Memorial of Saint Anthony of Padua, Priest and Doctor of the Church

Today's Mass Readings

Have you ever dropped something fragile—glass, pottery—and watched it shatter in an instant?

St. Paul gives us a powerful image today: “We hold this treasure in earthen vessels.” We are fragile, breakable, imperfect. And yet God chooses us—cracked clay jars—to carry His light, His life, His love. Why? So that no one mistakes the power as coming from us. It’s all Him.

Jesus, in the Gospel, speaks directly into the brokenness we often carry in secret. He’s not just warning against outward sin—He’s naming the desires and choices that fracture the heart: lust, infidelity, careless treatment of others. He’s not shaming us; He’s calling us back to wholeness. Jesus wants us to be free from the things that divide our hearts and damage our relationships.

It’s easy to look put-together on the outside and still feel shattered inside—by sin, by regret, by wounds we don’t want anyone to see. But Jesus sees. And He doesn’t turn away. He doesn’t discard the broken vessel. He heals it. He even shines through the cracks.

So don’t hide your weakness. Bring it to Him. Let His grace be your strength. Let His mercy be your healing. And when you do fall, remember: “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed… struck down, but not destroyed.”

Your life, even in its fragility, carries a treasure that is eternal. Let that treasure shine—not because you’re flawless, but because you’re His. Broken or whole, you are chosen. And that’s more than enough.

Reflection by Fr. Etienne Huard, OSB