The Fourth Sunday of Lent, March 15 Homily

March 15, 2026

English and Español

When I was younger I didn’t like to wake up in the morning and go to school.  All throughout middle school and high school, my dad would just seem to call me several times every morning, saying, “rise and shine…up and at ‘em.”  I can still hear those words reverberating in my head. And some days, it’s still seems just as difficult to get up early in the morning, especially for those early 7 am weekday Masses.

But what happens some of those mornings when you hear the alarm clock go off, and the sun is up and shining brightly in your room.  You pull the blankets up.  Maybe make that little groan, with the disbelief that it’s morning already – teenagers can do this so well.  Sometimes, when the sun shines through the window, we just prefer to pull the covers back up over our heads, and in the darkness, get back to sleep.

My friends, that theme of the struggle between light and darkness goes beyond our morning wake-up routines.  In fact, the Scripture readings today use it to illustrate an important message we need to hear as we continue our journey through Lent.

In particular, the Gospel from St. John picks up on this theme of light and darkness, as we hear about this man born blind from birth.  For the people of Jesus’ day, when someone had a disability, they often attributed it to punishment for sin – either the person’s own sins, or the sins of his mother or father, or even an ancestor.

So, Jesus encounters this man blind from birth to teach His disciples and the          on-looking, spiteful Pharisees a thing or two about sin.  And what does Jesus do?  He cures the blind man with mud that He made from the ground.  And you can imagine the blind man’s joy?  But the Pharisees – they’re upset, because Jesus did this on the Sabbath – the day of rest, when no work what-so-ever was permitted.      

Jesus, however, goes on to teach them all a lesson.  In rash judgment, some of them had scorned this man as being blind surely because of some sin he or his family committed.  They believed he was in physical darkness because of his own spiritual darkness.  But, it wasn’t this man, whose sinful life was on exposé.  Rather, it was the Pharisees’.  They, as the righteous teachers of Israel, thought that they were beyond sin.  So, when Jesus, the Light of the World, comes shining the rays of His truth in their direction, they just pull the covers up over their heads, saying, “Surely we are not also blind, are we?”  Ummm?!

My friends, we may not like to identify ourselves with the Pharisees.  But sometimes we are more like them than we care to admit.  How many times do we, like them, pull the covers up over our heads, and pretend there’s not much to change in our lives?  Or, how many times do we, like them, prefer the darkness of sin instead?  Maybe those “comfortable” dark shadows that are easy on our eyes – those less agonizing sins like being so judgmental of others, or “just” lusting after someone, or gossiping and incessant complaining?

This Lent God, the Son, shines His gentle rays upon us, calling us to repentance – giving us our own personal wake-up call.  Jesus is calling us to really work on turning away from sin, not just sin in general, but particular sin – whatever it is – that I struggle with.  So, come on out from under your covers, and let the merciful light of Christ fill you up today.  God bless you.    

Homilía para el 4o Domingo de Curesma

Cuando era más joven, no me gustaba despertarme por la mañana e ir a la escuela. Durante la mayoria de estos años, mi padre parecía llamarme varias veces cada mañana, diciendo: «¡Arriba y a brillar!... ¡En pie y en marcha!».  Todavía puedo oír esas palabras resonando en mi cabeza.  Y algunos días, todavía parece igual de difícil levantarme temprano por la mañana, especialmente para esas Misas matutinas a las 7:00 de la mañana.

Pero, ¿qué sucede en algunas de esas mañanas cuando oyes sonar el despertador y el sol ya ha salido y brilla intensamente en tu recamara?  Te subes las cobijas hasta arriba. Quizás emites ese pequeño gemido, con la incredulidad de que ya sea de día.  A veces, cuando el sol entra por la ventana, simplemente preferimos volver a subirnos las cobijas por encima de la cabeza y, en la oscuridad, volver a dormirnos.

Amigos míos, ese tema de la lucha entre la luz y la oscuridad va más allá de nuestras rutinas matutinas al despertar.  De hecho, las lecturas de las Escrituras de hoy lo utilizan para ilustrar un mensaje importante que necesitamos escuchar mientras continuamos nuestro camino a través de la Cuaresma.

