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Dallas - Fort Worth Lay Dominicans, Irving, TX (2026)

06/18/2026

Go Preach!
Friday, June 19

Treasure, Heart and Light.

A Reading from the Holy Gospel
According to Matthew
(6:19-23)

Glory to you, O Lord

Jesus said to his disciples: “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and decay destroy, and thieves break in and steal. But store up treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor decay destroys, nor thieves break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.

“The lamp of the body is the eye. If your eye is sound, your whole body will be filled with light; but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be in darkness. And if the light in you is darkness, how great will the darkness be.”

The Gospel of the Lord
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ

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Reflection by Pope Francis:

“Love, charity, service, patience, kindness, tenderness”: these are the “beautiful treasures”, which Francis Pope spoke of Friday morning, 21 June, at Mass in the Chapel of the Domus Sanctae Marthae. Concelebrating among others was Cardinal Francesco Coccopalmerio, President of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts, who accompanied a group of officials and employees from the dicastery. Among those present was a group from the Basilica of St John Lateran.

As usual, the Pope focused his reflection on the readings of the day, identifying in particular in the Gospel passage (Mt 6:19-23) and the “common thread” between the words: treasure, heart, and light. The most important thing to do, said the Holy Father, is to ask yourself: “What is my treasure?”. It certainly cannot be riches, as the Lord has said: "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, because in the end you will lose them”. What is the treasure that we can take with us to the end of life? The Pope gives a simple answer: “You can take what you have given, and only that”.

The Holy Father spoke of the passage “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also”. He said that “the Lord has made us look for it, to find it, and to grow. But if our treasure is not close to the Lord, if it is not of the Lord, then our heart is restless”. We think: what am I? A weary heart that wants to settle with only three or four things, with a nice bank account? Or do I have a restless heart, which increasingly seeks the things of the Lord?”.

In the last part of his reflection he referred to Jesus' expression: “The eye is the lamp of the body”. “The eye holds the intention of the heart”, said the Pope, consequently “if your gaze is simple, if it comes from a loving heart, a heart that seeks the Lord, a humble heart, then your whole body will be bright. But if your eye is wicked, your whole body will be dark”.

The Holy Father asked everyone to pray that “the Lord change our hearts, that the Lord make human all those pieces of heart that are stone, and instill in them a healthy anxiety to move ahead, searching for him and letting him search for them”. Because, the Holy Father concluded, only the Lord can save us “from the treasures that hinder our encounter with him in the service of others”.

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Thanks to the USCCB for the reading and to the Vatican for the reflection.

06/18/2026

A Holy Lay Dominican Woman!!!
Blessed Osanna of Mantua - June 18

She was born in 1449 in the Italian city of Mantua.

By the tender age of six, she reported having seen angels appear to her. She refused to marry, despite her father arranging a marriage to her. Instead, at the age of fourteen, she dedicated herself to the Dominican consecrated life by becoming a Third Order Dominican.

Osanna was a great admirer of St. Catherine of Siena, a prolific Dominican, and Catherine's example inspired her to join the Dominicans.

Osanna returned home, having informed her father she had made vows. She waited thirty-seven years before taking final vows, caring for her siblings after their parents' deaths.
Osanna had many visions during prayer—she had a vision in which she saw her own heart before God, in which she saw the Blessed Virgin (as shown in the image to the left), in which she saw images of Christ in his Passion.

Osanna bore the marks of Christ's passion upon her head, side, and feet. Osanna was a spiritual guide to the poorest of the poor, the beggars whom she cared for, and to the ruling elite of Mantua.

Osanna died in Mantua in 1505. Her relics were later transferred to St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, where they lie today. She was beatified in 1694 by Pope Innocent XII.

Blessed Osanna of Mantua, stigmatic and mystic—pray for us!

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Thanks to faith.nd.edu for this summary.

06/18/2026

Go Preach!
Thursday, June 18

Speak with love and devotion to our celestial Father.

A Reading from the Holy Gospel
According to Matthew
(6:7-15)

Glory to you, O Lord

Jesus said to his disciples: “In praying, do not babble like the pagans, who think that they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

“This is how you are to pray:

‘Our Father who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name,
thy Kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.’

