First Reading - Baruch 4:5-12,27-29
Gospel - Luke 10:17-24
In the first reading, the prophet Baruch speaks words of comfort to a people weighed down by exile and sorrow. He tells them not to lose heart but to trust that God, who allowed their trials, will also bring them back with mercy. Their suffering was not the end of the story — God’s compassion would write the final chapter.
In the Gospel, we see the disciples returning with joy after their mission. They had faced difficulties, but they experienced the power of God working through them. Jesus rejoices with them, reminding them that their greatest reason for joy is not their success, but the fact that their names are written in heaven. Their struggles had meaning because they were part of God’s greater plan.
Dear friends, in our trials, God is with us, and in Him we find lasting joy. Suffering and setbacks do not have the last word — God’s mercy does.
This invites us to change how we view difficulties. Instead of despairing, we can see challenges as opportunities to lean on God more deeply. Just as the exiles were reminded to hope in God’s mercy, and the disciples were reminded to rejoice in their eternal destiny, so too we are invited to lift our eyes from the weight of the present to the joy of God’s promises.
Let us never forget that the joy of the Gospel is stronger than any trial. God does not leave us in sorrow; He turns our mourning into gladness. Our true joy is not in what we achieve but in belonging to Him, in knowing that our names are written in heaven.
So today, let us walk with hope. In trials, trust His mercy. In success, rejoice in His grace. And in all things, remember that God’s love has the final word — and that word is joy.
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