DAILY HOMILIES #Love

Love is a fire; if it is not properly fed with fuel, it quenches. Instead of trying to win that fight or argument, focus on feeding the fire of your love. One lesson the story of “Beauty and the Beast” teaches us is that love brings out the best in people. Every “Beast” needs “Beauty”. Love your spouse not because they deserve it, but because you are beautiful.

“If you do afflict them, and they cry out to me, I will surely hear their cry; and my wrath will burn, and I will kill you with the sword, and your wives shall become widows and your children fatherless.” (Exodus 22:23-24). Proverbs further drives this point home: “He who closes his ear to the cry of the poor will himself cry out and not be heard.” (Proverbs 21:13).

The Central Message of Pope Leo XIV. The message of Pope Leo XIV for World Mission Sunday 2026 can be summarised in one powerful statement: “Our unity in Christ strengthens our mission, and our mission is to make God’s love known to the whole world.” The Holy Father reminds us that unity is the foundation of mission, cooperation is its strength, and love is its essence. As we celebrate the 100th World Mission Sunday, every baptised Christian is invited to become an active missionary disciple, proclaiming Christ not only through words but especially through a life of faith, unity, service, and love.

St. Paul did not stop at merely asking us to love; he clarifies the kind of love when he says, “Love is patient, kind, not jealous, not boastful, not arrogant, not rude, not irritable, not resentful, not rejoicing in wrong, bears all things, believes, hopes and endures all things and above all, love never ends.

As simple as it sounds, loving our neighbours as ourselves is a sacrifice. When we love others, they respond with hatred. They take advantage of us when we are kind, sincere and open. If you expect people to appreciate you for living a righteous life, love you for loving them, or even reciprocate your kindness, you are wasting time. Whatever good you do for others, know that you do it for God.

As we celebrate the Trinity, let us think of our oneness as humans: we all came from one God and are related to one another. If we trace our family origins, we will discover we are more united than we often assume. St. Paul says, “Mend your ways, heed my appeal, agree with one another, live in peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you.”

Avoid using others to judge your progress in life. We are social beings and tend to follow the crowd. Also, we derive a sense of achievement from knowing that we are doing better than others, especially those within our close circle. Even among Jesus’ disciples, there were rivalries and arguments about who was the greatest. (cf. Luke 9:46, Luke 22:24). Peter wanted to know if John would have to carry a heavier cross, but this inquiry was never necessary.

We all claim to love God, but the true test of our love for God is the quality of our sacrifice. If I say I love God, am I willing to let go of everything else for His sake? Many claim to love God but are only interested in the outcome of their relationship with God. Hence, when circumstances seem to offer nothing in return, they become cold towards God.

What does it mean to love one another as God has loved us? It means that we pour ourselves out for the good of our fellow brothers and sisters. To love like God is to be a Prodigal Father ready to forgive as many as seventy-seven times seven times.

It was out of love that Jesus opted to feed the multitude. Again, by asking them to sit down in small groups, Jesus taught us the power of small groups as places where we find love. After blessing the bread and fish, Jesus taught another powerful lesson on love by asking them to share. To love is to share; when we share what we have, it multiplies. As the crowd shared the pieces of the five loaves and two fish with love, it multiplied until all ate and were satisfied.

If I can keep God’s commandments or overcome temptations, I must learn to thank God because, left to my power, I can do nothing. All this boils down to the fact that we must avoid passing judgment on others while boasting about our goodness. Nevertheless, it is different when we correct others in love. This is what we see in today’s Gospel passage.

Whether we like it or not, we will all experience rejection at some point in our lives, as long as we live in a world where freedom of choice exists. So rather than avoiding rejection at all costs and becoming people pleasers (which is worse), we need to prepare ourselves ahead of time for rejection and find ways to heal ourselves when it occurs.