This homily reflects on the concept of confidence bias, cautioning against an inflated sense of self-assurance and encouraging trust in God’s providence over personal certainty.

We do not fight darkness with darkness. We fight darkness by turning on a candlelight. That is what we did this whole weekend. We lit a candle and that dispels the darkness. We do acts of kindness, acts of gentleness, acts of loving and forgiving. That is what dispels the darkness. That is our verification system. That is what we are called to do today.

When we possess humility before God, we avoid the argumentative traps of political or religious conflict, realizing God is in charge and our calling is to love one another.

Participation in the Eucharist calls us to live out good works after we leave the church. If our lives do not reflect transformation, we bring scandal to what we celebrate.

If our lives do not show the fruits of the Spirit, then we must take action, nourished by the Holy Spirit and the Eucharist, to cultivate them in our lives.

In this homily, we reflect on the son's change of heart as an invitation to examine our own biases—especially convenience and cognitive maturity biases—and become more mature disciples by choosing God's way even when it challenges us.