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Softening and TrustingOctober 26, 2026
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Softening and Trusting
The liturgical readings for October 25, 2026, the Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time, remind us of two pillars of the spiritual life: loving God with our whole being and expressing that love through compassion for our neighbors, especially the most vulnerable.
Saint Angela Merici encouraged us to live both an active and a contemplative life. This Sunday’s readings remind us that our actions flow from our spiritual life. We begin by nurturing our relationship with God through prayer, reflection, and contemplation. From this inner connection, we are moved to act with love. And when we wonder what the active life looks like, Jesus reminds us that it is found in the simple yet profound practice of loving our neighbors as ourselves.
These are difficult times. We see our neighbors being treated in mean-spirited and thoughtless ways. Sadly, this behavior has become increasingly extreme, whether through the use of guns and shock gloves or by taking away healthcare and food from those who truly need them. What is encouraging, however, is that more people are beginning to recognize these actions for what they are.
Catholic scholar and writer Ronald Rolheiser reminds us of an enduring message from the Old Testament prophets:
“The quality of your faith will be judged by the quality of justice in the land, and the quality of justice in the land will always be judged by how widows, orphans and strangers fared while you were alive.”
Two words come to mind: softening and trusting.
Softening means letting go of the hard shell of me first, always me first. We build this protective shell out of fear, often believing that we must defend ourselves against anything or anyone we perceive as a threat. But when we allow that shell to soften, we create space for trust. We become more open to seeing others with the heart rather than through the lens of fear and self-protection.
We are, now and always, part of the One, the Source from which all life flows. When we remember this deep connection, we begin to understand that hurting our neighbor also hurts ourselves. No one stands outside this Oneness. When we forget our connection to one another, fear can take hold and lead us to behave in ways that separate us rather than unite us.
Our spiritual work is to keep softening our hearts and learning to trust—to trust in God, to trust in the goodness that lies within each person, and to recognize that loving our neighbor is not separate from loving God. It is how that love becomes visible in the world.