Fr. Rick’s Two Minute Homily Thursday 25th Week in Ordinary Time

September 26, 2024, Luke 9:7-9

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/092624.cfm

 Conscience And The Voice Of The Lord 

Sports have referees and umpires. Courts of law have judges. When presented with the facts of a case, they make unbiased decisions. They save teams and society so much turmoil so life can go on.  

And for the very same reason, God gives every person a conscience. It was King Herod’s conscience that gave him no rest. John the Baptist’s voice was crying out in the wilderness of Herod’s heart, rebuking him for seducing his brother’s wife, making them divorce, and marrying his sister-in-law.  

Cardinal Newman once wrote that a person’s conscience is the “closest and possible, sensible and experiential contact a human being can have with the voice of God.” Conscience is a great friend to us because it is void of all emotions and self-interests.  

It stands alone, calling out among all the other voices we hear in our heads and from other people around us. Just like referees blow a whistle at a ballgame, our conscience also tells us what a good moral choice is and what will harm us.  

But know that our conscience is more. Look at the last line of the gospel today. It states, “Herod kept trying to see John.”  

Gospel Challenge:
But in truth, it was Jesus in his heart appealing to Herod, through his conscience, to repent and believe the Good News. So, let us listen to the Lord’s appeal in our hearts. What is he saying to us today?  

Ove Your Neighbor!

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