The Sunday gospel seemed to set the theme for this week as Jesus invited all who are burdened to come to him. In today’s gospel passage from Matthew, we see two individuals—a man and a woman—each weighed down by life’s hardships, coming to Jesus for help. The man’s daughter has died, and the woman has suffered from hemorrhages for twelve years. The gospel of Mark provides additional details, naming the man as Jairus, a synagogue official, which underscores the recognition of Jesus’ power and authority even by prominent religious leaders. This parallels the story of Nicodemus, a Pharisee who secretly sought Jesus, affirming His divine nature.

Regarding the woman, Mark’s account reveals the woman’s desperate journey: she exhausted all her resources seeking healing from many doctors, yet her condition worsened, leaving her without rest or peace. Hearing about Jesus, like Jairus, she demonstrated a profound faith in Jesus saying to her self, “If only I can touch his cloak, I shall be cured.” 

The message form this two healing stories is that Jesus welcomes everyone just as they are.  

Jairus, a respected official, and the woman, who with the hemorrhages was ritually unclean, (as such, secretly approached Jesus), but both received Jesus’ attention and care equally. 

This teaches that coming to Jesus requires only sincere faith, regardless of one’s social status or past. "Do you feel or anyone you know feel they are not worthy to come to Jesus or they are too far gone that God won't accept them? Jesus never turns anyone away because of their condition. 

We are to come to Jesus as we are, and He will give us rest.

Rev. Sabastian Umouyo, MSP

 Today’s gospel reading recounts how John’s disciples approached Jesus, questioning why His disciples did not fast as they and the Pharisees did. Jesus replied, “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.”

While this response might seem dismissive, suggesting Jesus disapproves of fasting, on the contrary, it is a teaching on its proper timing and intention. Jesus embraces fasting and endorses it when practiced with the right intentions. He Himself fasted for forty days and nights and taught His apostles that certain spiritual blessings come only through prayer and fasting (Matthew 17:15-21).

However, Jesus condemns fasting motivated by unholy reasons or misplaced values. He warns against performing fasting as a form of virtue signaling, saying, “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” (Matthew 6:16-18).

The Pharisees were known for externalizing religious acts to gain human praise. Jesus did not want His disciples to fast in that way. John’s disciples fasted as part of the common religious practice among pious Jews, humbling themselves before God with penitence as they awaited the days of the Lord. But with Jesus, the days of the Lord have come. He pointed to His presence as the awaited bridegroom, indicating that fasting is no longer necessary but that His followers should celebrate His presence as their Lord.

As human beings, we act for various reasons. We are to examine the motivations behind our faith practices. Are they inspired by genuine devotion or influenced by external validation? The Church continually prays that God reveals what must be done and grants the grace to accomplish it. May all our actions begin with God’s inspiration, be sustained by His grace, and be fulfilled according to His will. Amen.

Rev. Sabastian Umouyo, MSP.

 Today is the feast of St. Thomas, one of the twelve Apostles. He is also known as Didymus, the Greek form of his name. Among the twelve, he stands out as one of the most courageous and outspoken. The scriptures records how he urged his fellow apostles to accompany Jesus to Bethany “Let us also go to die with Him” (Jn 11:16) upon the dead of Lazarus. After Jesus spoke about His departure and seemed to imply that His disciples knew where He was going, we also hear how he spoke up and said, “Master, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” This question prompted one of Jesus’ seven I am sayings, in which He declares His absolute identity as the only Way to the Father and to salvation, the Truth of divine reality, and the Life of all.

 However, St. Thomas is not primarily remembered for his courage or outspokenness. He is best known for his doubt—his disbelief in the testimony of his fellow apostles. Yet, this doubt led to a profound personal encounter with the Risen Lord, culminating in Thomas’s ultimate declaration of faith: “My Lord and my God” (John 20:28). This declaration signifies a trusting self surrender to Christ which is the essential attitude of faith. 

The life of St. Thomas illustrates a faith journey that many can relate to. We witness him move from the unknown—since little is known about his life before meeting Jesus—through courage and doubt, ultimately arriving at a profound affirmation of faith in Christ. Like St. Thomas, we all experience moments of doubt in our own faith. We have questions that seek answers and sometimes wonder if God will truly come through for us.

