Homilies

Homily for the Baptism of the Lord, January 12, 2025

At the end of the funeral Holy Mass, the priest is instructed to incense the body of the deceased. This is the first thought that came to mind while I was reflecting on the feast of the Baptism of our Lord.   Do you not know that your body is a temple of the holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? 1 Corinthians 6:19  As a sacred place, our body which is sanctified by the Holy Spirit through the waters of Baptism, and is nourished by the Eucharist, is worthy of being incensed; and it is incensed not only when

Homilies

Homily for the Solemnity of the Epiphany, January 5, 2025

The importance of the Solemnity of the Epiphany is all in the contemplation of the mystery, hidden for millennia from past generations, and revealed in the fulness of time in Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God in human flesh.  It is the desire of God the Father to save every one of his children and, at the end, to welcome all of them into his heavenly home, to share in his endless joy.  The fulfillment of this grandiose and most generous plan depends in part on our grateful acceptance of gifts and our wholehearted exchange of gifts.  The ex

Homilies

Homily for New Year’s Day, January 1, 2025

I think that the Catholic Church starts every New Year with the feast of Mary, the Holy Mother of God because of the unique and unparalleled significance of her Son Jesus Christ. He made all the difference in her life. He must make all the difference in ours too.  However, while Mary was conceived immaculate, without even the stain of original sin we, sinful and weak people, need to refocus on Christ on New Year’s Day so that we might have a decent chance of getting closer and closer to him, and of becoming more and more like him in the power of the Holy Spiri

Homilies

Homily for the Feast of the Holy Family, December 29, 2024

The intensity of the Christmas’ solemnity should not dwarf the significance of the Feast of the Holy Family of Nazareth.   And the reason is not an exaggeration but a simple reality check: our future as a Church and as a Nation hangs in the balance.  The number of religious institutions that cling to this somber realization is dwindling.  It consists of conservative Christian groups and the Catholic Church. That’s about it!  For decades, we realized that there were covert efforts to undermine the traditional family unit and replace it wit

Homilies

Homily for Christmas, December 25, 2024

In the span of the next 24 hours, we will say the words: “Merry Christmas” to many people, in some cases almost automatically, perfunctorily, without giving much thought to its significance.   As believers, we are ready to be part of this collective rejoicing, provided that, after it is done in a quaint, brief way, we can hurry home and celebrate Christmas in a way that keeps all our traditions intact and unfolds according to our plans.  However, I ask for your kind forgiveness so that I may question our plans for the purpose of making this year’s

Homilies

Homily for the 4th Sunday of Advent, December 22, 2024

It should not be necessary for me, or for anyone else, to prove that we need a Savior, that we need Someone to fill the void that we feel inside and in Whom to anchor our hope because the sources of worrisome concerns seem to multiply with every passing day.  Of all the ways available to Almighty God to save us, he chose a “very humble way:” in the fullness of time, he prepared for his Son a body just like the body that we all got from our parents.  For this reason, when he came into the world, he said: "Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a

Homilies

Homily for the 3rd Sunday of Advent, December 15, 2024

Today is Gaudete, i.e. “Rejoice Sunday.” Traditionally, we light the pink candle on the wreath.   We do so after two weeks of soul-searching and responsible cooperation with God’s grace to free ourselves of our nagging flaws.    We also fill ourselves with love and willingness to serve the Lord and our neighbor while awaiting the glorious revelation of the total Christ, i.e. the Lord Jesus Christ and his Body, the Church, as one.  We also stop to take stock of the reasons why we should look forward with eagerness to the fulfilment

Homilies

Homily for the 2nd Sunday of Advent, December 8, 2024

The most common word we hear during the Advent Season is “the coming of the Lord.”   For example: And they will see the Son of Man coming upon the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. Matthew 24:30  This phrase needs clarification.  Since Jesus, the Son of Man, is God, we cannot speak of him as leaving point A (heaven) to get to point B (wherever we happen to be).    As God, he is everywhere at the same time, in heaven, in the Blessed Sacrament, in his Word, in our hearts, near and far, everywhere, without excepti

Homilies

Homily for the 1st Sunday of Advent, December 1, 2024

Let me paraphrase today’s gospel: This world has ominous sings in the sun, the moon and the stars.  There are many nations in dismay, perplexed by the roaring of the elements.  People are dying of fright in anticipation of what is coming upon the world.  Our world is indeed crisscrossed by heart-wrenching tragedies, by devastating calamities, by deadly, age-long feuds, barbaric, unspeakable acts of violence, deep divisions and prolonged wars.    There might even be signs indicating that the hope of a promising, better future could be

Homilies

Homily for the Solemnity of Christ the King, November 24, 2024

Today, on the final Sunday of the liturgical year, as we do every year, we honor Christ as King of the Universe, a resounding title indeed, but there is something disquieting about it in the context of the dialogue between Pilate and Jesus, in today’s gospel passage. (Jn 18:33-37)  Without a second thought, we attribute to Jesus this glorious title of King of the Universe.  But we might have to reconsider it on account of some personal vital implications for all of us.  Pilate asks: “Are you the King of the Jews?”  Nobody would ever dream of