given to us.

For we were still helpless when at his appointed moment Christ died for sinful men. It is not easy to die even for a good man, though, of course, for someone really worthy, a man might be prepared to die, but what proves that God loves us is that Christ died for us while we were still sinners.

Therefore, in this solemn feast our devotion is rooted in the mystery of God’s love; for it is precisely through the Sacred Heart of Jesus that the Love of God for humanity is sublimely manifested in all its effect and power especially for souls thirsting for God’s mercy, for in it we find the inexhaustible source from which we draw the water of life that refresh and revives the thirsty souls of sinful humanity and make us new and alive again.

Hence we are called today to abide in this love of Christ which flows from the pierced heart of Jesus the Good Shepherd, who when entrusted with a hundred sheep, losing one, would leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the missing one till he found it as we heard it in our Gospel passage today.

 In our first reading today we heard the Lord saying: I am going to look after my flock myself and keep all of it in view. I will pasture my sheep, I will show them where to rest–it is the Lord who speaks. I shall look for the lost one, bring back the stray, bandage the wounded and make the weak strong. I shall watch over the fat and healthy. For I shall be a true shepherd to them.

Dear friends, true love is found in the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Good Shepherd. So, every Christian is called to embrace the love of God which he poured out from the Sacred Heart of Jesus, so as to become a wellspring which gives life of love to others. For we ought to be offering life-giving water to a parched and thirsty world.

We are called to embrace that love which propelled Jesus to lay down his life for his friends and also to forgive his enemies, for that is what this solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus represents. We are called to contemplate the mystery of love in the heart of a God who is full of compassion, bestows his love upon humanity through his Son.

Though humanity has rejected his love, but God does not lose heart in the face of ingratitude or rejection by the people he loved and chosen; rather, with infinite mercy he sends his only-begotten Son into the world to take upon himself the fate of a shattered love, so that by defeating the power of evil and death he could restore humanity once again from our slavery of sin and death back into a life of grace and open up his Sacred Heart of love once again for all who wishes to embrace it.

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, grant that we, who glory in the loving Heart of your beloved Son and recall the wonders of his love for us, may be made worthy to receive an overflowing measure of grace from that fount of heavenly gift of love which he offers to humanity. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. (Please pray for me today and for the sanctity of all the Priests).

Homily For Thursday Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 26th June, 2025

 

Reading: Gen. 16:1-12,15-16; Ps.106; Matt. 7:21-29

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

LISTENING AND DOING THE WILL OF GOD IS WHAT IS REQUIRED OF US.

One of my favourite hymns in our hymn book says:

In Christ alone my hope is found, He is my light, my strength, my song! This cornerstone, this solid ground, firm through the fiercest drought and storm. What heights of love, what depths of peace, when fears are stilled when striving cease! My Comforter, my All in All, here in the love of Christ I stand.

This hymn draws my attention to our Gospel passage today, where Jesus says: ‘It is not those who say to me, “Lord, Lord,” who will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the person who does the will of my Father in heaven. When the day comes many will say to me, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, cast out demons in your name, work many miracles in your name?”

Then I shall tell them to their faces: I have never known you; away from me, you evil men! And he continues, everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a sensible man who built his house on rock. Rain came down, floods rose, gales blew and hurled themselves against that house, and it did not fall: for it was founded on rock.

Here Jesus calls our attention to something very important. He reminds us that it is not enough to hear the word of God; we must put it into practice. It is not sufficient to speak about God, but we must practice what we speak. We are called not merely to hear God’s word but to daily put it into action. Hearing or reading the Word is important, but that is not enough.

We must let the Word of God touch and shape our lives. For it is a waste of time and energy if our lives do not reflect the Gospel we preach if we do not hear the words of Jesus and act on them. The truth is that the houses built by wise and foolish persons may probably look alike. But the difference is the foundations, which can only be revealed when tested by the storms of life as we heard in our first reading concerning Abram’s household as regards Sarai and Hagar.

Dear friends, what are we doing with the word of God we hear every day? What kind of fruit am I bearing? How has the word of God changed my life and the lives of those around me? How has the word of God challenged and propelled me to love God and my neighbours?

The fact remains that, hearing and doing the word of God is building our faith on a rocky foundation, that cornerstone, that solid ground, through the fiercest drought and storms of life, because the fruit of the Word of God in us is seen when tested in the storms of life.

Thus, is my attitude towards the word of God like that of the foolish builder who takes shortcuts for quick results? Or that of a wise builder who spends time digging a secure foundation through constant meditation and practice of the word of God?

Therefore, when we hear the word we must apply it to our daily lives because that's the only way we can feed our soul. Our society has enough hearers of the word, what we need now are doers of the word of God, men and women who will feed their lives with the word of God and from the abundance of their hearts live a life that will influence society positively.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, through your Word we find life and hope in Christ who is our all in all, grant us the grace to be doers of your Word and not just hearers, in order to build our faith on a rocky foundation in Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a blessed day.

