What Makes You Tick When You Hear the Gospel?
My dear brothers and sisters,
St. Paul says, “I did not come with sublimity of words or of wisdom… I resolved to know nothing except Jesus Christ, and him crucified.”
Paul was a learned and gifted preacher, but he knew that the Gospel is not about impressive words. It is about encountering Jesus Christ, especially Christ crucified. The power is not in human eloquence but in the Cross and the grace of God.
In the Gospel, Jesus speaks powerful and persuasive words in the synagogue at Nazareth. Yet the people reject him. Why? Because they thought they already knew Jesus. Their familiarity became an obstacle to faith.
And this challenges us today: What makes you tick when you hear the Gospel?
Does God’s Word challenge you and make you want to change? Or do you become defensive when it touches something uncomfortable in your life?
We can hear the Gospel every Sunday, but the important question is: Does the Gospel change us?
The Cross of Christ calls us to forgive, to love, to serve, and to surrender our pride. It invites us not merely to hear Jesus but to allow him to transform our lives.
So today, let us not ask only, “Was the homily good?” Let us ask: “What is Jesus asking me to change?”
May our hearts never become like those of the people of Nazareth—familiar with Jesus but closed to him.
Lord, give us open hearts to hear your Word, receive your grace, and live the Gospel.
Amen
