A heartfelt homily on Luke 11:29-32, reminding us to value our loved ones and the power of the Holy Eucharist instead of seeking blessings elsewhere. (13-10-25)
Praise be to Jesus Christ
Once there was a good teacher in a village who cared for her students as if they were her own children. She taught them with patience, corrected them with kindness, and spent her days giving her best to them. But the villagers did not notice her. They said, “She is simple… we need someone more talented, more famous.” And so, she was sent away. Years later, the same teacher received a national award as the best teacher in the country. Only then did the villagers realise what they had lost. The most excellent teacher had been living among them, and they had gone looking for someone greater somewhere else.
My dear brothers and sisters, that story tells us what Jesus is saying in today’s Gospel: “Someone greater than Solomon is here.” The people of His time admired Solomon for his wisdom and Jonah for his preaching, yet they failed to see that one greater than both of them stood right in front of them — Jesus himself. They were waiting for a great sign from heaven, while the Lord of heaven was already with them.
It also happens in our own lives. We always seem to look for something greater outside. A wife looks at her friend’s husband and praises him, ignoring her own workday and night for him and the family. A husband praises another woman’s cooking or kindness, forgetting the one who stands beside him day and night. We fail to see the greatness that lives with us.
And very often, it is the fact that we repeat the same mistake in our spiritual life as well. We usually run behind parishes and centres, hearing about miracles and visions, while ignoring the real presence of Jesus in our own parishes. Jesus himself, greater than Solomon, greater than Jonah, greater than all saints and prophets, is here in the tabernacle, waiting for us. Yet we often walk past Him, busy looking for something more exciting somewhere else.
Saint Teresa of Avila once said something extraordinary. She said, “God walks among the pots and pans.” You see, she meant that God is not just found in big visions or faraway holy places. He is right there in our kitchen, in our daily work, in our minor duties. He is with us when we cook, when we sweep, when we take care of one another. The people of Jesus’ time missed Him because they were looking for greatness in the wrong places. Let us not do the same. Let us learn to find Him in the simple, ordinary moments of life — for that is where He truly loves to be found.
Saint Teresa of Calcutta once said, “If you cannot find Christ in the poor man at your door, you will not find Him in the chalice.” That is a potent reminder that the Lord is not far away. He is near — in our homes, in our communities, in the ordinary people around us. We only need eyes of faith to recognise Him.
So let us not make the mistake of the people of Jesus’ time. Let us not run behind signs and wonders. Let us learn to recognise the greatness that lives with us — in our family, in our community, and most especially in the Holy Eucharist. When we truly see Jesus, who is with us every day, our hearts will be filled with peace, and our homes will be filled with joy.
Lord Jesus, let me see the greatness in and around me.
