Today we honor St. Pius of Pietrelcina—Padre Pio—who once said, “Pray, hope, and don’t worry.”
Simple words. Strong words. Words that still echo in the hearts of the faithful.
They were words to live by when we began remodeling our little country church several years ago.
It was a sacred space—simple, worn, and full of memory.
The plan was bold: vaulted ceilings, a skylight above the altar, and a bell tower in the vestibule.
It felt inspired, like we were lifting our prayers upward with the roof.
But once demolition began, everything came to a halt.
The contractor said the design wasn’t safe.
Removing the roof joists would weaken the walls.
Skylights, he warned, always leak.
And a bell tower hole in the vestibule? That would invite rain, heat, cold—and mosquitos.
The project stalled.
The priest trusted the architect.
I had worked with contractors long enough to know the concerns were real.
Eventually, they found a compromise:
The walls were reinforced.
The bell tower was removed.
The skylight was installed... and later taken out. It leaked, just as predicted.
Still, we kept going.
We kept building the house of God.
And that’s what today’s Gospel reminds us:
Jesus is told his mother and brothers are waiting outside.
But he replies, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and act on it.”
This is the deeper truth:
The Church is not just made of wood and stone.
It is made of people—those who listen, those who respond, those who keep showing up.
We are the ones who hear the Word and live it.
We are the ones who build—not just buildings, but lives of faith.
We are the ones who repair what’s broken, reinforce what’s weak, and remove what no longer serves.
So let us keep building.
Let us keep listening.
Let us keep acting.
Because the true house of God is not found in the ceiling or the skylight—
It is found in the heart that hears and obeys.
A heart that prays, hopes, and does not worry... because it trusts in God.
Prayer:
Lord,
You call us to build—not just with hands,
but with hearts that listen and obey.
When plans falter,
keep us faithful.
When walls weaken,
make us strong.
Let your Word be our foundation,
and our lives the house where you dwell.
Amen.
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