Fr  Rick’s Gospel Reflection for October 11, 2025, 

 Luke 11:27-28 https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/101125.cfm

Listen to the Word

 “Blessed is the womb that carried you and the breasts at which you nursed.” Sometimes, you see a son or daughter following in the steps of their father or mother. It can be in a trade or even in sports. Tiger Woods and his son come to mind. It’s remarkable how similar their golf swings appear when viewed side by side. I enjoyed working with my Dad, a contractor, but another Father caught my attention and wouldn’t let go. Praise God.

Jesus did this in His humanity. “And He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and He continued to be subject to them” (Luke 2:51). He learned from Mary and Joseph what it meant to be the Son of His Heavenly Father. When His parents found Jesus in the temple, the Gospel says that Jesus “grew in wisdom and knowledge.” 

We are blessed in the Catholic Church to hear from our Heavenly Father’s lips every day. The Father speaks to us through His Word at holy Mass. Over the years, even since high school, I have discovered something that makes the holy Word in Mass so meaningful.

A professor in the seminary told us that the Early Fathers of the Church taught that Jesus is present in the Liturgy of the Word just as He is in His Body and Blood on the altar after the Consecration. Our bodies, minds, wills, and hearts become the body, mind, will, and heart of Jesus. 

The Gospel Challenge:
We are one body with the Lord in Holy Communion. How wonderful it is to listen with an open heart and let God speak to us through His Holy Word and Mass. I always listen for a word or phrase that stands out to me and will stay with me throughout the day.

God never stops speaking to us.

Love Your Neighbor!

Fr. Rick Pilger, I.C.  
 www.bscchurch.com