A Homily for Friday of the 29th Week in Ordinary Time
Friday, October 24, 2025
Prince of Peace Catholic Church – 8:00 Mass
Romans 7:18-25a; Psalm 119:66, 68, 76, 77, 93, 94; Luke 12:54-59
Audio Recording
I’ve just returned from a few days on retreat with the deacons of our diocese. It was a grace-filled time and a much needed time away to pray and spend time with my brother deacons.
The theme that ran through our days together was this: we can only be authentic Christians and effective in our ministry if we first spend time with God in silence. Our mission can only be fruitful if we know who we are, whose we are, and knowing this only happens through quiet reflection.
Without silent reflection, we can easily forget who we are. In silence, we hear God speak to us, assuring us that we belong to Him — that our true identity is first and foremost that we are beloved sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father. God does not love us because of the things we do, the things we accomplish. He loves us unconditionally because we are His children, regardless of our successes or our failures. This is true not only for deacons, but for each and every one of us.
That truth sounds so basic, so obvious, yet so many Christians don’t really understand how blessed we are to be God’s children, how loved we are by our Heavenly Father and His beloved Son. When we truly know who we are in God’s eyes our pride begins to fade and humility takes its place.
We no longer feel the need to defend ourselves or make excuses for our failings. We can admit our faults, not out of fear, but because we trust in God’s mercy, knowing that He loves us for who we are, not for what we do.
In our first reading, Saint Paul gives voice to the inner battle we all experience as a result of our tendency to sin. He writes, “The willing is ready at hand, but doing the good is not.” We’ve all felt that tension, haven’t we? We want to be patient, forgiving, prayerful — and yet we so often fall short.
Paul’s honesty is refreshing. He doesn’t pretend to be better than he is. He simply cries out, “Who will deliver me from this mortal body?” And then he answers, “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!”
This is where our hope lies, in God’s abundant mercy. The more time we spend with Him in quiet prayer, the more we see our sins clearly, and the more we learn to trust that His love is greater than our failures.
In the Gospel, Jesus asks why we’re able to interpret the weather but not the signs of the times. Then He tells us to “settle with our opponent on the way.”
He’s not just talking about settling disputes with others; He’s calling us to settle with God — to be reconciled before we stand before Him in judgment. There’s great wisdom in that. We don’t know the day or hour when our journey here on earth will end, so now is the time to make peace with God. Not later, not someday — NOW.
On retreat, I was reminded that acknowledging and confessing our sins isn’t about guilt, it’s about grace. It’s about letting God do what only He can do — lifting the weight we’ve been carrying and replacing it with His peace.
So today, take a little time for silence. Let God speak to your heart. Listen for those gentle convictions that stir within. If something needs to be set right, don’t push it aside. Settle with Him now — while you’re still on this journey home to Heaven. Because this is where freedom lives — not in pretending we have it all together, but in knowing that we are loved for who we are, not for what we have or haven’t done.
God bless you.