A family is driving through a storm: heavy rain, thunder, fear filling the car. Only a six-year-old boy looks out of the window with calm. When his father asks, “Aren’t you afraid?”, he replies: “No, because you’re the one driving.”
This is how the first homily of Loyce Pinto, a newly ordained Idente deacon in the outskirts of Rome, begins: an episode drawn from life, rooted in reality, that opens the heart of his message: holiness is a matter of trust.
Loyce, an Idente missionary from India, has begun today, Sunday, November 16, near the end of the liturgical year, his service as a deacon in the parish of Saint Matthew the Apostle, entrusted for many years to the Idente missionaries. In the church, the catechism children and their parents, gathered for a retreat, welcome this new step in his missionary life.
His first week as a deacon has unfolded through new and unexpected encounters, testimonies, and the sharing of his own story — and all in a language he is still learning, Italian, just a few months after his arrival in Italy.
Right after his ordination, Loyce met in Rome a group of young people from the Community of Nomadelfia, the birthplace of Irene Scifoni, Idente missionary. With them he shared his journey, his searching, and the call that has brought him to this day.
For a missionary, every day is born within this horizon: the trust that protects and transforms life’s storms.
Below follows Loyce’s full homily.
Holiness? Trusting the One who guides our life.
(Saint Matthew the Apostle, Rome — Sunday, November 16, 2025)
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus, I would like to begin with a small story.
A few years ago, a family was driving during a violent storm. The trees were bending, the rain was beating hard against the windows, and the thunder made the car tremble. The children in the back seat were frightened. But one of them, about six years old, was calmly looking out of the window. The father asked him, “Aren’t you afraid?” The boy shook his head and said, “No… because you’re the one driving.” The storm hadn’t changed. The danger hadn’t gone away. But the child’s heart was at peace because he trusted the one at the wheel.
Brothers and sisters, this is holiness: not living without storms, but living with deep trust in our heavenly Father, the One who guides our lives.
Now, at the end of the liturgical year, the Word of God speaks to us about things that end and difficult moments. Jesus describes the destruction of the Temple, wars, persecutions, betrayals. These words can disturb us, but Jesus does not want to frighten us.
He wants to teach us to build our lives on what truly lasts. In the Gospel, some admire the beauty of the Temple. It was huge and majestic. And Jesus says, “Not one stone will be left upon another.” Jesus reminds us that even the most solid things in this world pass away. Only God remains — and our relationship with Him.Holiness is not something for a select few. Holiness is trust: living as children who know they have a Father. It is believing that in every situation the Father is present, acting, guiding, and loving. Jesus speaks of difficult times, but then He promises something wonderfully tender: “I myself will give you wisdom… not a hair on your head will perish.” Which means: “You will never be alone. The Father sees you. I am with you.”
This is holiness:
not fear,
not anxiety,
but trust in the Father.In the first reading, the prophet Malachi speaks of the sun of righteousness that brings healing. Holiness is letting this light warm and heal our hearts.
Saint Paul reminds us that holiness is lived in the simple things of daily life:
in the way we work, care for our families, use our time. Holiness is not running away from reality: it is living it faithfully.And Jesus concludes with a phrase that should remain in our hearts: “By your perseverance you will save your souls.” To persevere means to remain faithful, to pray, to love, to serve — not only when it is easy, but especially when it is difficult. Perseverance is holiness on the way. It is saying: “Father, I trust You. Guide me.”
And now we come to the Eucharist. Here our divine Brother Christ nourishes us with His Body and Blood.
He gives us the strength to persevere, the grace to walk in holiness, and the certainty that — even in the storms — the Father is at the wheel. Amen.
