Homily | March 27, 2026 | Faith Gets Tested When Truth Gets Clear (Episode 69)

There's a line in the first reading that feels very real.

All those who were my friends are on the watch for any misstep of mine.

That's not abstract.

That's not ancient.

That's our human condition.

Jeremiah is not dealing with strangers.

He's dealing with people who know him.

People who have walked with him.

And now, while they're waiting for him to fall, watching for a mistake, ready to tear him down.

And you can feel it.

Tear on every side.

Denounce him.

Now hold that because when you get to the gospel, it escalates.

They're not just whispering anymore, they pick up stones.

Why?

Not because Jesus did something wrong, but because of who he claims to be.

You, a man, are making yourself God.

This is the thread that connects both readings.

When truth becomes clear, when God becomes present, when light exposes what is hidden, there's always resistance.

Don't miss this.

Why?

Because the closer you are to truth, the more you will be tested.

Jeremiah experienced it.

Jesus experiences it.

And if you're actually living your faith seriously, you too will experience it.

Because we like the idea of faith, well, until it cost us something.

We like comfort, affirmation, easy Christianity, the feel good.

But the moment faith demands clarity, the moment it demands conviction, the moment it exposes your sins, your habits, your bad behaviors, well, then we take a step back.

Look at the gospel again.

Jesus says, if I do not perform my Father's works, do not believe me.

In other words, look at what I do.

Look at the evidence.

Look at the truth right in front of you.

But they don't want truth.

They want control.

And that's the deeper issue.

It's not that they don't understand, it's that they don't want to accept.

Now this brings us back to our own lives because this is where the gospel stops being about them and becomes about us.

Where are you resisting truth?

Where has God made something clear in your life?

What are you still pushing back?

This is a theme that we've been talking about all this week.

Maybe it's that decision you need to make, a sin you need to confront, a relationship that needs to change, a habit that needs to go.

And instead of surrendering, you argue, you delay, you justify, you stay in the same old same old.

Not because you don't see it, but because you don't want to deal with it.

This is where Jeremiah's line becomes everything.

The Lord is with me like a mighty champion.

That's not confidence in himself, that's trust.

Because when you choose truth, you will not always be understood.

When you choose God, you will not always be supported and applauded.

You will never be alone.

But that's the difference.

Jeremiah is surrounded by opposition, but grounded in God.

Jesus is surrounded by hostility, but he's still united to the Father.

And you have to decide where do you stand?

Because neutrality is not an option.

You're either aligning yourself with truth or you resist it.

You either trust God in His plan or you trust yourself.

Be demanding.

Stop resisting what you already know is true.

You don't need more information.

You need surrender.

Stand firm even when it costs you.

Faith that costs nothing changes nothing.

Trust that God is with you.

Not vaguely, but and not even symbolically.

He's with you like a mighty champion.

Because at the end of the gospel, they try to arrest him and he walks away.

Why?

Well, because his life is not controlled by them.

It's ordered to the Father.

That's freedom.

And that's what God wants for you.

Not a comfortable life, a true life.

So today, don't just admire Christ.

Don't just listen, choose, stand, trust, because the same God who stood with Jeremiah is the same Father who was with the Son, is now with you.

And if that's true, then you have nothing to fear.

Amen.