En particular, el Evangelio de San Juan habla de este tema de la luz y la oscuridad, al escuchar sobre el hombre que era ciego de nacimiento.  Para la gente de la época de Jesús, cuando alguien tenía una discapacidad, a menudo la atribuían a un castigo por el pecado – ya fueran los propios pecados de la persona, o los pecados de su padres, o incluso los de un antepasado.

Así pues, Jesús se encuentra con este hombre ciego de nacimiento para enseñar a sus discípulos —y a los fariseos que observaban con malicia— unas cosas sobre el pecado. ¿Y qué hace Jesús?  Cura al ciego con barro que Él mismo hizo con tierra del suelo.  ¿Se imaginan la alegría del ciego?  Pero los fariseos estaban molestos, porque Jesús lo hizo en sábado: el día de descanso, en el que no se permitía realizar ningún tipo de trabajo.

Jesús, sin embargo, procede a darles a todos una lección.  En un juicio precipitado, algunos de ellos habían despreciado a este hombre, asumiendo que su ceguera se debía, sin duda, a algún pecado cometido por él o por su familia.  Creían que se encontraba en la oscuridad física a causa de su propia oscuridad espiritual.  Pero Jesús quiere ayudar a los fariseos comprender que la dureza de sus corazones es una forma peligrosa de ceguera.  Ellos, como los maestros de Israel, de hecho, creían estar por encima del pecado.  Así que, cuando Jesús —la Luz del Mundo— se acerca haciendo resplandecer los rayos de Su verdad en su dirección, ellos simplemente se cubren la cabeza con las cobijas y preguntan: «Seguramente nosotros no somos ciegos también, ¿verdad?».  Um? 

Ahora, tal vez no nos guste identificarnos con los fariseos.  Pero, a veces, nos parecemos más a ellos de lo que nos gustaría admitir.  ¿Cuántas veces nosotros, al igual que ellos, nos cubrimos la cabeza con las cobijas y fingimos que no hay mucho que cambiar en nuestras vidas?  O bien, ¿cuántas veces nosotros, como ellos, preferimos la oscuridad del pecado?  Quizás opinemos que nuestros pecados no son “tan malos” – como juzgar a los demás, o «simplemente» sentir lujuria por alguien, o caer en el chismorreo y la queja incesante.  

En esta Cuaresma, el Hijo de Dios hace resplandecer Sus suaves rayos sobre nosotros, llamándonos al arrepentimiento y ofreciéndonos una llamada de atención personal.  Jesús nos convoca a esforzarnos verdaderamente por apartarnos del pecado; no del pecado en abstracto, sino de ese pecado concreto —sea lo que sea— con el que yo, en particular, lucho a diario.  Así pues, salgan de debajo de sus cobijas y permitan que la luz misericordiosa de Cristo los colme hoy.  Que Dios los bendiga.

The Third Sunday of Lent, March 8 Homily

March 8, 2026

English

You may have picked up on the fact that today’s readings have a lot to do with the theme of water. The first reading speaks about Moses being instructed by God to hit the rock in the desert with his staff so that they people could have water to drink. And the Gospel according to John tells of Jesus’ encounter with this certain Samaritan woman at the well. And there’s just so much going in this passage that I want to focus on it now.St. John tells us that Jesus was sitting at a well, tired from His journey with His disciples to Samaria. Well (pun intended!), along comes this woman, and Jesus asks her for a drink. Now, as far as a Jewish man asking a Samaritan woman for a drink in public – using the same bucket – a huge no-no! But pretty soon, Jesus’ true humility gets this woman’s attention, and before long a conversation about water unfolds as He answers her objection about sharing the same drinking vessel. Jesus says, “If you knew the gift of God and who is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink’, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” Living water is an interesting phrase in the original Greek that John wrote in. The Greek word is ‘zoe’ – spelled just like the girl’s name, Zoe, which literally means “life”. We get our English word “zoo” from this Greek word. The zoo is where we go to see all these forms of animal life.

Well, like many words, ‘zoe’ has multiple meanings. It means living or alive. But, by extension, it also means flowing, when referring to water. In other words, flowing water is alive. The Samaritan woman understands the living water Jesus talking about as the second type – flowing water. And this makes absolutely no sense to her because water from a well isn’t flowing – it’s stagnant! She even says to Jesus, “Sir, you do not even have a bucket and the cistern is deep; where then can you get this living water?”

