In his homily from June 15, 2026, Deacon Gerald delivers a message centered around what he calls "the strength to bless" [18:11]—the active, radical Christian call to absorb evil and break the cycle of retaliation through grace.
He frames his message by contrasting the grim reality of human cruelty in the Old Testament with the revolutionary teaching of Jesus in the Gospel.
1. The Contrast of Two Worlds
Deacon Gerald begins by drawing a sharp line between a world operating without Christ and a world transformed by Him:
- The World of Unchecked Power (First Book of Kings): He references the "chilling" story of King Ahab and Naboth's vineyard [07:35]. Naboth refuses to give up his ancestral land because it is a sacred trust from God. In response, Queen Jezebel orchestrates a corrupt judicial murder using false witnesses to stone Naboth to death so Ahab can seize the land. Deacon Gerald notes that this represents a world where greed gives birth to lies, violence, and murder, while the powerful crush the weak using the machinery of the law [08:45].
- The World of Radical Grace (Gospel of Matthew): He shifts to Jesus’ command in the Sermon on the Mount: "An eye for an eye... But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil. When someone strikes you on your right cheek, turn the other one to him as well." [10:13]
2. What "Turning the Other Cheek" Actually Means
Deacon Gerald emphasizes that Jesus is not endorsing weakness, cowardice, or passivity [10:51].
- A Gesture of Dignity: He explains the historical context: in the ancient world, striking someone on the right cheek meant hitting them with the back of the hand—an insult used by a superior to humiliate an inferior or slave [11:14].
- Moral Courage: To turn the other cheek is not an invitation for more abuse; it is a silent, firm stance of dignity that says: "I am a child of God. You cannot reduce me to your level of hatred. I will not strike back, but neither will I be diminished by you." [11:38] It is an act of breathtaking moral courage.
3. The Inward Disposition (Augustine and Chrysostom)
Citing St. Augustine, the deacon explains that Christ requires an inward transformation of the heart to endure things with love, even if wisdom dictates a different outward response [12:13]. He quotes St. John Chrysostom to drive the point home: Returning evil for evil makes us no better than our enemy; returning good for evil makes us like God Himself [13:01].
4. Living Examples of Mercy
To illustrate this muscular grace, the homily highlights two modern pillars of faith:
- Pope Leo's Encyclical (Magnifica Hominitas): He quotes a recent text from the Pope, stating that human dignity is most magnificently revealed not in our capacity for retaliation, but in our capacity for grace and mercy [13:37].
- St. John Paul II: He invokes the powerful 1983 image of Pope John Paul II sitting in a prison cell, holding the hands of Mehmet Ali Ağca—the man who had shot him [14:23]. The Pope did not pretend the evil hadn't happened, but he met his would-be assassin eye-to-eye and forgave him. The deacon summarizes this balance beautifully: "Justice without forgiveness becomes vengeance. Forgiveness without justice becomes sentimentality." [15:28]
5. Practical Application: "Being the Wall"
Deacon Gerald acknowledges that everyone has "Ahabs and Jezebels" in their lives—whether it's a parent who failed them, a spouse who betrayed them, a coworker who undermined them, or a hostile neighbor [16:51].
Christ's challenge to the faithful is to stop the cycle:
"The evil that has been done to us can stop with us... We can be the wall that absorbs the blow and gives back only blessing." [17:45]
Because humans cannot achieve this level of forgiveness through raw willpower alone, he points to the Eucharist [18:23]. In Holy Communion, Catholics receive the living Christ—the ultimate example of one who took violence into Himself on the cross and returned only love [19:30].
The Next Step: He concludes with a concrete challenge before the day ends: think of one person who has wronged you. Do not wait until you "feel" like forgiving them. Instead, perform an intentional act of grace: pray for them by name, speak well of them to others, or send a kind word [20:48].