REFLECTION:

Yesterday, I celebrated White Sunday Mass with the Lumana'i o Samoa, Samoan club at Chaminade University.

After Mass, I was talking with one of our Maryknoll students who attended the celebration. I asked her, “So, what did you get out of my homily?” And of course, the first thing she remembered was Leviticus 3:16, “All fat belongs to the Lord.” Of all the things I preached about, that's what she remembered! But then she followed up by saying, “We put so much effort into preparing for parties, celebrations, and other things in our lives. We should put that same effort into the things of God.”

And I thought, “Wow! She actually got the message! The Holy Spirit is working!”

But think about what she said. When we have a birthday party, a wedding, or some kind of celebration, we spend weeks, sometimes months, preparing. We think about the food, decorations, invitations, what we're going to wear, and who's going to sit next to whom. And sometimes, that last one takes the most prayer! But when it comes to God, how much effort do we put into preparing our hearts? Sometimes we can't even find five minutes to pray. We struggle to make time for Mass or to read Scripture. And that brings us to today's Gospel.

Jesus is frustrated because the people keep asking Him for a sign. Think about it. Jesus has been healing people, performing miracles, teaching, and preaching. And yet, they still want another sign! It's almost as if they're saying, “Lord, that's nice, but can You do something a little more impressive?” And Jesus reminds them of the people of Nineveh. When Jonah preached, they listened, repented, and changed their lives. They didn't need another sign. They responded to the message they had already received.

And that's what struck me about this Maryknoll student. She didn't just remember the funny part of the homily. She understood that God's Word was inviting her to look at her own priorities.

In our first reading, St. Paul reminds us, “For freedom Christ set us free.” Christ has given us freedom, but what are we doing with that freedom? Are we using it to grow closer to God, or are we allowing other things to take over our lives?

You see, sometimes we're so busy looking for God to do something extraordinary that we overlook what He's already telling us through ordinary moments. Through Scripture, through the Eucharist, through the people around us, and yes, sometimes even through a conversation with a student after Mass.

Perhaps the problem isn't that God isn't speaking to us. Perhaps the problem is that we're not always listening, or we're listening but not responding.

So today, maybe we should ask ourselves a simple question. If we can put so much time and effort into preparing for celebrations that last only a few hours, how much more should we put into our relationship with God, which is meant to last for eternity?



Because at the end of the day, it's not just about hearing God's Word or remembering a good joke from the homily. It's about what we do with the message after we hear it.