Twice: Homily for Sunday, July 19, 2026

Twice. God prays when we do not know how. God strengthens us when we are weak, and gives us more than just one second chance. God gives his forgiveness each and every time we ask. In asking for forgiveness, God makes this ask take root in something we can experience in this world, something we can know for certain is true. Readings for Today.

Twice

I am currently reading a book by Mitch Albom, a man known for Tuesdays with Morrie and The Five People You Meet in Heaven. This book is called Twice. Mitch Albom’s books are about human nature and weave compelling stories to help us to better understand ourselves. In the book Twice, a little boy discovers he has the ability to go back to a previous event in his life and relive it. It is only about an event that he actually experienced and he can only go back once. Regardless of how the second time through an event turns out, he has to live with whatever happens.

The book is about second chances. Without giving too much away, even with the knowledge from a previous mistake, things do not always turn out the way one might expect. Left to our own devices and our own efforts, and armed with previous experience of failures committed, it might just not be enough.

Fortunately for us, people of faith, we do not rely only upon ourselves to fix mistakes. We have Jesus, the Son of God, who because of his infinite love for everyone, even us, can provide us with more than our own efforts. The past few weekends, the readings have been helping us to learn more about God and what God can do for us. Here again, these words from the first reading, “There is no God beside you who have the care of all.” Again, “Your mastery over all things makes you lenient to all.” Most important, “You gave your children good ground for hope that you would permit repentance for their sins.”

Unlike Mitch Albom’s book, this is not something, God’s grace is not something, that is only available twice. God’s grace, God’s forgiveness is available anytime we ask God with contrite hearts. Consider for a moment just how much God loves you.

Today’s readings remind us that God is so far beyond us. Jesus, who is God, does not simply set a good example for us. His focus is not simply on helping us to do good deeds. It is not the case that Jesus wants us to make a difference in this world through our own efforts alone. God does everything for us. God teaches us to pray when we cannot. St. Paul says that the Spirit prays for us with inexpressible groanings.

In creating us, God has given us everything we need for salvation. While we do need to discern the choices we need to make, we are reminded we never have to rely only upon ourselves. St. Paul tells us that when we are weak, it is then we are strong. When we realize that we need God, that we can do nothing ourselves, when we are so weak, so broken, we may not know any way we can make things better, it is then that we come to the most important realization. When we are desperate, broken, weak, when it seems we do not have the strength to go on, God is there.

God prays when we do not know how. God strengthens us when we are weak, and gives us more than just one second chance. God gives his forgiveness each and every time we ask. In asking for forgiveness, God makes this ask take root in something we can experience in this world, something we can know for certain is true.

God provides us with the sacrament of confession. God tells us he does not want us to be uncertain for even a moment about the forgiveness we ask for, and more importantly, the forgiveness he wants us to have. This is the gift of the kingdom of God. Something so precious, we cannot imagine anything better. Something so magnificent, that when we get even a small taste of it, we will do everything to accept this great gift of God.

This is what today’s gospel tells us today. Sin will be weeded out, a mustard seed that grows in an amazing way to an unbelievable size. Yeast, that despite its small size, has tremendous impact upon the whole loaf. Even when we feel small, knowing that we sin, we simply cannot even imagine just what it is that God can do for us.

Sometimes we think our sins cannot be forgiven. Sometimes we can think that something is too hard, our ability too tiny, that we cannot do amazing things. But God is not small. God is not tiny. The love of God is not held back because God is stingy. God gives us so much. God gives us more than we need, because the love of God, the kingdom of God is something so much more than we can imagine.

Sometimes I know I struggle because I think things are beyond me. I know I struggle because I think things I know rather that my love is small. I can find it hard to forgive. Sometimes I choose activity over silent prayer. I focus too much on what I can do, rather than focusing on what God can do, since all depends upon God.

The kingdom of God was first offered to us in our baptism. Our hunger was first filled in the Eucharist, the body and blood, soul and divinity of Jesus. Because we cannot forgive, we sometimes think that our sins are beyond God’s ability to forgive. We are made for great things, you and me. But even when the sin seems too big, the tasks too many and too difficult, the path of a disciple, something we cannot imagine ourselves doing in our weakness, we need to remember God can.

There was a little boy who was trying to move a large rock. He pushed and pushed and pushed, but the rock did not budge. His father told him to use all his strength. The boy said he was. The father said this over and over again. The boy replied in the same way. Then the father told the boy he was not using all of his strength. Frustrated and crying, the boy insisted he was. The father disagreed. With love and kindness and care, the father said to the boy, you are not using all your strength. You are not using me.

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