“If you forgive others their transgressions, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your transgressions.”

The Gospel of the Lord
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ

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Reflection by Pope Francis:

There is no need to fritter away words in order to pray: the Lord knows what we want to say to him. The important thing is that our first word be “Father”. Jesus’ advice to the Apostles was what Pope Francis, in turn, offered during the homily at Mass on Thursday morning, 20 June, in the Chapel of the Domus Sanctae Marthae. Concelebrating, among others, was Cardinal Zenon Grocholewski, Prefect of the Congregation for Catholic Education, who was accompanied by some staff from the dicastery.

Thus the Pontiff repeated Jesus’ advice to the Apostles when he gave them the Our Father, according the Evangelist Matthew's account (6:7-15). In order to pray, there is no need to make noise or believe that that it is better to use more words. There is no need to trust in noise, the noise of worldliness which Jesus pointed out, “to sound the trumpet” or “making oneself seen while fasting”. To pray, the Holy Father repeated, there is no need to heap up empty phrases: Jesus called this a characteristic of pagans.

Pope Francis went further, confirming that prayer must not be considered a magic formula: “Praying is not something magic; one doesn't practice magic with prayer”. As he often does, he recounted his personal experience. He said that he never turned to sorcerers who promise magic; rather he knew what happened in meetings of this sort: many words are used to obtain “healing one time and at another time something else” with the help of magic. However, he warned, “this is pagan”.

So how should we pray? Jesus has taught us: “he says that the Father who is in heaven 'knows what you need before you ask him”. Therefore, let our first word be “’Father’. This is the key to prayer. Without speaking, without feeling this word, praying is not possible”, the Bishop of Rome explained. Then he asked: “To whom do I pray? The almighty God? He is too far away. I don't feel him; neither did Jesus feel him. To whom do I pray? The God of the cosmos? This is quite frequent nowadays, isn’t it? Praying to the cosmic God. This polytheistic model comes with a superficial culture”.

Rather, we must “pray to the Father”, who begot us. But this is not all: we must pray “our” Father, that is, not the Father of a generic and too anonymous “all”, but the One “who begot you, who gave you life, who gave life to you and me”.

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Thanks to the USCCB for the reading and to the Vatican for the reflection.

06/17/2026

Amen.

06/17/2026

Go Preach!
Wednesday, June 17

Double faced hypocrites create confusion between appearances and Truth. They are enemies of truth!
Take care not to be hypocrites!

A Reading from the Holy Gospel
According to Matthew
(6:1-6, 16-18)

Glory to you, O Lord

Jesus said to his disciples: "Take care not to perform righteous deeds in order that people may see them; otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father. When you give alms, do not blow a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets to win the praise of others.

Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right is doing, so that your almsgiving may be secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.

"When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners so that others may see them. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.

"When you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites. They neglect their appearance, so that they may appear to others to be fasting. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you may not appear to others to be fasting, except to your Father who is hidden. And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you."

The Gospel of the Lord
Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ

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Reflection by Pope Francis:

“Intellectuals with no talent and ethicists without goodness”. These are the kinds of “hypocrites whom Jesus so often reproached”. Pope Francis identified them in his Mass on Wednesday morning, 18 June, in the Chapel of the Domus Sanctae Marthae. Concelebrating with him were among others Cardinal Marc Ouellet, Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops, and Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, President of the Pontifical Council for the Family. With them were two groups of officials and staff of their respective dicasteries.

“The Lord talks of hypocrisy on many occasions”, the Pope said, and “condemns hypocrites”. Then he listed three of the most important episodes. The first was when the Pharisees, wishing to put Jesus to the test, asked him if it were licit to pay taxes to Caesar. The second was when the Sadducees put to him the case of the woman widowed seven times. The Pope sees in these early episodes a specific class of hypocrites; those who “took the path of casuistry”, wishing thereby “to ensnare Jesus”.

The third reference to hypocrites is when Christ addressed a remark to the scribes which the Pope summed up: “hypocrites, you who do not enter the kingdom of heaven and do not let others enter it; hypocrites, you who make your phylacteries large and your fringes long”. These are the hypocrites who take the road of precepts passing through “so many precepts that God’s word does not seem fertile”. They choose “the road of vanity”, with their phylacteries and fringes. “They grow vain and end by making themselves ridiculous”.

