God’s word is spoken to a people who feel abandoned, wounded, and without advocates. Yet the Lord promises restoration: exile will not be final, wounds will be healed, and what was scattered will be gathered again. What appears as irreversible will be overturned in keeping with God’s faithfulness. In the Gospel, Jesus confronts religious leaders who prioritize external observance while missing the heart of God’s law. He reminds the crowd that what truly defiles a person is not external practice, but the condition of the heart. We are called to go beyond the surface into an interior conversion. God is not distant from human suffering, nor impressed by empty tradition. He draws close to the broken and speaks healing over what seems beyond repair. When voices confuse truth, the invitation is to return to the One who restores from within. St. John Vianney the patron saint of parish priests spent many hours at the confessional, helping people to combat evil, by gazing on Jesus.

PRAYER: I love You, O my God, and my only desire is to love you until the last breath of my life. Amen.