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. Chris reminds us that today — the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed — is one of the most important days of the Church year. Though it’s not a solemnity or feast, its spiritual weight is immense. Following the glory of All Saints Day, we now turn to the souls who still await their full union with God — the holy souls in Purgatory. Together, these three days — All Hallows Eve, All Saints, and All Souls — form what the Church calls Allhallowtide, or the “Triduum of Death.” It is not dark, but deeply merciful, because it reveals God’s justice and His love.

The readings for this homily: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/021826.cfm The world has its “small-g gods”: sex, money, and power. In this powerful Lenten homily, Fr. Chris Alar, MIC explains how the consecrated religious counter them through poverty, chastity, and obedience—but what about the laity? The answer is the Church’s timeless Lenten call: prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.