Homily: February 21, 2026, Saturday After Ash Wednesday (Graceful Souls)

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 “He will renew your strength, and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring whose water never fails.”

Some of us would have experienced the grace of God in a very real way at some point in our lives. Perhaps after a very sincere confession, or during a spiritual retreat, maybe during deep prayer, or some may have felt it at Mass.

Different people would experience it differently. It could be a sense of lightness when the heaviness of a grave sin has been lifted, an indescribable feeling of deep peace, a sudden vision of clarity. Sometimes we would most undoubtedly know that God is close. There’s probably a certain quiet joy within. There are so many possible signs. If you have ever experienced that unusual but wonderful feeling, you would know what I mean.

And if you have not, try to make a good confession, I mean seriously, do it as if today is your last day, and you desperately want to be free from all sin, what we often call ‘deathbed confession’. And you might just get to experience that most beautiful feeling.

Prophet Isaiah today uses a common but vivid image to describe that feeling: a watered garden.

When a garden is well watered, everything looks alive, joyfully vibrant. Green leaves, happy plants, signs of liveliness everywhere. But when water is absent, especially after some time, the same garden becomes dry, lifeless, fragile, and would look pathetic and sad.

The same is true for our soul.

If we live in a state of grace - close to God – we are like a well-watered garden every day. Life may still be filled with struggles, but we see meaning, hope, and direction in every life experience. We would be able to go through it all with a quiet joy and firm consolation within.

The saints have experienced it and their life stories are prove of it.

In today’s Gospel, we see another example: Matthew.

Before encountering Jesus, Matthew’s life may have appeared successful. He had money, good material life, comfortable living. But he was also isolated, disliked, and likely burdened with guilt for working against his own people. He had everything to take care of his exterior life, but no joy to fill his interior being.

Then Jesus passed by and invited him with two simple words: “Follow me.”

Matthew’s life changed totally and forever. His life changed not because of the invitation, but because of his response to the invitation. He gave up his good worldly life and followed Jesus, the Good Shepherd.

The dry ground became a watered garden. The emptiness inside became a heart full of joy. And then Matthew shared that joy with others.

How does your life look like now? Is it a watered garden, alive with grace? Or is it dry, weary, thirsty and longing for something more?

Jesus is always inviting, “Follow me.”

What is your response?

Follow like Matthew, not just in name but in the real act of wanting to receive the waters of life, to be open to grace. If your life is full of junk, no water can fill, no grace can enter.

Throw away the junk, and let He renew you, refresh you, and you will truly feel what it is like to be a well-watered garden - full of life.

Amen.


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 “For you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. And let perseverance be perfect, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” When I read this passage from St. James, one thought came to my mind: faith that gets tested is invaluable, and so necessary for our journey towards holiness. St. James reminds us that trials are not meant to destroy us. They are not even meant to weaken us. Instead, they strengthen us. They produce in us the persevering spirit. Without testing, we are happy being complacent, we take for granted our faith, and other gifts. But when tested, we guard our gifts, we check our faith, and we want to defend it. That helps me keep focused on growing our faith. Repeat that, and we develop a maturity that can handle anything and everything in life. At the end of this reading, something else struck, which warned of the consequence of not being tested, of being in comfort and complacency: the one who works only for riches will vanis...
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Holy Family School Mass Homily   “The men whom you put in prison are in the temple area and are teaching the people.” Wow, what happened? The apostles of Christ were supposed to be locked up in prison, how did they appear in the temple area preaching and teaching the people? Well, blessed and happy Easter to all of you! I hope you all had a wonderful Easter weekend and a restful spring break! Jesus died, and have risen from the dead, and continued to walk around earth, spending time with His disciples for 50 days, that is why we are still in the Easter season. Thereafter, Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to His followers, empowering them with many spiritual gifts and that changed everything! Before that, the apostles were all afraid and were hiding from their enemies. But once the Holy Spirit came upon them, they became super courageous. They began to go around preaching boldly and confidently about Jesus, even to the very people who had put Jesus to death. They were no longer afrai...
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