Weekly Homilies with Fr. Martin Vu

This Sunday we have the famous parable of the talents, where three servants are entrusted with five talents, two talents, and one talent respectively. The first servants trade their talents and earn more while the last servant buries his talent and has it taken away from him. The Gospel concludes, “For to everyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich; but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.” What does this mean?The talent signifies everything that we’ve received from God: our life, our breath, our family, our friends, our work, our health, our wealth, our gifts, our faith, our church.Some are given five talents, some are given two, and some are given one. Simply put, some are given more while others are given less.And unless we’re tempted to think that the one talent is not a lot, the one talent in this parable is worth up to twenty years of labor, a large sum of money. In other words, the person who receives even one talent still receives a substantial amount.With these talents that we’ve received, some decide to give them and use them and gain more, while some decide to bury them and lose even the little that they had.The point of the parable is this: Our God is a God of generosity who bestows His blessings in abundance. When we become like God and are generous with the blessings we have received, our blessings continue to grow and multiply. But when we don’t become like God and are not generous with what we’ve received, even the little that we have will be taken away from us.If I can state it more concretely: when I’m generous with my time, with my wealth, with my gifts, with my presence, with my love, with my service, God allows all of it to grow and multiply.On the flip side, when I’m overprotective of my time, when I guard my wealth too tightly, when I don’t share my gifts, when I don’t offer my presence, when I don’t express my love, when I don’t give myself to serve, all of these things begin to dwindle away.This is called the Law of the Gift: The more that I give, the more I will receive. The less that I give, even the little that I have will be taken away..The Gospel today is about generosity and challenges us to be generous just as God is generous, confident that when we do this, God continues to pour out His blessings upon us.

This Sunday we turn back to the Book of Wisdom. And what is wisdom exactly? Here are several examples of what wisdom might look like:Wisdom looks like forgiving instead of resenting, refraining instead of exploding, thinking before acting, blessing instead of cursing, praying instead of worrying, lifting up rather than tearing down, hugging instead of hating, loving yet never sinning.Today’s Gospel tells us about this wisdom. There were five wise virgins who brought extra oil for their lamps and five foolish virgins who did not. We know how the story ends: when the bridegroom came, the five wise virgins were ready to meet him while the five foolish ones were left in the dark.The bridegroom is Jesus Christ, who came once 2000 years ago, but who will come again a second time to this earth at an unexpected hour. We profess this in the Creed every Sunday, “he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.”The ten virgins represent all believers who are waiting and yearning for Jesus’ second coming.The oil represents the good works that God asks us to do in preparation for His second coming, to love God with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength, and to love our neighbor as ourselves.Notice how all of the virgins began with oil. That is to say, they all began with good works, but only five persevered in those good works until the end, until the moment that the bridegroom came.This parable is a mirror of the Christian life. In the Christian life, many may begin with good works and good intentions. That’s the easy part. The hard part is persevering, and not all will persevere until the end.Wisdom is to not allow our oil to run dry. The moment will come, and perhaps has come already, when we will be tempted to allow our oil to run dry. We have to resist this temptation.Jesus, facing His pending death on the cross was tempted to let His oil run dry. In the Garden of Gethsemane He said to the Father, “Father, let this chalice pass from me.”But He continued, “Yet not what I will, but Your will be done.” Jesus followed the will of the Father even unto His dying breath. To be wise is to be like Jesus in His obedience to the Father until our very dying breath. This means: in the morning, Jesus in our minds. At night, Jesus in our hearts. During the day, Jesus on our lips. To become like Jesus is what it means to be wise.

The Lord says through the Prophet Isaiah, “I am the LORD and there is no other,there is no God besides me.”If we remember the First Commandment from the Law of Moses, we hear something similar, “You shall love God above all things.” “You shall have no other gods before me.”And finally the words of Jesus in the Gospels, “you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.” (Mark 12:30)The Bible is very clear. God takes first place in our lives and shouldn’t take second or third or fourth place.Here are a few examples of God taking second, third, or fourth place in our lives.For example, some might put work or money or finances as first place in their lives and only if there is some time left over they will give it to God in prayer.Or some might put school or sports as first place in their lives and if going to Mass fits into that schedule then we’ll go, but if it doesn’t, then we won’t go.Or some might put family as first place in their lives. Now family is very important, one of the highest priorities, but Jesus Himself says, “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me” (Matthew 10:37)God always takes first place as He should, because everything that we have depends on Him: our life, our breath, our family, our friends, our work, our school, our recreation.So how do I make Him first place? A few simple ideas: When I wake up, I give thanks to God for a night of sleep and a new day. Before going to bed, I review my day to see how God was with me during the day. Before doing homework, I ask God for wisdom to work well. Before driving, I ask God for patience, for calm, for protection. Before working I ask God for the strength to work for His glory.That is to say, before all things, during all things, and after all things, I always have God in the forefront of my mind, I always put Him in first place.Jesus says in today’s Gospel, “repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.” That is to say that what belongs to God, we don’t put in the place of Caesar. And what belongs to Caesar, we don’t put in the place of God. Another way to put it: priorities. What is meant to be in first place in our lives we don’t put in second place. And what is meant to be in second place in our lives we don’t put in first place.May God give us the grace to put Him in first place in our lives.

The Prophet Isaiah says, “On this mountain the LORD of hosts will provide for all peoples a feast of rich food and choice wines.”The mountain he’s talking about here is Mount Zion, which in the Old Testament, is where the Temple of God is located, the meeting place between divinity and humanity. In the Bible, the mountain is always the place of encounter between divinity and humanity. God comes down from the mountain, and humanity comes up, and there a profound encounter happens.In our own time, we have many modern-day “mountains”, that is to say, places, events, experiences where we can have a profound encounter with the Lord. These include our personal prayer, going to the sacrament of confession, reading the word of God, spending time with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, retreats, etc.But for Catholics, there is one mountain that’s higher than all the others. There is an event, a place, that surpasses all the others in bringing us to an encounter with the Lord. What is this mountain, this event, this place? The Mass.Listen to what the Lord has prepared for us on this mountain. “[He] will provide for all peoples a feast of rich food and choice wines, juicy, rich food and pure, choice wines.”The rich foods that the Lord prepares for us in the Mass are 1) the word of God which gives us life, 2) the words of preaching which encourages and challenges us, 3) the people of God which supports us and lifts us up, and above all 4) the Body and Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ in Holy Communion which feeds us.If we’re open to these foods, they become spiritual nourishment for the soul.

St. Paul says to the Philippians, “Brothers and sisters: Have no anxiety at all.”These words of St. Paul speak to me, because I realize that inside of me, I spend time worrying, anxious, and concerned. I worry about the responsibilities that I have as a priest, some of which can be very serious: that I have couples in crisis who come to me for help, that I’m called on to visit the dying to anoint them and prepare them to meet the Lord, that I have people in difficult personal, familial, or work situations who are asking for guidance, that I have couples to prepare for a lifetime of marriage, that I’m called on to bury the dead and console the family members who are left behind.I’m sure I’m not the only one. Isn’t it true that sometimes we have so many worries and anxieties that don’t even know what to do or where to go?And being a priest I have heard many of the worries that people have, from little ones like I don’t know how I’m going to handle another Zoom call to big ones like my son has fallen into addictions with drugs or alcohol, that my children no longer practice their faith, that my spouse and I fight constantly and we’re now separated, that I have doubts and insecurities about my finances, that I always fall into the same sin over and over again, and the list continues.Well the Lord speaks to each of these situations with the words from St. Paul that on the one hand challenge us and on the other hand console us. “Have no anxiety at all.” “Have no anxiety at all.” I am your heavenly Father who loves you. Tell me what your worries and concerns are so that I can help you. Run to me in your difficulties. I’m here for you. You don’t have to worry about anything.St. Teresa of Avila wrote a very famous poem. In the poem she says, “Let nothing disturb you, Let nothing frighten you, All things are passing away: God never changes. Patience obtains all things. Whoever has God lacks nothing; God alone suffices.”St. Paul has one more piece of counsel for us. After saying, “Have no anxiety at all” he says, “but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God.”That is to say, instead of spending time worrying, spend that time instead praying.And listen now to what happens when we don’t worry and instead present our prayers and petitions to God.“Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”When we don’t worry but we trust. When we don’t fret but we pray, the fruit of that is peace, “the peace of God that surpasses all understanding.”We all want peace in our lives, and today St. Paul shows us the way.

San Pablo les dice a los Filipenses, "Hermanos: No se inquieten por nada."Estas palabras de San Pablo me hablan a mí, porque reconozco que dentro de mí, sí, muchas veces, me inquieto, sí, muchas veces me preocupo.Me preocupo por muchas cosas: Por mi familia, por mis padres, por mis hermanos, por mi familia espiritual, por mis propias necesidades, por las necesidades de la iglesia y las necesidades del mundo entero. Me preocupo por las responsabilidades que tengo como sacerdote: Que tengo parejas en crisis que me piden ayuda, que estoy llamado a visitar a los moribundos para ungirlos y prepararlos para encontrar al Señor. Apenas ayer me llamaron en la noche para visitar a alguien en el hospital que falleció de repente, para rezar por el alma y para consolar a la familia.Sí, me preocupo por muchas cosas. Y me imagino que soy el único que se preocupa. ¿Ustedes se preocupan a veces?Siendo sacerdote, he escuchado muchas de las preocupaciones que tenemos. De cosas ligeras por ejemplo que no sé como voy a poder tener otra junta por Zoom, hasta las cosas más pesadas y serias: que mi hijo está en la cárcel, que mi hijo está en las drogas, que mis hijos ya no practican su fe, que tengo muchos pleitos en mi matrimonio y ya estamos separados, y la lista sigue.Pues el Señor nos habla en cada una de estas situaciones a través de las palabras de San Pablo. Él nos dice, "No se inquieten por nada" "No se inquieten por nada" Soy Tu Padre Celestial que te ama que te quiero. Háblame en tus necesidades y preocupaciones que te ayude. Corre a mí en tus dificultades. Estoy aquí. No se inquieten por nada.Santa Teresa de Ávila escribió un poema muy famoso. En el poema ella dice, "Nada te turbe, Nada te espante, Todo se pasa, Dios no se muda, La paciencia Todo lo alcanza; Quien a Dios tiene Nada le falta: Sólo Dios basta."San Pablo tiene un consejo más para nosotros. Después de decir, "No se inquieten por nada" él nos dice, "más bien presenten en toda ocasión sus peticiones a Dios en la oración y la súplica, llenos de gratitud."Es decir, en vez de pensar y preocuparse, mejor rezar y confiar, presentando a Dios todas sus necesidades y peticiones, y dándole gracias de antemano, que Dios siempre nos escucha y nos responde en Su tiempo en Sus maneras.Escuchen ahora qué nos pasa cuando no nos inquietamos y cuando presentamos nuestras oraciones y peticiones ante Dios."Y que la paz de Dios, que sobrepasa toda inteligencia, custodie sus corazones y sus pensamientos en Cristo Jesús." Cuando no nos inquietamos pero confiamos, cuando no nos preocupamos pero rezamos, el fruto que recibimos es la paz. Todos los que han tenido un encuentro con el Señor sabe que es esa paz. Una paz que el dinero no trae, ni el placer, ni los honores, ni las bebidas o fiestas.Es "la paz de Dios, que sobrepasa toda inteligencia"Todos queremos la paz en nuestras vidas ¿verdad? Y hoy San Pablo nos muestra la manera.

