💖 HOMILY - OCTOBER 12 💖

First Reading - Galatians 4:22-24,26-27,31-5:1

Gospel - Luke 11:29-32

We sometimes think that if God gave us a clear sign, answered our prayers exactly as we wished, or performed a miracle before our eyes, we would believe more deeply and live more faithfully. We tell ourselves, “If only I could see something extraordinary, my faith would become stronger.” But the readings today challenge us to ask whether we are truly waiting for a sign from God or whether we are unwilling to respond to the signs he has already given us.

In the first reading, St. Paul uses the story of Abraham’s two sons, Isaac and Ishmael, to speak about slavery and freedom. Through this comparison, he reminds the Galatians that they are called to live as children of the promise, not as slaves. He then declares, “For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.”

Paul is not speaking primarily about political or physical freedom. He is speaking about the freedom Christ gives us: freedom from sin, from the belief that we can earn God’s love through our own efforts, and from everything that prevents us from living as children of God.

Yet we know that even after receiving this freedom, we can return to our old forms of slavery. We can become slaves to anger, jealousy, pride, fear, resentment, or the need for recognition. We can know that Christ has called us to freedom and still allow these things to control our lives.

The Gospel brings us to a related challenge. Some people ask Jesus for a sign, but he responds by calling them a “wicked generation” that seeks a sign. He points instead to the sign of Jonah. Just as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, Jesus himself is God’s definitive invitation to conversion.

Jesus then refers to the people of Nineveh, who repented at Jonah’s preaching, and to the Queen of the South, who travelled a great distance to hear Solomon’s wisdom. Both responded to the light they received. Yet Jesus is greater than Jonah and Solomon, and the people listening to him are failing to recognize the One who stands before them.

The problem, therefore, is not that God has given too little evidence. The problem is that people can close their hearts even when God is speaking to them.

This is where the two readings come together. Paul tells us that Christ has set us free, while Jesus invites us to recognize God's presence and respond to his call. But freedom requires a decision. We must choose whether to remain trapped in our old ways or to allow God's Word to change us.

We sometimes ask God to change our circumstances, while he is asking us to change our hearts. We ask for a sign that he is with us, while overlooking the ways he is already present: in his Word, in the Eucharist, in the people who love us, in the person who needs our help, and even in the difficulties that invite us to grow in patience and trust.

Perhaps the sign we are waiting for is not another extraordinary event, but the grace to recognize Christ who is already among us.

Today, let us take seriously Paul's words: “For freedom Christ has set us free.” Let us not return to the slavery of our old habits or allow fear and resentment to govern our lives. And let us not postpone conversion while waiting for some extraordinary sign.

Christ has already come among us. His Word continues to call us, his grace continues to sustain us, and his love continues to invite us to begin again.

May we have the wisdom to recognize his presence, the courage to respond to his Word, and the freedom to live as children of God's promise.