HOMILIES

Dear Audience,
For better understanding of the spiritual message behind this homily I kindly remind you to first read and contemplate the biblical texts before reading or listening to my preaching - a human reflection on the Word of God!

Twenty First Sunday of Ordinary Time (Year A)

Aug 23, 2026

181

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First Reading

A reading from the first Book of the Prophet Isaiah (22:19-23)

Thus says the Lord to Shebna, master of the palace: "I will thrust you from your office and pull you down from your station. On that day I will summon my servant Eliakim, son of Hilkiah; I will clothe him with your robe, and gird him with your sash, and give over to him your authority. He shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to the house of Judah. I will place the key of the House of David on Eliakim's shoulder; when he opens, no one shall shut, when he shuts, no one shall open. I will fix him like a peg in a sure spot, to be a place of honor for his family."

(P) The word of the Lord.
(R) Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalms of David (138:1-2, 2-3, 6, 8)

(R) Lord, your love is eternal; do not forsake the work of your hands.

I will give thanks to you, O Lord, with all my heart, for you have heard the words of my mouth; in the presence of the angels I will sing your praise; I will worship at your holy temple. (R)

I will give thanks to your name, because of your kindness and your truth: when I called, you answered me; you built up strength within me. (R)

The Lord is exalted, yet the lowly He sees, and the proud He knows from afar. Your kindness, O Lord, endures forever; forsake not the work of your hands. (R)

Second Reading

A reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Romans (11:33-36)

Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How inscrutable are His judgments and how unsearchable His ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord or who has been His counselor? Or who has given the Lord anything that He may be repaid? For from Him and through Him and for Him are all things. To Him be glory forever. Amen.

(P) The word of the Lord.
(R) Thanks be to God.

Gospel

A reading from the Gospel according to Matthew (16:13-20)

Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi and he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" They replied, "Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter said in reply, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus said to him in reply, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father. And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on Earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on Earth shall be loosed in heaven." Then he strictly ordered his disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.

(P) The Gospel of the Lord.
(R) Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Homily

On a hot summer day, a man stops to rest under a giant walnut tree and notices a massive pumpkin growing on a vine in a nearby field. He says, "Oh God, sometimes I do not understand your ways. Why do you put tiny walnuts on a grand tree and huge pumpkins on a weak vine?" Right then, a walnut falls from the tree and hits his bald head. He looks up and says, "Oh God, forgive me! You are wise. If heavy pumpkins grew on big trees, a falling pumpkin could have killed me." The story teaches us that nature makes no mistakes. Everything has a unique purpose and place in the world, and we should not foolishly question nature or God's plan.

Saint Thomas Aquinas was a 13th century Italian Dominican priest, philosopher, and theologian. He is widely considered one of the most influential thinkers in the history of the Catholic Church. Since his early youth, Thomas devoted his life to prayer, study, and the pursuit of truth. He taught that faith and reason are complementary gifts from God and that they work together to help us know the truth about God, the world, and our ultimate purpose.

One day while praying, Thomas heard the voice of Christ coming from a crucifix saying, "You have written well of Me, Thomas. What reward would you have for your labour?" Thomas replied, "Nothing but yourself, Oh Lord." Later, while celebrating Mass, Thomas experienced an overwhelming mystical vision. Deeply transformed by this encounter, he stopped writing his most famous and important book "Summa Theologica," meaning "Summary of Theology" or "Summary of the Study of God" and left it unfinished. When his friend and secretary, Reginald of Piperno, urged him to resume writing, Thomas refused, stating that he could write no more because everything he had written seemed like "straw" compared to what he had seen. In other words, Thomas acknowledged that compared to the reality of God, all his knowledge, understanding and description of God were worthless, no matter how glorious it might be. Thomas' perspective closely aligns with the apostle Paul's view regarding the inadequacy of human knowledge and wisdom compared to the greatness of God. This is what we read in today's second reading of his letter to the Romans, Romans (11:33-36).

In the chapters before today's text, Paul speaks about the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ. He expounds step by step how God chose to send His Son Jesus Christ to live on earth and die on the cross as an expression of His love, paying the penalty for human sin and offering eternal life to all who believe. As he looks at God's grand plan for the salvation of both Jews and Gentiles, he is filled with deep awe and praise.