Homily For Wednesday, Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time, Year C, 25th June, 2025

 

Reading: Gen. 15:1-12.17-18; Ps.105; Matt. 7:6.15-20

Rev.  Fr. Emmanuel Emenike  Onyia

LEARN TO DISCERN GOOD PROPHETS  FROM FALSE PROPHETS

 A tree is known to be either good or bad, healthy or sick by the fruit it produces. In the same way, the human heart is known to be either good or bad, holy or sinful, sincere or corrupt by the fruit of our words and actions, rooted in our character. 

Thus, in our societies today, many false influential powers have a grievous effect on our lives coming from various sources under the guise of good but are in fact leading us astray. Every day, many false prophets and teachers are increasing and are deceiving the people. So, there is a need for us to examine these influences.

Little wonder that Jesus in our Gospel passage today said: “Beware of false prophets who come to you disguised as sheep but underneath are ravenous wolves. You will be able to tell them by their fruits. A sound tree produces good fruit, but a rotten tree produces bad fruit. A sound tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor a rotten tree bear good fruit. Any tree that does not produce good fruit is cut down and thrown on the fire. I repeat, you will be able to tell them by their fruits.”

Here, Jesus is calling our attention to this ugly situation in our societies today, where false prophets and teachers are deceiving people. He tells us to be careful and discerning to know false prophets from true ones. He made us know that by the fruits they bear we shall know them. 

A true prophet draws what is good from the store of goodness in his heart, while a false prophet draws what is bad from the store of his bad thoughts. Because a man’s words flow out of what fills his heart. So it is not sufficient to speak about God, we must practice what we speak. We must let the Word of God touch and shape our lives so that we can bear good and healthy fruit. 

Dear friends, as God’s prophets what kind of fruits are we known for? The ugly attitude of deception, manipulation, exaggeration, corruption, and flamboyant lifestyle of false prophets and preachers in our societies today can really make it difficult for people to become true and faithful believers in our world today. 

Little wonder that people are scandalised by the actions and behaviour of some preachers and teachers. Some have given up their faith, some are about to give up, some are just confused while a lot of people are just holding on to the little faith they have based on their little personal experience and encounter with the Divine.

Therefore, we must be very wise for many false prophets are operating under the power of the devil. Let us come to Jesus who has promised us the Spirit of truth that will give us a special sign for distinguishing true doctrine and true teachers from the false ones. 

Hence, let us constantly ask the Holy Spirit to give us the grace of discernment to distinguish between good and false prophets and teachers. Let us also be true Christians by our way of life, words and deeds. Let us learn to put our trust in God just like Abram in our first reading today, for God has promised to keep us from falling away from the true faith we have found in His Son Jesus.

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, our societies are full of deception, false prophets and teachers, send us the Spirit of truth to discern the truth from the false. May we always stand and witness to the truth we have found in Jesus against all the false influential prophets and teachers in our society today. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a fruitful day.

Homily For Tuesday, Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time, Year C, 24th June, 2025. The Solemnity of the Birth of John the Baptist

 

Reading: Is.49:1-6; Ps.139; Acts 13:22-26; Luke: 1:57-66.80

Rev.  Fr. Emmanuel Emenike  Onyia

WHAT ARE THE MYSTERIES AND CIRCUMSTANCES SURROUNDING YOUR BIRTH AND YOUR NAME

One of the most significant days in our lives is our birthday, which often comes with joy and praise. And in the mood of joy that a life has been born, one of the things that comes to mind is giving a name to the baby as an identity based on the circumstances surrounding the birth. 

This great and joyful event is what we are celebrating today. The Solemnity of the birth of St. John the Baptist, the only person whose birthday is celebrated in the Church’s liturgical calendar, besides that of Jesus and the Blessed Virgin Mary, because of his role in the history of the salvation of humanity.

  

This event is very important and necessary, because in it we talked about the name given to him. In fact, the naming of objects and persons is an important ritual found in scripture. We can recall in the book of Genesis (Gen.2:19-20), when God created Adam and gave him the responsibility of giving names to all creation. So the act of giving a name to people has been a traditional event not only in the scriptures but in every human culture.  

On account of this, our Gospel passage today gives us the record of the events of the birth and naming of John the Baptist. From the passage, significant and surprising things happened at the birth and naming of John the Baptist, of which we can identify three unusual features: first, the old woman gave birth. 

Secondly, the child has a strange name “John” derived from the Hebrew name Yochanan meaning " YAHWEH is gracious", a name which no one bears in the family and thirdly, Zechariah's dumbness is taken away on account of giving this name, which brought great joy to the people and they praised God. 

However, such remarkable events caused the crowd to fear and perceive that something different and surprising was happening, things worth remembering. Showing us that, when God names a child, that child is significant in his universal plan for humanity. 

