Wednesday, 15th Week in Ordinary Time July 17, 2024

Fr. Rick’s Two-Minute Homily for Wednesday, 15th Week in Ordinary Time
July 17, 2024, Matthew 11:25-27
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/071724.cfm

I Am Not A Mechanic

Sometimes, we have a good laugh at ourselves. I remember my first car after ordination. It wasn’t a clunker, but it needed some work. I heard a rattle under the carriage. I thought the muffler was loose.

So, I pulled out some tools, got some cardboard, and squeezed under the car. After I finished, I drove around the block. The rattle was still there. So, I took it to a mechanic who figured out the problem and fixed it. 

My mom and dad had a saying, “Ricky, you’re too big for your britches.” That’s pretty much what Jesus experienced with some of his contemporaries. These people thought they knew it all. Such individuals rejected Jesus, groups of people like the scribes and Pharisees, and even whole towns did not accept him.

But when someone did, he couldn’t help but bellow, “I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned, you have revealed them to the childlike.”  The wise and the learned were people who were too big for their britches.

I am too big for my britches when I am too full of myself. Self-esteem is healthy, but arrogance and pride hide God and his gifts from me and others. A child does not have to think twice about asking for help when he is struggling with something.

Gospel Challenge:

Do you have a muffler that rattles? Have you tried to fix it, and it still rattles? Go to the only One who is all-powerful and can do everything for us. He has an unlimited number of resources. Watch how good it feels when Jesus rejoices over you. Get to know His Father and yourself. A little humility goes a long way with Jesus.

Love Your Neighbor!

Fr. Rick Pilger, IC 
pastor