Paul writes, "Oh, the depth of the riches, wisdom and knowledge of God! How inscrutable are His judgments and how unsearchable His ways!", Romans (33). Here, Paul marvels at five infinite divine wonders:

God's riches, that is, the endless supply of God's grace, compassion, and love for all people through Jesus Christ, rather than physical or material wealth;
God's wisdom, that is, the brilliance of God in designing the gospel of salvation through Christ to include both Jews and Gentiles, turning human rejection and disobedience into an opportunity to extend mercy and grace to whole world;
God's knowledge, that is, God's supreme skill and complete awareness of all things and all times - the past, the present and the future;
God's judgements, that is, God's sovereign decisions, decrees, and verdicts in history and salvation that operate on a standard that far exceeds human understanding and logic, meaning God's choices are pure, just, and merciful, while human choices are often hasty and selfish; and
God's ways, that is, God's paths and methods, including His choice of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to form the historic lineage of the Jewish people as part of His ultimate plan for humanity.

Then realizing that God is far greater than we can ever comprehend, Paul poses three rhetorical questions: "Who has known the mind of the Lord? Who has been His counsellor? Who has given the Lord anything that he may be repaid?", Romans (34-35).

The implied answer to all three questions is a resounding "no one." First, no one knows fully the mind of God. All that we know is God is the Creator, Sustainer, and Judge, and He is loving, merciful and just. There are a lot of things we do not know about God. We do not fully know why God chooses specific individuals for certain paths or roles or relationships. We do not know how the end times will unfold. We do not fully understand why bad people succeed while good people hurt. We do not fully know the exact time or way a loved one passes away. We do not understand anything about holding the cosmos together.

Secondly, no one possesses enough wisdom to give God advice. We only see a small piece of life, but God sees the whole picture of life and knows everything. He knows what is best, even when we do not understand His plan. So, instead of advising God or judging His actions, we must surrender our need for answers, and trust in His goodness.

Thirdly, none of us has given God anything that He owes to us. God does not owe anyone anything. He holds no obligation to explain the purpose of existence or justify human suffering because He is our Creator. As the absolute source of all things, He is a debtor to no one, meaning we cannot demand answers, clarity, or cosmic accounting.

Finally, Paul stops trying to fully explain God with human logic. Instead, he bursts into a joyful song of praise and glory to God declaring, "From Him and through Him and for Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen", Romans (36). Here, Paul acknowledges that God is the creator and source of all life and existence; He actively sustains and holds everything in the universe together every moment; everything moves toward Him for He is the final goal and purpose; and therefore, He alone gets all the honour and glory. Paul adds a firm "Amen" to show his full agreement, heartfelt worship, and total praise for God's plan.

What is the message for us?

Whether we have begun our pursuit of God in childhood through family guidance and early teachings, or in adulthood by personal choice and a conscious search for meaning and purpose, let us keep seeking Him even when we do not understand. In the Old Testament, Job lost everything and did not understand why, but he kept talking to God. The psalmists poured out their confusion and grief directly to God yet chose to trust Him anyway. Therefore, let us make God our primary quest rather than temporary distraction. The scripture teaches us that if we seek God with all our heart, we will find Him, Jeremiah (29:13).
To know God, we should see Him not as an object (an "it" to be analysed or used but as a "Thou" or a subject to be encountered in a living, personal relationship). To know God, the Bible presents Him not just as the almighty ruler of the universe, but as a loving, personal Heavenly Father who desires an intimate relationship with us. Our Lord Jesus made knowing the Father the core of His teaching, frequently calling Him "Abba, Father", Mark (14:36), an intimate Aramaic term. He taught His disciples to pray "Our Father in heaven", Matthew (6:9). Therefore, let us seek to know God as our Father in heaven. Let us use both faith and reason to understand Him. Let us utilize our God-given spiritual gifts and tools including prayer, scripture, sacraments, community, devotionals, preachers, priests, the writings of saints and spiritual writers to deepen our relationship and understanding of Him.

However, the fact is that we can experience only partial glimpses of God during our earthly lives because, with our human minds, we cannot fully comprehend the infinite and boundless nature of God, and yet we can be thankful for the knowledge, understanding and experience of God we already have.
To know God, we must let go of our stubbornness, self-sufficiency, and pride - especially intellectual pride. The prophet Isaiah states that God's thoughts are "not your thoughts". He explains that just as the heavens are higher than the earth, God's thoughts and ways are much higher than human thoughts and ways, Isaiah (55:8-9). Since God is infinitely wiser, richer, greater and more powerful than we are, we must humble ourselves before Him and recognize His power over our lives.

At the same time, we don't need to walk around in fear and anxiety. Instead, we must place our confidence in God, in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross. We must let our minds plumb the depth of God's riches, wisdom, knowledge, judgments, and ways, knowing that we will never reach the bottom of them. As we do these things, we must let the Spirit move us to praise Him for He is the Alpha and the Omega - the Creator, the sustainer and ruler, and the goal of all things! This is the God we are to seek, believe, worship, serve, love, honour and praise above all others.

(P) Amen.

God Bless You!

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