Last week we heard the words of the Lord, that my thoughts are not your thoughts and my ways are not your ways. And one of the ways in which God thinks differently than we do is that He gives the same “wage”, the same “pay” to those who arrived early to work in His vineyard as well as to those who arrived late to work in His vineyard: the gift of eternal life.Well as you can imagine, not everyone is happy with God’s thoughts and God’s ways. The house of Israel says to God in the first reading, "The LORD's way is not fair!" We don’t like the ways of the Lord! Our ways are better! They resist the Lord’s ways.Well all of us who have been baptized are part of the New Israel, the new people of God. Isn’t it true that sometimes we don’t listen to the Lord’s ways? Isn’t it true that sometimes we resist the Lord’s ways too? Yes absolutely, that’s why at the beginning of Mass we say “I confess to almighty God and to you my brothers and sisters, that I have greatly sinned.”Some of us might say, “Living the Christian life is too hard. It takes too many sacrifices. I don’t want to do it!”Or some might say, “I know that the Bible says this thing, but my friends say this other thing, and I think I trust more in what my friends say.”Or we might say, “I don’t know if I can get on board with the teachings of the Church.” Which by the way a few weeks ago we learned was the Church established by ChristI’ll give you an example to maybe bring this point home. Let’s say your little son really likes candy. And he says to you, “I want to eat candy until it comes out of my ears.” As parents, would you say to him, “Oh yes it’s ok just eat whatever you want. There’s the candy in the pantry, just go for it.”Well no, you would say to him that it’s ok to have sweets every once in a while, but if all you eat is candy, you’re going to ruin your teeth, you’re going to harm your health and you’re going to get sick.But your son doesn’t listen to you. He says, “You don’t love me. You don’t let me do what I want. Your ways are unjust!” And with great calm and with great patience, you tell your son, “No it’s because I love you that I don’t let you eat candy the whole day.”It’s a comical example, but the reality is, sometimes we’re the same way with God. We say to Him, “You don’t love me, You don’t let me do what I want, You make me do things that are hard, You ways are unjust!”And the Lord responds, “I love you more than you can possibly imagine. And it’s because I love You that I ask You to do or accept these difficult things or difficult teachings. I do it for your good, even if it seems like it’s not. Trust in me because I am Your loving Father.”Won’t we allow ourselves to trust in the wisdom, the teachings, and the loving embrace of our God?

El Señor dice, "Mis pensamientos no son los pensamientos de ustedes, sus caminos no son mis caminos,"Pues hoy Jesús nos muestra una manera de cómo Dios piensa diferente que nosotros.Jesús cuenta la parábola del propietario de la viña que paga los trabajadores que llegaron temprano y trabajaron todo el día igual que los que llegaron tarde y trabajaron muy poco.¿Al principio, parece que es justo? No. Si trabaja todo el día sudando bajo el sol y luego llega su compañero en la tarde y no hace mucho trabajo pero recibe el mismo pago, no es justo.Quisiera explicarles el significado de la parábola. El propietario es Dios, y la viña es suya. La viña es el mundo, donde el número de personas que necesitan a Dios es muy grande. Los trabajadores somos nosotros, las personas que Dios envía al mundo para llevar muchas personas a Dios. El denario, el pago, es la vida eterna, el premio que recibimos por tener fe en Dios y por trabajar en su viña.Algunos trabajadores empiezan al amanecer. Desde su niñez siempre han amado y servido a Dios. Es probable que su familia esté muy apegada a Dios, vienen a misa seguido, tratan de buscar maneras para servir al Señor y llevar a otras personas al Señor.Algunos trabajadores empiezan al mediodía. En medio de su vida, tuvieron una conversión a Dios. En su vida anterior, estaban en el mundo, buscando la felicidad en el dinero, en el trabajo, en el placer, en muchas fiestas, en la tomadera, pero no la encontraban. Y así empezó su jornada para buscar y encontrar a Dios, y ahora lo aman y lo sirven.Finalmente, algunos trabajadores empiezan muy tarde. Ellos se resistieron ante Dios y la Iglesia durante toda su vida hasta el punto de su muerte. Y frente a la muerte, se dieron cuenta que todas las riquezas, todo el honor, todo el placer que buscaban en su vida ya no valen para nada. Lo que sí vale es su relación con su familia y sobre todo su relación con Dios. Y por medio de su conversión, sus familiares y amigos también empezaron a buscar a Dios.Cada trabajador, no importa si empezaron desde el amanecer, desde el mediodía, o desde muy en la tarde, recibe el mismo premio, el premio de la vida eterna.¿Es estrictamente justo que todos reciban el mismo premio? Pues según nuestro pensamiento humano, no. Pero dice el Señor, "Mis pensamientos no son los pensamientos de ustedes, sus caminos no son mis caminos," El Señor es muy generoso, aún para los que lo conocen y aman más tarde en sus vidas.

God says in the Book of Isaiah, “my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways.”Well today Jesus shows us a way in which God thinks differently than we do.Jesus shares the parable of the landowner of the vineyard, who pays the workers who worked the whole day the same amount as those who arrived very late and worked only a little bit.Now at first glance, does this seem fair to us? Of course not, it’s unjust. If you work all the day sweating in the sun and then later your coworker comes in the cool of the shade and works just a little bit but receives the same pay as you do, of course that’s unjust!I’d like to explain to you the meaning of this parable. The landowner, of course, is God, and the vineyard is His. The vineyard is the world, where the number of people who are in great need of God is very large. The laborers are all of us, the workers that God sends into the world to bring other people to God. The daily wage, the pay, is eternal life, the prize that we receive for having faith in God and for working in His vineyard.Some workers begin very early in the morning. From their childhood they have always loved and served God in His vineyard. It’s possible that the whole family is very close to God, they go to Mass together, and they look for ways on how they can serve God and bring other people to know God.Some workers begin at midday. In the middle of their life, they experienced a conversion to God. In their previous life, they were out in the world, looking for happiness in money, in work, in sports, in pleasure, in parties, in all sorts of things, but they could not find it. This began their journey to look for God, and now they have learned to love Him and to serve Him in their daily lives.Finally, there are some workers who begin very late in the evening. These are people who have resisted God and the Church for the whole of their lives until the very moment of death. And in the face of death, a sudden realization occurs to them: that all of the fleeting pleasures and honors and riches that they chased after their whole lives now don’t matter anymore. What matters now is their family and above all, their relationship with God. Their deathbed conversion now helps their family members and friends to seek for God as well.Each worker, whether they began very early in the morning, whether they began at midday, or whether they began late in the evening receives the same prize, the prize of eternal life.Is it strictly just that each worker receives the same pay? Well according to our human thinking, probably not. But the Lord says, “my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways.” Our God is very generous to everyone, even to those who knew and loved Him only very late in their lives.

¿Por nuestra propia fuerza, es muy difícil perdonar, verdad? Aún cuando sabemos que perdonar es lo correcto, a veces guardamos rencor o resentimiento por daños del pasado, aún cuando ya han pasado años o décadas. Sabemos que guardar rencor u odio nos daña más, pero a veces lo hacemos.¿Por qué lo hacemos? La Iglesia nos ofrece una respuesta. Cuando nuestros primeros padres pecaron, Adán y Eva, heredamos el Pecado Original. Y aunque este pecado fue lavado en el Bautismo, todavía sigue el sedimento, aún están las secuelas de ese pecado. A esto le llamamos la concupiscencia. Es algo que nos lleva lejos de las cosas que debemos hacer pero no las hacemos.Les doy ejemplos concretos en la vida diaria. Por ejemplo, soy un niño. Si mi hermano menor me pega, ¿Cuál es mi reacción? ¿Es perdonarlo? No! Mi reacción es regresar el golpe, pegarle más fuerte. Y patearlo también para estar seguro.Otro ejemplo. Si una persona habla a mis espaldas y luego me doy cuenta de eso, ¿mi reacción es perdonarla de inmediato? No! Voy a hablar a sus espaldas también, y en esta cultura, lo pondré en Face o Twitter para que todos sepan.Les doy un ejemplo más, un ejemplo más serio. Si en un matrimonio, el esposo es infiel a su esposa, ¿Cuál es la respuesta? Voy a explotar. Le voy a ser infiel también.Todo esto dice que nuestra naturaleza caída, la concupiscencia, quiere regresar el daño y no perdonar. Por eso, no es sorpresa que nuestra raza humana desde un principio ha sufrido tanta violencia, tanto desacuerdo, tanto odio y rencor, porque no perdonamos y no sabemos perdonar. Esta es la mala noticia. ¿Cuál es la buena noticia?La buena noticia es que Dios es diferente a nosotros. Él no tiene concupiscencia, Él no tiene una naturaleza caída, Él no guarda rencor. Cuando lo dañamos por nuestros pecados, Su respuesta no es devolver el daño, es darnos el perdón.En cada Iglesia Católica tenemos una gran señal y prueba de ese perdón. ¿Cuál es la mejor prueba que tenemos del perdón de Dios? La muerte de Jesús en la cruz. Que siendo pecadores, Dios no nos condenó, no nos rechazó, no se nos alejó, sino que envío a Su Hijo amado al mundo a morir por nuestros pecados en la cruz.Ahora, si Dios nos perdona nuestras ofensas, ¿piensan ustedes que debemos perdonar a otras personas también? Claro que sí.En el Padre Nuestro decimos, "Perdona nuestras ofensas, como también nosotros perdonamos a los que nos ofenden." Si Dios nos perdona, tenemos que perdonar también.Que Nuestro Señor nos ayude a perdonar a todos aquellos que han pecado contra nosotros, ya sea padres, familiares, compañeros del trabajo, amigos, o personas que nos han danado hace muchos años.Que el Señor nos ayude a perdonar no siete veces como dice Pedro, sino setenta y siete veces, una y otra y otra vez.