“The former are the hypocrites of casuistry, intellectuals of casuistry”, the Pope said, who “do not have the intelligence to find or explain God”. They are stuck in casuistry. The latter are the hypocrites of precepts who “lead the People of God down a dead-end road. They are ethicists without goodness. They do not know what goodness is.... this, that and the other must all be done. They pile on precepts”, but “without goodness”. They adorn themselves with drapery, with so many things... yet “they have no sense of beauty. They can only manage a museum display type of beauty”.

Drawing on the day’s Gospel (Mt 6:1-6, 16-18), the Holy Father said: “the Lord mentions another class of hypocrites, those concerned with the sacred”. This form of hypocrisy, he warned, is the most serious one, for it touches on sin against the Holy Spirit. The Lord, he continued, “speaks of fasting, prayer and alms-giving, the three pillars of Christian piety.... There are hypocrites in this area who strut about”, making a show of doing all these things. “They know nothing of beauty, they know nothing of love, they know nothing of truth; they are petty, they are cowardly”.

We are all, without exception, tempted by hypocrisy, the Holy Father said, but Paul offers us help to resist it (2 Cor 9:6-11). The Apostle “talks to us of broadmindedness, of joy”; for “we all also have grace, the grace that comes from Jesus Christ, the grace of joy, the grace of magnanimity”.

After deploring the harm to all caused by “hypocrisy in the Church”, Pope Francis ended by suggesting a prayer: “Let us ask the Lord to save us from every form of hypocrisy and to give us the grace of love, broadmindedness, magnanimity and joy”.

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Thanks to the USCCB for the reading and to the Vatican for the reflection.

06/16/2026

Go Preach!
Tuesday, June 16

Love is the path towards perfection!

A Reading from the Holy Gospel
According to Matthew
(5:43-48)

Glory to you, O Lord

Jesus said to his disciples: "You have heard that it was said, You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father, for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust.

For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have? Do not the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brothers only,
what is unusual about that? Do not the pagans do the same? So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect."

The Gospel of the Lord
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ

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Reflection by Pope Francis:

Loving our enemies, those who persecute us and cause us suffering, is difficult and neither is it a “good deal” because it drains us. Yet, this is the path pointed out and taken by Jesus for our salvation. Pope Francis spoke of this in his homily at morning Mass on Tuesday, 18 June, in the Chapel of the Domus Sanctae Marthae. Among others, Cardinal Giuseppe Versaldi, president of the Prefecture for the Economic Affairs of the Holy See, concelebrated Mass and was accompanied by collaborators of the dicastery. Also present were some staff of the Vatican Museums.

The Pontiff recalled that the liturgy offers for our reflection in these days the parallelisms between “the old law and the new law, the law of Mount Sinai and the law of the Beatitudes from the Sermon on the Mount”. Confronting the specifics of the readings — from St Paul's Second Letter to the Corinthians (8:1-9) and from the Gospel according to Matthew (5:43-48) — the Holy Father dwelt on the difficulty of loving our enemies and asked himself how it could be possible to forgive: “Even we, all of us, have enemies — all of us. Some are weak enemies, some strong. So often we too become the enemies of others; we do not love them. Jesus tells us that we must love our enemies”.

This is no easy matter, and in general, “we think that Jesus is asking too much of us. We think: ‘Let's leave this to the cloistered sisters who are holy, a few holy souls!’”. But this is not the right attitude. “Jesus says that you must do this, otherwise you are like the Publicans, like the pagans, and you are not Christians”. In fact, how can we love “those who decide to bomb and kill so many people? How can we love who for love of money do not allow medicines to get to those who are in need, to the elderly and let them die?”. And once again: “How can we love people who seek only their interests and power and do so much evil?”.

This “is the mystery of salvation: with forgiveness, with love for our enemy, we become poorer. But this poverty is a seed bearing fruit for others, as Jesus' poverty became grace for us all, salvation”.

