October 12, 2025
28th Sunday Ordinary Time
FOCUS: If we persevere, we shall also reign with him.
Today's readings feature those in extremely difficult circumstances finding hope and new life in their faith. Naaman is cleansed, Paul hopes in God in the face of trial, and desperate lepers are completely healed. In each of these examples, we see the transformative power of faith and the abundant power and grace of God. May the Lord increase and sustain us in faith so as to be strident witnesses of his love and mercy to the world.
What's in Your Heart
If you refuse to accept a gift you have nothing for which to be grateful.
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What gifts do you accept regularly? What gifts have you refused? When have you felt most grateful for a gift received?
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Would anyone looking from the outside consider you a person who is thankful for the gifts you've been given? What encourages a sense of gratitude in you?
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Consider God's faithfulness. Even when we are unfaithful, he remains faithful. Why? Because, Paul tells us, God is love and can't deny himself. Remember that love.
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Who draws your pity? Whose appreciation of your kindness has surprised you most? Whose lack of gratitude has disappointed you? In what ways has your own gratitude or lack thereof surprised others?
Homily Stories
Last summer, I participated in the “Great Lake Plunge,” an open-water swim competition in Lake Michigan in Evanston, Illinois. Back in my younger days, I used to compete in this and other open-water competitions on a regular basis. But swimming receded from my life after COVID took its toll on me, leaving me with chronic pain and other issues. To add insult to injury—literally—I threw my back out last winter and was nearly immobile for a time.
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This year, I resolved to get back in the pool, and as soon as the temperature was tolerable in a wetsuit, I got back in the lake. The cold water brought instant relief—my inflammation contracted, and the weightlessness of swimming put no pressure on my back so I could move freely.
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After everything I’d been through, I realized my spirit needed some healing too. I’d somehow forgotten how much swimming had been a prayer practice for me, and all the time I’d spent alone with God in the water throughout my life came rushing back.
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I finished the “Great Lake Plunge” with a respectable time for someone my age. I’m inspired to not let swimming slip away again.
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Forgive me, God, for not thanking you sooner for leading me back to the water and rediscovering you there. With a grateful heart, I’m doing it now.
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