Homily: October 17, 2026, Saturday of the Twenty-Eighth Week in Ordinary Time (Holy Spirit speaking)

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 “For the Holy Spirit will teach you at that moment what you should say.”

These are the beautiful and comforting words of Jesus in today’s Gospel.

Jesus has given us so many wonderful gifts: the Eucharist, the sacraments, the Church, and above all, the gift of the Holy Spirit. And today, Jesus assures us that the Holy Spirit will guide us, especially when we do not know what to say or what to do.

There have been many moments in my own life when I have struggled to find the right words. Sometimes I have been afraid to speak. Sometimes I have wondered whether I was making the right decision. I am sure many of you have experienced the same thing.

But Jesus makes us a beautiful promise: The Holy Spirit will teach us what to say.

However, I believe there are two important things we must do to experience this promise in our lives.

First, we must ask the Holy Spirit for guidance.

Before making an important decision, before having a difficult conversation, before taking a major step in life, we should pause and pray: “Come, Holy Spirit. Guide me. Give me the right words. Help me to do what is right.”

Does that mean everything will turn out exactly as we want? Not necessarily. Even after praying, we may face disappointments, failures, or misunderstandings. But we can find peace in knowing that we sought God's guidance and tried to follow his will. Sometimes God allows us to go through difficult experiences because there is something he wants to teach us through them.

Second, when the Holy Spirit prompts us to do something good, we must respond.

Sometimes we feel a gentle prompting within us: to forgive someone, to call a person who is struggling, to speak the truth, to apologize, or to help someone in need.

We may say, “I will do it tomorrow,” or “Maybe another time.”

But the more we ignore those promptings, the harder it becomes to recognize the voice of the Holy Spirit. It is not that the Holy Spirit stops speaking to us. Rather, we become less attentive to his voice.

So today, let us remember two simple things: Ask the Holy Spirit for guidance, and have the courage to act when he prompts us.



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