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In Luke 10:17–24, the seventy-two disciples return from their mission full of joy. Jesus had sent them out to proclaim the Kingdom of God, heal the sick, and prepare people to receive him. Now they return, excited by what they have experienced: “Lord, even the demons are subject to us because of your name.”

Their enthusiasm is understandable. They have discovered that Jesus’ name has power. They were ordinary people, yet through them extraordinary things happened. But Jesus wants to lead them from the joy of success to a deeper and more lasting joy.

1. The power comes from Jesus

The disciples say that the demons are subject to them “because of your name”. These words are important. Their success did not come from their own abilities, but from Christ. The power came from Christ.

Jesus confirms that something profound is taking place: “I have observed Satan fall like lightning from the sky.” The mission of the disciples is part of the victory of God’s Kingdom over the power of evil.

This is also an important lesson for us. Whatever good we accomplish as Christians is ultimately a gift of God. We may preach, teach, help others, comfort the suffering, care for the poor, or bring someone closer to God. We should certainly use our abilities and work faithfully, but we must never forget the source of the fruit: God works through us.

Christian discipleship therefore requires humility. We are instruments in God’s hands.

2. Success is not the greatest reason for joy.

Jesus then corrects the disciples’ understanding of joy:

“Nevertheless, do not rejoice that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

This is perhaps the central message of the passage.

Jesus does not condemn their joy. Instead, he redirects it. Their greatest happiness should not depend on what they have accomplished but on who they are before God.

This distinction is important because success is temporary. Sometimes our work produces visible results; sometimes it does not. Sometimes people appreciate us; sometimes they criticise or ignore us. Occasionally our prayers seem to be answered quickly; at other times we wait for years.

If our happiness depends entirely on success, recognition, or visible results, our joy will always be fragile.

Jesus offers something deeper: “Your names are written in heaven.”

Our deepest joy comes from belonging to God. We are known by him, loved by him, and called to eternal communion with him. Earthly achievements eventually disappear, but our relationship with God reaches beyond death.

3. Jesus rejoices in the Holy Spirit. The Gospel then gives us a beautiful glimpse into the interior life of Jesus:

“At that very moment he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit.”

Jesus himself rejoices.

And what causes his joy?

He praises the Father because the mysteries of the Kingdom have been revealed not to those who consider themselves wise and powerful, but to the “childlike”.

Jesus is not criticising knowledge or intelligence. Rather, he warns against pride—the attitude that believes it has no need of God.

To become childlike means to approach God with trust, humility, openness, and willingness to receive. A child knows that he depends upon others. In a similar way, the disciple recognises, ‘I cannot save myself. I need God.

Faith begins when we stop approaching God as people who already possess all the answers and instead allow ourselves to be taught by him.

4. Knowing Jesus means knowing the Father

Jesus then says:

“No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.”

Christian faith is not simply a collection of moral rules. At its heart stands a relationship.

Jesus came to reveal the Father.

When we look at Jesus—his mercy toward sinners, his compassion for the suffering, his patience, his forgiveness, his sacrifice on the Cross—we discover what God’s heart is like.

Therefore, if we want to know God more deeply, we must draw closer to Christ.

We meet him in Scripture.
We meet him in prayer.
We meet him in the Eucharist.
We meet him in the sacraments.
We meet him in our brothers and sisters, especially those who need our love.

The more deeply we know Christ, the more deeply we come to know the Father.

5. “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see.”

Finally, Jesus turns privately to his disciples and says:

“Blessed are the eyes that see what you see.”

The disciples were witnessing something generations of prophets and kings had longed for: the fulfilment of God’s promises in Jesus Christ.

We too have received an extraordinary gift. We know the Gospel. We know the name of Jesus. We know that God has entered human history, that Christ died and rose again, and that eternal life has been offered to us.

But every gift brings responsibility.

It is possible to become so accustomed to Christianity that we no longer recognise how precious it is. We can hear the Gospel repeatedly without allowing it to change us. We can receive the sacraments without appreciating their depth.

Jesus therefore invites us to rediscover the wonder of faith.

Conclusion

Luke 10:17–24 teaches us where true Christian joy is found.

Our deepest joy is not that we are successful. It is not that people admire us. We do not even accomplish remarkable things in God’s service.

Our greatest joy is much simpler and much greater than that:

We belong to God.

Jesus tells his disciples, “Rejoice because your names are written in heaven.”

That truth can sustain us even when life becomes difficult. When our plans fail, when our strength diminishes, when others forget us, and even when we approach the end of earthly life, one thing remains: God knows our name.