Hence, John’s birth was prophesied by the prophets as we have in our first reading today, to be the last among the prophets, for his role was to prepare the people and to finally proclaim the coming of the Messiah, who will fulfil the long-awaited plan of God for the salvation of humanity. 

This is clear in our second reading, where St. Paul gave us an account of how John, in humility, carried out his mission as he proclaimed a baptism of repentance for the whole people of Israel. And before John ended his career, he said, “I am not the one you imagine me to be; that one is coming after me, and I am not fit to undo his sandal.

No doubt, the mission of John the Baptist was quite challenging as he encountered many obstacles, just like other prophets before him. He faced strong opposition and rejection from the Pharisees, who doubted and challenged his teaching and works of baptism and repentance, in which many people believed in him. 

But John fearlessly confronted some of the Pharisees, calling them wicked, a brood of vipers and hypocrites. He also courageously confronted King Herod with the truth on account of his illegal and sinful relationship with Herodias, his brother’s wife, and this led to his martyrdom and his mission decreased while Jesus's increased.

Dear friends, we all have a significant place in the plan of God. Our names are not just a common ceremony. It is a testimony of God’s plan for us. Why not take out time today to reflect on the meaning and circumstances surrounding our births and our names? For by God’s grace, we will understand better who we are and what our mission and purpose on earth are. 

When we do this, we will faithfully stand for the truth of what we represent and fulfil our plans and purposes, just like John the Baptist, who stood for the truth of his mission and offered it to everyone, whenever and however it would best bring conversion to sinners, even at the cost of his head.

 

LET US PRAY: Lord God, you created each one of us to fulfil your plan on earth and in our names we bear the mystery of our mission and purpose. Grant us through the intercessions of St John the Baptist, the grace to faithfully and courageously fulfil our mission and purpose in this world. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a blessed and joyful day.

Homily For Monday Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 23rd June, 2025

 

Reading: Gen. 12:1-9; Ps.33; Matt. 7:1-5

Rev.  Fr. Emmanuel Emenike  Onyia

REMEMBER YOUR INADEQUACIES BEFORE CRITICISING AND JUDGING OTHERS 

One of the ugly attitudes of the human person is the urge to often criticise, judge and condemn others without looking into our own faults. Have we ever experienced a situation where it happened that, while we were condemning other people for their faults, we suddenly realised that our own faults are just as many as theirs, for this does happen often in our relationship with one another.

This ugly attitude is what Jesus is addressing today in the Gospel passage, when he said “ Do not judge, and you will not be judged; because the judgements you give are the judgements you will get, and the amount you measure out is the amount you will be given. Why do you observe the speck in your brother’s eye and never notice the log in your own? Deal

Here, Jesus is referring to the improper and prideful attitudes of many of the Pharisees, the scribes and teachers of the Law and many others like them, whose self-acclaimed righteousness has led to criticism and condemnation of other people. For they have failed to see the log in their eye while seeking to remove the speck in others. But what is this log in our eyes? It is the log of pride, greed and self-righteousness. 

These logs of pride, greed and self-righteousness make us forget who we are and claim who we are not. Pride, as we know, is the first capital sin; it makes us look down on people, and pride makes us blind. It makes us not look into our own lives to see and accept how wrong we can be. This is because we are often controlled by our ego and pride, our human ambitions and desires, for we like to always be in control and superior to others. 

But this is not the same with Abram in our first reading today, who, because of his humility, was called by the Lord for a special mission. For the Lord said to him, ‘Leave your country, your family and your father’s house, for the land I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name so famous that it will be used as a blessing. Such is God’s grace for those who are humble and accommodating of other people's weaknesses. 

Therefore, today we are called to humbly look into our lives and identify all those ugly attitudes of pride in us and get rid of them, so that we can humbly correct and accommodate other people's weaknesses. So instead of pointing out what is lacking in others, we must look into ourselves, and find ways that we can make good use of the opportunities that God has given us to show good examples to others. 

We are to discard all our prideful, wicked and sinful ways of life and replace them with genuine love for one another, with new zeal and sincere commitment to telling one another the truth in all humility.

Dear friends, we are called not to judge, because sometimes that which we judge in others, we are doing worse. Hence, Jesus is challenging us today to think differently about how we live our lives. Calling us to look into our inner being, our interior life, that part of us that we hide from one another. 

Let us purify them in humility, so that we can be pure and free to help others in their struggles with their weakness. Therefore, it’s time to look into ourselves and take away our prideful ways of life, so as to humbly accommodate the weaknesses and faults of others, especially in our families, societies and the world at large, knowing that no one is perfect without the other.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, give us the grace of humility and the capacity to always look within us in order to be more aware of our inadequacies, and so become more gentle in dealing with others, we ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a blessed and grace-filled week.