💖 HOMILY - DECEMBER 12 💖

First Reading - Isaiah 48:17-19 

Gospel - Matthew 11:16-19

In our daily lives, we often look for happiness in many directions—success, recognition, comfort, and control. Yet very often, even after achieving what we desire, we still feel restless and dissatisfied. Today’s readings gently but firmly remind us that true fulfillment comes not from following our own instincts alone, but from listening to God and trusting His way.

The first reading from Isaiah presents God as a loving teacher and guide. God says that He teaches us what is for our own good and leads us along the right path. Then comes a deeply moving lament: “If only you had paid attention to my commandments, your peace would have been like a river.” This tells us something very important about God. He is not a distant ruler imposing laws for His own sake. He is a loving Father who knows what will bring us peace. Disobedience is not just breaking rules; it is choosing a path that robs us of the peace God desires for us. God’s sorrow here shows His longing for our happiness, a happiness rooted in walking with Him.

In the Gospel, Jesus speaks about the people of His generation as children who refuse to respond. John the Baptist came with a life of discipline and sacrifice, and they rejected him. Jesus came sharing meals and mixing with people, and they rejected Him too. Nothing pleased them. The problem was not the message or the messenger. The problem was closed hearts. They wanted to judge rather than listen, to criticize rather than convert.

This Gospel confronts us with an uncomfortable question: Are we truly open to God, or do we only accept Him when He fits our expectations? Sometimes we want a God who comforts but does not challenge, who blesses but does not correct. Like the people in the Gospel, we can easily become experts at finding faults instead of responding in faith.

Yet Jesus ends with a powerful truth: wisdom is proved right by her works. In other words, a life that truly listens to God will eventually bear fruit. A person who sincerely follows God’s ways may face misunderstanding and criticism, but over time, the fruits of peace, integrity, mercy, and faithfulness will speak louder than any accusation.

Dear friends, the readings teach us that peace is the fruit of obedience, and spiritual blindness is the result of stubborn resistance. God wants to lead us into a life that overflows like a river with grace and meaning. But He never forces us. He invites us. He teaches. He guides. He waits for our response.

Today, we are invited to examine our own hearts. Are we attentive to God’s voice in our conscience, in His word, in the quiet movements of grace within us? Or have we become spiritually selective, listening only when it suits us? If we truly desire peace, clarity, and lasting joy, the path is simple, though not always easy: to listen to God and to trust His wisdom more than our own.

If we choose to listen today, even after many past failures, God is still ready to teach us what is best for us and to lead us again on the right path. And when we walk with Him, our peace, too, can become like a river that never runs dry.