Therefore, the Christian can say:

Lord, I thank you not primarily for what I have achieved, but because you have called me. I thank you because you know me, love me, and invite me to eternal life. Help me to remain humble, to trust you like a child, and to find my deepest joy in belonging to you.

And that is a joy that no earthly failure, suffering, or disappointment can take away.

Today the Church celebrates the Memorial of the Holy Guardian Angels. This feast reminds us of a beautiful truth of our faith: God does not leave us alone on our journey through life. His providence surrounds us, and one way He cares for us is through His holy angels.

Jesus says in today’s Gospel:

“See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven always look upon the face of my heavenly Father.”
(Matthew 18:10)

These words reveal something profound. The angels are turned toward God, yet they are also sent to serve His children. They contemplate the Father’s face and carry out His loving will.

1. God cares for each of us personally.

Occasionally we may think that God cares about humanity in general but does not concern Himself with the small details of our individual lives. The teaching about the guardian angels tells us something different.

For God, we are not simply part of a crowd. He knows each of us personally. He knows our joys and disappointments, our temptations and fears, our good intentions and weaknesses.

Psalm 91 says:

“For he commands his angels with regard to you, to guard you wherever you go.”

Our guardian angel is therefore a sign of God’s personal providence. The angel does not replace God. Rather, the angel serves God and reminds us that God’s care accompanies us even when we do not notice it.

We usually do not see our guardian angel. We may not feel his presence. But much of God’s work in our lives is hidden.

2. The guardian angel leads us toward God.

We sometimes imagine guardian angels mainly as protectors from accidents and physical dangers. Certainly we may ask God for such protection. But the mission of the guardian angel is much greater.

The greatest danger is not that something unpleasant happens to us. The greatest danger is losing our way to God.

Our guardian angel therefore desires above all that we remain close to the Lord.

When we are tempted, the angel encourages us toward what is truly good When our conscience tells us, “Do not do this,” or “Choose what is right,” we should listen carefully. We should not identify every thought with the voice of an angel, but we can trust that God uses His angels to help us choose the path of goodness.

The angel never leads us toward himself. He leads us toward Christ.

3. We are surrounded by a spiritual reality.

Modern people often believe only in what can be measured, photographed or scientifically examined. Yet Christian faith reminds us that creation is larger than the visible world.

In the Creed we profess that God is the Creator of “heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible.”

The angels belong to this invisible creation.

Their existence reminds us that reality does not end with what our eyes can see. A spiritual world exists, and our earthly life has an eternal destination.

These truths should give us courage. There may be moments when we feel completely alone. Perhaps nobody understands our suffering. Perhaps we face a difficult decision. Perhaps the future frightens us.

But the Christian can say:

I am not alone. God is with me.

And because God loves me, He has given me heavenly assistance on my journey.

4. Become like the angels for others

Today’s feast also gives us a practical challenge.

If angels are messengers of God’s goodness, then Christians should, in a certain sense, become messengers of God’s goodness to one another.

Perhaps someone near us needs encouragement.
Perhaps someone is lonely.
Perhaps someone needs forgiveness.
Perhaps someone needs to hear a kind word.
Perhaps someone has lost hope and needs another person to help him find his way back to God.

We cannot become angels, because angels and human beings are different creatures. But we can imitate their service.

A mother who watches over her child, a person who visits someone who is lonely, a priest who brings the sacraments to the sick, a friend who prevents another person from making a serious mistake—all these can become instruments of God’s providence.

5. Listen to where God is leading you.

There is another beautiful characteristic of the angels: obedience.

The angels do not ask, “What do I want?” Their question is, “What does God want?”

That is also our path of holiness.

Every morning we can ask:

Lord, what do You want from me today?
Whom should I help?
What should I avoid?
Where are you calling me?

And we can ask our guardian angel:

Holy Guardian Angel, help me to recognise God’s will and give me courage to follow it.

Dear brothers and sisters, the Memorial of the Holy Guardian Angels is ultimately not simply a feast about angels. It is a feast about God’s loving care for us.

God created us.
God knows us.
God accompanies us.
God protects us.
And God wants to lead us safely to our eternal home.

So when life becomes difficult and we feel abandoned, let us remember: the road to heaven is not a road we walk alone.

May we entrust ourselves every day to God’s providence and ask our guardian angel to accompany us, protect us from evil, strengthen us in temptation, and, above all, lead us ever closer to Jesus Christ.

And at the end of our earthly journey, may the angels lead us into the presence of God, where, together with them, we may praise Him forever.

Amen.

