20260905 Saturday of the Twenty-Second Week in Ordinary Time

(1 Cor 4:6b–15; Lk 6:1–5): Imitate the Folly of the Lord That Will Beautifully Transform the World As our busy days drift by and we stand at the threshold of autumn, a quiet longing often comes to us—a desire to enter deeply into inner retreat and meditation. This longing calls forth a self-reflective soliloquy, asking whether we are forgetting what is most precious along this fleeting journey. In the end, it leads us to examine ourselves, to face and seek who we are before God as we truly are, and to draft a blueprint for stepping toward the future through our present relationships. Just as the philosopher Descartes famously stated in his Meditations, “I think, therefore I am,” taking a moment to pause, rest, and reflect upon ourselves and our surroundings within the context of time and space is deeply valuable. It prompts us to ask: What values are we living for, and what legacy are we leaving behind? In the First Letter to the Corinthians (4:7, 10), Saint Paul writes: “What do you possess that you have not received? ... We are fools on Christ’s account, but you are wise in Christ.” Reflecting on these words, how truly beautiful it is to ponder what we have freely received from God and to offer it back to his glory and to the neighbors who breathe alongside us! Yet, to the eyes of the world, such discernment, choices, and actions may look like utter foolishness. Indeed, it is foolish to choose emptiness in a world that strives to grasp and accumulate. It seems foolish to struggle to respond to the true joy of humbling oneself amid a culture of endless rivalry. And before the contradiction of power that disrupts the order of the world through greedy desires to dominate, it seems foolish to pray for a heart that longs to melt away like a candle to brighten the darkness. Saint Paul lovingly reveals his identity and the purpose of living such a life in verses 14 and 15: “I am writing you this not to shame you, but to admonish you as my beloved children. ... For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel.” We use the word “Father” when referring to a priest. This title is not given because of worldly seniority or the weight of life experience. Rather, it is because he is called to live as a spiritual father who, out of love for Christ and a desire to follow him, yearns to embrace even a single broken soul. In Luke’s Gospel (6:5), Jesus speaks to those whose cold hearts could not look with warmth upon the hunger and sorrow of one who picked heads of grain to fill an empty stomach—those bound by worldly customs and self-centered judgments regarding the Sabbath. He declares: “The Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.” In this same way, a priest carries the joyful and grateful duty to unbind the sharp chains of human reason from people's souls, helping them meditate on and cultivate true spiritual values—never forgetting that this heart and spiritual devotion come from God. Dear brothers and sisters, this is also the calling shared by all of us gathered here. This is the season to refine and purify the precious souls entrusted to us by the Lord, so that we may be filled with his fragrance and color this world with his love. Amen.