You do not have to have any understanding of the Catholic faith or a belief to connect some dots with this link. The quote, the priest read, is what inspired me to write.
"How important it is that we have witnesses. Witnesses. Pope Paul VI in his famous quotation said- modern man listens more willingly to witnesses than to teachers. And if they do listen to teachers, it is because they are witnesses."
I think the priest's homily has a few meanings. I am going to use a practical application. The word martyr means witness, not necessarily a dead one.
Listen carefully to the whole homily. If not, then ponder on the quotation above that is taken from this homily.
Do we listen to witnesses or teachers before, during or after a crisis?
I listened to the news in 1996 - 1998 as the school deaths increased. It was the witness of a dead teacher that finally got me to draw a line in the sand for prevention. My concerns and fears were real.
How does this homily speak to you? Take off any religious prejudice so you can learn a lesson. You may just be inspired also. The homily starts about 8 minutes into the video and is about 6 minutes in length. TV Masses are only about 30 minutes. Sometimes I am more inspired by the TV homilies then in person attendance.
https://youtu.be/3NKA8ZR_I3M?is=GTkI_QtLZNHZxy92
I write these posts short and I make connections. Each post is independent of the previous ones unless I make a direct connection. At some point they are all connected on rinse and repeat. Even this one can stand alone.
What or who inspires you?
The priest mentions ordinary people. There is a direct connect to a page in my book. Who would have thought? Do you know of Shannon Wright yet? She was an ordinary teacher who witnessed extraordinarily.
Marian R. Carlino
October 17, 2026