Jesus, though, isn’t interested in talking with her about which type of water is better – either well water or flowing water, say from a stream. Rather, He wants to take the conversation with her to the next level to talk about the other meaning of water, living water – water that gives life. And so Jesus says to her, “Everyone who drinks this water [from the well] will be thirsty again; but whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst.” Now, fully enticed and open to Jesus’ offer, the woman asks for the living water that Jesus can give her.

What is this water that only Jesus can give? Well, in the Gospel of John, Jesus Himself tells us – the Holy Spirit. Think about it – water is life. We can live without food and shelter for days, even weeks – but without water after a day or so, life is impossible. We need water to live. The Samaritan woman knew this – that’s why she was at the well in the first place. But by inviting her to receive this living water that Jesus is offering, He is addressing her deeper thirst – her spiritual thirst for the living God.

Putting this all in plain language, we cannot live without the Holy Spirit. Why? Because God’s Spirit, dwelling within us, is life! On the day of our baptism, each one of us received this living water. We were washed clean of all of our sins by the power of the Holy Spirit. We were born again as adopted sons and daughters of God the Father. And we were given to drink of the springs of eternal life, so that we could be saved from eternal separation from God.

But that was then. This is now – for some of us, many more years later than others! Can you imagine if you only had one big drink of water 40 or more years ago, and never since? Well no, you can’t, because you’d be dead! Well, something similar happens when we try to live our lives apart from the Holy Spirit too. Spiritually, we become these shriveled up, barely hanging on, spirituallymalnourished people!

The Holy Spirit is the power of God given to us so that we can live in fellowship with God. We need to come to the well each day in prayer and drink deeply from these life-giving, hope-building, eternally nourishing waters to quench the deepest thirst that we otherwise wouldn’t even know we have! We need the Holy Spirit each and every day if we are going to overcome our sins. We need the Holy Spirit at every moment that temptation strikes if we are not going to succumb. We need the Holy Spirit desperately if we are going to be able to live the lives God commands us to live.

Therefore, we constantly need to go to God, and ask Him to fill us with His Spirit. I do this all throughout the day. “Lord, I don’t have what it takes. Fill me with your Spirit. Fill me up!” And when His Spirit fills our spirits, then we are empowered to live as God created us to be. It is God living and working in us. We are just cooperating with Him and believing that He really will do so!

My brothers and sisters, Lent is a time of journeying with Jesus into the desert of our lives. It’s a time of recognizing our need to utterly depend on Him. Without Jesus we have no life and are dead in our sins. So, allow yourself to recognize your deep spiritual thirst – a thirst every human being possesses – and then allow God to quench your thirst. He will never leave you thirsty because, as Jesus says, “whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst…[rather, it] will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” God bless you.

The Second Sunday of Lent, March 1 Homily

March 1, 2026

English

I don’t know if you’ve ever had the experience of working with clay before. When I was in college, a friend of mine took an elective on clay sculpture. Well, one Saturday I went up with her to the art building to use the pottery wheel for a project that was due Monday. While I was watching her, I thought, “How hard could it be?”, and I gave it a try. Let me tell you that if you’ve ever seen someone working at a pottery wheel, they make it look so easy. You see, if you don’t put enough pressure on the clay to shape it, nothing happens. However, it you put too much pressure on the clay, then it goes flying all over the place, and you have one heck of a mess on your hands. Both of these were personal experiences of mine.

Last Sunday we heard in our Scripture readings that “the LORD God formed man out of the clay of the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and so man became a living being.” Indeed, we human beings are created from the dust of the earth by God, the master Potter. We are clay in His hands. And the Scriptures mention time and time again this truth. Take for example the Prophet Isaiah, who says, “Yet, O LORD, you are our father; we are the clay and you the potter: we are all the work of your hands.” Or take our readings today. Abram is called by God to leave his homeland and travel to the land of Canaan, and we see God molding him into Abraham, the great patriarch of Israel. Then there are the 12, who are formed in Jesus’ Disciples by such experiences as the Transfiguration.

God the Father indeed is our Potter, the one who constantly desires to shape us into the image and likeness of Jesus, His Son. But, in order to shape clay into a vessel, you need a few things. First, you need a vision of what it is you want to design – a goal you’re working towards. And this is certainly true with our Father, who has a particular plan for each one of us, our vocation. He desires to form us, living blocks of clay, into His beautiful masterpieces.