On our own, it’s very difficult to forgive isn’t it? Even when we know it’s the right thing to do. Sometimes we hold on to grudges, we have resentment from past hurts, maybe from many years and even many decades ago. And even though we know it’s self-destructive, we still hold on to those resentments and grudges.Why do we do this? Well the Church offers an answer. When Adam and Eve sinned, we inherited their Original Sin. Although this Original Sin was washed away in Baptism, the sediment, the after-effects still remain. We call this Concupiscence, this tendency in our hearts to stray away from God and from doing what we know is the right thing.I’ll give a few examples of this lived out in our daily lives. If my little brother hits me, what’s my instinctual reaction? To forgive him? No. To hit him back harder. And to kick him too just to be sure!Or what if a person speaks about me behind my back and I find out? Is my instinctual reaction to forgive? No, it’s to talk behind their back as well. And in today’s culture, to post it on Facebook and Twitter!Or finally a more serious example. If in a marriage there is an infidelity, is the instinctual response to forgive and forget? No, it’s to explode, to drive a wedge in between the relationship, to never forgive and maybe even commit an infidelity in return.All of this to say that because of our fallen human nature, because of concupiscence, we all find it very difficult to forgive. That’s why it’s not a surprise that when you look at the human race from the beginning, you see so much violence, so much discord, so much disharmony, because we don’t know how to forgive or how to receive forgiveness.This is the bad news. What is the good news?The good news is that God is different than we are. He doesn’t have concupiscence, He doesn’t hold grudges, He doesn’t harbor hatred. So when we hurt Him through our sins and offenses, His response isn’t to take vengeance, His response isn’t to get back at us. Instead, His response is to forgive, to continue to pursue us, to continue to love us.The greatest proof we have of this is the death of Jesus on the cross. That while we were yet sinners, God did not condemn us, He did not distance Himself from us. Instead, He sent His only Beloved Son to die on the cross for our sins. It makes no logical sense that God would take the consequence for a fault that we committed, and yet this is the forgiveness of God.If God forgives us our sins, don’t you think that we as believers should forgive as well? In the Our Father we say, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” At every Mass we ask God’s forgiveness for us and we ask for the strength to forgive others.May the Lord help us then to forgive anyone and everyone who has hurt us, whether it be a parent, family member, friend, co-worker, the culture, or someone who hurt us many years or many decades ago. And may the Lord help us to forgive not just seven times as Peter said, but seventy-seven times, over and over and over again.

Por medio de nuestro bautismo, somos profetas de Dios, hombres y mujeres que escuchan las palabras de Dios y se las comparten con otras personas.Como el Profeta Jeremias y el Profeta Ezekiel, a veces el mensaje que compartimos es uno de conversión y arrepentimiento, un mensaje que dice, “Cambia tu vida, no estás en un buen camino, estás viviendo en pecado.”Eso significa, por ejemplo: si un familiar tiene una adicción al alcohol o las drogas, tenemos que decirles que no está bien. Vas a destruir tu cuerpo. Vas a destruir tu trabajo. Vas a destruir tu vida. Si un compañero del trabajo está robando dinero o cosas que no son suyas, tenemos que decirles que no está bien tomar lo que no te pertenece. Si una persona es infiel a su cónyuge, tenemos que decirles: estás destruyendo tu matrimonio. Estas destruyendo tu familia y tus hijos van a sufrir.¿Es fácil ser un profeta? No, nunca ha sido fácil. Desde el tiempo del Antiguo Testamento con Jeremías y Ezekiel hasta el Nuevo Testamento con Juan el Bautista y Jesús mismo, ser profeta nunca ha sido fácil. Pero necesitamos profetas en nuestras vidas para llamarnos a la conversión, y nosotros también somos profetas que llaman a otras personas a la conversión.Entonces la pregunta para nosotros es, “¿Hay alguien en mi vida con quien necesito hablar? ¿Para quién necesito ser profeta para llamar a la conversión?” Y por el otro lado, “¿Necesito yo la conversión? ¿Necesito yo escuchar las palabras de los profetas en mi vida? ¿Tengo pecados en mi vida que me tengo que arrepentir?” El Señor siempre es misericordioso, y con una palabra de arrepentimiento, Él está listo para perdonarnos y darnos una nueva vida y una nueva chanza.

Through our baptism, we became prophets of God, men and women who hear the word of God and share it with others.Just like the Prophet Jeremiah from last week’s readings or the Prophet Ezekiel from this week’s readings, sometimes the message we share is one of conversion and repentance, a message that says, “Hey, the path you’re on isn’t a good one. If you keep going you’re going to hurt yourself, others and your relationship with God.”Practically speaking, this means that if we have a family member for example that has an addiction to alcohol or drugs, we let them know that they’re destroying their bodies and their lives and that they need help. Or if a coworker is stealing money or things that don’t belong to them, we let them know that it’s not ok to steal and take what’s not theirs. Or if a person is unfaithful to their spouse, we let them know that they’re destroying their marriage and family and that their children will suffer. The prophet is the one who says, “Turn back to the Lord, change your life, the Lord is waiting for you and is always ready to pardon and forgive if you turn back to Him.”Is it easy to be a prophet? No, but being a prophet never has been easy. It wasn’t easy for Jeremiah or Ezekiel in the Old Testament, and it wasn’t easy for John the Baptist or Jesus Himself in the New Testament. Doing the right thing and saying the right thing even when it costs us is always the path less travelled, but we all need prophets who can call us to conversion, and all of us who are baptized are called to be prophets calling others to conversion as well.So the question for us this week might be, “Is there someone in my life that I need to speak to? Is there someone in my life I need to be a prophet to? To call to conversion?” On the other hand, we can ask ourselves, “Do I need conversion myself? Do I have faults and sins in my life that need to change? Do I need prophets in my life to correct me when I’m at fault?” The Lord is always merciful, and with a simple word of repentance He is always ready to pardon us and give us new life and a new chance.*To hear the concrete steps from Jesus on how to correct a brother and sister, you can listen to the full homily at the links below.

Nuestra fe es bien misteriosa, porque por un lado, la fe nos trae la paz, pero por otro lado, también nos trae la dificultad. Parece que son opuestos, que no pueden coexistir, pero la verdad es que no son opuestos, y que de hecho, Dios usa la paz para sostenernos a través de las dificultades. Vamos a ver cómo.Primero: la fe nos trae la paz. Cuando más nos acercamos a Dios, más experimentamos paz en nuestro corazón. Es una ecuación muy sencilla: más Dios, más paz, menos Dios, menos paz.Por ejemplo, después de ir a la confesión, la gente me dice que es como un alivio, que ya pueden respirar, que pudieron sacar lo que tenían en el corazón y estar reconciliados con Dios y con la Iglesia.Otra persona me dijo que cuando va a nuestra adoración del Santísimo, experimenta una tranquilidad en el corazón, como que todos los ansiedades y temores se calman, y que es una paz que no podía encontrar en su vida anterior sin Dios.Y la semana pasada, una persona me dijo que estaba alejada de Dios y de la iglesia por años, pero al momento de regresar, al momento de entrar a la iglesia, una paz cayó sobre él. Para todos nosotros que nos hemos acercado al Señor, conocemos esa paz que el Señor nos da. Esa es la paz que viene de la fe.Y ahora el otro lado: aunque la fe nos trae la paz, también nos trae la dificultad. Para ser un creyente, un Cristiano, un Católico, para vivir la fe plenamente, significa tener muchas dificultades. Quisiera decir que no es así, pero no los puedo mentir tampoco.Muchas de las veces, los valores de nuestra fe van en contra de los valores del mundo. Por ejemplo, como creyentes protegemos la vida desde el momento de la concepción hasta el momento de la muerte natural. El mundo dice que al contrario: que está bien quitar la vida de los bebés tal como de los ancianos. Nosotros decimos que cada vida es un don de Dios, y solo Dios puede quitar la vida cuando es el tiempo correcto. Esto es solo un ejemplo, pero muchas de las veces, los valores de la iglesia van en contra de los valores del mundo.Otra dificultad es que dentro del Cristianismo hay miles de denominaciones y religiones con diferentes creencias acerca de Dios y de Jesus, y en vez de tener la unidad bajo una sola iglesia, la iglesia que Jesús estableció, la Iglesia Católica que hablamos la semana pasada, tenemos muchas diferentes iglesias con muchas diferentes ideas y tenemos la división.Y finalmente en la familia hay personas que van a la iglesia y que creen en Dios y otros que no. Que la esposa va a la iglesia con los hijos y el esposo se queda en casa tomando o viendo la televisión, o que los niños ya están grandes y en la escuela les inculcan que no tienen que creer en Dios, y hay esa tensión en la familia por ser un creyente.Pero así es la vida de un creyente. Jesús mismo nos dice, “El que quiera venir conmigo, que renuncie a sí mismo, que tome su cruz y me siga. Pues el que quiera salvar su vida, la perderá; pero el que pierda su vida por mí, la encontrará." Para ser un creyente significa cargar la cruz, sostenidos por la fuerza y la paz que el Señor nos da. Pedro en el Evangelio trató de evitar la cruz, y por eso Jesús le llamó “Satanás” por pensar no como Dios sino como los hombres. La paz no significa que ya no tendremos dificultades. La paz significa que Dios está con nosotros a través de las dificultades. Los dos van juntos.Que el Señor nos sostenga entonces en nuestro caminar, para cargar la cruz con la fuerza y la paz que Él nos da.

Our faith is very mysterious and in a certain sense paradoxical, because on the one hand, faith brings us peace, but on the other hand, it also brings us difficulty. They seem to be opposites, polar realities, but really they are not. In fact, God uses His peace to sustain us in the midst of our difficulties. Let’s take a look at how.First: faith brings us peace. The more that we draw closer to God, the greater the peace that we experience in our own hearts. The closer we are to God, the more peace we experience. The further we are away from God, the less peace we experience.For example, people tell me that after going to confession, it’s like a great weight has been lifted off their shoulders. They could confess and share what needed to be confessed, they feel like they can breathe again, and they are reconciled to God and to His Church.Another person shared with me that when she goes to Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, she experiences a great tranquility in her heart, as if all the anxieties and troubles of her life are calmed, and it’s a peace that she could not find in her previous life.And last week, a person shared with me that he had been away from God and the Church for years, but when he returned, the moment he stepped into the church, a peace fell over him.All of us who have drawn close to God know this peace that God gives. This is the peace of God that comes from faith.Now on the other hand, although faith brings us peace, it also brings us difficulty. To be a believer, a Christian, a Catholic means to have many difficulties. I would like to say that this isn’t the case but it is. Many times the values of our faith are opposed to the values of the world. For example, as believers we protect life from the moment of conception until the moment of natural death. The world says on the contrary: that it’s ok to take away the lives of babies as well as the lives of the elderly. We say that every life is a gift from God, and only God can receive that life back at the proper time. This is just one example, but many times, the values of the church are different than the values of the world.Another difficulty is that within Christianity there are divisions between the various different denominations, and instead of having unity under one church, as we heard last week the church that Jesus established, the Catholic Church, we have many different churches and denominations with different beliefs and there is division.Finally in the family there are people who go to church and believe in God and others who don’t. Where the wife goes to church with the children but the husband stays at home, or where the kids are older and in school they tell them that you don’t have to believe in God, that it’s not reasonable or scientific, and there is tension in the family for being a believer.But this is what it means to be a believer. Jesus says in today’s Gospel, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”To be a believer means to carry the cross, sustained by the strength and peace that the Lord gives. Peter tried to avoid the cross and that’s why Jesus called him “Satan” for thinking not as God does but as men do.Having peace doesn’t mean we will no longer have difficulties. On the contrary. There will be many difficulties. But having peace means that God is with us even in the midst of difficulties. The two go together.May the Lord sustain us in our walk of faith, to carry the cross with the strength and the peace that the Lord gives.

