Based on the Gospel, the priest calls the faithful so that their faith is not merely an external form or mere lexical knowledge, but a true internal conversion and love that permeates everyday life and interpersonal relationships.
He warns the scribes because they preserved the knowledge of faith, but turned this knowledge into an obstacle. Outwardly they respected the prophets, they built monuments to them, but they did not accept the truth that the prophets proclaimed.
Man, brothers and sisters, you can know a lot and know about the faith, you can pray regularly, you can respect what is holy, yet still not allow the Lord to truly change you. And then it easily happens that what we confess with our mouth is not recognized in the way we relate to people, to our neighbor. Therefore, the Lord Jesus does not obscure the view of our Gospel.
It is not sin, but that which guides us deeper toward our heart, because right there it is visible how much our faith has become a reality in our life. The words of the Lord, brothers, do not call us to judge others, but to examine our own heart.
The knowledge of prayers and church customs, speaking about the good, is not worth much if the heart remains hard toward the person who stands beside us. We could declare our faith, emphasize it before others, but still not allow faith to change us. Then faith remains only on the surface, it does not become strong.
that which changes our lives and leads us closer to God.
Living faith, brothers and sisters, only begins to change us from within when it sets out, when after prayer, returning with our close friends, we are more ready to understand them, when our neighbor, together with the Lord, makes us more attentive in our words, more thoughtful, more sensitive toward the person standing beside us. Then faith is no longer just something we talk about, something we meditate on; then it becomes a lifestyle, a way of life. Jesus, brothers and sisters, does not hurt us because He wants to ask us to be perfect. The Lord calls us to authenticity. The first step in our conversion...
Acknowledging that we too sometimes, with our own pride, stubbornness, judgment, indifference, and the desire to always prove ourselves right, close the door of grace. God does not ask of us, brothers, that we act as if we were sinless souls. Rather He asks that we allow Him to renew us.
A soul that sincerely admits its weakness before God already allows God to take part in it. It is much harder, brothers, to live in the idea that others must change. Conversion begins when we stop justifying what is not good in us, and when that is good.
Let the word of God show us where we must change. Then we stop adjusting faith to your will and begin to align ourselves with what the Lord asks of us. The call of the Blessed Virgin Mary here in Medjugorje speaks to us. She reminds us that conversion is not merely a beautiful thing.
It is not a one-time thing, nor a decision for a single day, but it must be a daily motive. The call to see the change in our parts and for our life to be a clear testimony to the Lord Jesus. And Mary directs us precisely to this, that we respond with our lives to the call of Christ. Her call is not...
It is not only the appeal to say prayers, but to allow prayer to transform our heart.
Our Lady does not stop us at beautiful feelings or fleeting enthusiasm, but leads us toward Christ and calls us to remain faithful to Him even when this requires humility, abandoning our own pride, and extending a hand toward the person who has drifted away. Therefore, brothers, Our Lady's call to conversion is very life-giving. She calls us to take what we experience in prayer, in closeness with the Lord, back home, to our families, our conversations, and our daily relationships.
Because right there it is visible whether our heart is truly close to God.
To God. Here it is shown how much faith affects our life and how much we testify about it to others. And this is what is close to today's Gospel. As we heard, the scholars of the letter possessed knowledge, but Jesus asks them that this knowledge be manifested in life.
At the beginning of today's Holy Mass, we highlighted that today we celebrate the memory of Saint Teresa of Avila, on the saint's day, who powerfully testified to the importance of faith and fidelity toward the Church. Saint Teresa shows us that the Church is revived precisely through the mediation of those souls who allow God to touch their heart first, cleanse their intentions, and make them faithful.
There is the Gospel. And therefore the prayer of brothers and sisters is not an escape from life. Prayer teaches us to return to life with greater love, courage, and patience. Furthermore, Saint Teresa knew very well the restlessness of the human heart.
She knew that man is not changed simply by making a good impression before others, but when he remains and steadfastly stands before God and allows the Lord to transform him. Therefore her spirituality reminds us even today that prayer must leave a mark on our daily life. True, sincere prayer leads a person back among people and other souls more peacefully, more sincerely, and more readily.
To love even more patiently, even when it is not always simple and easy. The Lord, as we have just seen, warns us not to become the reason by our attitude and behavior that someone strays even further from God.
We did not receive faith to weigh the weaknesses of others, but so that through us other souls might experience God's closeness, understanding, love, and grace. And sometimes, brothers, precisely the way we welcome someone, accept them, listen to them and do not condemn them opens space for that soul to take a step toward God again. Therefore today's Gospel, brothers, places a question before all of us: Does our lifestyle help?
others to get closer to God, or does our lifestyle distance them from the Lord. Does the person near us feel acceptance, peace, or do they withdraw because they experience coldness, hardness, cruelty, and condemnation. And everyone must answer this question for themselves, because the Lord asks us to sincerely...
Let us look at our own heart. Gostin's call to conversion and the example of Saint Teresa of Avila in this direction lead us toward faith that does not remain merely in words, but touches our entire human being and changes our view of others, our way of speaking, our actions, and our relationships.
Therefore it is important, brothers, that today from this word of God we do not take away only a beautiful thought, but make a clear decision to give Christ more space in our life. And the Lord right here in this place calls us precisely to this. He does not hold us back, He does not stop us, but leads us to His own shadow and shows us that true peace is always where Christ is at the center. This is the way.
The way to which the Gospel calls us, on which Our Lady guides us with maternal love, and which Saint Teresa of Avila lived with great seriousness and love. May this be so with us as well, that Our Lady guides us and always leads us toward Christ, and that our life may always be a sign of God's closeness for others.
AI translation. This text was made with artificial intelligence from the live broadcast of Radio Mir Medjugorje. It may contain small inaccuracies; the homily as preached in Croatian is authoritative.