But, you know, this leads to another requirement to be able to work with clay: it has to be soft. Obviously, if the clay isn’t soft enough, it won’t be pliable enough to mold. And I think you can see the same applies with respect to our relationship with God: if we don’t surrender to Him and allow our hearts to be vulnerable before Him, we don’t give Him much to work with. This is why we need to go to Confession, and experience the mercy of God, which causes our hearts to soften. Otherwise, our hearts become so hardened, even impenetrable at times, because of sin.

But even should we allow our hearts to get too hardened, God can still work with that clay too. It’s pretty neat, actually. I saw on Youtube how clay that has become rock hard, also become extremely brittle and breaks very easily. And even though it’s not workable in the least, the sculptor doesn’t throw the clay away. Instead he or she often breaks it into pieces, throwing them into a can filled with some water. And little by little, the dry clay soaks up the water, becoming soft enough to work with again. The same is true with God, our master Potter: He doesn’t throw away His living clay, saying it’s just too far gone! He will patiently wait for us to be ready for Him. Our experience of this though can be just like the potter, who breaks down the clay to prepare it for reconstitution. We can feel like God just allows us to be broken, and sometimes even fall into pieces. And we might wonder, “Why would He allow such things to happen to the living lumps of clay He loves so much?” But I believe this is in an effort to bring us to a place where we can again become soft enough and moldable and continue the process anew – to trust Him.

But there’s one last thing you need to work with clay, and that’s a kiln. The interesting thing about fire is that it can either destroy or transform. For example, fire can completely destroy a house. Or it can purify precious metals, and harden other materials, like clay. The fire of the kiln dries out the clay, but in such a way as to make it more sturdy and durable. A similar reality is true in our lives with respect to God our Potter. He allows us to be tested and to experience trial by fire in order to strengthen our virtuous character, to increase our resolve to follow Him, and to reinforce our faith in His undying love.

Yes, it’s easy to say all these things. And yes, it all sounds nice. But, it’s also very true too. God is our Potter, and we His clay. Sometimes we might want to be our own potters and mold ourselves as we prefer. But the problem is that we often don’t have the same vision – remember the Big Picture we talkedab out last week? And so, as we continue our journey through this season of Lent, we seek to make ourselves vulnerable before God – opening our hearts, our minds, our very lives to Him – all so that He can mold us and dwell within these beautiful, sacred vessels that we are. God bless you.

The First Sunday of Lent, February 22 Homily

February 22, 2026

English

I remember I was at the diocesan center in Harrisburg once for some type of presentation. The presenter was using PowerPoint, projecting the slides on a screen. There were all these nice images of Jesus, including this one that had an impressionistic look to it. You could make out the head, His white robe – textured and all. But, it looked fuzzy. Actually, furry would be a better word – because it turned out that this so-called picture of Jesus was actually the zoomed-in backside of a dog! And the presenter had no idea – he just probably found the image searching Google Images on the Internet! Now, zoomed out, we would have known exactly what we were looking at. But zoomed in?

The big picture often makes all the difference between understanding just a part of what’s going on versus the full reality of the situation at hand. For example, liturgically speaking, our big picture is Lent, which we’ve just begun. But Lent itself is meant to help us confront an even bigger picture – one that began a very long time ago in the Garden of Eden. There, the opening scene of the long, complex drama of human history commenced.

In the first reading today, we hear, then, how God formed man out of the clay of the ground – this meager dust of the earth, which on Ash Wednesday, we were reminded we are made of, and are one day to return to. And yet, we are so much more than dust; because at the same time, God breathed into the man’s nostrils the breath of life, which enabled him to become a living being. The breath of life – the very life-giving Spirit of God, which gave physical animation and eternal worth to that dust formed into a body.

And God had such beautiful plans for these children He had created. But then along came the serpent, and Satan in bodily form tempted Adam and Eve to taste of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Up to that point, they had only known what was truly good, because that’s how God created them. So, why on earth would they ever want to know what evil was? And yet curiosity got the best of them: and they outright disobeyed their loving Father’s will, and they ate the forbidden fruit.

