WEDNESDAY, TWENTY SECOND WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
Memorial of Saint Gregory the Great
Col 1: 1-8 Ps 52: 10-11 Lk 4: 38-44
THE GOSPEL OF CHRISTIAN HOPE
Today’s readings remind us of the very heart of Christian life: faith, hope, and love. Faith is our deep reliance on God, a trust that allows Jesus to sustain us in the ordinariness of our daily lives. Hope, in turn, directs our gaze toward the ultimate reward—the unseen reality of eternal communion with God. It is not wishful thinking but a firm trust in God’s promise of salvation, as Pope Francis often reminded us: Christian hope is the certainty of eternal life in and through Jesus Christ. Rooted in our present life in Him, this hope finds its ultimate fulfillment in our future union with Him.
In the Gospel, Jesus reveals His mercy and compassion, healing the sick as a sign of His boundless love. Yet His mission goes beyond healing and earthly blessings; St Paul would say, “If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied” (1 Cor. 15:19). Hope in Jesus is not about acquiring wealth, success, or comfort in this life; it is the unshakable assurance of our full union with Him as God’s beloved children and heirs of His Kingdom. St. Paul reminds us: “Hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit” (Rom 5:5). Even now, God’s merciful love purifies and unites us, with its fullness to be realized in the life to come.
Jesus calls us to proclaim this Good News everywhere—a hope that transforms lives, rooted in the unfailing faithfulness of God. He is present among us, drawing us closer to Himself in Christ. Our lives, then, are to be marked by gratitude: gratitude for the victory Christ has won for us through His suffering, death, and resurrection.
Thus, our faith and ministry are not measured by worldly accomplishments but by the joy of knowing the end of our journey—the perfect union with God that awaits us. As St. Paul beautifully affirms, “the faith and love that spring from the hope stored up for you in heaven” sum up the true message of the Gospel (Col 1:5–6).
Response: I trust in the mercy of God, forever and ever.
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