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Thanks to the USCCB for the reading and to the Vatican for the reflection.

06/15/2026

Go Preach!
Monday, June 15

Avoid the path of an eye for an eye & a tooth for a tooth.

A Reading from the Holy Gospel
According to Matthew
(5:38-42)

Glory to you, O Lord

Jesus said to his disciples: "You have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil. When someone strikes you on your right cheek, turn the other one to him as well. If anyone wants to go to law with you over your tunic, hand him your cloak as well. Should anyone press you into service for one mile, go with him for two miles. Give to the one who asks of you, and do not turn your back on one who wants to borrow."

The Gospel of the Lord
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ

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Reflection by Pope Francis:
Dear Brothers and Sisters, Good morning!

In this Sunday’s Gospel (Mt 5:38-48) — one of the passages that best illustrates Christian “revolution” — Jesus shows us the way of true justice through the law of love which is greater than the law of retaliation, “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth”. This ancient law imposed the infliction on wrongdoers of a punishment equivalent to the damage they caused: death for those who killed, amputation for those who injured, and so on. Jesus does not ask his disciples to abide evil, but asks them to react; however, not with another evil action, but with good. This is the only way to break the chain of evil: one evil leads to another which leads to another evil.... This chain of evil is broken and things truly begin to change. Evil is, in fact, a “void”, a void of good. It is not possible to fill a void, except with “fullness”, that is, good. Revenge never leads to conflict resolution. “You did this to me, I will do it back to you”: this never resolves conflict, nor is it even Christian.

According to Jesus, the rejection of violence can also involve the sacrifice of a legitimate right. He gives a few examples of this: turn the other cheek, give up your coat or money, accept other sacrifices (v. 39-42). But such sacrifice does not mean that the demands of justice should be ignored or contradicted. No, on the contrary, Christian love, which manifests itself in a special way in mercy, is an achievement superior to justice. What Jesus wants to teach us is the clear distinction that we must make between justice and revenge. Distinguishing between justice and revenge. Revenge is never just. We are permitted to ask for justice. It is our duty to exercise justice. We are, however, not permitted to avenge ourselves or, in any way foment revenge, as it is an expression of hatred and violence.

Jesus does not wish to propose a new system of civil law, but rather the commandment to love thy neighbour, which also includes loving enemies: “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you”. (v. 44) And this is not easy. These words should not be seen as an approval of evil carried out by an enemy, but as an invitation to a loftier perspective, a magnanimous perspective, similar to that of the Heavenly Father, who, Jesus says, “makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust”. (v. 45). An enemy, in fact, is also a human being, created as such in God’s image, despite the fact that in the present, that image may be tarnished by shameful behaviour.

When we speak of “enemies”, we should not think about people who are different or far removed from us; let us also talk about ourselves, as we may come into conflict with our neighbour, at times with our relatives. How many hostilities exist within families — how many! Let us think about this. Enemies are also those who speak ill of us, who defame us and do us harm. It is not easy to digest this. We are called to respond to each of them with good, which also has strategies inspired by love.

May the Virgin Mary help us follow Jesus on this demanding path, which truly exalts human dignity and lets us live as children of our Father who art in Heaven. May she help us exercise patience, dialogue, forgiveness, and to be artisans of communion, artisans of fraternity in our daily life, and above all in our families.

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Thanks to the USCCB for the reading and to the Vatican for the reflection.

06/15/2026

Pope Francis recommends praying the prayer attributed to Saint Thomas More:

“Grant me, O Lord, good digestion, and also something to digest. Grant me a healthy body, and the necessary good humour to maintain it.

Grant me a simple soul that knows to treasure all that is good and that doesn’t frighten easily at the sight of evil, but rather finds the means to put things back in their place.

Give me a soul that knows not boredom, grumbling, sighs and laments, nor excess of stress, because of that obstructing thing called ‘I’.

Grant me, O Lord, a sense of good humour. Allow me the grace to be able to take a joke and to discover in life a bit of joy, and to be able to share it with others”.

Amen.