Hace dos mil años, Jesús, el Hijo de Dios, caminaba por la tierra igual que nosotros: Comía, dormía, trabajaba, y rezaba. Siendo divino, Él es Dios y Dios no puede morir. Pero, siendo hombre, sí podía morir, y sabía que en Su humanidad sí iba a morir, una muerte en la cruz.Entonces frente a la muerte, ¿qué hizo Jesús? Estableció una iglesia, una continuación de Su presencia en el mundo después de Su muerte y resurrección.El papel de esa iglesia fue construir el Reino de Dios aquí en la tierra como está en cielo, para convertir todo el mundo bajo el Reino de Dios. Esa iglesia no desapareció después del tiempo de Jesús y los Apóstoles. Esa iglesia fue y sigue siendo la Iglesia Católica.Jesús dice a San Pedro en este Evangelio de Mateo, "yo te digo a ti que tú eres Pedro y sobre esta piedra edificaré mi Iglesia." El nombre Pedro significa “piedra''. En otras palabras, Jesús le está diciendo, "tú eres la piedra y sobre esta piedra edificaré mi iglesia." En el idioma de Jesús, el arameo, Jesús le habría dicho, “tú eres kepha y sobre esta kepha edificaré mi iglesia.” Jesús escogió a San Pedro para ser el primer líder, el primer papa, la piedra de Su Iglesia.Esa iglesia que Jesús fundó sobre Pedro hace dos mil años no es una iglesia diferente hoy en día. Es la misma.Antes de morir, Pedro y los Apóstoles impusieron las manos sobre sus sucesores, dándoles el poder y la autoridad para continuar su misión en el mundo. Aquellos sucesores conocemos con el nombre de obispos. Esos obispos continuaron el trabajo de Pedro y los Apóstoles, y antes de morir, ellos también impusieron las manos sobre sus propios sucesores. Y así siguió la sucesión por dos mil años hasta el día de hoy. Si uno va a la iglesia de San Pablo Fuera de los Muros en Roma, se puede ver las imágenes de todos los papas que hemos tenido desde el tiempo de San Pedro hasta nuestro papa hoy día, el Papa Francisco. Todos nuestros papas y aun los obispos pueden localizar su linaje a Pedro y los Apóstoles Originales.Demos gracias a Dios por el don de la Iglesia Católica. Es la iglesia que Jesús mismo fundó, edificada sobre la roca de Pedro, y perseverando a través de la historia de la humanidad, y como Jesús mismo nos dice, “Los poderes del infierno no prevalecerán sobre ella.”

In order to really understand the Eucharist, we have to recover a sense of awe and wonder and imagination again, like how babies and children are amazed at discovering the world for the first time.Because at every Eucharist, a miracle happens: heaven and earth collide, spirit and matter meet, humanity and divinity embrace.At the words of consecration by the priest, the God of the Universe descends under the humble disguise of bread and wine as food and drink for a hungry and thirsty world.Our senses tell us that bread and wine is what’s there, but our faith tells us to not let our senses be deceived. That it’s no longer bread and wine that we behold. It’s the very body, blood, soul and divinity of Jesus Christ.When we approach the Eucharist, we might want to put on the lens of a child again, to see with the eyes of faith, to marvel at how heaven and earth collide, to see that Jesus has made Himself present as true food for all hungry hearts.To view or share on YouTube:https://youtu.be/v2xOY3YYa_g

Two thousand years ago, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, walked on the earth just as we do today: He ate, He drank, He worked, He slept, He prayed, He served. Being divine, He is God and God cannot die. But being human, He could die, and He knew that in His humanity He eventually would die, a death on the cross.So in the face of death, what did Jesus do? He established a Church to be a continuous sign of His presence in the world.The role of this Church was to build the Kingdom of God here on earth as it is in heaven, to bring all people under the dominion of God’s Kingdom. This Church didn’t fade away after the time of Jesus and the Apostles. Rather, it was and continues to be the Catholic Church.Jesus says to Peter in this Gospel from Matthew, “I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church.” The word Peter means “rock”. In other words, Jesus is saying to Peter, “You are the rock, and upon this rock I will build my Church.” In His native Aramaic Jesus would have said, “You are kepha, and upon this kepha I will build my church.”Jesus chose Peter to be the first leader, the first pope, the Rock of His Church.This Church that Jesus founded on Peter two thousand years ago isn’t a different Church today. It remains one and the same.Before dying, Peter and the Apostles laid hands on their successors, giving them the power and authority to continue their work of bringing all nations under the Kingdom of God. We call them today as bishops. These bishops continued the work of Peter and the Apostles, and before dying, they too laid hands on their own successors to continue their work and so continued this process of succession for two thousand years until this very day.If you go to the church of St. Paul Outside the Walls in Rome, there you will see traced along the walls the images of all the popes we’ve had from the time of St. Peter all the way down to our current pope, Pope Francis. All of our popes and even our bishops can trace their lineage back to Peter and the original Apostles.We give thanks to God for the gift of His Church, that despite its flaws and imperfections and even the sins of its own members, it remains the Church that Jesus founded, built on the rock of Peter, perduring throughout the course of history, and as Jesus Himself says, “the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.”

Tres Peligros en La Oración y El ServicioHay tres peligros comunes sobre la oración y el servicio.El primer peligro es una persona que está dedicada a la oración, pero la oración no le lleva al servicio, no le lleva al amor por los demás.Si aquella persona sigue en este camino, lo que sucede es que poco a poquito se convierte en una persona más rígida, más inflexible, más crítica, y en vez de abrirse para amar al prójimo, se encierra en sí misma para juzgar a los demás.El segundo peligro es una persona que está dedicada al servicio y a ayudar y hacer muchas cosas buenas, pero no está dedicada a la oración. Esta persona no está rezando, no tiene silencio, no medita sobre la Palabra de Dios, no busca tiempo diario para hablar con Dios y para escuchar Su voz.Lo que sucede es que toda la actividad se convierte en “busyness", en estar ocupado, en estar preocupado, pero la actividad está vacía: no tiene poder, ni influencia, ni fruto porque no tiene raíces en la oración. Si aquella persona sigue en ese camino, inclusive puede perder su fe. El tercer peligro es una persona que no está dedicada a la oración ni al servicio. Quizás en una temporada de su vida sí estaba entregada a la oración. O también estaba entregada al servicio. Pero algo pasó durante su vida y ya no reza ni sirve a los demás.Si esta vida sin oración y servicio fue una libre decisión, pues es peor porque no está conectada con Dios ni con las personas.Lo ideal es tener los dos: cuando nuestra oración nos lleva al servicio y cuando nuestro servicio tiene raíces en la oración. Este es el balance que todos los creyentes queremos tener.El Profeta Isaías dice en la primera lectura, "guardan el sábado sin profanarlo y se mantienen fieles a mi alianza", es decir que el día de Domingo pero también todos los días, tenemos que dedicar tiempo a la oración y a nuestra relación con Jesus.Isaías también dice, “Velen por los derechos de los demás, practiquen la justicia.", es decir que la oración debe de llevar a uno a la acción, a la justicia, al amor. Cuando tenemos los dos, la palabra de Dios dice en la misma lectura de Isaías, "los conduciré a mi monte santo y los llenaré de alegría en mi casa de oración." El resultado de una vida de oración y servicio es el gozo.Mi oración es que tengamos el balance de oración y servicio en nuestras vidas para experimentar el fruto de gozo que Dios nos quiere dar.

There are three common pitfalls when it comes to prayer and service. The first pitfall is someone who is dedicated to prayer, but the prayer doesn’t translate into service, it doesn’t translate into love of other people.If a person continues along this path, what can happen is that little by little they can become more rigid, more inflexible, more critical, and instead of opening up to love other people, they can spend more time closed in to judge other people.The second pitfall is someone who is dedicated to service and to helping and to doing a lot of good things, but the person doesn’t have roots in prayer, doesn’t have silence in their lives, doesn’t meditate on the word of God, doesn’t carve out daily time dedicated to their relationship with God.What ends up happening is that all of the activity starts to become busyness. It becomes hollow, empty, devoid of real power and influence because it's not sustained and nourished by prayer. A person who continues along this path can actually lose their faith altogether.The third and final pitfall is someone who isn’t dedicated to prayer or to service. Maybe at one point in their lives they had a great prayer life. Maybe they once dedicated their lives to loving and serving others. But somewhere along the way these things fell by the wayside.If this life devoid of prayer or service is self-chosen, then it’s not a great place to be because the person is disconnected both from God and from other people.The ideal place to be is when our prayer translates into service and when our service is sustained by prayer. This is the balance that all believers are called to have.The Prophet Isaiah says, “keep the sabbath free from profanation and hold to my covenant”, that is to say, every day but especially on the Sabbath day, dedicate yourself to prayer and to your relationship with God.He also says, “Observe what is right, do what is just”, that is to say, our prayer should always translate into action, into love and service and to doing what is right and just.When we have this balance, the word of God says, “I will bring [them] to my holy mountain and make [them] joyful in my house of prayer.” The result of the balance between these two things is joy.My prayer is that we might have the ideal balance of prayer and service in our lives in order to experience the fruit of God’s joy.

Estamos viviendo en un mundo que es el más ruidoso y el más distraído en toda la historia de la humanidad. Solo tenemos que recordar que antes de nuestro tiempo, millones de personas vivieron sin televisión, sin celular, sin coche, sin luces, sin computadoras o laptops, sin toda la tecnología que tenemos hoy en día.Sin duda, esta tecnología nos ha ayudado bastante en nuestras vidas y son grandes bendiciones de Dios. Al mismo tiempo, es que debido a esta misma tecnología, nos hemos convertido en la generación más distraída, más apresurada, y más agitada que todas las generaciones antes de nosotros.Pienso por ejemplo en la familia que llega a un restaurante y en vez de hablar los unos con los otros, todos están en su mundo con el celular: el papá con los deportes, la mamá en Face, los niños con los juegos. Pienso también en los horarios apretados que tenemos. Andamos de allá para acá. Vivimos siempre corriendo y no tenemos tiempo ni para respirar. Y finalmente pienso en todas las horas que pasamos frente la televisión o en el celular o tableta en vez de pasar tiempo con Dios, con la familia, con el esposo, la esposa o con nuestros amigos.Como consecuencia de todo esto, nos hemos olvidado cómo estar en calma, silencio y tranquilidad. Eso no es bueno, porque es en el silencio donde escuchamos la voz de Dios.En la primera lectura del libro de los Reyes, Elías estaba esperando la presencia de Dios. Vino el viento, pero el Señor no estuvo en el viento. Vino el terremoto, pero el Señor no estuvo en el terremoto. Vino el fuego, y tampoco estuvo el Señor en el fuego.¿Dónde estuvo el Señor? Estuvo en “una brisa suave.” En el silencio. En la calma. Cuando no tenemos silencio en nuestras vidas, no vamos a escuchar la voz de Dios en la “brisa suave.”Mi oración por nosotros es que podamos tener un espíritu de silencio en nuestras vidas para escuchar bien la palabra de Dios.

