15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (C)

 Deut. 30:10-14; Psalm 69:14, 17, 30-31, 33-34, 36, 37; Colo 1:15-20, Luke 10:25-37.

One of the most profound questions ever asked of Jesus was not asked by a disciple, a sinner, or a seeker—but by a lawyer. He stood up to test Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” (Luke 10:25). It was a legal question, yes, but also a spiritual one. And Jesus, ever the wise teacher, answered with another question: “What is written in the Law?” The man, well-versed in Scripture, replied correctly: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and love your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus told him, “You have answered correctly. Do this and you will live.”

But the conversation didn’t end there. Wanting to justify himself, the man pressed further: “And who is my neighbor?” (v. 29). This was no simple curiosity. It was a calculated attempt to define the limits of love. Surely “neighbor” didn’t include everyone. Maybe just family? Fellow Jews? Those who shared his worldview? The man wanted boundaries; Jesus offered a story—a story that shattered every barrier.

14th Sunday in Ordinary Time (C)

Is. 66:10-14; Gal. 6:14-18; Lk. 10:1-12, 17-20

Dear brothers and sisters,

We live in a time of turmoil. The headlines scream of political unrest, nations rising against nations, families being torn apart, natural disasters increasing in frequency and severity, religious intolerance fueling violence, and individuals wandering in despair, struggling to find meaning and purpose. Into this broken and chaotic world, Christ sends His people with a message that is as urgent and powerful today as it was when He first spoke it: "The kingdom of God has come near to you."

In Luke 10, Jesus appoints seventy others and sends them ahead of Him. These are not the twelve apostles. They are ordinary followers—unnamed disciples like you and me. Jesus sends them in pairs, vulnerable and dependent, like lambs among wolves. He sends them without money, without provisions, and without the comforts of predictability. Because their strength lies not in what they carry but in Who they carry—the presence and message of the Kingdom of God.

The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus (C)

 Ezek. 34:11-16; Rom. 5:5b-11; Lk. 15:3-7

My dear brothers and sisters

Today we celebrate the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Devotion to the heart pierced on Calvary is nearly as old as Christianity, but it has undergone many changes over the centuries. Patristic writers saw in the blood and water issuing from the crucified Lord’s side (John 19:34) the fulfilment of his promise to give living water (John 4:13–14; 7:37), the fountain from which the Spirit flows upon the Church.

The public cult celebrated today began in the seventeenth century, when Saint John Eudes pressed for a liturgy (Mass and Office) of the Sacred Heart. In 1672, Christ appeared to a French Visitation nun, St. Margret Mary Alacoque. Over a series of visits, Our Lord revealed to St. Margaret Mary the importance of devotion to His Sacred Heart. He asked that His heart, wounded on the cross and continually wounded by ingratitude of men for his sacrifice for them, be venerated and adored as an embodiment of His Divine mercy and love.