SPEAKER_00: One of the most interesting people in the New Testament is this man we meet in today's first reading, Apollos.
SPEAKER_00: Scripture describes him as an eloquent, intelligent, passionate, knowledgeable in the scriptures, and filled with the zeal for God.
SPEAKER_00: In other words, this guy could preach.
SPEAKER_00: He was gifted, sharp, compelling, probably the kind of speaker people drove across town to hear.
SPEAKER_00: But then Scripture says something fascinating.
SPEAKER_00: He knew only the baptism of John.
SPEAKER_00: Meaning Apollos was sincere, talented, and passionate, but his understanding was still incomplete.
SPEAKER_00: And that's where the reading becomes incredibly relevant for our time.
SPEAKER_00: Because we live in an age overflowing with information but starving for formation.
SPEAKER_00: Everybody has opinions, everyone is an expert on something, everybody has a platform, has a microphone, a podcast on YouTube, social media.
SPEAKER_00: And confidence is often mistaken for wisdom.
SPEAKER_00: But being passionate does not automatically mean being correct.
SPEAKER_00: That is why one of the most beautiful moments is this reading that Priscilla and Aquila took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately.
SPEAKER_00: Notice what Apollos does not do.
SPEAKER_00: He does not become defensive.
SPEAKER_00: He does not say, Well, who are you to correct me?
SPEAKER_00: He does not double down because of pride.
SPEAKER_00: He allows himself to be taught.
SPEAKER_00: That takes humility.
SPEAKER_00: Real humility is not thinking less of yourself, it's being teachable.
SPEAKER_00: And honesty, one of the great spiritual dangers, is reaching a point where we think, well, I already know enough.
SPEAKER_00: I know.
SPEAKER_00: Nobody can teach me, nobody can correct me, nobody can challenge me.
SPEAKER_00: I know what I know.
SPEAKER_00: That attitude destroys marriages, destroys friendships, it destroys spiritual growth.
SPEAKER_00: Some people stop growing the moment they stop listening.
SPEAKER_00: One of the signs of holiness is remaining teachable even after years of experience.
SPEAKER_00: That's why the saints were lifelong students.
SPEAKER_00: Not because they lacked intelligence, but because they understood that truth is deep and conversion never really ends.
SPEAKER_00: And then the gospel today pushes us even deeper.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus says, the Father Himself loves you.
SPEAKER_00: That line is so simple that we almost miss how radical it is.
SPEAKER_00: The Father Himself loves you.
SPEAKER_00: Not tolerates you, not merely puts up with you, not reluctantly accepts you, loves you.
SPEAKER_00: Because I think that one of the biggest struggles many people carry is that deep down they relate to God more as a disappointed boss than a father.
SPEAKER_00: They think God is angry with me.
SPEAKER_00: God is tired of me.
SPEAKER_00: God barely puts up with me.
SPEAKER_00: But Jesus came precisely to reveal the heart of the Father.
SPEAKER_00: And what is that heart?
SPEAKER_00: Well, it's love.
SPEAKER_00: Not sentimental love, not permissive love, but the kind of love that pursues us, corrects us, heals us, and calls us to be higher, to be better.
SPEAKER_00: That's why Jesus says, ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete.
SPEAKER_00: Notice Jesus connects prayer with joy.
SPEAKER_00: A lot of people treat prayer like a spiritual emergency room.
SPEAKER_00: They pray only when something is falling apart.
SPEAKER_00: But prayer is not meant to be occasional crisis management.
SPEAKER_00: Prayer is a relationship.
SPEAKER_00: The saints did not pray because they were religious professionals.
SPEAKER_00: They prayed because they understood that they were loved.
SPEAKER_00: And honestly, that changes everything.
SPEAKER_00: If prayer is just obligation, eventually it becomes exhausting and a burden.
SPEAKER_00: But when prayer becomes relationship, it changes the entire spiritual life.
SPEAKER_00: You stop merely saying prayers, you begin speaking to someone who knows you completely and still loves you.
SPEAKER_00: That's why Christianity is different from mere philosophy.
SPEAKER_00: Christianity is not just a system of ethics.
SPEAKER_00: It's not just some rules and philosophical understanding.
SPEAKER_00: It's not just intellectual ideas about God.
SPEAKER_00: No, it is an invitation into communion with the living God.
SPEAKER_00: Maybe that's the deeper connection between the gospel and Apollos today.
SPEAKER_00: Apollos had knowledge, but it but his understanding needed to go deeper.
SPEAKER_00: Many Catholics today are in the same place.
SPEAKER_00: They know about Jesus, but they don't yet know him deeply.
SPEAKER_00: They know prayers, they know rituals, they know a lot of information.
SPEAKER_00: But Christianity is not merely knowing facts about Christ.
SPEAKER_00: It's allowing Christ to transform your life from the inside out.
SPEAKER_00: The goal is not simply to become informed Catholics, the goal is to become saints.
SPEAKER_00: So, my brothers and sisters, allow yourself to be taught.
SPEAKER_00: Humble yourselves.
SPEAKER_00: Saints are people who never stop learning, never stop converting, and never stop discovering how deeply the Father loves them.
SPEAKER_00: That's possible for you and for me.
SPEAKER_00: God bless.
SPEAKER_00: Amen.