Discerning the Narrow Path

Homily for Tuesday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time

The readings remind us that whenever the heart drifts—toward fear, toward self‑reliance, toward the approval of others—God gently calls us back. He wants the whole heart, not because He demands it, but because only a whole heart can rest in Him.

After Jehoiada’s death, the leaders of Judah “paid homage to the king,” but their homage was really to power and convenience. Their hearts shifted, and once the heart shifts, behavior follows. The tragedy is not simply their sin, but how quickly they forgot the grace that had sustained them.

Psalm 89 answers that forgetfulness. Even when the people wander, God says, “My faithfulness will never fail.” The psalm is not sentimental; it acknowledges consequences, yet insists that God’s covenant love is sturdier than our inconsistency.

Jesus brings it home: “You cannot serve God and mammon.” But He doesn’t leave us with a warning; He gives a remedy. Look at the birds. Look at the lilies. Let creation teach you how to trust again. Anxiety loosens its grip when we remember who holds us.

Choose one place where your heart feels divided, and hand just that one place back to the Lord. Not everything—just one thing. God can work with that.

May we let the Lord gather our scattered concerns and make of them a single, steady trust in His faithful love.