But then why is the next thing we hear that they realized they were naked, and then sewed fig leaves together to make loincloths for themselves? Sure their eyes had just been opened to what was good and evil. But, it wasn’t that their naked bodies were bad and so they had to cover them up – their bodies after all were created from the dust of the earth by God as fundamentally good! So, what was so “bad” that they had to hide themselves from each other?

Being naked symbolizes being completely vulnerable – that there’s nothing to hide. But now there was something to hide: Eve had just tempted Adam with the fruit of the tree, although she would later blame it on the devil. And Adam had failed to protect his wife from the serpent, later blaming it all on her. So, with this “blame game”, it turns out there’s plenty to cover up here: shame, guilt, pride, sin. Adam and Eve were no longer completely vulnerable and perfectly open to one another – they couldn’t totally trust one another – and so they instinctively protected themselves from the other, who was once a perfect soul mate, but had now become a betrayer and an accomplice to mortal sin.

At the same time, though, they were no longer able to be entirely vulnerable and open to God either. In fact, they hid themselves from Him among the trees of the garden, when He came to look for them in the cool of the night. Sin had harmed Adam and Eve’s relationship with God and with one another much more than they could have ever conceived. And now they had to live with the consequences of their choices.

And here’s the big picture. As children of Adam and Eve, you and I have not only been born into a world ruled by sin, but we’ve also inherited the very same consequences of sin. We too hide ourselves from God and from one another. Think about it. How often do you hide yourself from others by showing them just that side of you, you think they would like or accept? Or how often do you hide your real thoughts or feelings in order not to get hurt? It can be very difficult to really be vulnerable before one another, even for husbands and wives.

And what about our relationship with God? Do you ever try to rationalize your sins, saying: “At least I’m not as bad as so-and-so”, trying to minimize the guilt? Or, do you ever find yourself avoiding time with God in prayer, because it’s easier to keep busy than it is confronting what you shouldn’t be doing? When we do things like this, though, there are consequences. Sure, we don’t die on the spot as a result of sin – neither did Adam and Eve. But, when we disobey God, death is doled out and forced upon us – death in terms of shame, hurt, feelings of inadequacy, jealousy, and insecurity, and the list goes on and on.

And honestly, all of this really gets in the way of us being vulnerable before the One who made Himself completely vulnerable before us on the cross. Sin gets in the way of you having a deeply intimate relationship with God. And the big picture is that Lent is a time of paying special attention to our sins and areas in which we struggle, and asking God for His mercy and forgiveness, especially in the sacrament of Reconciliation, and asking for His grace and strength, which we don’t have on our own. And we go out of our way to do so, because He has first done so for us. God bless you.

The Sixth Sunday of Ordinary Time, February 15 Homily

February 15, 2026

English and Español

When Joel and Mary decided to get married, they were students with limited financial resources. Some family members thought they would have to choose a simple ceremony in front of the judge, because they wouldn’t be able to afford a wedding like they saw in all the photos online.

What is the reason for getting married in the Church? Sometimes I wonder if it’s largely for aesthetic reasons – that is, to have a beautiful church where you can take lots of photos, and then afterwards, throw an impressive party for everyone. But the photos and the celebration are not the true reason for getting married. On the contrary, it’s to receive the sacrament of marriage. And, in fact, the sacrament does not require emptying your bank account!

Without the sacrament of marriage, spouses do not receive the grace of God to love one another. Certainly, there is natural love—and that love is beautiful. But, through the sacrament of marriage, God himself pours out his supernatural love—that is, divine and unconditional love. And since God is love, this sacrament allows spouses to love each other with that very love. What is God's love like? In a word, sacrificial. And since God is love, it is His essence—His nature—to sacrifice. Love is love precisely because it seeks the good of the other person – it sacrifices. And God does this for us. The Son of God became man and died for us on the cross of Calvary. The divine Bridegroom loved so much that He sacrificed Himself for His Bride, which is the Church—thinking of us.

Well, through the sacrament of marriage, Jesus wants to infuse the grace of His love into the hearts of married couples. To have a fruitful marriage, it is necessary to have a mature love. And mature love is sacrificial in nature. It doesn't merely think of itself and what makes oneself happy, but rather of the good of the other. That’s why God gives the necessary grace to be able to do all this. As humans, because of sin, we’re prone to selfishness. But through this sacrament, God can transform spouses so that they love each other as the Bridegroom, Jesus, loves His Bride, the Church—something not possible with natural, or human, love alone.

