Friday of the 25th Week in Ordinary Time

Dear brothers,

Some days, all we can see are ruins. A broken classroom. An unmaintained house. A heavy heart. The people in today’s first reading knew that feeling well. They had returned from exile, tried to rebuild the Temple, and all they saw was a poor copy of what once stood. The glory of Solomon’s Temple was a memory. The bricks in front of them looked like failure.

And yet the Lord says: “Take courage. I am with you. My Spirit remains among you. Do not fear.” He does not wait for the building to be finished. He speaks in the middle of the work, in the rubble. That’s where God begins. That’s where we must begin.

The psalmist today feels rejected and surrounded by injustice. “Why have you cast me off?” he cries. But then he turns: “Send forth your light and your truth; let them lead me to your holy hill.” He chooses to face the altar. That turn — that small act of trust — is already a kind of rebuilding.

In the Gospel, Jesus is praying alone. Then He turns to the disciples and asks, “Who do you say I am?” Peter says, “You are the Christ of God.” And Jesus tells them what kind of Christ He will be — not one with power and glory as the world expects, but one who suffers, is rejected, is killed, and rises. This is the glory of God: not gold or stone, but love that gives itself completely.

Saints Cosmas and Damian, whom we honour today, understood this. They were doctors who treated people freely. They never charged the poor. Their glory was not in wealth or recognition, but in love given quietly, in service that healed.

So today, let’s look again at the broken places — in our country, in our Church, in ourselves. And let’s hear again the word: Take courage. I am with you. God still builds — even in ruins.

Let us ask for the grace to trust, to serve, and to answer Jesus’ question not just with our lips, but with our lives.

Here are three Questions for our prayer this morning.

• Where in my life or community is God asking me to help rebuild?
• When Jesus asks, “Who do you say I am?” — how do I really respond?
• How can I bring healing or hope to someone today, as Cosmas and Damian did?

Lord, give us courage, send your light, and help us proclaim you not only in word, but in love. Amen.