We’re currently living in a world that’s the noisiest and most distracted in all of human history. We just have to recall that before our time, millions of people lived without television, without a cell phone, without cars, without lights, without computers or laptops, without all of the technology that we have today.There’s no doubt that these technologies have benefited our lives in myriad ways and have been a tremendous blessing from God to us. At the same time, it’s due to these very same technologies that we have become the most distracted, the most hurried, and the most agitated generation in human history.I think of the family that arrives at a restaurant and instead of speaking with one another, everyone is on their phones doing their own thing: dad is watching sports, mom is on facebook, the kids are playing games. I think of the full schedules that we have where we run from one thing to the next without room to just stop and breathe. And finally I think about all the hours we spend in front of the television or phone or tablet instead of spending time with God, our family, our spouses and our friends.The result of this is that we’ve forgotten how to be still, how to be silent, how to be calm, and this is a tragedy because it’s in the silence where we hear the voice of God.In the first reading from the Book of Kings, Elijah was waiting for the presence of God. The wind came. But the Lord was not in the wind. Then an earthquake. But the Lord was not in the earthquake. And finally the fire. But the Lord was not in the fire.Where was the Lord then? In the “tiny whispering sound.” In the silence. In the calm. When there is no silence in our lives, we won’t be able to hear the “tiny whispering” voice of God.My prayer for you is that you can cultivate a spirit of silence in your life in order to listen attentively to the voice of God.*In my homily I give five ideas on how to incorporate more silence into your life. To find out more, feel free to listen to the homily or read the full transcript.

Inside every one of us exists a hunger and thirst. In our bodies we hunger and thirst for food and drink. In our minds we hunger and thirst for understanding, knowledge and wisdom. But in our hearts and in our souls we hunger and thirst for God, for the presence of God, for the words of God.The Prophet Isaiah says in the first reading, “All you who are thirsty, come to the water! You who have no money, come, receive grain and eat; Come, without paying and without cost, drink wine and milk!”He’s not talking about our physical hunger. He’s talking about our spiritual hunger, the hunger of the heart, the hunger of the soul. “Come to the water” he says. “Receive grain and eat.” This hunger and thirst for God is in danger today, because instead of looking to God in our need, we often look to other things. In our pain, instead of taking refuge in God, some take refuge in alcohol or drugs. In our loneliness, instead of drawing close to God, some draw close to pornography, to intimacy outside of marriage, to unhealthy relationships. In our anxiety, instead of finding consolation in God, some find consolation in television, social media or Netflix.All of these: alcohol, drugs, pornography, unhealthy relationships, watching too much television, etc. are addictions, that is to say, they’re drugs that alleviate the pain, but only for a time. And afterwards, we find ourselves worse off than when we started.And why is this? Because the heart is looking for God, and when the heart doesn’t find God, or when the heart is filled with things that are not of God, the heart continues in its pain, in its loneliness, in its anxiety.God says to us: All who are hungry and thirsty, come to me. Listen to me and you will live.If our hearts are hungry and thirsty, we come to Jesus, and He will give to us to eat and drink until we are satisfied.

Dentro de cada uno de nosotros hay un hambre y una sed. En nuestro cuerpo tenemos hambre y sed de comida y bebida. En nuestra mente tenemos hambre y sed de entendimiento, inteligencia, sabiduría, que es lo que tratamos la semana pasada. Pero en nuestra alma y corazón tenemos hambre y sed de Dios, de la presencia de Dios y de la palabra de Dios.El Profeta Isaías dice en la primera lectura, "Todos ustedes, los que tienen sed, vengan por agua; y los que no tienen dinero, vengan, tomen trigo y coman; tomen vino y leche sin pagar." No está hablando del hambre físico. Está hablando del hambre espiritual, el hambre del corazón. “Vengan por agua” dice él, “tomen trigo y coman.”Esa hambre y sed de Dios están en peligro hoy en día, porque en vez de buscar a Dios en nuestra necesidad, muchas veces vamos buscando otras cosas. En el dolor, en vez de refugiarse en Dios, algunos se refugian en el alcohol o en la droga. En la soledad, en vez de acercarse a Dios, algunos se acercan a la pornografía, a la intimidad fuera del matrimonio, a relaciones no sanas. En la ansiedad, en vez de encontrar consuelo en Dios, algunos encuentren consuelo en la televisión, en Face, en Netflix, o también en las cosas como la brujería, la magia, los botánicos, que son las herramientas del enemigo que nos atrapan, nos engañan, nos llevan lejos de Dios.Todo esto, el alcohol, las drogas, la pornografía, las relaciones no sanas, son adicciones, son cosas que alivian el dolor, pero sólo por un tiempo. Pero después, le deja a uno peor que antes.¿Y por qué? Porque el corazón está buscando a Dios, y cuando no encuentra a Dios, o cuando el corazón está lleno de cosas que no son de Dios, el corazón sigue con el dolor, sigue con la soledad, sigue con la ansiedad.Dios dice: Todos los que tienen hambre y sed, vengan a mí. "escúchenme y vivirán."Si tenemos hambre y sed de corazón, venimos a Jesús, y Él nos dará de comer hasta saciarnos.

Cuando ustedes rezan, normalmente qué piden del Señor? Señor pido más paz, más paciencia. Señor pido por mi matrimonio. Señor pido por mis hijos, que sepan amar a Dios. Son oraciones muy buenas y muy comunes porque todos quieren más paz, todos quieren un matrimonio bueno, todos quieren buenos hijos.En el libro de los Reyes, la primera lectura, ¿qué pidió el Rey Salomón de Dios? ¿Se acuerdan? Pidió la Sabiduría. Alguna vez han rezado como Salomón, pidiendo sabiduría de Dios? Como dice, para distinguir entre el bien y el mal? Para vivir con rectitud? Para gobernar su vida según los planes de Dios? Una oración pidiendo sabiduría es una buena oración. Una oración pidiendo sabiduría es una oración contestada.Les invito a que recen por la sabiduría. Sabiduría para vivir con rectitud. Sabiduría para no caer en la maldad. Sabiduría para todo. Y el Señor, que siempre escucha las oraciones de sus hijos, especialmente cuando piden por sabiduría, nos concederá lo que le pedimos.

When you pray, what do you normally ask of the Lord? Lord, I ask for more peace, more patience. Lord I pray for my marriage, that you would help my marriage. Lord, I pray for my children that they would learn to love God. These are great prayers and are also very common prayers.In the Book of Kings, the first reading, what did King Solomon ask of God? He asked for wisdom.Have you ever prayed like Solomon, asking God for wisdom? As he says, to distinguish between good and evil, to live rightly and justly, to govern our lives according to God’s plan? A prayer asking for wisdom is a great prayer. A prayer asking for wisdom is an answered prayer.I invite you today to pray for wisdom in your life. Wisdom to live rightly. Wisdom to avoid evil. Wisdom for all things in life. And the Lord, who always listens to the prayers of His children, especially when they ask for wisdom, will grant us what we ask.

It’s tough being Catholic. When the values of the world and the values of our faith are becoming increasingly disparate.When the wounds of sin and division continue to plague the Church.When the battle against sin and the battle for virtue takes its toll.It can sometimes feel overwhelming, frustrating, discouraging.But Jesus shows us the way forward. He predicted these struggles that we would have, He has already won the final war, and He has promised us that we are never alone.

Nuestro Dios es un Dios de justicia tal como de misericordia. No es sola una o la otra sino las dos.Si Dios fuera estrictamente justo, nosotros no existiríamos. Hubiéramos muerto en nuestro pecado sin redención, sin salvación, sin una segunda oportunidad.Si Dios fuera estrictamente misericordioso, podríamos hacer lo que quisiéramos sin consecuencias. Se puede ver eso en los regímenes ateos, por ejemplo Alemania nazi, China maoista y Rusia sovietica, que cuando el gobierno quita a Dios o dice que Dios es irrevelante, todo está permitido hasta el genocidio. Para esos regímenes, una vida sin Dios significa una vida sin consecuencias y pueden hacer lo que quieren.Muchas personas piensan que Dios es uno o el otro, que Dios es tan justo que ya estoy condenado y que no hay esperanza por mi debido a mis pecados. O muchas personas piensan que DIos es tan misericordioso que puedo hacer lo que quiero y Dios me ama. Si, Dios nos ama muchísimo, mucho más que podemos pensar o imaginar o hablar, pero también es la verdad que cada cosa que hacemos tiene sus consecuencias. La realidad es que Dios es los dos: justo y misericordioso.El libro de Sabiduría dice, "Tu poder es el fundamento de tu justicia, y por ser el Señor de todos, eres misericordioso con todos." Desde los tiempos del Antiguo Testamento, los escritores de la Biblia ya tuvieron un imagen de la justicia y la misericordia de Dios.Si vamos a hablar acerca de la justicia y la misericordia de Dios, tenemos que entender los términos. ¿Qué es la justicia? Cuando una persona peca contra Dios y no se arrepiente, no se convierte, no cambia, Dios permite que reciba las consecuencias del pecado, hasta también por la eternidad. Esa es su justicia. Dios no castiga, Dios permite las consecuencias de nuestros pecados que es separación de DIos, separación de otros, y separación de nosotros mismos.¿Y qué es la misericordia? Si un pecador, es decir yo, ustedes, y todos, nos arrepentimos y regresamos a Dios, no importa cuán grande es el pecado, no importa cuántas veces hemos pecado contra Dios, no importa si tenemos vergüenza, el Señor nos perdonará. Esa es su misericordia.Fíjense que la misericordia de Dios es bien loca. Aún cuando nuestro arrepentimiento no está perfecto, Dios todavía nos perdona. En la historia del hijo pródigo que robó dinero de su papá, regresó a su papá no porque estaba bien arrepentido. Regresó porque tuvo hambre y tuvo pena de sus acciones. Y el papá lo vio de lejos y corrió para encontrarlo y abrazarlo y darle bienvenida a su casa.La misericordia de Dios es tan loca que aún cuando nuestro arrepentimiento no está perfecto, Él todavía nos perdona.Entonces les invito a que vivan en la misericordia de Dios. Aunque el juicio de Dios es grande, la misericordia de Dios es aún más grande, y siempre hay esperanza para los que están contritos y arrepentidos de corazón.

