Memorial of Saint Charles Lwanga and Companions, Martyrs
John 17:1-11
Loved by God

Today, the Gospel invites us to lift our gaze—just as Jesus did when He raised His eyes to heaven. How often we walk with heads bowed, burdened by worry, weariness, or fear. But the Lord says to us: Lift up your eyes! Look to the Father who loves you. Look beyond the weight of your anxieties. Heaven is not far—it is open to you. Raise your eyes, and rediscover the hope that carries you forward.

Jesus speaks of eternal life—not only as a future promise, but as a life already begun in knowing the Father. This is our calling: to live now in communion with God, to walk in friendship with Him. It is this relationship that gives our lives direction, meaning, and peace. Let us return often to this place of silence and intimacy with the Lord. In prayer, in quiet, in listening, we discover again that we are not alone. We are deeply loved, and called to something far greater than what this world can offer.

Yes, we live in the world, but we do not belong to it. The world distracts us—it clutters our hearts with things that fade. It tells us we are only what we earn or achieve. But you, my dear friends, are more than bills and deadlines. You are sons and daughters of a Father who has given you an eternal inheritance.

So do not be afraid to dream of heaven. Do not be afraid to live for what is eternal. God walks with you. You are loved. And this love—if you welcome it—will change your life.

Let us walk with our eyes lifted high, our hearts grounded in God, and our lives open to His eternal joy.

Amen.

© Claretian Publications, Hong Kong, China
Cum Approbatione Ecclesiastica 2025