06/14/2026

ADDRESS OF HIS HOLINESS
POPE FRANCIS TO COMEDIANS
Clementine Hall - Friday, 14 June 2024

Dear friends,

It is my pleasure to welcome all of you, and to express my gratitude to those in the Dicastery for Culture and Education who have organized this meeting. The Prefect told me that in Italy they say that “a smile is good for the blood”. Do they say that?

I hold you in high esteem as artists who express yourselves through the language of comedy, humour, and irony. How much wisdom there is in this kind of language! Among all the professionals working in television, cinema, theatre, print media, with songs, and on social media, you are among the most loved, sought after, and popular. Certainly, it is because you are very good at what you do, but there is also another motivation: you have and cultivate the gift of making people laugh.

In the midst of so much gloomy news, immersed as we are in many social and even personal emergencies, you have the power to spread peace and smiles. You are among the few who have the ability to speak to all types of people, from different generations and cultural backgrounds.

In your own way, you unite people, because laughter is contagious. It is easier to laugh together than alone: joy opens us to sharing and is the best antidote to selfishness and individualism. Laughter also helps to break down social barriers, create connections among people, and allows us to express emotions and thoughts, contributing to building a shared culture and creating spaces of freedom. You remind us that homo sapiens is also homo ludens! For playful fun and laughter are central to human life, to express ourselves, to learn, and to give meaning to situations.

Your talent is a precious gift. Together with a smile, it spreads peace in our hearts and among others, helping us to overcome difficulties and cope with everyday stress. It helps us find relief in irony and go through life with humour. I like to pray daily – and I have done this for more than forty years – with the words of Saint Thomas More: “Grant me, O Lord, a good sense of humour”. Do you know this prayer? You should! I charge the Superiors of the Dicastery with making it known to all artists. The prayer is found in footnote 101 of my Apostolic Exhortation Gaudete et Exsultate. “Grant me, O Lord, a good sense of humour”. I ask for this grace for every day because it helps me approach things with the right spirit.

You also succeed in bringing about another miracle: you manage to make people smile even while dealing with problems and events, large and small. You denounce abuses of power; you give voice to forgotten situations; you highlight abuses; you point out inappropriate behaviour. You do this without spreading alarm or terror, anxiety or fear, as other types of communication tend to do; you rouse people to think critically by making them laugh and smile. You do this by telling stories of real life, narrating reality from your unique viewpoint; and in this way, you speak to people about problems, large and small.

According to the Bible, at the beginning of the world, while everything was being created, divine wisdom practiced your form of art for the benefit of none other than God himself, the first spectator of history. It is described in this way: “I was beside him, like a master workman; and I was daily his delight,rejoicing before him always, rejoicing in his inhabited worldand delighting in the sons of men” (Prov 8:30-31). Remember this: when you manage to draw knowing smiles from the lips of even one spectator – what I am going to say now is not a heresy! – you also make God smile.

You, dear artists, know how to think and speak humorously in different forms and styles; and in each case the language of humour is suitable for understanding and “feeling” human nature. Humour does not offend, humiliate, or put people down according to their flaws. While communication today often generates conflict, you know how to bring together diverse and sometimes contrary realities. How much we need to learn from you! The laughter of humour is never “against” anyone, but is always inclusive, purposeful, eliciting openness, sympathy, empathy. Be sure to pray to the Lord and ask for a sense of humour. The Superiors of the Dicastery will make sure that beautiful prayer of Saint Thomas More gets to you.

I am reminded of the story in the book of Genesis when God promised Abraham that within a year he would have a son. He and his wife Sarah were old and childless. Sarah listened and laughed inwardly. For, like women, she was curious and was listening inside her tent to what her husband was doing and what he was talking about, perhaps to scold him… She heard that she would have a son within a year and she laughed inwardly. Abraham, with some bitterness, must have done the same. “Why, at my age, don’t joke!” However, Sarah conceived and bore a son in her old age, at the time that God had set. Then Sarah said, “God has made laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh over me” (Gen 21:6). That is why they named their son Isaac, which means, “he laughs”.

Can we laugh at God? Of course, we can, and this is not blasphemy, we can laugh, just as we play and joke with the people we love. The Jewish wisdom and literary tradition is a master in this! It is possible to do this without offending the religious sentiments of believers, especially the poor.

