Today’s readings speak with unusual directness about truth, authority, and perseverance in the Catholic Faith.
And perhaps that is exactly what modern Christians need.
Because we live in an age deeply suspicious of authority and deeply confused about truth.
Everyone has opinions.
Everyone claims authenticity.
But very few ask:
What is actually true?
In the Gospel, the chief priests and scribes confront Jesus:
“By what authority do you act like this?”
It is a revealing question.
Because they cannot deny His power.
They have seen the miracles.
They have heard His teaching.
They have witnessed the cleansing of the Temple.
But they refuse to surrender.
And so they challenge His authority instead.
And notice something tragic.
These are religious leaders.
Men who knew the Scriptures.
Men trained in religion.
And yet when Truth Himself stands before them, they resist Him.
Because knowledge alone does not save.
A heart can remain proud even while surrounded by holy things.
Jesus answers with a question about John the Baptist.
And suddenly the leaders become paralysed.
Not because they seek truth honestly—
but because they fear consequences.
They say among themselves:
If we say John came from heaven, Jesus will ask why they did not believe him.
If they deny John, they fear the crowd.
So finally they answer:
“We do not know.”
Not genuine ignorance.
Cowardice.
And perhaps this scene feels painfully modern.
Many people today avoid truth not because evidence is lacking, but because truth demands conversion.
If Christ truly has authority, then my life must change.
If the Gospel is true, then I cannot remain comfortable in sin.
If the Church teaches with Christ’s authority, then I cannot simply invent my own religion.
And so people often prefer ambiguity.
The letter of St Jude speaks directly into that situation.
He tells Christians:
“Build yourselves up in your most holy faith.”
Not vague spirituality.
Faith.
Definite truth received from the apostles.
And then he says: “Keep yourselves within the love of God.”
That is a beautiful balance.
Truth and love together.
Not harshness without charity.
Not sentimentality without truth.
Real Catholic life holds both together.
St Jude also warns about mockers and divisions.
And the early Church already understood something we sometimes forget:
confusion is not new.
The Church has always faced false teaching, division, pride, compromise, and worldliness.
And yet the saints persevered.
Because Christ remains faithful.
Perhaps one of the great temptations now is exhaustion.
Many Catholics feel tired:
- tired of arguments
- tired of scandals
- tired of confusion
- tired of the culture shifting constantly beneath their feet
And into that weariness comes today’s final words from St Jude:
“To him who can keep you from falling.”
That is the heart of Christian hope.
Not confidence in ourselves alone.
Confidence in God’s grace.
Because left to ourselves, we are weak.
But Christ is strong.
And perhaps this is why humility matters so much.
The religious leaders in today’s Gospel cannot receive Jesus because they are trapped by pride and fear.
But holiness begins when a soul finally says: “Lord, teach me.”
Not: “Lord, approve what I already think.”
But: “Teach me.”
And that is true discipleship.
The Catholic Faith is not something we construct for ourselves.
It is something we receive.
Christ teaches.
The apostles hand on the Faith.
The Church guards it faithfully.
And every generation must decide:
Will we receive the truth humbly or resist it proudly?
There is also a warning here for the Church herself.
Religious activity alone is not enough.
The chief priests were very religious externally.
But their hearts resisted God.
A person can attend Mass outwardly while remaining closed interiorly.
That is why prayer, repentance, and sincerity matter so much.
God does not merely want appearances.
He wants conversion.
And yet today’s readings end not in fear but in hope.
St Jude gives one of the most beautiful endings in Scripture:
“Glory, majesty, authority and power to the one God, our Saviour.”
In the end, Christ reigns.
Not confusion.
Not sin.
Not pride.
Not the spirit of the age.
Christ.
And therefore Christians do not need panic.
We need fidelity.
Prayer.
The sacraments.
Perseverance.
Humility.
Courage.
So perhaps today we should ask ourselves very simply:
When Christ speaks with authority, do I listen?
Or do I evade, delay, and negotiate like the leaders in the Gospel?
Because eternal life begins not merely in admiring Jesus—
but in surrendering to Him.
And the saints are simply those who finally stopped arguing with God and allowed Him to lead them into truth.
St. Mary's, St. John Bosco and St. Edward's 