 As human beings, doubts and unanswered questions are natural, but must we believe only because we have seen? Jesus said, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” As Christians, amidst fears and doubts, our faith journey must lead us to that moment of a personal faith affirmation in Christ; a moment of trusting surrender to Christ. Has your faith journey brought you to that moment of personal affirmation in Christ where with St. Thomas you can say “My Lord and my God?”

We ask for the intercession of St. Thomas that we may grow stronger in faith. At moments of doubt and fear, may God help our little faith. Amen. 

Rev. Sabastian Umouyo, MSP.

Perhaps, spiritual obstacles are the greatest barriers to our blessings and grace. In today’s Gospel, we see Jesus prioritizing the spiritual healing of the paralytic, declaring “Your sins are forgiven you” before proceeding to heal him physically. Could Jesus’ act of having to forgive the paralytic in order to proceed with his physical healing be a clear case of removing the obex first?

I first heard of the word obex in my childhood faith formation class as I was preparing to receive my Sacrament of Confirmation. My Confirmation catechist talked about an obex and explained it as a barrier or an obstacle to grace. Using expressive hand gestures, he described it as a massive stone wall, impossible to climb or go around. “These obstacles are mainly a lack of faith, being out of the state of grace, or lacking a worthy intention” (National Catholic Register, January 7, 2020). My catechism teacher then emphasized the importance of forgiving others and going to confession, which made a lot of sense to us as we prepared for Confirmation.

It is important to know that Jesus has both directly and indirectly pointed out sin as a barrier to grace and blessings at different points in his teachings. In Matthew 5:24, He instructs that reconciliation must come first:“So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift” (Matthew 5:24). Elsewhere, Jesus clearly points out that moral obstacles can impede grace: “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you” (Matthew 6:14–15).

This calls us to look deeply within ourselves and take a soul-searching journey down memory lane. What might be an obex in our own lives? Are there any barriers preventing God’s grace and blessings from flowing freely in us? 

If there are, there is no more need to delay for we are not helpless. Thanks be to God for the gift of the Sacrament of Reconciliation (often called, Confession) where we are forgiven and restored to grace. Here in St. Eugene, we offer the Sacrament of Reconciliation twice a week: Wednesdays from 6 pm to 7 pm within adoration, and Saturdays from 4 pm to 5 pm. 

We pray that God may give us the courage to take advantage of this opportunity to be reconciled to Him and to one another so that God’s grace and blessings may flow freely in us.

Rev. Sabastian Umouyo, MSP

Today, July 1, marks a significant moment as we enter the month of our nation’s independence. As we commemorate the 250th anniversary of our freedom, we offer prayers for our country and its leaders, asking that human dignity be honored in every aspect of our life as a nation.

The gospel reading for today, from Matthew 8:28-34, shares a deeply unsettling story. It recounts how Jesus healed two demoniacs who lived among the tombs—so fierce that no one dared travel that road. These men had lost their honor, and by today’s standards, we might even say they had lost their human dignity and worth.

Although life’s journey can sometimes bring one to a moment of profound brokenness, where a person’s humanity is questioned, can any human truly lose their inherent worth?

Today, Jesus reaffirms through his actions that human dignity is inviolable even in the face of human brokenness. Human life is priceless, endowed with inalienable dignity, worth far more than silver or gold.

Sadly, this truth is not the reality for many. We live in an era where the sacredness of life is increasingly overlooked, and human value is often measured by usefulness or productivity. People are treated as mere means to an end, discarded when no longer deemed useful.

This disregard manifests in various ways: in certain manufacturing sectors prioritizing profit over lives, in harsh immigration policies, in the tragic frequency of mass shootings—especially in our schools—and in the needless waste of human lives in mindless and unconscionable wars around the world

As we celebrate 250 years of independence, these years should serve as a profound lesson—if we have truly learned—to uphold human dignity and live by the foundational principles of the Declaration of Independence: the self-evident truths of unalienable rights to Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. May God bless our nation and grant us all the wisdom we need to work together, so that we may always uphold the God-given dignity of every human person

Rev. Sabastian Umouyo, MSP