Contemplating today's Gospel
Today's Gospel + homily (in 300 words)
»And now, but a short time ago, mercy came to us from the Lord, our God, who left us a remnant and gave us a stake in his holy place; thus our God has brightened our eyes and given us relief in our servitude. For slaves we are, but in our servitude our God has not abandoned us; rather, he has turned the good will of the kings of Persia toward us. Thus he has given us new life to raise again the house of our God and restore its ruins, and has granted us a fence in Judah and Jerusalem».
Praise him, you children of Israel, before the Gentiles, for though he has scattered you among them, he has shown you his greatness even there.
So now consider what he has done for you, and praise him with full voice. Bless the Lord of righteousness, and exalt the King of ages.
In the land of my exile I praise him and show his power and majesty to a sinful nation.
Bless the Lord, all you his chosen ones, and may all of you praise his majesty. Celebrate days of gladness, and give him praise.
“Jesus summoned the Twelve and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases”
Fr. Jordi CASTELLET i Sala (Vic, Barcelona, Spain)Today we live in a time when new mental illnesses are spreading in ways never seen before in history. The pace of life today imposes relentless stress: a race to consume, to keep up appearances, to outdo the neighbor—all seasoned with a heavy dose of individualism that leaves the person isolated from everyone else. This loneliness—forced on many by social expectations, by professional pressures, by enslaving conventions—leads many to fall into depression, neurosis, hysteria, schizophrenia, or other disorders that deeply wound the future of those who suffer them.
“Jesus summoned the Twelve and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases” (Lk 9:1). These evils, as the Gospel itself shows us, can also be understood as mental illnesses.
The encounter with Christ—the One who is whole, complete, and fulfilled—brings balance and peace. He alone can calm the spirit, help us rediscover ourselves, and bring clarity and light to our lives and to how we approach our future. The Gospel is a sure guide in times of doubt, a teacher for instruction and guidance, a school for both young and old, and a path that leads us into the way of life—which must never fade.
The Apostles “set out and went from village to village proclaiming the Good News” (Lk 9:6). This is also our mission: to live and meditate on the Gospel, the very words of Jesus, so that they may penetrate deep within us. In this way, little by little, we discover the path we are to follow and the freedom we are meant to live. As Saint John Paul II wrote: “Peace must be realized in truth... it must be brought to being in freedom.”
May Jesus Christ Himself—the One who has called us to faith and to eternal happiness—fill us with His hope and His love. For He has given us a new life and an unfailing future.
Thoughts on Today's Gospel
“I can't rest as long as there are souls to be saved” (Saint Thérèse of Lisieux)
“Those who have come into genuine contact with Christ cannot keep him for themselves, they must proclaim him” (Sant Joan Pau II)
“Since, like all the faithful, lay Christians are entrusted by God with the apostolate by virtue of their Baptism and Confirmation, they have the right and duty, individually or grouped in associations, to work so that the divine message of salvation may be known and accepted by all men throughout the earth” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, n 900)
