Catholic Homily for October 14, 2025
Tuesday of the Twenty-Eighth Week in Ordinary Time
Luke 11:37–41
What We Clean and What We Ignore
Think about how you get ready in the morning. You shower, brush your teeth, comb your hair, and put on clean clothes. You want to look good when you face the world.
But here’s a question: How much time do you spend cleaning your heart?
We’re really good at making sure people see the best version of us on the outside. But we often forget about the places that only God can see – our thoughts, our motives, our secret feelings.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus does something that shocks His host. He sits down to eat without doing the ritual hand washing that religious people always did before meals.
The Pharisee who invited Jesus to dinner was amazed – and not in a good way. He was probably thinking:
- “How can this religious teacher ignore such an important tradition?”
- “Doesn’t He know about staying spiritually clean?”
- “What will people think?”
Instead of apologizing, Jesus uses this moment to teach an important lesson:
“You Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness.”
Jesus reminds them of something crucial:
“God made both the outside and the inside.”
What This Means:
- God cares about our whole person – not just what others can see
- He’s interested in our hearts – our real thoughts and feelings
- True cleanliness starts from within – and then shows on the outside
How We Do the Same Thing Today
We might not be Pharisees, but we do similar things:
We Polish Our Image
- We carefully choose what photos to post on social media
- We present ourselves in the best possible light
- We hide our struggles and only show our successes
We Arrange Our Words
- We say what we think people want to hear
- We’re polite on the outside while harboring resentment inside
- We go through the motions of being kind while feeling angry or jealous
We Manage Our Public Appearance
- We dress nicely for church but our hearts aren’t really focused on God
- We participate in religious activities but don’t let them change us inside
- We say the right prayers but don’t mean them deeply
The Problem: When Appearance Becomes a Mask
When we focus only on looking good on the outside:
Our Hidden Problems Stay Hidden:
- Resentment – We hold grudges against people who have hurt us
- Envy – We feel jealous of others’ success or happiness
- Fear – We worry constantly but don’t admit it
- Greed – We want more and more but appear generous
- Pride – We think we’re better than others but act humble
Our Spiritual Life Becomes Fake:
- Prayer becomes just routine instead of real conversation with God
- Going to church becomes about being seen instead of worshiping
- Being religious becomes performance instead of relationship
Jesus’ Simple Solution
Jesus gives us a surprisingly simple path to real cleanliness:
“Give alms from what is within, and everything will be clean for you.”
What Does This Mean?
“Alms” means giving to help others, especially the poor. But Jesus isn’t just talking about money. He’s talking about giving from our hearts.
Three Ways to Give from Within:
- Let mercy flow from your heart
- Actually forgive people who have wronged you
- Show compassion even when it’s hard
- Give people second chances
- Let generosity break the grip of greed
- Share what you have, even if it’s not much
- Stop always thinking about what you can get
- Be grateful for what you already have
- Let hidden kindness purify hidden motives
- Do good things that nobody will ever know about
- Help people without expecting anything back
- Let your secret generosity clean your secret selfishness
One Simple Challenge for Today
Jesus is asking us to try “interior almsgiving” – giving something from the inside, not just the outside.
Choose One of These Today:
Forgive a Debt:
- Let go of something someone “owes” you
- Stop keeping score of who did what
- Release someone from your expectations
Drop a Grudge:
- Stop rehearsing old hurts in your mind
- Choose to think better thoughts about someone who annoyed you
- Let go of that resentment you’ve been carrying
Pray for an Opponent:
- Ask God to bless someone you don’t like
- Pray for someone who has been mean to you
- Ask for good things to happen to people who oppose you
Share Quietly with Someone in Need:
- Help someone without telling anyone about it
- Give something away that you really don’t want to give
- Do a kindness that no one will ever know was from you
When we start cleaning the inside of our hearts:
What Happens:
- The outside begins to shine naturally – we don’t have to work so hard to look good
- Our actions become genuine – we’re not just performing anymore
- God’s light shines through us – people see something real and attractive in us
- We become truly clean – not just appearing clean, but actually being clean
The Real Point
Jesus isn’t against washing hands or looking nice. He’s not saying the outside doesn’t matter.
He’s saying that real cleaning starts on the inside, with our hearts, our motives, our secret thoughts and feelings.
When we give from our hearts, when we are generous with forgiveness, mercy, and kindness, everything becomes clean.
A Simple Prayer for Today
Jesus, you see everything – both the outside that everyone can see, and the inside that only you know. Help us to be as concerned about cleaning our hearts as we are about looking good to others. Give us the courage to practice interior almsgiving today. Make us truly clean from the inside out. Amen.
Please Remember this, the most important cleaning you’ll do today isn’t in the bathroom mirror, it’s in the quiet places of your heart where only God can see.
❤️ Thank You dear friend, hope this reflections touched you. 🙏 Please do not forget to share with your loved ones this october 14 homily.
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