Father Rick’s Two-Minute Homily ~ 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time ~ June 28, 2026

Matthew 10:37-42

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/062826.cfm

I imagine we can all think of someone who made an extraordinary sacrifice for Jesus.
I’m not thinking of giving up something for the Lenten season. I’m thinking of something
gut-wrenching that changes the course of your life.

My sister Bev dated a lovely man for five years. I was only about five years old then. I
remember he was a gentleman, tall with dark hair and a black mustache. She talked
about him often. I thought, “She must like this man.” I didn’t know anything about love.

One day, she came home and told us they weren’t getting married. I suppose they were
engaged. Then she told us why they weren’t together anymore. He refused to have the
children baptized as Catholics, so she told him goodbye.

I cannot say I fully grasped her sacrifice at that tender age for her Catholic Faith. But
something has always been in the back of my mind. Did her loss of someone she loved
so much for Jesus influence my relationship with the Lord? I wonder if I learned, in a
simple way, that Jesus was worth losing everything. I truly believe that moment God
planted another seed in my heart to be a priest and ultimately a religious.

The beautiful thing is that not long after that, she met a man who became a Catholic
and was a very good spouse for over 50 years. Tom became a brother to me; God rest
his soul.

Gospel Challenge:

Jesus talks about sacrificing even important people, like family, because He knows He
is worth it. Perhaps you can think of someone who made a sacrifice that influenced your
faith in Jesus. Speak to Jesus from your heart about what He means to you.

Fr. Rick Pilger, IC

www.bscchurch.com
www.rosminians.com