Episode 062 - Homily | Holiness Provokes And Truth Confronts Us (March 20, 2026)

A single line from Wisdom reveals why goodness can trigger hostility: the just person’s life exposes what others would rather keep hidden. We ask where we fit in the story, how sin distorts our vision, and how God’s providence steadies us when following Jesus costs something. 
• the just one rejected because integrity exposes compromise 
• holiness provoking resistance rather than applause 
• our reaction to someone living the Gospel seriously 
• “too intense” as a way to dodge conversion 
• sin blinding the heart and twisting what we see as “good” 
• knowing religion yet failing to recognize God 
• choosing a life that can recognize Christ in front of us 
• trusting providence when faithfulness brings pushback 
• becoming the kind of person who points to God 

Thank you for listening! Visit us at www.saintaugustinechurch.org

Transcript

The Just One Becomes A Target

SPEAKER_00 0:01

There's a line from today's first reading that should unsettle us all if we're paying attention. The wicked said among themselves, Let us beset the just one, merely to see him as a hardship for us. It's a brutal line, not because it's ancient, but because it's current. The just man is not attacked because he is loud. He's not attacked because he's violent. He's not attacked because he is wrong. He's attacked because his life exposes others. Merely to see him is a hardship, the reading tells us. In other words, your life bothers me because it reveals mine.

Holiness Provokes More Than Admiration

SPEAKER_00 0:45

This is so deep. This is a powerful teaching that we have today. Holiness does not just inspire, it provokes. If you're living a holy life and you're trying to be right with God, it's going to provoke. Truth does not just attract, it confronts. That's why the just man in the reading is rejected. He doesn't fit, he doesn't compromise, he doesn't go along to get along. And so the response is predictable. Let us test him, let us condemn him, let us see if God will defend him. That sounds familiar, it should, because that is the logic of the cross. Long before Jesus is crucified, his story is already written here. And in the gospel, we see it unfolding. They're confused by him, they question him, and ultimately they want to silence him. But then there's this quiet, powerful line. No one laid a hand upon him because his hour had not yet come. Do you see what that means? They think that they are the ones in control. They're not. God is always in control.

How Sin Distorts Spiritual Vision

SPEAKER_00 1:57

Now, here's where this gets uncomfortable because it's easy to keep this at the level of them, the wicked, the crowd, the enemies of Jesus. But the real question is, where am I in this story? Where do I see myself? Because there are moments when we admire the just, and there are moments when we resist them. Let me break this down. I want to make this more concrete. When someone in your life is truly living the gospel, serious about prayer, serious about integrity, serious about sacrifice, what is your reaction? Do you let it challenge you? Or do you quietly dismiss it? Ah, they're too intense or too rigid, too holy roly, or that's not realistic. I can't live like that. Well, be careful. Because that's exactly how the wicked speak in the first reading. Not with horns and pitchforks, but with just enough justification to avoid conversion. Here's the teaching. Sin blinds us. The reading says it plainly. Their wickedness blinded them. Not that they lacked intelligence, not that they lacked religion, they lacked clarity. Why? Because sin distorts vision. And once you're blinded, you don't just reject evil, you start rejecting good. You begin to see holiness as a threat. A threat to your comfort, a threat to everything that you've built around you. You like your nice, comfortable life. That's why Jesus has something very striking in the gospel. I did not come on my own. The one who sent me, you do not know. They know the scripture, they know the law, but they do not recognize God standing right there in front of them. Why? Well, because their hearts are not aligned.

Recognizing God Beyond Religious Habits

SPEAKER_00 3:52

So here's the challenge for this Friday. Don't ask, do I believe in God? Ask, am I living in such a way that I can recognize Him when He stands before me? Because you can be all religious, go to Mass every day, and still miss Him. You can know all your prayers and still resist His voice. Here's one more thing.

Following Jesus When Others Pull Away

SPEAKER_00 4:17

You decide to take faith seriously, really seriously, you need to be ready for this. Not everyone's gonna applaud you. Some will misunderstand you, some will distance themselves from you, some will quietly resent you, because light does that. It exposes. But do not be afraid, because the gospel gives you the final word. His hour has not yet come. Meaning nothing happens outside of God's providence, not rejection, not misunderstanding, not even suffering. So today, choose your path in the story. Don't be among those who resist the just because it's uncomfortable. Be among those who are willing to be changed. And even more, become the kind of person whose life speaks

Choose Your Place In The Story

SPEAKER_00 5:06

so clearly that it points to God, even if it costs you. Because in the end, the just one they tried to destroy is the one who saves. And if you stay with him, you will not be blinded. You will see. Amen.