20261011 Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time

(Is 25:6-10a, Phil 4:12-14, 19-20, Mt 22:1-14): Weave Your Radiant Wedding Garment Through Your Tears Dearest brothers and sisters, in the very heart of this Month of the Holy Rosary, let us ask from the depths of our hearts for the poor and humble spirit of Our Lady, who placed her entire life’s journey in God's hands as she walked in quiet humility. May we, too, walk her faithful path of faith—keeping God at the center of our lives through every hardship and adversity, unwavering and overflowing with true joy and love. God constantly invites us in His boundless love to the spiritual banquet that He Himself prepares and calls us to attend. As Saint Paul writes in Philippians 4:19, “My God will fully supply whatever you need, in accord with his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” At every single moment, God opens His grace to us. The fullness of His revelation and presence, which He opens to fulfill our every need, is holily revealed within the Word and Sacraments preserved so sacredly within the Church. Above all, it is communicated in complete love within the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Therefore, our reverence and humility toward God and the Church will naturally shine through every attitude of mind and body with which we participate in each Mass. The spiritual intentions we live by—not only in seminary education and priestly formation, known as the "heart of the Church," but also in our gatherings as parishes, religious communities, and ecclesial groups—will serve as living proof of a people invited to God’s banquet. Furthermore, the way we live in the present will stand as a symbol of our true goal and purpose as we journey toward eternity. Ultimately, when a earnest and sincere faith that places the living God at the center takes deep root within us, the core values displayed in our homes, society, and communities will radiate a corresponding holiness and grace. Through this ongoing journey, whether our lives are genuinely God-centered or human-centered will naturally become evident and experienced by all. How do the inner depths of your heart and soul feel today? With what devotion and with what prayers in your heart have you come to rest in this holy place? As you plunged into daily life, did you perhaps arrive without being adorned in your spiritual wedding garment? With what intentions have you come here today—for the priests who prepare the Mass and pour out their entire heart and soul into every word, for your neighbors, and for yourselves? In truth, our daily lives are precisely what we bring before God. The purposeful life we strive for is never completed in a single sudden moment; rather, it is revealed naturally in any given snapshot of our everyday breathing. For our values and our worldview are inevitably woven into our unfeigned speech, gestures, heartfelt expressions, and the way we treat those around us! In today’s Gospel, the question posed in Matthew 22:12—‘My friend, how is it that you came in here without a wedding garment?’—compels us to reflect upon the lives we are crafting within ourselves, right in the middle of this world created by God. It urges us to ask: What path do we truly desire to walk, and what kind of person are we becoming? Just as autumn colors change their garments in harmony with the shifting winds and seasons, we must ask ourselves whether, with the passing of time, we are becoming better than we were yesterday—growing spiritually mature step by step. A person whose roots are deeply anchored in God, and whose sense of self-worth is profound and steadfast, is not easily swept away by the fierce winds of worldly trends. A silent presence may seem foolish or insignificant in the eyes and judgments of others. Yet, the quiet present being forged within that silence is a blessed time—a time of deepening inner strength and graceful refinement of character and soul, where not a single thread of the spiritual garment to be worn before God is neglected. When all trials pass, the radiant dignity forged through those moments will become a grace that reflects God Himself—maturing us to heal the wounds of others and embrace them with deep, compassionate love. As declared in Isaiah 25:8, “The Lord GOD will wipe away the tears from all faces; The reproach of his people he will remove from the whole earth.” My dear brothers and sisters, Our Lady quietly followed the path of the Lord, engraving countless wounds and tears upon her heart, yet growing ever deeper, clearer, and clothed in God's holiness. Like her, may we embrace the grace of a blessed life that holds God fully at its center. I pray that your days may be filled with blessings as you deepen the dignity and worthiness of those invited to His holy banquet. Amen.