Fr. Rick’s Two-Minute Homily for Thursday, 18th Week in Ordinary Time

August 7, 2025, Matthew 16:13-23

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/080725.cfm

We Are A Lot Like St. Peter.

Marathon bike races are well-known in Florida, but not during the summer. Organizers place cones to guide bikers toward the finish line. If bikers stray from those cones to take a different route, they will never reach the finish line. So, what’s the point of racing if bikers ignore directions and do their own thing? 

We are blessed in the Church to have a guide that leads us to the finish line (heaven – eternal bliss). That guarantee is found in St. Peter, who is our foundational Rock that withstands all the storms throughout the centuries that batter us. This grace-filled Rock is present in all of Peter’s successors, the popes. 

But sometimes, we believe 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 thinks not as God thinks but as human beings think. 

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? The cones are there for only one reason. 

Gospel Challenge:
The Catholic Church is our greatest friend, helping us stay faithful to Jesus and guiding us to heaven. We rely on her teachings and Sacraments. What do we need to do to get back on track if we’ve gone off course? “Repent and believe the Good News!”

Love Your Neighbor!

Father Rick Pilger, I.C. 
pastor@bscchurch.com