The Place Persecution Cannot Reach In today’s homily, Fr. Tyler reflects on a truth revealed by the Vietnamese Martyrs—117 canonized, more than 300,000 known to God alone—who witnessed with their blood that no earthly power can touch the deepest sanctuary of the human person: the heart. Persecution may imprison the body, silence the voice, or press upon the mind, but it cannot force the interior surrender of one’s freedom. As the Catechism teaches, the heart is “the seat of moral decision,” the place where we choose for or against God.

Fr. Tyler Mentzer, MIC, invites us to rediscover the heart of the Gospel—the very purpose of Christ. When Jesus declares, “Behold, I cast out demons and perform healings today and tomorrow, and on the third day I accomplish my purpose,” He reveals the mission that defines His life and ours: to bring salvation, to dwell within us, and to unite us forever to Himself.

The readings for this homily: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/010326.cfm