Fr. Rick’s Two-Minute Homily for 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time
August 27, 2023, Matthew 16:13-20
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/082723.cfm
We Are A Lot Like St. Peter.
Marathon bike races are famous in Florida. Officials set up cones to direct bikers to their destination, the finish line. If bikers leave those cones to go a different route, they will never reach the finish line. So, what is the point of racing when bikers do their own thing and do not follow directions?
We are blessed in the Church to have a guide to get us to the finish line (heaven – eternal bliss). That guarantee on earth is Jesus in St. Peter, our Rock, who withstands all the storms through the centuries that bash against us. This grace-filled Rock is in all of Peter’s successors, the popes.
But sometimes, we think we have a better idea than Jesus. We are like Peter, who did not want Jesus to go to the cross and suffer. Jesus told Peter that he thought not as God thinks but as human beings think.
It reminds me of what God said through the prophet, “My ways are not your ways, and My thoughts are not your thoughts. As high as the heavens are above the earth, are my ways above your ways and my thoughts above your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8-9).
People and groups continue challenging our Lord’s authority in Peter and his successors. This grace in the Catholic Church has outlasted schisms, reformations, and even Mass exoduses of practicing the Faith given to us by God. Is it worth seeking our human way when there is only one Way (Jesus) to heaven?
We may not agree with something the Holy Father teaches. Remember, we are not following a man. We are following Jesus. It demands trust. Sometimes, Jesus leads us where we don’t want to go. So, he gave us the Rock. “Whatever you declare on earth is declared in heaven.”
The cones are there for only one reason. The next most extraordinary grace after martyrdom is obedience. When we surrender our will to Jesus, the floodgates of heaven’s blessings and challenges fill our lives, moment by moment.
Gospel Challenge:
The Catholic Church is our greatest friend to keep us faithful to Jesus and get us to heaven. We have her teaching and Sacraments. What will it take to get back on course if we have strayed? There is only one hand we can grab to keep us from sinking.
Peace everyone.
IGNITE THE FIRE!
Fr. Rick Pilger, IC
pastor
or .
21st Sunday in Ordinary Time August 27, 2023
Fr. Rick’s Two-Minute Homily for 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time
August 27, 2023, Matthew 16:13-20
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/082723.cfm
We Are A Lot Like St. Peter.
Marathon bike races are famous in Florida. Officials set up cones to direct bikers to their destination, the finish line. If bikers leave those cones to go a different route, they will never reach the finish line. So, what is the point of racing when bikers do their own thing and do not follow directions?
We are blessed in the Church to have a guide to get us to the finish line (heaven – eternal bliss). That guarantee on earth is Jesus in St. Peter, our Rock, who withstands all the storms through the centuries that bash against us. This grace-filled Rock is in all of Peter’s successors, the popes.
But sometimes, we think we have a better idea than Jesus. We are like Peter, who did not want Jesus to go to the cross and suffer. Jesus told Peter that he thought not as God thinks but as human beings think.
It reminds me of what God said through the prophet, “My ways are not your ways, and My thoughts are not your thoughts. As high as the heavens are above the earth, are my ways above your ways and my thoughts above your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8-9).
People and groups continue challenging our Lord’s authority in Peter and his successors. This grace in the Catholic Church has outlasted schisms, reformations, and even Mass exoduses of practicing the Faith given to us by God. Is it worth seeking our human way when there is only one Way (Jesus) to heaven?
We may not agree with something the Holy Father teaches. Remember, we are not following a man. We are following Jesus. It demands trust. Sometimes, Jesus leads us where we don’t want to go. So, he gave us the Rock. “Whatever you declare on earth is declared in heaven.”
The cones are there for only one reason. The next most extraordinary grace after martyrdom is obedience. When we surrender our will to Jesus, the floodgates of heaven’s blessings and challenges fill our lives, moment by moment.
Gospel Challenge:
The Catholic Church is our greatest friend to keep us faithful to Jesus and get us to heaven. We have her teaching and Sacraments. What will it take to get back on course if we have strayed? There is only one hand we can grab to keep us from sinking.
Peace everyone.
IGNITE THE FIRE!
Fr. Rick Pilger, IC
pastor
or .
Share:
More Posts
Fr. Rick’s Two Minute Homily Memorial of our Lady of Sorrows
September 15, 2025, John 19:33-35 https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/091525.cfm No Other Way Nothing is harder than a parent burying their own child. How can anyone understand the pain of
Fr. Rick’s Two-Minute Homily for Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross
September 14, 2025, John 3:13-17 https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/091425.cfm Don’t Be Afraid of the Sting In every Catholic Church and Chapel around the world, we celebrate today an
Father Rick’s Two-Minute Homily for Saturday, 23rd Week in Ordinary Time
September 13, 2025, Luke 6:43-49 https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/091325.cfm Deep Roots I know a friend whose neighbor’s tree fell on her house during a tropical storm. It was
Fr. Rick’s Two-Minute Homily for Friday, 23rd Week in Ordinary Time
September 12, 2025, Luke 6:49-42 https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/091225.cfm Humility And Mercy “When fully trained, every disciple will be like his teacher.” This is the grace of God,
Categories
Send Us A Message