Brothers and sisters, today’s Gospel is like something from today’s newspaper. It talks about the unfaithful management of property. And today it is quite strongly pronounced in society. This applies to both the private sector and, even more so, the public sector. Unfaithful managers. The Gospel talks about tenants in the vineyard and the management of property. The owner hired workers who were to act, work, and manage the property according to his will. They were only tenants. But they did not act as tenants. They thought that what they only managed belonged to them. And they were rejected. The Gospel states “…and lease the vineyard to other vinedressers.”

This parable also teaches us that we, too, should be responsible in managing our goods. Both earthly goods and material possessions, as well as spiritual talents, are included. It is true that although we have our property on the title deed, we are always only managers. Values and goods existed before we were born and will remain when we are gone. We have them only for a while, to provide us with life through work. This is the intention of the owner and master, and therefore we must act accordingly.

According to God’s plan. In what way? We must take into account three important phenomena. First of all: the development of the world itself, which was entrusted to man for use. This is what we already read in the Bible, in the account of the creation of the world in the Book of Genesis. “…Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it. Have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air…” (Cf. Gen 1:28), and so man’s mission is the development of the earth itself and its goods. The development of property, the development of the gifts, or, in the words of the Gospel, the talents entrusted to man. We must develop them. That is why we were given them.

The second dimension is to use the entrusted gifts to build your livelihood for yourself and your family, and to build common goods for all. That is, for society as a whole, which is, in other words, every neighbor. “Love your neighbour as yourself.” And so we have the right to personal and social development and to benefit from the gifts and goods of this earth.

And the third dimension of the correct form of wealth management is to create spiritual values ​​from wealth, from material goods or from the gifts and values ​​that we have. And these are generosity, kindness, solidarity, love, service, vocation, help and finally merit that God will reward with eternity … “For whatever you did to another, you did to me.” These are the gifts God desires. This should be the result of the work and management of the goods and gifts entrusted to us.

Therefore, let us note that this is precisely the correct dimension of managing the things, property, values, and gifts God has entrusted to us. We are only stewards. Let us realise this so that we are not condemned as unjust stewards. But we will become stewards who fulfill our master’s will for our own benefit.

Today we celebrate the saint (1873-1897) known as St. Theresa of the Child Jesus. She stood out for her smallness, humility, profound trust, and love for God. It was not for nothing that she was declared a teacher of the Church – St Theresa can be a great encouragement on the path of faith for each of us.

Today, Jesus told us, “Unless you turn and become like little children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven” (Mt 18:3). Jesus invites us to turn to God. It leads us to embrace our identity as God’s children. He invites us to become children of God, totally dependent on God’s love and care. Occasionally we pretend to be self-sufficient adults. But even as professionals, we are totally dependent on God in life. Whether we admit it or not, we depend on God in life. Unfortunately, we sometimes only recognise our dependence on God in difficult life situations. When we are pressed by illness, when someone close to us dies, only then do we realize that our life and the lives of our loved ones do not depend on us, but on God. Then we can either close ourselves to God or adopt complete trust and surrender, believing we are in the arms of the loving Trinity.

Theresa teaches us to adopt the attitude of a child of God amid the mundaneness of our lives. She walked the path of childhood and herself admits, “I am a very small soul who can offer very little to the Lord.” Because she was so “small,” she was open to meeting God in the ordinary. She did not wait for significant opportunities to love. But she did all the deeds with great love. She used to say: “Yes, it is prayer; it is sacrifice that provides me all my strength; these are the invincible weapons that Jesus gave me.” When she had to take care of an obnoxious elderly and sick co-sister, she found it an opportunity to show her love for Jesus. When something cost her a lot of struggle and sacrifice, she did not complain but found in it an opportunity to trust Jesus and grow in love. Her humility was manifested in her openness to spiritual guidance and her love of obedience to her superiors.

In today’s world, in the pursuit of career, power, success, or enjoyment, man experiences emptiness. This moment invites us to convert and adopt the attitude of a child of God. We pray: St. Theresa, help us discover and entrust ourselves completely to God’s loving care. Teach us to see by faith that God is close to us not only in joyful situations but also in everyday life or carrying our cross. Help us to become little children and let God embrace us.

Lorenzo Ruiz, also known as St. Laurentius Ruiz, was the first canonised saint from the Philippines. He and his companions were martyred in Japan in the 17th century. The Church celebrates St Lorenzo Ruiz and Companions on September 28.

His early life

Lorenzo Ruiz was born around 1594 in Binondo, Manila, in the Philippines. His father was Chinese and his mother Filipino. He was raised as a Catholic and served the Church from an early age. He became an altar server and later worked as a calligrapher and clerk for the Dominican friars.

