💖 HOMILY - OCTOBER 13 💖

First Reading - Romans 1:1-7 

Gospel - Luke 11:29-32

We live in a world that constantly demands proof — proof of success, proof of love, proof that something is real before it can be believed. We trust what we can see, measure, or explain. But faith calls us to a deeper way of seeing — one that recognizes the presence of God, not in signs and spectacles, but in truth and transformation. Today’s readings invite us to rediscover what it means to believe without demanding signs.

In the first reading, St. Paul begins his letter to the Romans by presenting himself as “a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle.” His faith is not built on visible signs, but on a personal encounter with the risen Lord. Paul once persecuted Christians, but when he met Christ, everything changed. His heart was converted, his mission transformed, and his entire life became a testimony to the power of the Gospel. Paul reminds us that the good news is not a philosophy or theory — it is a person: Jesus Christ, the fulfillment of God’s promises.

In the Gospel, the people ask Jesus for a sign from heaven. They want proof before they will believe. But Jesus tells them that no sign will be given except the sign of Jonah. The people of Nineveh, He says, repented when they heard Jonah’s message. The Queen of the South traveled far to hear Solomon’s wisdom. Yet now, someone greater than Jonah and Solomon stands before them — and they still do not believe. The problem is not that God has failed to reveal Himself; it is that the human heart often refuses to see what is already before it.

Dear friends, true faith does not wait for miracles to believe. It listens to God’s Word, recognizes His presence in daily life, and responds with obedience and trust. The real miracle happens when a hardened heart begins to love, when a broken life is restored, when a sinner turns back to God. These are the quiet signs of grace that surround us every day.

This means learning to recognize God’s hand in the ordinary — in the kindness of a friend, the strength to forgive, the courage to keep going when life is hard. It means trusting that God is working, even when we cannot see how. Faith matures when we stop asking God to prove Himself and instead start asking how we can live for Him.

God does not owe us signs; He offers us Himself. The cross and resurrection of Jesus are the greatest proof of His love. If that is not enough, no miracle ever will be. What God desires now is a faith that trusts, follows, and becomes a sign to others — a faith that shines through how we live, how we love, and how we endure.

Let us ask the Lord today to give us such faith — a faith that does not depend on signs, but becomes one. May our lives reveal to others that Christ is real, that His Word transforms, and that His love endures forever.