Our God is a God of both justice and mercy. He’s not just one or the other. He’s both.If God was only just, we wouldn’t exist. We would have died in our sins and transgressions with no hope for redemption or salvation or even a second chance.On the other hand, if God was only merciful, then we could do whatever we wanted with absolutely no consequences at all. You see this by the way in the atheistic regimes of the past century such as Nazi Germany, Maoist China and Soviet Russia. Once God is removed from the equation or once God is considered as irrelevant, anything and everything is permissible, even genocide. In the minds of these regimes, there are no consequences to these actions.Many people have an image of God that is either pure justice or pure mercy. On the one hand, there are some who think that because God is strictly just, there is no hope for me in my sin and that God has already condemned me to punishment with no way out.On the other hand, there are some who think that God is so merciful that it doesn’t really matter what I do and God still loves me. It’s true that God loves us. He loves us infinitely, more than we can ask, think or imagine. But it’s also true that what we do matters, and what we do has consequences. God does not fall into the category of pure justice or pure mercy. He is both just and merciful.The Book of Wisdom says, “For your might is the source of justice...But though you are master of might, you judge with clemency [or with mercy]”. Even from the time of the Old Testament, the writers already had the justice and mercy of God in mind.Now if we’re going to talk about the justice and mercy of God, we have to define our terms. What exactly is God’s justice? When a person sins against God and doesn’t repent (to use the traditional language), doesn’t convert, doesn’t turn away from his or her sins, God allows the person to receive the consequences of their sin, even for eternity. God doesn’t inflict punishment. Rather, He allows people by their own free choice to receive the consequences of their sins, namely, separation from God, separation from others, and separation from their true selves.Now what is God's mercy? If a sinner, that is to say me, you and all of us, if we turn away from our sins and turn back to God, it doesn’t matter how big the sin is, it doesn’t matter how many times I’ve committed it, it doesn’t matter how ashamed or guilty I feel about it, if I simply turn back to God with a contrite heart, God will immediately forgive me and welcome me back into His embrace. This is God’s mercy.The mercy of God is actually very unreasonable and a bit crazy. Even when our contrition and repentance isn’t perfect or wholehearted, when it’s only half-hearted and imperfect, God still forgives us. In the story of the prodigal son that took money from his father and squandered it on loose living, he came back to his father not because he was perfectly repentant. He came back to his father because he was hungry and felt ashamed. And what did the father do? He saw his son from afar, ran out to meet him, and embraced him and brought him back home. The mercy of God is so unreasonable that even when our contrition isn’t perfect, when the reason why we come back is because we are “hungry”, God still forgives us, He still welcomes us back. I would like to encourage you: If today your heart is burdened by the weight of sin, leave your sin behind, confess it, offer it into the hands of our heavenly Father. And our heavenly Father in His great mercy will immediately welcome you back into His loving embrace. While the justice of God is great, the mercy of God is even greater, and there is always hope for those who are contrite and repentant of heart.

Todos nosotros tenemos algo en nuestras vidas que queremos cambiar. Puede ser una actitud, por ejemplo si nos falta la paciencia y queremos ser más pacientes. Puede ser algo en la familia: hay discusiones entre los esposos o un problema con los hijos. Puede ser algo en el trabajo o en el mundo que no está bien y lo queremos cambiar. Todos tenemos algo que queremos cambiar.¿Pero cómo lo podemos hacer? ¿De dónde recibiremos el conocimiento, la sabiduría y la fuerza para hacerlo? Los recibiremos a través de la palabra de Dios. La palabra de Dios tiene poder para cambiar, inspirar y afectar nuestras vidas.El Profeta Isaías dice que la palabra de Dios es la lluvia que cae sobre la tierra de nuestro corazón, nuestra alma. Cuando hay lluvia, el alma vive y florece. Pero cuando no hay lluvia o hay poca lluvia, el alma muere.Las aguas de la palabra de Dios siempre están presentes para nosotros. Pero si el agua no cae sobre tierra fértil, no cumplirá su trabajo.Nosotros somos la tierra. Algunas personas son como el cemento de la calle. El agua de la Palabra cae, pero el cemento no puede absorber el agua. Esta es el alma que está cerrada a la palabra de Dios. Algunas personas tienen poca tierra. El agua cae y la planta crece, pero no tiene raíces fuertes. Cuando el sol viene la planta se quema, se seca. Esta es el alma que no está llena de la palabra de Dios, y cuando los sufrimientos y dolores de la vida llegan, no soporta el calor y muere.Algunas personas crecen entre espinas. La planta crece pero las espinas la atrapan y no puede crecer más. Esta es el alma que está atrapada por las tentaciones del mundo, de la lujuria, del enojo, de vivir por dinero o las placeres del mundo. Esta alma no puede madurar ni vivir a plenitud.Pero hay algunas personas que tienen tierra buena que recibe el agua plenamente. La planta crece y crece y produce frutos "unos, ciento por uno; otros, sesenta; y otros, treinta". ¡La planta tiene vida en abundancia y comparte sus frutos con todo ser viviente!Yo quiero que ustedes sean tierra buena, tierra fértil, llenos de la palabra de Dios y no atrapados por las tentaciones del mundo o cansados por las tribulaciones de la vida. Quiero que la palabra de Dios transforme sus vidas para que sean un imagen de Cristo.Entonces les invito hoy a que llenen su vida con la palabra de Dios. Sean la tierra fértil que recibe las aguas de la Palabra y produce muchos frutos de la presencia de Dios.

All of us have something in our lives that we would like to change. It could be an attitude, for example, if we lack patience and we want to grow in patience. It could be a situation in the family where there’s tension between husband and wife or there’s a problem with the kids that needs to be looked at. It could be something at work or in the world that’s not ok and that we want to change. We all have something in our lives that we would like to change or see changed.How can we do this? Where do we get the knowledge, the wisdom, the know-how and the strength to do this? Through the word of God. The word of God has power to change and impact and affect our lives.The Prophet Isaiah says that the word of God is the rain that falls into the soil of our hearts and gives life to it. When the rain is abundant, the soul thrives, it lives, it's transformed. When the rain is absent, the soul dies, it wilters, it fades.The waters of the word of God are always available to us, in the Bible, in the proclamation of the Scriptures at Mass, in the preaching, the listening, the studying. But if that water doesn't fall on fertile soil, it can’t produce any fruit.We are the soil, the ground. Some of us are like hard cement. The waters fall and it bounces back. This is the heart that's closed to the word of God.Some of us have little soil. The water falls and the plant grows but the roots aren’t deep. When the sun comes the plant is scorched. This is the soul that doesn't dig deep into the word of God. When the trials and tribulations of life come, the soul can't take the heat and withers.Some of us grow among thorns. The waters fall but the thorns trap the plant and its growth is stunted. This is the soul that receives the word of God but gives in too easily to temptations, and so the soul can never mature.Finally some of us have good and abundant soil. The water falls and the plant grows and produces fruit “a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold” as Jesus says. This is the soul that receives the word of God, meditates on it, studies it, and above all, lives it out.I would like for you to be the good soil, the abundant soil, filled with the word of God. I would like to see the word of God transform your life and give you life in abundance. So I invite you today: Cultivate the soil of your heart to receive deeply the word of God. Don't be the cement that rejects it. Don't be the little soil that has no roots. Don't be the plant that grows among thorns. Be the rich and abundant soil that receives the word of God and bears abundant fruit.

Everyone has some guiding person or principle that directs the course of their lives. For some people it's a politician, for others it's a celebrity, for others it's the latest trend or fashion or statement of the day.But for Catholics and Christians of good will, nothing and nobody replaces the words of Jesus Christ.To watch or share on YouTube:https://youtu.be/xa9zhk3fA3o

Hoy en día, vivimos en un mundo y una cultura de guerra: En el mundo, guerra entre las naciones. En nuestro país, guerra entre los políticos y los partidos políticos. En la cultura, guerra entre las razas. En la familia, guerra entre los esposos, entre los hijos, entre los familiares. Y dentro de uno mismo, una guerra constante de los pensamientos, emociones y deseos. Vivimos en un ambiente de guerra.¿Qué dice el Señor acerca de esto? Escuchen bien del libro del profeta Zacarías: "Él hará desaparecer de la tierra de Efraín los carros de guerra, y de Jerusalén, los caballos de combate. Romperá el arco del guerrero y anunciará la paz a las naciones."El mensaje es claro: El Señor no es amigo de la guerra. Él quiere destruir la guerra para que reine la paz de Dios. Además, como seguidores de Jesús, seguimos las enseñanzas de Jesús: no promovemos la guerra. Promovemos la paz, y no cualquier paz, sino la paz de Cristo.La parte oscura de todo esto es que vivimos en un mundo caído y todos tenemos una naturaleza caída, es decir que todos tenemos una tendencia de separarnos de Dios y de las cosas de Dios. El resultado es cuando estamos separados de Dios, experimentamos dentro de nosotros la guerra, la agitación, la inquietud, el rencor, el enojo, la rabia. Para mi no es una coincidencia que en nuestro mundo que parece que se está alejando más y más de Dios, vemos más violencia, más rabia, más odio, más depresión, más ansiedad, más confusión, porque cuando no hay Dios, no hay paz.Pero lo opuesto es verdad también: Cuando nos acercamos a Dios, y cuando vivimos cerca a Dios, empezamos a experimentar la tranquilidad, la calma, la paciencia, y la paz que solo Él nos puede dar.Jesús dice en este Evangelio de Mateo, "Vengan a mí, todos los que están fatigados y agobiados por la carga y yo les daré alivio. Si están cansados, fatigados, agobiados por no encontrar la paz en el mundo y los caminos del mundo, dejen al mundo para atrás, dejen las cosas del mundo para atrás. Vengan a Jesús, y Él nos dará descanso, Él nos da alivio, Él nos dará Su paz.

