A Living Note from Heaven - Homily Reflection 24th Sunday

 

A Living Note from Heaven

Readings 0913

Blessed be God.

Praise be to Jesus Christ, now and forever. Amen.

Come Holy Spirit—

fill us with joy,

set our hearts ablaze

with Your presence.

My grandson Liam said something the other day

that stopped me in my tracks.

He told his mama,

“When I die and go to heaven,

I’m gonna come back and leave notes for people…

notes that say, ‘Jesus is real.’

People will believe me because I will sign it

Liam ‘the ghost’ Fox.”

A couple of days later I told him,

“Baby, you’d be a Holy Ghost.”

And he grinned—

because in his little heart

he already knows something

the world keeps trying to forget:

Jesus is real.

And when Jesus is real to you,

you want the whole world to know.

You want to leave notes everywhere you go—

in kindness,

in mercy,

in forgiveness—

little messages that say,

“He is real…

and He is love.”

But the world doesn’t always welcome that love.

Scripture tells us plainly:

“Wrath and anger are hateful things,

yet the sinner hugs them tight.”

And Lord, we see that today.

We see it when faithful Catholics are watched,

monitored,

treated with suspicion

for simply worshiping Jesus.

We see it when the Little Sisters of the Poor in Pennsylvania

and the Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne, NY

are pressured to facilitate things

that contradict the Gospel of Life—

abortion pills,

doctor‑assisted suicide,

and gender‑affirming residential care

in palliative settings.

We see it when Father Bob Caudill in Florida

is fined again and again

for feeding the poor—

for offering showers,

for restoring dignity,

for preaching Christ to the homeless.

We see it when Father Gary Smith in Portland

is cited for letting the unhoused sleep on church steps

and giving them something to eat—

or when parishes in New Mexico

are threatened with fines

for serving soup

and handing out clothes.

We see it when a Christian preacher in Ohio

is charged eighteen times

and arrested

for opening church doors in winter

so the homeless wouldn’t freeze to death.

Wrath and anger are hateful things.

And sometimes the world hugs them tight.

But Jesus says:

“Blessed are you

when people insult you and persecute you

and say all kinds of evil things about you falsely

on account of me.”

And He tells us what to do

when the world is against us.

He does not say,

“Fight back.”

He does not say,

“Hold grudges.”

He does not say,

“Match anger with anger.”

He says,

“Forgive.”

Peter asked Him,

“Lord, how often must I forgive?

As many as seven times?”

And Jesus answered,

“Not seven…

but seventy‑seven times.”

In other words:

As long as it takes.

As often as it’s needed.

Until mercy becomes

your way of life.

Jesus’ message is clear:

If we want mercy,

we must give mercy.

If we want forgiveness,

we must forgive

from the heart.

And here’s the deeper truth:

The world may fine us,

misunderstand us,

pressure us,

or stand against us—

but none of us lives for ourselves,

and none of us dies for ourselves.

Whether we live or die,

we belong to the Lord.

So when the world pushes against the Church,

we don’t push back with anger.

We push back with love.

We push back with mercy.

We push back with forgiveness

that confuses the angry

and converts the humble.

We leave notes—

just like Liam said—

notes written not on paper

but on human hearts.

Notes that say:

“Jesus is real.”

Notes that say:

“The Lord is kind and merciful,

slow to anger,

rich in compassion.”

Notes that say:

“You may be against me,

but I am still for you—

because Christ is for you.”

So today,

set enmity aside.

Let go of wrath.

Let go of anger.

Let go of the need to win.

And pick up mercy.

Pick up forgiveness.

Pick up the quiet courage

to love even when the world resists it.

Because when we forgive,

when we show mercy,

when we keep loving

in the face of opposition—

our lives become little messages from God,

little signs that say:

“Jesus is real…

and His love is stronger

than anything set against us.”

So let your life speak.

Let your mercy speak.

Let your forgiveness speak.

And let the world hear it.

Become little Holy Ghosts

walking through the world

whispering this Good News

by your life:

“Jesus is real.”

Praise be to Jesus Christ,

now and forever.

Amen.