The Word is not chained: Homily for Thursday, June 4, 2026

Saint Paul makes a powerful statement. “But the word of God is not chained.” Many things in our life can cause us to be chained. But the Word of God leads to freedom. Readings for today.

The Word is not chained

But the Word of God is not chained. What a powerful statement. The Word of God is not chained. How is that even possible, really?

When we look around our world, it seems that so many things are chained. The poor are chained in their circumstance, not getting even the basic necessities that they deserve. We look around the world and there are countless examples of how people’s lives of peace are chained by war and violence. We see that some people are chained in their desire for more and more money. More and more stuff.

And in our own lives, there can be things that chain us, too. Things that limit our freedom. The very freedom that God desires for each one of us. For freedom, true freedom, is the goal of the Christian life. Jesus says, “I am the truth, and the truth will set you free.” But just how does this happen? How is it that we find the freedom that God really desires for each one of us?

The clue is in the Gospel. This scribe is the type of student that makes his teacher very happy. Because this student doesn’t just repeat what he heard, but he takes it a step further. Jesus never says anything about sacrifices or burnt offerings. But the scribe does. This is so important that it’s more important than our worship. Because if we don’t do this, our worship is empty.

And therein is the challenge when we come to Mass, too. If we’re not loving God with all we have, if we’re not all in in our love of God, if our love of God does not spill over into our love of neighbor, then our worship is hollow. We don’t grow in God’s grace.

But if we do these things, then, so to speak, the sky’s the limit. We can do anything. Today we celebrate another martyr, a Dominican martyr, St. Peter of Verona. How could he give his life for God? How could he give his life for the Gospel? Because he loved God and he loved his neighbor. I suspect that at an earlier moment in life, if he had been asked about giving his life for God, he might have been a little hesitant.

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