We live in a world and in a culture of war: In the world, there is war between the nations. In our country, war between politicians and political parties. In our culture, war between the races. In our families, war between spouses, between kids, between relatives. And within ourselves a constant war of thoughts and emotions and desires. We live in a constant ambient or environment of war.What does the Lord say about this? We listen to the words of the Prophet Zecariah, “He shall banish the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse [of war] from Jerusalem; the warrior’s bow shall be banished, and he shall proclaim peace to the nations.”The message is clear: The Lord is not a friend of war. He wants to “banish” the weapons and words of war in order for the peace of God to reign. Furthermore, as followers of Jesus Christ and the Scriptures, we do not promote war. We promote peace. And not just any peace, but the peace of Christ.The dark side to all of this is that we live in a fallen world and all of us have a fallen human nature. The technical term (if you remember from your catechism classes) is called “concupiscence”, that tendency within all of us to alienate ourselves from God and from the things of God. The result is that when we’re separated from God, we experience within ourselves growing war, agitation, disquiet, resentment, anger, rage. It’s not a coincidence to me that in our world that seems to be moving further and further away from God, we are seeing more violence, more rage, more hate, more depression, more anxiety, more confusion--because where there is no God, there is no peace.The opposite is also true: When we draw near to God, when we begin to live with and in Him, we experience tranquility, calm, patience, and the peace that only He can give.Jesus says in this Gospel from Matthew, “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.” If you are tired, fatigued, burdened for not finding peace in the world and in the things of the world, then Jesus invites you to leave the world and the ways of the world behind. Come to Jesus, and He will give you rest, He will give you relief, He will give you His peace.

Many Catholic mothers have experienced the pain of their children falling away from the faith, and not only their children but often their spouses as well.In this interview we share the story and example of St. Monica, how through her prayers, fasting, tears, and sufferings was able to win her son Augustine back to the faith as well as convince her husband Patricius to become a Christian.In this podcast we discuss questions such as:- Should parents force their children or teenagers to go to Mass?- What’s the best way for parents to share their faith with their children?- What’s the average age that young people leave their faith, and why?- What are best practices that parents can adopt to lead their children back to the faith?- What can be done to stem the disaffiliation of young people from the faith?While not a comprehensive discussion, this podcast touches on vital and important questions that we can ponder in order to bring our young people back to church again and above all to live out a vibrant and active relationship with Jesus Christ and His Church.If you find this interview helpful or know someone else who could benefit from it, please share! It might just be what someone else needs right now. Please also pray for this work, that the Lord would lead, guide and inspire it. May God bless and keep you!

¿Cuál es el mejor cumplido que un Cristiano Católico puede recibir? El mejor cumplido que un Cristiano Católico puede recibir es ser llamado un hombre o mujer de Dios.A veces es muy difícil encontrar hombres y mujeres de Dios en nuestro mundo, porque son muchos los hombres y mujeres de diversión, de dinero, de poder, de placer, quien tienen su identidad en esas cosas. Pero son pocos los hombres y mujeres de Dios, que tienen su identidad en Dios, que escuchan la voz de Dios y tratan de cumplir la voluntad de Dios.Ser un hombre o mujer del mundo es fácil. Un sólo tiene que pensar como el mundo piensa y hacer lo que el mundo hace. Pero ser un hombre o mujer de Dios es difícil, es duro, es arduo. Muchas veces tenemos que ir en contra de la cultura y en contra de lo que las personas hacen. Yo quiero que ustedes sean hombres y mujeres de Dios.¿Cómo lo hacemos? Tenemos que morir a nuestra vieja vida, sepultar a la vieja naturaleza con los viejos modos de pensar, hablar y actuar para vivir una vida nueva con Cristo.Será doloroso? Claro que sí. La muerte es dolorosa. Pero sólo por la muerte tendremos la vida.Pero no tengan miedo. El Señor, que nos llama a cargar la cruz no nos deja solos. Él cargó la cruz primero y murió en la cruz primero y Él nos ayudará a cargar nuestra cruz también.Les invito hoy día a morir a la vieja naturaleza con los viejos pensamientos, palabras y obras, para así resucitar de nuevo una nueva vida, una nueva visión, nuevas palabras y nuevas obras conformen a Cristo.

What’s the best compliment that a Christian or a Catholic can receive? The best compliment a Christian or a Catholic can receive is to be called man of God, a woman of God.It can sometimes be difficult to find men or women of God in our world, in our culture, in our society. There seem to be many men and women of diversion, of wealth, of power, of pleasure and whose identity and worldview are wrapped up in these things. But there are much fewer who are men and women of God and whose identity and worldview are wrapped up in God and in the things of God.Being men or women of the world is easy. You just go with the flow. You do what the culture tells you. You do what everyone else is doing. Being a man or woman of God is hard. It’s difficult, it's challenging. Very often it requires that you go against the flow, against the culture, against what everyone else is doing.I want you to be men and women of God.In order to do this, we first have to die with Christ. We have to bury our old selves with our old ways of thinking, speaking, and behaving in order to be reborn anew in Christ.Will this be painful? Absolutely. Death is painful. But it’s only through death that we come to new life.Do not be afraid. The Lord who calls us to carry our cross never leaves us orphans. He carried the cross first and died on it first, and He will help us to carry our crosses also.I invite you today to put to death the old self with the old thoughts, words and actions, and to rise again with Christ with a new vision, new speech, and new actions that are conformed completely to the way of Christ.

Estamos viviendo en una pandemia, no solo del coronavirus sino de falta de padres, y más que nunca necesitamos padres buenos y santos y valientes que vivan su vocación plenamente con la ayuda de Dios.La realidad muy triste es que nuestra cultura trata de destruir la imagen de un padre. En las películas, en la televisión, en las canciones. La cultura promueve la irresponsabilidad, la pereza, la cultura que dice “Yo vivo solo por mí mismo y por mis placeres y mis deseos y no vivo por nadie más. Tengo una vida y voy a vivir por mi.”Eso no es el camino Cristiano. El camino Cristiano es el opuesto de esto. Y en esta cultura que lucha contra los valores del padre, nosotros la iglesia tenemos que levantar el ideal de un padre bueno, que vive con responsabilidad, que es trabajador, que no vive para sí mismo sino por su familia, su esposa, sus hijos y sobre todo por Dios.Por eso, nosotros la iglesia tenemos que luchar, y la lucha empieza con cada uno de nosotros. Cada padre de familia viviendo como Dios manda, poniendo a Dios primero en su vida, y cuidando de su familia como Dios cuida a nosotros, Sus hijos. No es algo fácil, pero es muy necesario, y con la gracia y ayuda de Dios, lo podemos alcanzar. Que El Señor nos bendiga hoy día para que vivamos nuestra vocación plenamente, especialmente la vocación del padre.

We are currently living in a pandemic, not only of the coronavirus but also of an absence of fathers. It’s a pandemic that grows day by day and every year it gets worse, and more now than ever we need good and holy and strong and courageous fathers who can live out their fatherhood to the fullest of their ability with the help of God.The sad reality is that our culture has done so much to damage and tear down and destroy our image of a father. It’s been said that living in our culture is like sitting in acid. In so many movies and songs and TV shows, we see a culture that promotes irresponsibility, laziness, a culture that says “I live for myself and my own wants and my own needs and I only have one life to live so I don’t live for anyone else.”This is not the Christian way. The Christian way is the very opposite of these things, and in a culture that seeks to chip away and even erase our concept of fatherhood, we as the church have to lift up the ideal of a good father, who lives responsibly, who works hard, who lives for his wife, his family, his children and above all who lives for God.And so as a church we fight, and the fight begins with each and every single one of us. Every father of a family, trying to live according to God’s ways, who has God first in his life and who cares for his family as God cares for us His children. It’s not easy but it is necessary, and with the grace and help of God, it’s possible. May the Lord shower His grace upon us today so that we can live out our vocation, especially of fatherhood to the fullest.

No puedo pensar en mejor fiesta para que regresemos a la iglesia que esta Fiesta del Cuerpo y la Sangre de Cristo, y aquí está la razón:Durante esta pandemia, hemos recibido la proclamación de la Palabra de Dios con las lecturas de la Biblia, hemos recibido la predicación de la Palabra de Dios por el sacerdote o el diácono, aún hemos tenido las bendiciones en el carro y la adoración del Santísimo afuera de la iglesia.Pero una cosa todavía nos falta: la recepción del Cuerpo y la Sangre de Cristo en la Sagrada Comunión.Por eso es muy apropiado que nuestro obispo Kevin Vann haya escogido esta fiesta del Cuerpo y la Sangre de Cristo para que regresemos a la iglesia y recibir el Cuerpo y la Sangre de Cristo dentro de nuestros cuerpos y dentro de nuestras vidas.Casi tres meses desde el 20 de Marzo que no hemos podido entrar a la iglesia. Tres meses de ayuno espiritual, ayuno de la Eucaristía, de no poder recibir el Cuerpo y la Sangre de Cristo.Sería posible que una de las razones por la cual el Señor permitió el cierre de nuestras iglesias es para que podamos valorarlo más en la Eucaristía, desearlo más en la Comunión, y no dar por hecho este gran don de Dios?Pidamos al Señor que no demos por hecho este gran don, sino que demos gracias al Señor por la Eucaristía. Pidamos también por la paz, la unidad, la reconciliación y la justicia en nuestro país y nuestro mundo que han sufrido mucha turbulencia en las semanas pasadas, reconociendo que la Eucaristía, Jesús mismo, es la fuente de paz, unidad, reconciliación y justicia, y nos trae estos dones cuando lo recibimos dignamente.En esta Fiesta del Cuerpo y la Sangre de Cristo, que Jesús en la Eucaristía nos bendiga, nos alimente, y nos une hoy día y para siempre. Amén.

I can’t think of a better feast for us to return back to the church than this Feast of Corpus Christi, the Body and Blood of Christ, and here’s why:During this pandemic, we’ve received the proclamation of the word of God with readings from the Bible, we’ve received the preaching of the word of God through the priest or the deacon, and if you’re at Santiago de Compostela Church, we’ve even had drive-through blessings on Divine Mercy Sunday, Mother’s Day and Pentecost Sunday. Beyond this we’ve had drive-in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament under our parish pavilion on Ascension Sunday, Pentecost Sunday, and Trinity Sunday. But there’s still been one major thing missing: receiving the Body and Blood of Christ in Holy Communion.Because it’s one thing to hear God’s word in the Scriptures, have it explained to us through words of preaching, receive God’s blessings through the hands of the priest and even be in the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, but it’s another thing entirely to receive Jesus Himself into our very bodies in Holy Communion.That’s why it’s so fitting that our bishop Kevin Vann chose this feast of Corpus Christi, the Body and Blood of Christ, for us to return to church and to receive the Body and Blood of Christ into our very own bodies and into our very own lives.It’s been almost three months since March 20th that we haven’t been able to enter the church or attend Mass in person. Three months of spiritual fasting, fasting from the Eucharist, not being able to receive the Body and Blood of Christ. It’s my hope that this time of fasting has caused our desire for the Eucharist to grow.Perhaps one of the reasons why the Lord permitted the closing of our churches was so that we might value Him more in the Eucharist, desire Him more in Holy Communion, and not take for granted this tremendous gift from God.Let’s pray to the Lord that we might not take this great gift for granted, but instead that we would give thanks to God for it. We pray also for peace, unity, reconciliation and justice within ourselves, our country and our world which have seen so much turbulence in the past few weeks, knowing that the Eucharist is the source of these gifts for all who receive it worthily.And on this Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ, may Jesus in the Eucharist bless us, nourish us, and unite us today and forever. Amen.

