27/08/2026
Homily Transcription by Fr. Dave Concepcion
⛪️ Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time
🗓️ August 23, 2026 - 6:00 pm
📖 Matthew 16:13-20
📍 Sto. Nino de Paz Greenbelt Chapel
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tc5czq8ksRk&t=4s
Every 23rd of the month in Greenbelt, we have a Mass for the sick, and we have anointing of oil to the sick, except if it falls on a weekend. But still, every 23rd of the month, for those who are visiting Greenbelt, we expose the relic of Padre Pio of Pietrelcina. Kung hindi ninyo alam, 'yan po ang first-class relic ni Padre Pio from the blood of Padre Pio that has fallen from the linen while celebrating the Mass.
Anyway, every time someone comes expressing their gratitude for passing the board exam after being prayed over, I always ask, "How was the experience?" And many would say, "Salamat sa Diyos, Father. Naaalala ko lahat ng aking pinag-aralan." It's one way of saying, kung hindi ka nag-aral, wala kang maalala. May naalala ka kasi nag-aral ka. Prayer is not enough. It comes with experience. It comes with discipline.
Second, every three months, I have my blood test required by my doctor, and today I had mine. And every time I see the result, the first thing I see is the cholesterol. Kasi 'yan ang binabantayan: cholesterol. Ang requirement sa akin, dapat 'yung bad cholesterol must be below 50. Sa normal 120. So tinignan mo, 40. Pasado, 40. Sabi ng isa, "Buti ka pa. Yung iba, ang hirap." Ano ang sagot ko? Produkto 'yan ng disiplina, hindi lang ng panalangin. Nakukuha ninyo? You cannot pray for good health, and yet you fail to live a disciplined life. Talagang pag kinain mo lahat, lahat tataas. Sana grades ano. Hindi eh. 'Yan ang test na ayaw nating mataas ang result; gusto natin na mababa. It takes discipline.
Whether you like it or not, all actions have corresponding reactions. You cannot pray and yet fail to act accordingly. As I've said yesterday, bad choices lead to bad consequences. Sometimes immediate, sometimes long-term. But good choices lead to good consequences. Whether you like it or not, who you are today is a product of your choices. You cannot blame your parents, your friends, your work, whoever, because it is a product of your own choices. It takes discipline.
Why am I sharing this with you? Because Peter’s answer to the question, "Whom do you say I am?" Is not just an infused knowledge, but a product of experience. Why? If you notice, only Peter was able to walk on the water. Why? Because he took the courage to walk by asking God, "If it is you, allow me." It is only Peter who said to Jesus, "If you will, Lord, we can erect three tents in the Transfiguration, one for you, one for Elijah, and one for Moses." No one said that. But how come Peter denied Jesus? If Peter responded according to his experience, you have noticed that before the denial, Peter and the other disciples were caught sleeping and were unable to stay one hour awake to pray. It means if you fail to pray, then when trials come, you don't have the strength to overcome them.
Now, if you notice, when Peter said, "You are the Messiah," Jesus said, "Simon, son of John, you are now Peter." So the new name is not Simon, but Peter. After the resurrection, when Jesus revealed himself before the disciples in the Lake of Tiberias, Jesus asked Peter three times, "Do you love me?" If you can still remember the dialogue, Jesus did not ask the question, "Peter, do you love me?" Can you remember the dialogue? The question was, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" Because you have failed, you return to your old self. No one is indispensable.
The first reading says, regardless of who elected you as king, God can replace you if you have forgotten to pray. Never be complacent. Regardless of what you have done, if you fail to be grateful, anything can be taken back away from you. Never say, "It is my doing that I am successful." Without the grace of God, we are nothing. Why, Father? The second reading says, I do not know. Who would know the mind of God? Who would counsel God? No one. God knows everything. But why not God prevent you from doing what is wrong? The simple answer is that God does not want to intervene in your freedom. You are free to make a choice, either for God or against God.
That's why heaven is a consequence of our choice. It is not just a judgment. Pinili mo 'yan. Kaya nga, bago tayo magreklamo kung ano ang ating problema, itanong natin sa ating mga sarili, "Hindi ko ba kagagawan ito?" Anong biro nila sa mga lalaki? Huwag ninyong sisihin ang misis ninyo na mali-mali. Bakit? Ikaw ang pumili niyan. At palagi ko 'yan sinasabi. 'Pag maraming nanligaw sa'yo, nakapamili ka. Kung walang nanligaw sa'yo maliban sa kanya, hindi ka namili. Nagtiyaga ka. Or God chose for you. Ako ang pinili ni Lord. But whatever our choices, it comes with a consequence. We are only invited to be responsible.
You always have the freedom to make a choice, but you don't have the freedom to choose the consequences of your choices. Inuulit ko. May kalayaan kang piliin ang anumang, pero wala kang kalayaang piliin ang resulta ng iyong mga pinili. That's why if you want to make the right choice, do not forget to pray. The problem is that we only pray when we are in trouble. But when things are in good standing, oftentimes we forget.
Ano ang sabi ko? The best time to teach your children how to pray is every time you eat. You give them rea*on to pray. "Father, ang hirap nga eh." Excuse me. 'Yong mga a*o nga natuturuan magdasal muna bago kumain. Nakakapanood ba kayo noon? Nakakahiya naman. Kaya sabi ng isang bata, this is a true story. A true story in one family where when they eat, the guests forget to pray. Mga uma-attend sila ng prayer meeting. Alam mo, hindi ko na sasabihin kung sino sila. Pag-upo, kain agad. Sabi no'ng bata, "Parang mga a*o eh, 'di nagdadasal." Nahirinan 'yung prayer leader. We easily forget to pray. That's why we easily forget who God is. Who am I to you? It is a question that can only be answered by relationship and prayer.
My confessor, the late Father Paroni of the Salesians of Don Bosco, would always remind me: never celebrate the Mass without praying. Never celebrate any sacrament without praying. Never prepare a homily without praying. Prayer might be something you don't find important, but if you pray, it will make a big difference in your life, in your choices, in your relationship with God. Do not forget this. Miracles are a product of prayer.
