Growing up as an only child for nearly a decade, my dad was my personal superhero. But as I got older, I saw his flaws and weaknesses that ultimately led to my parents’ separation. It was a frustrating time and I deeply missed having a father figure who embodied leadership, integrity, and selfless love.

One afternoon, when my parents were in the middle of a fight, I turned on the TV so I wouldn’t hear them shouting. It felt like divine timing when I stumbled upon a drama where the actress said, “I may not see and know who my biological father is, but I know I have a Father in heaven who loves me completely and would never abandon me.” That line gave me a sense of peace, a certainty that I wasn’t truly fatherless.

Perhaps that’s what it means when Scripture says, “Call no man on earth your father.” Because ultimately, there is only one true Father who can fill every void and answer every unspoken cry of our inner child. 

Gretchen Veran (gretchen@getsmarterandbetter.com)

reflect

How did your experiences with your earthly father shape your understanding of fatherhood and ultimately lead you to embrace the perfect love of our heavenly Father?

Dearest God, thank You for being our good and faithful Father who never leaves nor forsakes us. Thank You also for our earthly fathers who, both in their strengths and weaknesses, lead us back to You.

St. Katherine Drexel, pray for us.

The call to repentance is simple, but oftentimes we have trouble accepting and understanding it. All of us have sinned, but if we trust in God’s mercy, nothing will hinder our repentance or our asking for His forgiveness. Let us always be open to the Holy Spirit who convicts us and leads us to the mercy and forgiveness of God.

¹⁰ Hear the word of the Lord, princes of Sodom! Listen to the instruction of our God, people of Gomorrah! ¹⁶ Wash yourselves clean! Put away your misdeeds from before my eyes; cease doing evil; ¹⁷ learn to do good. Make justice your aim: redress the wronged, hear the orphan’s plea, defend the widow. ¹⁸ Come now, let us set things right, says the Lord: Though your sins be like scarlet, they may become white as snow; though they be crimson red, they may become white as wool. ¹⁹ If you are willing, and obey, you shall eat the good things of the land; ²⁰ but if you refuse and resist, the sword shall consume you: for the mouth of the Lord has spoken!

Responsorial Psalm | Psalm 50:8-9, 16-17, 21, 23

R: To the upright I will show the saving power of God.

⁸ “Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you, for your burnt offerings are before me always. ⁹ I take from your house no bullock, no goats out of your fold.” (R)  ¹⁶ “Why do you recite my statutes, and profess my covenant with your mouth, ¹⁷ though you hate discipline and cast my words behind you?” (R) ²¹ “When you do these things, shall I be deaf to it? Or do you think that I am like yourself? I will correct you by drawing them up before your eyes. ²³ He that offers praise as a sacrifice glorifies me; and to him that goes the right way I will show the salvation of God.” (R)

Gospel | Matthew 23:1-12

Let us not draw attention to ourselves. It is the grace of God that saves us, not our own actions. Let us be willing to give an account of our faith when appropriate (cf. 1 Peter 3:15). However, this is not a license to draw attention to ourselves through unnecessary religious practices. May we live simple lives in honor of the Lord.

Gospel Acclamation

Cast away from you all the crimes you have committed, says the Lord, and make for yourselves a new heart and a new spirit.

¹ Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples, ² saying, “The scribes and the Pharisees have taken their seat on the chair of Moses. ³ Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you, but do not follow their example. For they preach but they do not practice. ⁴ They tie up heavy burdens hard to carry and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they will not lift a finger to move them. ⁵ All their works are performed to be seen. They widen their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels. ⁶ They love places of honor at banquets, seats of honor in synagogues, ⁷ greetings in marketplaces, and the salutation ‘Rabbi.’ ⁸ As for you, do not be called ‘Rabbi.’ You have but one teacher, and you are all brothers. ⁹ Call no one on earth your father; you have but one Father in heaven. ¹⁰ Do not be called ‘Master’; you have but one master, the Christ. ¹¹ The greatest among you must be your servant. ¹² Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”

Read the Bible in one year! Read 3 JOHN today.

Today’s readings give us a clear but challenging reminder: God does not ask for performance—He desires a real heart. In Isaiah, God calls out to His people: “Wash yourselves clean! Cease doing evil; learn to do good.” In the Psalm, God critiques empty sacrifices. And in the Gospel, Jesus warns against leaders who preach but do not practice, who are more concerned with appearances than with true righteousness.

It is so easy to fall into the trap of believing that outward faith is enough. Yet God sees beyond appearances. He sees whether our hearts are being shaped by love, justice, and humility. And He invites us into something much deeper: a life that is surrendered for His transformation.

Growing in maturity of faith means being real enough to let God see our struggles, admit that we are still learning to trust Him, and offer not a perfect life, but an open heart.

There is a song that captures this beautifully. In it, the singer reflects:

“I have always thought that time would heal my doubts,And my heart would be so pure that I would make You proud. But it doesn’t really work that way, ’cause Your love is far too bigTo only meet me in the perfect and the polished,In the chosen things I let everyone see.”

God meets us in our restless, unfinished, and unpolished places. Perhaps real spiritual maturity is being brave enough to bring even our weaknesses into the light of His mercy.

Today, we are invited to move from mere appearances into authenticity. To stop performing faith and start living it. To offer not the image of holiness, but the daily, stumbling, real steps of a heart trying to follow God more sincerely.

This is the offering God delights in: not a performance staged for others, but a heart surrendered for Him. 

Fr. Albert Garong, SSP

reflection question

Are you growing in courage to bring your real heart before God, not just the polished parts?

Lord, teach me to love You, not with perfection but with sincerity. Amen.

Today, I pray for: ______________________________________