In this podcast interview, Bill and I discuss the killing of George Floyd and the ensuing protests around our country and around the world. We approach these events from a Catholic perspective, taking into account the testimony of the Scriptures as well as statements from Pope Francis, Archbishop Gomez, and our own Bishop Kevin Vann. This Biblical and ecclesial approach offers a framework out of which Catholics can further discuss this topic and take appropriate action.We also speak about the reopening of our churches on the Feast of Corpus Christi this upcoming weekend. We look at issues such as the fear that some are having about returning to church and we discuss how to manage that fear, balancing our trust in God with the gifts He has given to us of wisdom, knowledge, understanding and insight.Full Statement from Pope Francis:https://n.pr/2Uxx4m2Full Statement from Archbishop Jose Gomez:https://bit.ly/2XTC7Q4Full Statement from Bishop Kevin Vann:https://bit.ly/3cWUNT4How do Catholics Respond to the Coronavirus?:https://bit.ly/3cMW676

Como Católicos, creemos en La Santísima Trinidad, es decir, un sólo Dios en tres personas divinas, Padre, Hijo, y el Espíritu Santo. Cada persona es Dios, y cada persona distinta que las otras personas, pero todas una comunión de amor y amistad.¿Por qué creemos en la Santísima Trinidad? ¿De dónde viene la idea? Creemos en la Trinidad porque la Trinidad es lo que Jesús nos ha revelado. Solo con nuestra inteligencia no podríamos construir la idea. Va mucho más allá de lo que nuestra inteligencia puede comprender o construir. Sólo por la revelación de Jesús la sabemos y la creemos. Oremos para que seamos envueltos en el amor de la Santísima Trinidad. Dios, Padre, Hijo, y Espíritu Santo, aunque no entendemos completamente el misterio de la Trinidad, sí entendemos que eres una comunión de amor y amistad. En un mundo donde falta tanto ese amor, te pedimos que infundas dentro de nuestro corazón una abundancia de Tu amor, para que todos los que nos ven, experimenten Tu amor para ellos también. Te pedimos, de una manera especial, por nuestro mundo que todavía sufre de violencia, racismo, injusticia y odio, que pongas a fin nuestra violencia, que pares nuestro racismo, que arregles nuestra injusticia y que cambies nuestro odio en el fuego de Tu amor. Confiamos en Tu presencia, Tu poder, y Tu amistad con nosotros. Amen.En esta Fiesta de la Santísima Trinidad, que la Trinidad nos bendiga y nos guíe hoy día y para siempre.———PODCASTS & SOCIAL MEDIA———Apple Podcasts: https://bit.ly/frmartinvuGoogle Podcasts: https://bit.ly/frmartin Spotify: https://bit.ly/weeklyhomiliesFB: https://www.facebook.com/fathermartinvuIG: https://www.instagram.com/frmartinvu

As Catholics we believe in the Holy Trinity, that is to say, one God in three divine persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, each person God, and each person different than the other persons, a communion of love and friendship.Why do we believe in the Trinity? Where does the idea even come from? We believe in the Trinity because the Trinity is what Jesus has revealed to us. With our intelligence alone we could not construct an idea like this. It’s way beyond what our minds could comprehend or construct. Only by Jesus’ revelation do we know it and believe it.During these days when we have seen so much hatred, violence and injustice in our nation and in our world, let’s pray together so that we would be enveloped within the love of the Holy Trinity. God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, although we do not fully understand the mystery of the Trinity, we do understand that You are a communion of love and friendship. In a world that is lacking so much in love, we ask that you would send deep into our hearts an abundance of Your love, so that everyone who sees us might experience Your love for them too. We pray in a special way for our world that still suffers from violence, racism, injustice and hatred, that You would put an end to our violence, that You would stop our racism, that You would fix our injustices and that You would change our hatred into the fire of Your love. We trust in Your presence, Your power, and Your friendship with us. Amen.On this Feast of the Holy Trinity, may the Trinity bless and guide us today and always.———PODCASTS & SOCIAL MEDIA———Apple Podcasts: https://bit.ly/frmartinvuGoogle Podcasts: https://bit.ly/frmartin Spotify: https://bit.ly/weeklyhomiliesFB: https://www.facebook.com/fathermartinvuIG: https://www.instagram.com/frmartinvu

In this homily at our 5 AM Mass today, I share some brief thoughts regarding the death of George Floyd and the events and issues surrounding his death. I bring in the Scriptures, comments from Pope Francis, a statement from Archbishop Gomez, and the words of Martin Luther King Jr. It’s certainly not a thorough reflection but rather an invitation to deeper conversation and even deeper conversion.This past Sunday I also shared an examination of conscience that we might use for ourselves. If we wish for deep, structural and systemic change, the change has to begin with each of us individually:Love: Do I demonstrate love or do I demonstrate hate?Joy: Do I exude joy or do I exude bitterness?Peace: Do I have peace in my heart or agitation? Patience: Am I patient or am I impatient? Kindness: Am I kind or am I critical? Goodness: Am I a person of good conduct or do my actions mar my character? Faithfulness: Am I faithful to God and to the things of God or do other things take His place? Gentleness: Do I speak gently or do I speak harshly? Self-Control: Do I have control of myself or am I undisciplined?

De Gálatas 5: 22-23, los frutos del Espíritu Santo son: amor, gozo, paz, paciencia, benignidad, bondad, fidelidad, mansedumbre, y dominio propio.Si alguien quisiera hacer examen de conciencia, aquí está una manera perfecta para hacerlo basada en los nueve frutos del Espíritu Santo. ¿Soy una persona de amor o de odio?¿Soy una persona de gozo o de resentimiento? ¿Guardo la paz en mi corazón o permito mucha agitación? ¿Tengo paciencia o pierdo mi paciencia?¿Soy amable o soy criticona?¿Soy una persona de buena conducta o a veces hago cosas que no debo de hacer? ¿Soy fiel a Dios, a mi esposo, a mi esposa, a mi familia, a mis compromisos o no me importan? ¿Hablo con ternura o con gritos? ¿Tengo control de mí mismo o pierdo disciplina?El Espíritu quiere producir frutos en nuestras vidas para que seamos personas de amor, gozo, paz, paciencia, benignidad, bondad, fidelidad, mansedumbre y dominio propio.En esta Solemnidad de Pentecostés, ¡qué el Espíritu Santo llene nuestros corazones con una abundancia de Su Presencia y Sus frutos!

From Galatians 5: 22-23, the fruit of the Spirit is: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.The death of George Floyd this past week has caused a great upheaval within our country. If the fruit of the Spirit was present, would George Floyd have died in the way that he did? If the fruit of the Spirit was present, would we be seeing violent protests in response?Below is an examination of conscience based on the nine fruits of the Spirit. As our country grapples with its own values and identity, this might be a good time to compare godly values with worldly values:Do I demonstrate love or do I demonstrate hate?Do I exude joy or do I exude bitterness?Do I have peace in my heart or do I have agitation? Am I patient or am I impatient? Am I kind or am I critical? Am I a person of good conduct or do my actions mar my character? Am I faithful to God and to the things of God or do other things take His place? Do I speak gently or do I speak harshly? Do I have control of myself or am I undisciplined?Wherever the Spirit is, there is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Anything opposed to these comes from another source.On this Solemnity of Pentecost, may we allow the Holy Spirit fill our hearts with an abundance of His Presence and His fruits!

Depression, anxiety and despair have been on the rise over the past few months. With May being Mental Health Awareness Month, I wanted to share how finding our daily purpose for living can help lift us up out of fear, discouragement and lack of motivation.

Un día todos los padres de familia tienen que dejar a sus hijos salir de la casa para ir a la escuela, al colegio, para encontrar trabajo, para casarse y formar su propia familia. Pero ustedes no los dejan solos. Cuando van a la escuela, les dan comida. Cuando empiezan a trabajar, les dan consejos y enseñanzas. Cuando empiezan su propia familia, les hablan por teléfono, les mandan mensajes de texto, se comunican por Facetime o Whatsapp. Y durante el año, los visitan. Todavía están presentes en sus vidas, pero en una manera diferente.Cuando Jesús ascendió al cielo, no nos dejó solos. Nos dio su presencia en diferentes maneras. Nos dio sus enseñanzas en la Sagrada Escritura. Nos dio su Espíritu en nuestra oración personal. Y nos dio su Presencia en todos los Sacramentos, especialmente el Sacramento de la Eucaristía, donde lo encontramos a Él mismo aunque no lo vemos. Aunque Jesús ha ascendido al cielo, todavía está íntimamente presente a nosotros.Por eso podemos hablarle. Por eso podemos pedir su presencia. Por eso podemos escuchar su voz y estar íntimamente conectados con Él en cada situación y circunstancia de nuestras vidas.¡Que Jesús ascendido al Padre nos bendiga y nos consuele en esta Fiesta de la Ascensión!

As I approach the end of year one of priesthood, I had the opportunity to be interviewed by Bill Stegall from my parish at Santiago de Compostela. Bill hosts the Santiago Way podcast, a podcast which records and broadcasts Sunday homilies at Santiago de Compostela and which occasionally hosts guest speakers.In this interview, I share some thoughts about my first year of priesthood including its challenges, blessings, and surprises. We then talk about the church during this pandemic and cover topics such as Zoom Confessions, the gradual reopening of our churches, and whether or not churches should be considered "essential".* The audio is a little choppy at first but clears up during the interview.** Since the recording of this interview, the Diocese of Orange has given the date of June 14, 2020 (Corpus Christi Sunday) to begin the gradual reopening of our churches. Praise the Lord!!For the video interview:https://youtu.be/H47ojJmBFZ8

All parents experience the one day when their children leave the house to go to school, to go to college, to find a job, to marry and start a family. But even though you let them go, you’ve never really left them. When they went to school, you packed food for them. When they began to work, you taught them how to work well. When they started their own family, you spoke with them over the phone, you sent them text messages, you saw them through FaceTime or Zoom. And during the year you visited them in person. You’re still present to your children but in just a different way.When Jesus ascended into heaven, He didn’t leave us orphans. He gave us His presence in different ways. He gave us His teachings through the Sacred Scriptures. He gave us His Spirit in our personal and communal prayer. He gave us His presence in all of the Sacraments, especially in the Sacrament of the Eucharist, where we encounter Jesus Himself even if hidden under the appearances of bread and wine. Even though Jesus ascended into heaven, He is still intimately present to us.This is why we can talk to Him, we can ask for His Presence, we can hear His voice and be intimately connected with Him in every moment and circumstance of our lives.May Jesus ascended to the Father bless and keep you on this Feast of the Ascension!