Homilies

Homily for the 4th Sunday of Easter, May 11, 2025

Jesus introduces himself as our Shepherd. Perhaps the Psalm most familiar and dearest to us is Psalm 23: “the Lord is my Shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.”  However, even in our familiarity with that Psalm we are in no way hardwired to appreciate the role of Christ as our Shepherd and, even less, to accept our role as his sheep.  Hence, first, we ought to delve into the Hebrew psyche as evidenced in the Bible if we want to benefit spiritually from this image.  For the Bible, shepherds and nomads in general are closer to God because they ar

Homilies

Homily for the 3rd Sunday of Easter, May 4, 2025

Undoubtedly, for us believers, no other event in history can equal the Resurrection, Christ’s victory over those enemies against whom we are powerless: all evils and death itself.  Thus, we should approach the Resurrection accounts as direct and personalized interventions of God to allay our fear of evil and death.  We all seek the comfort of someone’s presence as we face major frightening events in life.   It is because Jesus knows what fear can do to a human being that he is present in the lives of his first disciples after his resurrect

Homilies

Homily for Divine Mercy Sunday, April 27, 2025

While it is true that the Lord appreciates and counts on our contribution, symbolized by our Sunday collection and by the bread and wine we bring to the altar, what the Lord welcomes most of all is that part of our heart which can be dubbed “Doubting Thomas.”  He wants our “Doubting Thomas” to reshape it according to the Father’s plan.  This transformation is meant for all of God’s children, including those who have messed up as badly as Peter, Thomas, James, John, Paul or any of the others.  The readings of the Sundays after Easter cover the r

Homilies

Homily for Easter Sunday, April 20, 2025

This year’s Jubilee is called the Jubilee of Hope for a very specific reason. Pope Francis realizes that our world is in desperate need of apostles of Hope, called to rekindle in people’s hearts hope in a future worth longing for and looking forward to. Today, we have gathered in our beloved church because we know the only Person who can confirm that this future exists and that he has made it so desirable that those who believe in his victory over all evils, darkness, emptiness and indifference are willing to endure many trials and continue undaunted to sacrifice t

Homilies

Homily for Palm Sunday, April 13, 2025

While, historically, Jesus endured one horrific passion and death on a cross, we are blessed with four narratives of that same passion and death: Matthew’s, Mark’s, Luke’s and John’s.  Today, on Palm Sunday, let me share with you six points of reflection which are Luke’s gift to us for our edification and for our spiritual growth.  Holy Communion is a call to joyous service of each other. As, at the Last Supper, he was serving us his flesh and blood for our spiritual nourishment and as a pledge of life eternal, he reminded us that we, too, are calle

Homilies

Homily for the 5th Sunday in Lent, April 6, 2025

…since I have indeed been taken possession of by Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:12  What a wonderful statement uttered by St. Paul! It should become the template of our relationship with Christ.  There are two basic ways of becoming somebody else’s possession: by being purchased as slaves or as the result of being smitten by love.  Today, St. Paul tells us how he fell in love with Christ. (Philippians 3:8-14)  Two people smitten by love desire intensely to be possessed by their beloved. It is as if they forfeit their own will to be always

Homilies

Homily for the 4th Sunday in Lent, March 30, 2025

While it is comforting and reassuring to know from the parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:1-3, 11-32) that God’s love for us is such that we are guaranteed a safety net of grace were we to stray and become “big time sinners,” it begs the question: “Why is Jesus, today, retelling us the story that we know so very well?”   He knows that we are quite familiar with it … unless he feels that we really need to take another look at this parable and see if there is something of vital importance in it, we urgently need to consider.   Right away, we

Homilies

Homily for the 3rd Sunday in Lent, March 23, 2025

Time is a very valuable gift given to us by the Lord.  He is the owner of the vineyard where our “fig tree” is growing. It would be absurd to expect the fig tree to determine when its time is up. (Luke 13:1-9) That right belongs to the owner of the vineyard.  Similarly, we don’t decide when our time on earth is up.  Regardless of our bearing good fruit or of our sterility; regardless of our preparedness, age, health condition, goodness or lack thereof, the Lord reserves the right to call us to himself whenever he sees fit.  Besides old age,

Homilies

Homily for the 2nd Sunday in Lent, March 16, 2025

Already bruised by the skirmishes of life, we grown-ups let kids take refuge in a world of dreams, make-believes and incredible feats made easy by super-heroes. We do not want them to be scarred and traumatized by an early brush with the real world in which we must live.  Alas, the world of grown-ups reserves many unpleasant surprises.  At times, unceremoniously, we can be thrusted into surreal situations in which we would feel numb, disoriented, enveloped in darkness, trudging hesitantly through thick clouds.  This is what happened to Abram (Genesi

Homilies

Homily for the 1st Sunday in Lent, March 9, 2025

We all sense that Lent is a special time of grace from God…but we might think that giving up a few little things for 40 days or so, is all that it takes to get in spiritual shape and ready for Easter.  Lent is perhaps the most intensely spiritual time of the year but must be so for a more comprehensive and radical reason; one that covers all aspects of life.  It is our fundamental choice to be unconditionally faithful to God and trusting in him alone as our Father.  Knowing well our weakened human nature, God has always tested the mettle of his pe