Lorenzo married and had three children. This is an important aspect of his holiness: he was not a priest or religious, but a husband, father, and lay Christian.

In 1636, Lorenzo was accused of involvement in a killing. Fearing for his life, he left the Philippines aboard a ship with Dominican missionaries. He apparently thought they were going to another safe place, but the group eventually reached Japan, where Christians were being severely persecuted.

Martyrdom in Japan

The missionaries and Lorenzo were arrested. Japanese authorities attempted to force them to renounce Christianity. They were subjected to extremely severe torture.

Lorenzo experienced moments of fear and weakness, which makes his story especially human. Yet when confronted with the choice between abandoning Christ and dying, he remained faithful.

A statement traditionally attributed to him expresses his decision:

“I am a Christian, and wholeheartedly do accept death for God.”

He is also remembered for declaring that, if he had a thousand lives, he would offer them all to God.

Lorenzo and his companions were tortured and killed in Nagasaki in 1637. Among the group were Dominican priests, religious brothers, lay people, and missionaries of different nationalities. Their martyrdom therefore shows the universality of the Church: people of different countries and ways of life were united by the same faith in Christ.

Lorenzo Ruiz and his companions

The group commemorated by the Church consists of 16 martyrs who died in Japan between 1633 and 1637. They included Lorenzo Ruiz, missionaries from Spain and other countries, Japanese Christians, and other lay collaborators. Their mission took place during a period when the Japanese authorities were attempting to eradicate Christianity.

Pope John Paul II beatified them in Manila on February 18, 1981. This was historically significant because it was the first beatification ceremony held outside Rome. He later canonized them in Rome on October 18, 1987.

What St. Lorenzo Ruiz teaches us

Lorenzo’s life reminds us that holiness is not reserved for priests, monks, or religious sisters. He was an ordinary layman with a wife, children, work, responsibilities, and fears. Yet when the decisive moment came, he placed his trust in Christ.

His courage does not mean he felt fearless. Christian courage means remaining faithful despite fear. Lorenzo did not originally set out intending to become a martyr. Providence brought him into circumstances he had never expected. In those circumstances, his faith was tested to the extreme.

His witness therefore asks each Christian a simple but demanding question: How much does my faith mean to me when following Christ becomes difficult?

St. Lorenzo Ruiz and his companions remind us of Christ’s words:

“Whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”
— Matthew 10:39

Their example encourages us to remain faithful not only in extraordinary moments of persecution but also in the small trials of everyday Christian life—with courage, prayer, fidelity, and trust in God.

Love is one of the most frequently used words in our lives. We speak about love between husband and wife, parents and children, friends, or love for one’s country. Christianity, however, gives the word love an even deeper meaning. For a Christian, love is not merely a feeling. It is a way of life that has its origin in God. Saint John writes, “God is love” (1 John 4:8). Therefore, anyone who wants to live in communion with God must learn to love.

Jesus showed us that true love is expressed above all through actions. It is not enough to say, “I love you.” Love becomes real when we are willing to do something for another person, to make a sacrifice, to give our time, to listen, to help, or to forgive.

1. Christian love notices the person who needs help.

In the parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus tells us about a man who was left wounded by the roadside. People passed by and saw him, but they did not stop. The Samaritan not only saw him; he noticed his suffering and helped him.

This is where Christian love begins: noticing another person.

We often do not need to do extraordinary things. Sometimes it is enough to visit a lonely person, call someone who is going through a difficult time, help an elderly person, encourage someone who is sad, or simply listen patiently to someone who needs to talk.

We can therefore ask ourselves: Do I really see the people around me? Or am I so occupied with my own problems that I no longer notice the problems of others?

2. Love means knowing how to listen.

One of the greatest gifts we can give another person is our time and attention. We live in a world in which people speak a great deal but often listen very little.

Christian love is also expressed by allowing another person to speak. We do not immediately judge, criticise, or give advice. Sometimes a person does not need a solution. They simply need someone who will remain inside them and listen.

Jesus encountered people in precisely this way. He stopped for them. He saw their worries, listened to them, and made them feel that their lives had value.

3. Love is expressed through forgiveness.

One of the most difficult forms of Christian love is forgiveness. Loving someone who is good to us is not very difficult. It is much harder to love someone who has hurt us.

Yet Jesus says, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44).

To forgive does not mean saying that the wrong that was done was acceptable. Nor does it mean forgetting everything that happened. Forgiveness means refusing hatred and revenge. It means entrusting our pain to God and asking Him to heal our hearts.

