10th Week of Ordinary Time C – Tuesday

Published on 9 June 2025 at 13:07

My dear brothers and sisters, may the Lord give you peace. As we once again transition from the Easter Season to the Ordinary Time within the Liturgical Calendar of the Church, we wish to thank Almighty God, first and foremost, for such a splendid season of grace that he gave us, where we delved more deeply into the loving Heart of Christ, Who suffered, died, rose again and reigns in Heaven, out of love for us. We thank Him for capping off such an extraordinary moment of grace in our lives with nothing less than His very Self – the Holy Spirit, which was given to us anew in these days.

Now that Jesus reigns in Heaven, and has sent us the Holy Spirit, we can always be sure that all of Heaven has our highest good at heart and in mind. What is our highest good? We know that we have many goods, right? We know that health is a good that God wants for us, peace, joy, the dignity of work, etc. But there is a good which is the greatest of all – to be with Him, forever, in paradise. And so, through the help and strength that comes from the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, as in a temple, we are strengthened for the journey.

In today’s first reading, Saint Paul is writing to the Church in Corinth, reminding the faithful there that they have been given the Holy Spirit. By extension he is writing to each and every one of us. He is writing about the importance of allowing the Holy Spirit to help us to live in a way, where we can consistently learn to be truthful, honest and unambiguous in our communication of the truth. He said to them, therefore, “.. Our word to you is not ‘yes’ and ‘no’…” at the same time.  

How often do we run into ambiguities in teaching and evangelization? Our brothers and sisters, and perhaps even ourselves at times, with all the good intentions that may be present, nevertheless impart messages that are at times, either incomplete, half-truths, distortions of that truth, or perhaps just plain old confusing to someone who is trying to learn? For example, when you have a street preacher who challenges a fellow catholic on addressing anyone other than God in our prayers. Their argument sounds solid: “You should pray to no one but God.” Okay, but what if God asked us to pray for one another? What if God made of us partakers in Christ’s one and unique Mediation? Jesus, lays his hands on the apostles for example, and gives them power to do things only God can do. So too, in prayer, when I ask someone to pray for me, this would seem ludicrous if I ought to always bypass other people and go straight to God with my petitions. Rather, petitioning others to say a good word to God on our behalf is in keeping with the kind of humility God himself has always asked us to embrace. Hence, the street preacher who entices another to forego, or renounce asking our Blessed Mother, the angels and saints, and anyone already now with God to pray for us, is actually doing a disservice to the Gospel and the complete truth that Jesus gave us. Paul is saying, let your message be unambiguous, clear and always grounded in the truth that God has revealed to us, which is safeguarded by the Church Christ has instituted, partly for that very reason – to safeguard the truth – the truth, which would be butchered by many a well-intentioned individual, yes, even a follower of Christ. Notice Paul is writing to believers, and as believers we need the Holy Spirit to continue to give us the wisdom that comes from humility.

Our Lord in the gospel tells us that the light which emerges from with a soul that lives the gospel, cannot be hidden. The goodness of a saint cannot be concealed. Such examples will shine on the mountain tops for all to be seen, even if being seen is the furthest thing from what is in their hearts.

Let us continue this day petitioning the Lord to give us the grace to be the salt of the earth by taking His light into every dark corner of the world. Mother of Mercy, Queen of Heaven, pray for us. Amen.  


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