Homily for the 10th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Jesus was focused on His mission. He worked hard to communicate His message of salvation, to train His Apostles, to heal the sick, and to comfort the troubled. In fact, He worked so hard to fulfill His mission that it was "impossible for [Him and His disciples] even to eat."

However, not everyone appreciated Jesus and His dedication to His mission. Even members of His extended family, as told in St. Mark's Gospel, thought He was crazy. The more popular and respected religious and cultural leaders of the time rejected Him and accused Him of being an instrument of the devil.

Despite the opposition, mockery, and misunderstanding, Jesus persevered and stayed faithful to His mission. His courage and strength came from His relationship with the Father, and His heart was anchored in the everlasting love of the Lord.

Just like Jesus, we too face challenges and opposition, and need courage. We also need to anchor our hearts in the Lord so that we can persevere, be strong, and endure.

A clear sign that our hearts are anchored in heaven is interior joy. Even in the face of our weaknesses and difficulties, being firmly anchored in God allows us to be cheerful at heart.

Ultimately, holiness is the path to true happiness. The closer we are united with God, the more we will experience and spread true joy.

To keep our hearts anchored in the Lord, we need to focus on prayer, the sacraments, following Christ's teachings and example, and true Christian fellowship.

By making these a part of our lives, we can keep our hearts anchored in the Lord so that no difficulty, opposition, or challenge can throw us off course.