EllHoyah

If I asked you this morning, “What is your biggest fear?” what would you say? Maybe it’s failing. Maybe it’s losing someone you love.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells His disciples: “I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves.” Think about that for a second. Sheep among wolves?

In today’s Gospel, Jesus gives His disciples a mission. He says, “Go and proclaim that the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” Notice something interesting. Jesus doesn’t tell them, “Wait until you know everything.”

Have you ever planted something? Maybe a flower, a vegetable, or even just watered a houseplant. You know one thing: whatever you plant is what eventually grows.

Imagine this for a moment. Have you ever walked through a busy crowded street? Hundreds of people pass by. Some are smiling. Some are talking. Some are rushing to get somewhere.

Today’s Gospel begins with a father who is desperate. His daughter has just died. Yet instead of giving up, the father runs to Jesus and says something extraordinary: “Lord, come, lay your hand on her, and she will live.” That’s incredible faith.

Have you ever noticed that some people carry things they don’t have to? You see someone struggling with five grocery bags in one hand, refusing to make a second trip.

Have you ever broken something that you thought could never be fixed? Maybe it was your phone. Maybe it was a friendship. Maybe it was trust. Maybe it was your own life.

I want to begin with a question. Have you ever doubted God? Maybe you prayed for someone to be healed, but they weren’t. Maybe you asked God for direction, but all you experienced was silence.

In today’s first reading, Amos says something surprising: “I was no prophet, nor have I belonged to a company of prophets. I was a shepherd and a dresser of sycamores.” In other words, Amos is saying, “I wasn’t trained for this.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus enters the region of the Gadarenes, and immediately two men possessed by demons come running toward Him. Think about that for a moment. These men had lost their freedom.

In today’s Gospel, let us think about the background of some of the disciples for a moment. Who were some of them? Peter, Andrew, James and John were fishermen who had spent most of their lives on the Sea of Galilee.

Today, we celebrate two of the greatest saints in the history of the Church: Peter and Paul. Let me ask you a question. If you were choosing leaders to build your Church, would you choose Peter? The man who denied Jesus three times? Or would you choose Paul?

Have you ever noticed how we make room for the things that matter most? If someone important is coming to your house, what do you do? You clean the house. You prepare a meal.

Have you ever wondered if it is possible to surprise Jesus? The Gospel tells us many times that people were amazed at Jesus. But today, something different happens. Jesus is amazed.