Without forgiveness, love quickly ends when someone disappoints us. Christian love, however, is able to go further.

4. Love is patient.

Saint Paul writes, “Love is patient, love is kind” (1 Corinthians 13:4).

Patience is one of the most practical expressions of love. We need it in marriage, in family life, at work, in the parish, and among friends.

Every person has weaknesses. If we want to live with others, we must learn to accept their imperfections as well. Of course, love does not mean approving everything another person does. True love is also able to speak the truth. But it speaks the truth with respect and with the desire to help rather than to humiliate.

5. Love does not calculate what it will receive in return.

The world often asks, ‘What will I get out of this?’ Christian love asks a different question: What can I give?

Jesus showed us a love that gives without calculating the reward. He helped the sick, welcomed sinners, defended the weak, and finally gave His life on the cross.

The cross is the greatest sign of Christian love. Jesus does not merely speak about love. He lives it to the very end: “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13).

Our love, too, must be capable of sacrifice. Parents make sacrifices for their children. Husbands and wives make sacrifices for each other. Someone cares for a sick member of the family. Another gives time to a lonely person. It is often in such quiet and unnoticed sacrifices that the greatness of love is revealed.

6. Christian love excludes no one.

The love of Jesus crossed boundaries. He spoke with people whom society rejected. He welcomed sinners, touched the sick, and gave His attention to the poor and those who were pushed aside.

Therefore, a Christian cannot ask only, ‘Whom do I love?’ We must also ask: Whom do I find difficult to love?

Perhaps it is someone with a very different personality. Perhaps it is someone who has disappointed us. Perhaps it is someone with whom we strongly disagree. It is precisely there that Christian love is put to the test.

Love does not mean that we have to agree with everyone. It does mean, however, that we recognise the human dignity of every person and see each person as someone created by God.

7. Love begins in everyday life.

Sometimes we dream about great acts of love but forget the small opportunities God gives us every day.

Christian love is expressed in simple things: a kind word, a smile, patience, a willingness to help, visiting the sick, calling someone who is lonely, making peace after an argument, or praying for someone who is going through a difficult time.

We do not need to wait for extraordinary circumstances. A person can grow in holiness precisely through the way he or she treats the people encountered every day.

Conclusion

Jesus said to His disciples, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35).

He did not say that people would recognise us by great words or extraordinary abilities. The most convincing sign of Christian life should be love.

Therefore, every evening we can ask ourselves a simple question: To whom did I show love today?

Perhaps we helped someone. Perhaps we listened to someone. Perhaps we forgave. Perhaps we prayed for someone. And perhaps we failed to notice someone who needed us.

But God gives us another opportunity with every new day.

Christian love does not begin with great words. It begins with open eyes, a willing heart, and hands ready to help. And the more we learn to love in this way, the more our lives become an image of God, because God is love.

Saints Cosmas and Damian are one of the most beloved pairs in Christian history—twin brothers, doctors, and martyrs.

Who were they?
They were twins born in Arabia in the 3rd century to Christian parents. They studied medicine and practiced in the seaport of Aegea, in Cilicia—today southern Turkey.

What made them famous was not just their skill, but their ethic. They refused to charge for their services. In Greek they are called the Anargyroi—the “sleeveless” or “moneyless ones,” physicians who went about curing people gratis. In the West they are described as the brothers “who brought people to Christ by caring for their health.”

Because of that, along with St. Luke, they are the patrons of physicians, surgeons, pharmacists, dentists and midwives, and are often represented with medical emblems — a medicine jar, a surgical box, or a palm of martyrdom.

Martyrdom
During the Great Persecution under Emperor Diocletian around 303 AD, they were arrested by order of Lysias, the Prefect of Cilicia, and tortured into recanting their Christian faith. According to tradition, they remained steadfast and were beheaded with three other brothers — Leontius, Anthimus, and Eutropius.

Like many early saints, their story is wrapped in legend. One of the most famous medieval miracles attributed to them is the “Miracle of the Black Leg” — where the saints, appearing in a dream, transplanted the leg of a recently deceased Ethiopian Moor to replace a white patient’s cancerous leg.

More than one pair
The Church actually remembers three different pairs with the same names, and people often.

They have churches dedicated to them from Rome—where the Basilica of Santi Cosma e Damiano in the Roman Forum has beautiful 6th-century mosaics—to all over Central Europe, including Austria and the Czech lands. Their cult was especially strong because in the pagan world, healing gods like Asclepius fulfilled a similar role, and Cosmas and Damian took that place in a Christian context.