Homily | May 29, 2026 | When The World Feels Unstable Choose Holiness | (Episode 140)

There's a line in this first reading today that almost sounds like it could have been written this morning for our world.

The end of all things is at hand.

St.

Peter's not trying to scare people.

He's trying to wake them up.

He's reminding Christians that life is short, eternity is real, and therefore we cannot afford to live distracted, superficial, or spiritually asleep.

What is fascinating is what Peter does not say.

He does not say panic.

He does not say isolate yourselves.

He does not say spend your life angry at the world.

No, instead he says, pray seriously, love intensely, serve generously, be hospitable, use your gifts, stay faithful in suffering.

In other words, if the world feels unstable, the answer is not fear.

The answer is holiness, faithfulness.

Then the gospel gives us this strange moment where Jesus curses the fig tree.

At first glance it almost feels harsh.

Why would Jesus be angry at a tree for not having figs?

Of course, the fig tree is symbolic.

It had leaves, it looked alive, it looked fruitful from a distance.

But when Jesus came close there was nothing there.

That's the warning.

God is not interested in appearances alone.

He's not impressed by leaves.

And honestly, that may be one of the greatest spiritual dangers of our time.

We can project an image of faith without actually being rooted in prayer.

We can look beautiful on the outside, very holy, very pious.

We can know Catholic language without having the conversation.

We can appear religious while our hearts slowly drift from God.

The temple in Jerusalem had become the same thing.

Outwardly religious, inwardly corrupt.

People were buying, selling, exploiting, distracting.

And Jesus enters with holy zeal because the temple had forgotten its purpose.

He says, The house shall be called the house of prayer.

My house shall be called a house of prayer.

Then the gospel turns directly to us.

Because Saint Paul says elsewhere that now we are the temple of the Holy Spirit.

So the question becomes what is happening inside the temple of my soul?

What tables need to be overturned?

What noise needs to be driven out?

What compromise have I allowed to remain?

What bitterness have I kept alive for many years?

Because notice how Jesus ends the gospel.

He speaks about prayer, about faith and forgiveness altogether.

They are all connected.

Whatever you ask it for in prayer, believe.

And then immediately he says, When you stand to pray, forgive.

Why?

Because resentment hardens the heart, and a hardened heart cannot bear fruit.

Some people wonder why their spiritual life feels dry.

Sometimes it's not because God is absent.

Sometimes it's because the soul has become crowded with anger, ego, pride, jealousy, impurity, constant distractions, or even old wounds.

The Lord today is trying to cleanse our temple again, not to destroy us, not to shame us, but to heal us, to make us fruitful.

Maybe that's the invitation today.

Stop worrying so much about appearances.

Stop living only at the service level.

Let Christ come close enough to inspect the tree.

Because the beautiful things about the gospel is this the Lord never asks us to produce fruit alone.

St.

Peter says, Whoever serves, let it be with the strength God supplies.

God never asks you to fake holiness.

He asks you to remain connected to Him.

And when you pray seriously, when you love intensely, when you forgive freely, and stay faithful through suffering, eventually the soul begins to bear fruit.

Not fake leaves, real holiness, real peace, real charity, real strength.

And that's what's astonishing the world.

Not Christians who merely look religious from the dist from a distance, but Christians who live actually revealing the presence of Christ to the world.

Amen.