Homily: June 2, 2026, Tuesday of the Nineth Week in Ordinary time (Get ready)

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 “Therefore, beloved, since you await these things, be eager to be found without spot or blemish before him, at peace.”

This warning from St. Peter is important for our salvation. There is no doubt that all of us gathered here today, even if we are still struggling in their faith, within our hearts there is a deep longing for holiness.

We want to grow to become more like Jesus. We want to be ready to meet him face to face and stand before God without spot or blemish, truly pure and without sin.

In the past two months, I have had two encounters that deeply impacted me. The first was in a hospital emergency room. I had gone there to anoint a parishioner who was brought there. And then there was an elderly man talking to everyone around him loudly. When he saw me, he came over and said, “I need a blessing.” I said, “Of course.” But almost immediately he changed his mind and said, “No, I’m okay. I’ll pass this time.”

The second encounter happened as I was just leaving a restaurant after having a meal. An elderly woman noticed me and asked if I was a Catholic priest. She seemed to want to talk, perhaps to ask for prayer or advice, I guess. But then she hesitated and something seemed to hold her back. She said nothing more and walked away.

In both situations, I wondered if both elderly persons were searching for something, looking for help or simply needing to connect. Perhaps they were searching for God.

Yet they seemed like they were not quite ready to say “yes”. 

What was holding them back? I don’t know but I pray that they themselves know and will be given another opportunity to finally reach out and find what their souls needed.

Many people who experience a conversion later in life often admitted that they wished they had known God sooner. Some wished they had given their life to Jesus when they were younger.

St. Augustine expressed the same regret when he wrote to Jesus, “Late have I loved You, O Beauty ever ancient, ever new.”

St. Peter’s reminder to us today, is not to procrastinate our preparation. Holiness is not something we should put off until tomorrow. Every day, every moment is an opportunity to draw closer to Christ, to repent, to grow in virtue, and to prepare our hearts for heaven. Even if it is a small step forward.

May we move firmly towards holiness today. May those who are searching, hesitant, or afraid, move courageously towards Jesus. May we not delay. May we be found without spot or blemish when we meet Him. Amen.


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“The kingdom of God will be taken away from you  and given to a people that will produce its fruit.” We are now in harvesting season. Many months before this, we were planting and pruning, now we see the results, the fruits, the produce. Our two readings today are also about producing and harvesting fruits. In the first reading the vineyard produced wild grapes instead of good grapes. What went wrong? If the vineyard owner had done everything right, and yet the vineyard brought forth wild grapes, then the problem must have been the soil? Yet it was a land set on the fertile hillside. There is nothing the vineyard owner could do than to let it waste and be cursed. In the Gospel, the story is not about the soil which could not produce, but the tenants who refused to give the produce back to the vineyard owner. What went wrong? The produce must have been good, and the tenants might have become greedy, and wanted to keep all the harvest to themselves and even planned to kill to take ov...
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