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.

The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (C)

 Gen. 14:18-20; 1 Cor. 11:23-26; Lk. 9:11b-17

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

Today, the Church celebrates one of the most sacred and profound feasts of our liturgical year—the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, also known as Corpus Christi. This feast stands as a luminous beacon in our calendar, directing our hearts and minds to the central mystery of our faith: that Christ is truly present—body, blood, soul, and divinity—in the Most Holy Eucharist. It is a feast of remembrance, of thanksgiving, and of renewal, commemorating Jesus' self-giving love, His sacrificial death, and His continuing presence among us.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us that the Eucharist is the “source and summit of the Christian life” (CCC 1324). In this sacrament, we don’t just receive grace—we receive Christ Himself. And in doing so, we are transformed. A well-known saying encapsulates this mystery: “You are what you eat.” In the Eucharist, this takes on an eternal and sacramental meaning: