My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, members of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulcher, I especially thank you today for your presence tonight, both because of our scheduled Mass for our Order but for all who may have come tonight to pray as the Church of Birmingham for our Holy Father’s health and well-being. 

Indeed, we gather tonight with heavy yet hopeful hearts, lifting our prayers for peace in the Holy Land, the place of our Lord’s visitation to us, and for healing and reconciliation in the land of our Lord’s Passion and Resurrection. Although we see glimmers of hope, we know there is much work to be done to achieve a true and lasting peace. We also hold in our hearts our Holy Father, Pope Francis, who continues his recovery at Rome’s Gemelli Polyclinic Hospital and whose health and recovery remain concerning and precarious. We pray for his strength and return to good health, mindful that Rome and the Holy Land are bound together in our faith and mission.  In have invited all parishes and institutions to join in a prayer of solidarity for our Holy Father that the Lord accompany Him during this time of uncertainty. 

The readings today speak to us of trust in God in times of trial and the paradox of the Gospel—a message that turns the world’s values upside down.  

Sirach tells us, “My child, when you come to serve the Lord, prepare yourself for trials.” (Sir 2:1) These words ring true for all of us who have answered Christ’s call. The path of discipleship is not one of comfort or earthly success but one of perseverance, faith, and reliance on God's mercy. The suffering we see in the Holy Land—where ancient hatreds and divisions persist—can make us wonder if peace is even possible, but the wisdom of Sirach reminds us: “Has anyone who trusted in the Lord been disappointed?”  

The Psalmist echoes this hope, calling us to “trust in the Lord and do good.” (Ps 37:3) The Lord knows the hearts of the faithful. He does not abandon His people, nor does He forsake the land made sacred by His presence. Our mission, then, is to remain steadfast in prayer, tireless in charity, and unwavering in our pursuit of peace, even when it seems impossible.  

We come to the Gospel where Jesus confounds His disciples yet again as He walks toward His Passion, and He teaches them what true greatness is: not the power of rulers or the might of armies, but the humility of a child. “Whoever receives one child such as this in My name receives Me.” (Mk 9:37)  

A child in Jesus’ time had no status, no voice, no power, yet Jesus tells us that true discipleship is found in embracing the powerless, in serving the least, in lowering ourselves rather than exalting ourselves. It is a message that goes against the logic of the world, but it is the only path to real peace—the peace that Christ came to bring.  

This is our hope for the Holy Land, for Rome, and for all the places in the world where suffering persists. Peace will not come through power struggles or domination. True peace will come when hearts are transformed, when humility takes the place of pride, when love overcomes hatred.  

As members of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulcher, you bear witness to this hope. Your commitment to the Church in the Holy Land, the place of our redemption, is a sign that, despite the trials, we will not abandon our brothers and sisters there. Your prayers, your works of charity, your presence are the quiet, powerful ways that God’s peace is made known.  

So, take courage. Do not let the difficulties of the world discourage us. We remain steadfast in our hope which is founded on a firm faith during this Jubilee Year. Trust in the Lord, Who has never abandoned His people. Pray for the Holy Land. Pray for Pope Francis. Pray that we may all learn the lesson of the Gospel that the greatest in the Kingdom is not the one who holds power but the one who embraces the powerless. Pope Francis gave vibrant witness to this when he called for us to be a Church that goes out (on mission), one that lives in the physical and existential peripheries of life, and for which the Church is a “field hospital” caring for the sick, the vulnerable, the weak, and the wounded.

Like the Psalmist says, let our “prayers rise like incense” (cf. Ps 141:2) before the Lord, pleading for peace, healing, and hope. And may the Prince of Peace bless us and guide us always. Amen.