11/07/2026
𝐁𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐩’𝐬 𝐌𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐠𝐞 | 𝟖𝐭𝐡 𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐏𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐬𝐭 🔥
𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐏𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐞
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
As we reach this 8th Sunday of Pentecost, the Gospel reminds us that the greatest obstacle to faith is not a lack of intelligence, but a lack of truly knowing Christ. Had the Pharisees recognised Jesus as the Son of God, they would never have plotted to put Him to death. Their hearts were closed because they did not know Him.
The Gospel reveals Jesus as the beloved Son of the Father, the Servant foretold by the prophet Isaiah: "This is my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved in whom I delight." Christ pleased the Father because He came not to do His own will, but the will of the One who sent Him. He healed the sick and gave hope to the broken-hearted.
Although His enemies sought to kill Him, Jesus was not fearful. He knew that His life rested in the Father's hands and that the hour of His death would come only when the Father willed it. Jesus tells us: "Do not fear those who kill the body." Our greatest concern is not death but the loss of the eternal life that Christ came to give us. When we place our lives in the Father's hands, we also stop living in fear.
Fear has become one of the great burdens of our age. We worry about tomorrow, about security and about the future. Yet, as Christians, we are called to live with hope because God is our Father.
As instability and the threat of war continue to loom over the Middle East, let us unite in prayer for peace. May the Lord protect the innocent, strengthen those who are suffering, inspire leaders to pursue justice and reconciliation, and bring an end to violence, so that all people may live in peace.
May we surrender ourselves completely to the Lord, allowing Him to guide our lives, so that one day we too may hear the Father's words: "This is my beloved child, in whom I am well pleased."
+ 𝐀𝐧𝐭𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐞-𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐛𝐞𝐥 𝐓𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐛𝐚𝐲
