Reflecting on Isaiah 66:10-14c and Luke 10:1-12, 17-20, I talked about the first three gifts of the Holy Spirit (love, joy and peace) and St. Maria Goretti at the 5:30 p.m. Mass at the St. Francis Chapel in the Prudential Center in Boston on Sunday, July 6, 2025.

Text of the homily

Today is the feast day of St. Maria Goretti. After her martyrdom, her family remembered her as loving, joyful and peaceful.

In the same way, all the readings today teach us to see and participate in the first 3 fruits of the Holy Spirit: love, joy, peace.

First fruit of the Spirit: love

God the Father loves us with the same intensity as He loves the Son, Jesus. In his great love for us, Jesus walked among us to share this love. The Holy Spirit fills the 72 apostles in today’s Gospel with divine love to accomplish their mission.

Each of us, including St. Maria Goretti, receives this divine love in the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and the Eucharist.

Second fruit of the Spirit: joy

The first reading begins with these words, “Rejoice with Jerusalem and be glad because of her.”

The prophet Isaiah imagines the city of Jerusalem as a woman receiving joy, children and prosperity after a period of war and exile.

Likewise, we must remember that joy follows a time of suffering for Jesus suffered and died because of our sins. However, Jesus loves us so much that He rose from the dead. The Resurrection changes everything. This is not the end. There is joy.

Thus, Paul can proclaim, “May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

During her life, St. Maria Goretti and her family endured poverty and then the death of her father when she was 9. But she found her joy and comfort in Jesus.

The third fruit of the Spirit: peace

In the Gospel, Jesus sends the 72 disciples to greet the households that they are visiting with the word “peace.”

When have we last felt peace? Imagine your cheers and cries of joy when your favorite sports team wins a game. At that moment, are we happy? Are we in harmony? Are we at peace?  

Love and joy bring peace between God and us, with each other and within us.

This Mass allows us to experience these gifts of the Spirit. We receive love through the Scriptures and the Eucharist. We sing with joy through the  “Glory to God.” We exchange signs of peace and have moments of silence. Present at the Mass are all the saints, especially St. Maria Goretti, because her relics are under the altar.

Thus, we live out the words of Isaiah, “In Jerusalem you shall find your comfort.”

From this comfort, each of us are called to express this message of love, joy and peace to others. For example, St. Maria Goretti shared any candy she received with her brothers and sisters.

Some of us will exhibit the charismatic gifts of healing, counseling and teaching.  Some of us will intercede, pray for others. All of us will forgive someone just as St. Maria Goretti forgave her killer on her deathbed.

Just like Paul, we do not boast of our achievements. Jesus reminds us our true prize: “Nevertheless, do not rejoice because the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice because your names are written in heaven.”

St. Maria Goretti, pray for us.