Dear friends, may God bless you and your art. Continue to cheer people up, especially those who have the hardest time looking at life with hope. Help us, with a smile, to see reality with its contradictions, and to dream of a better world! With heartfelt sentiments, I bless you; and I ask you, please, to pray for me. Please, with a smile and not against me!

Now, before the blessing, I want everyone to hear that beautiful prayer of Saint Thomas More.

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Luciana Littizzetto:

Thank you, first of all, thank you on behalf of myself and all my colleagues. We always meet only at funerals, but this time, it is a moment of joy. Thank you!

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Prayer (read by Luciana Littizzetto):

“Grant me, O Lord, good digestion, and also something to digest. Grant me a healthy body, and the necessary good humour to maintain it. Grant me a simple soul that knows to treasure all that is good and that doesn’t frighten easily at the sight of evil, but rather finds the means to put things back in their place. Give me a soul that knows not boredom, grumbling, sighs and laments, nor excess of stress, because of that obstructing thing called ‘I’. Grant me, O Lord, a sense of good humour. Allow me the grace to be able to take a joke and to discover in life a bit of joy, and to be able to share it with others”. Amen.

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Pope Francis:

I had forgotten that I gave you a blessing, so as a farewell, I wish you a human blessing. I wish you the best. May God accompany you in this very beautiful calling to make people laugh, to be comedians. It is easier to be a tragedian than a comedian, it is easier. Thank you for making people laugh and also thank you for laughing from the heart. May the Lord bless you all. Thank you!

06/14/2026

POPE LEO XIV
ANGELUS
St Peter's Square
Sunday, 14 June 2026

Dear brothers and sisters, Happy Sunday!

Today’s Gospel (Mt 9:36–10:8) brings us a great gift, for it draws all who hear it into Jesus’ gaze: it is a story that bears witness to the attentiveness of this gaze, as well as telling us what the Lord sees. We read, in fact, that Christ “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless” (v. 36). Having become our brother, the Son of God looks at the people, he looks at humanity: he sees the oppression that burdens and the violence that causes strength to fade. He sees the wounds of war and the emptiness of consumerism. He sees faces reduced to masks, families torn apart by evil, and young people misled by false ideals. Jesus sees and loves. He loves and suffers for and with us: his compassion expresses not only fraternal closeness, but his desire to redeem.

For he knows our hearts and cares for us. Looking upon so many people like “sheep without a shepherd” (v. 36), Christ devotes himself to all as the Good Shepherd and, as Lord of the harvest, sends workers into the field of the world (cf. v. 38). What is their task? They must offer God’s comfort to those who suffer by bringing charity where there is misery, hope where there is affliction, faith where there is distrust.

The Gospel lists the names of the first twelve “workers:” they are disciples made apostles, that is, missionaries and preachers. Among them, the first we find is Simon, called Peter. But we also find Judas Iscariot, named last, to remind us that one can follow Jesus and betray him. Even so, the Gospel remains for all a living and true word. The Good News that spans the centuries is the same, always young, fresh, and liberating: “The Kingdom of Heaven has come near!” (Mt 10:7). Yes, it is near because in Jesus Christ, God draws near to every man and woman, to every people and nation. When this Gospel is proclaimed and lived out, evil crumbles like a disease that passes away (cf. v. 8.), like a night giving way to dawn, like death conquered by the risen One.

This is how Jesus’ gaze transforms reality. Filled with love, his initiative gives birth to a new people, the Church, called to continue the mission of the apostles: “You received without payment; give without payment” (v. 8.). Yes, Jesus’ gift is entirely gratis, for its value exceeds all measure: it is impossible to merit or “buy” it. This grace is the beautiful name of God’s mercy, which seeks us out wherever we are, to draw us to himself. “Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest” (Mt 9:38)!

Dear friends, the task of evangelization springs from God’s gift, which in Christ becomes forgiveness for the world, service to the least and the poor, and a commitment to justice. Let us invoke the help of the Virgin Mary, full of grace, so that we may respond with joy and courage to the mission to which Jesus calls us.

Dallas - Fort Worth Lay Dominicans

06/18/2026

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