20261016 Friday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time

(Eph 1:11–14; Lk 12:1–7): Our Destiny Rests in God Alone Dearest brothers and sisters, do you not often feel that time passes so very quickly—almost painfully so, leaving us longing to hold onto it? At times, in our anxiety over its fleeting nature, a quiet reflection awakens within us: How are we truly filling the meaning of this time given to us? Whenever such thoughts arise, we may find ourselves torn between two paths: shall we simply drift through passing time as if driven by a predetermined fate, or shall we actively exercise the free will granted to us? This inner tension springs from a deep desire not to live a forgotten life, but rather to interpret our journey by relying on our own experiences and pursuing our ideals. As the philosopher Martin Heidegger observed, we must accept the stark reality that we are already "thrown" into this world—regardless of our own choosing. Yet at the same time, we possess a deep spiritual longing not to let the precious life God has entrusted to us slip away in vain. As we grow, our dreams and hopes may come to fulfillment, or they may stall and be broken. In those moments of trial, we are easily tempted to dismiss the light in our lives as mere coincidence, or to view our negative experiences as fixed limitations and simply surrender to them. However, the only true "destiny" in our lives is the fact that we have been given a blessed beginning, lovingly fashioned by God, and that a perfected invitation to return to Him awaits us. Between that beginning and end, we walk forward using our free will, embracing the sacred responsibility to build meaningful relationships. If we close our eyes to this inherent love and truth, we will ultimately forget the grace God has bestowed upon us. The discord caused by our own imperfections and our attachments to the world will inevitably collide. We must realize that such disharmony is certainly not our ultimate destiny, nor should it ever be. Therefore, through our free will and reason, we need the courage to seek true understanding and a change of direction. We ought to regard our daily lives—walked with our eyes fixed upon eternity—as a sublime responsibility we bear for our own existence. We must not turn away from the invitation God extends to us with endless patience and mercy, as though it were a burden or constraint. Rather, we should embrace it as a blessed calling, holding it in our hearts with lingering love and deep gratitude. In his Letter to the Ephesians, Saint Paul testifies: “In him we were also chosen, destined in accord with the purpose of the One who accomplishes all things according to the intention of his will... which is the first installment of our inheritance toward redemption as God’s possession, to the praise of his glory.” (Eph 1:11, 14) This "destiny"—in which God calls us by His grace to abide in Him—is by no means distorted by or contrary to our rational human reason. It is not a fatalistic constraint in which our lives are coldly predetermined; rather, it is filled to overflowing with a love that pierces into the deepest essence of our soul and our profound desire for true happiness. On this path where God leads us to proclaim Him and invite others to His side, we have no need to be trapped in fear of the world. We need only surrender ourselves freely to God, entrusting both our today and our tomorrow into His hands. My dear brothers and sisters, as we celebrate this Holy Mass, let us take deeply to heart the words of the Lord in Saint Luke's Gospel: “Even the hairs of your head have all been counted. Do not be afraid. You are worth more than many sparrows.” (Lk 12:7) May this be a truly blessed day in which we ask for the wisdom to cultivate the daily lives entrusted to us, making them beautiful and fragrant in His sight. Amen.