Good morning, Good People,
May the Lord give you peace, and blessings in the Holy Spirit. It is 14th July 2025. We celebrate the memory of Saint Camillus of Lellis, Priest. We reflect on Exodus 1:8–14, 22 and Matthew 10:34–11:1
Saint Camillus of Lellis: “Think well. Speak well. Do well. These three things, through the mercy of God, will make a person go to Heaven.”
When the heart forgets its roots, can it still bloom in truth?
Who do we love and prioritize first?
Pope Benedict XVI: “History is not in the hands of dark powers, of chance, or of merely human choices. Above all, it is in the hands of God.”
Most of us would say we love God most. But when we forget God—our foundation, our roots, and the stories of our fathers and mothers—we begin to remember little of what truly matters, or we reduce life to only what we can see and feel in the moment.
Each of us has a history, etched by people who once loved and cherished us deeply. Yet some of them change, move on, or leave behind what once was precious. The new generations often view the past with suspicion or indifference, missing the wisdom and strength woven into the stories of those early connections.
In today’s reading from Exodus, we witness the tragic unfolding of forgetfulness. After Joseph and his brothers passed away, a new Pharaoh arose—one who “knew not Joseph.” He had no reverence for the Israelites’ story, and with that ignorance came cruelty, enslavement, and dehumanization. When history is severed from memory, it becomes vulnerable to manipulation and oppression.
A history that omits God is not history at all. For God is present not just in our triumphs, but in the silent sufferings, in the wilderness seasons, and in the humble beginnings. He is not just a figure of the past, but the Living One who walks through our present struggles.
In the Gospel, Jesus speaks with unwavering clarity—He did not come to bring a shallow peace, but a radical reordering of priorities. “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me.” These words are not a call to neglect our loved ones, but to place God first, so that all other loves may be rightly ordered and deeply rooted in Him.
When we prioritize God, we begin to welcome others with true love. Respecting others, even strangers, becomes sacred, because in them we meet Christ.
Let us then cherish our history—not as a museum of the past, but as a sacred narrative written by God’s own hand. May the Holy Spirit help us revere our heritage, learn from one another, and see every person as a bearer of God’s grace.
May the Spirit who hovered over the chaos of creation, now stir in your soul a deeper reverence for your story, your faith, and your God. Let history be your compass, and God your Star. God bless you.