In the sacrament of marriage, at the moment of the vows, the groom begins the marriage by administering God's grace to his bride, and the wife now also administers God's grace to her husband. This is the moment when the grace of God is poured out upon the couple. The Catechism of the Catholic Church indicates that through these graces, “Christ dwells with them, gives them the strength to take up their crosses and so follow him, to rise again after they have fallen, to forgive one another, to bear one another's burdens, to ‘be subject to one another out of reverence for Christ,’”. Marriage in the Church gives couples more than just a wedding. It gives them the sacramental love of God to live such a beautiful marriage! Once Jesus declared, “Haven’t you read that the Creator from the beginning made them male and female? For this reason, a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” Marriage was designed by the Creator “from the beginning” to be where perpetual and lasting love forms a family.

When Joel and Maria were thinking about getting married, they had no worries; they got married in the Catholic Church. “For us, a wedding isn’t just about the reception, the flowers, and the honeymoon,” Maria said. “The important thing is the sacrament, which unites us as one flesh in the eyes of God.”

But how could they afford a church wedding? “Easy,” Joel said. “We kept the focus on the Mass. The reception was in the church’s community hall, and the food was donated by our friends. The decorations were simple, and Maria’s mother made the wedding cake. Friends took the pictures. And the honeymoon lasted a few days.”

Maria affirmed, “We had a very nice wedding, and we have very beautiful memories. But we have more than memories—we have a very beautiful marriage that draws us closer to God. And that's what marriage is all about. Christ was at the center of our wedding, and now He is at the center of our marriage.”

Yesterday, there was a couple's retreat here at the Xavier Center. And it was so beautiful that more than 70 couples participated. Many of them were married, others are in civil unions, thinking about marriage, and still others are preparing for marriage. And true love isn't satisfied with just the first step. True love sacrifices to the very end. May God help all of our couples grow deeper in true sacrificial love for one another. God bless you.

Español

Cuando Joel y Mary decidieron casarse, eran estudiantes con recursos limitados. Algunos familiares pensaron que tendrían que optar por una ceremonia sencilla ante el juez, porque no podrían costear una boda como la que veían en todas las fotos en línea.

¿Qué es la razón para casarse en la iglesia? A veces me pregunto si algunos lo hacen simplemente por razones estéticas, o sea, para tener una iglesia bonita en que se pueden tomar muchas fotos, y luego echar una fiesta tan impresionante para todo el mundo. Pero las fotos y la convivencia no son la verdadera razón de casarse por la Iglesia. Más bien, es el sacramento del matrimonio. ¡Y, de hecho, un sacramento no requiere que se vacíe la cuenta de ahorros!

Sin el sacramento del matrimonio los esposos no reciben la gracia de Dios de amarse mutuamente. Cierto que hay el amor natural – y tan bonito es ese amor. Pero, por medio del sacramento del matrimonio, Dios mismo derrama su amor supernatural – es decir, el amor divino e incondicional. Y ya que Dios es amor, el sacramento permite que los esposos se amen con ese mismo amor. ¿Cómo es el amor de Dios? En una palabra, sacrificante. Y ya que Dios es amor, es su esencia – su naturaleza – sacrificarse. El amor es amor precisamente porque busca el bien de la otra persona – se sacrifica. Y Dios hace esto para nosotros. El Hijo de Dios se hizo hombre, y murió por nosotros en la cruz del Calvario. Tanto amó el Novio divino que se sacrificó por su Novia, que es la Iglesia – pensando en nosotros.

Bueno, por medio del sacramento del matrimonio, Jesús, quiere infundir la gracia de su amor en los corazones de los matrimonios. Para tener un matrimonio fructífero, es necesario tener un amor maduro. Y un amor maduro se sacrifica. No piensa en sí mismo y lo que hace uno mismo feliz, sino pensar en el bien del otro. Por eso, Dios da la gracia necesaria para poder lograr todo esto. Como humanos, debido al pecado, somos propensos al egoísmo. Pero a través de este sacramento, Dios puede transformar a los esposos para que se amen mutuamente tal como el esposo, Jesús, ama a Su esposa, la Iglesia – algo que no es posible simplemente con el amor natural, es decir, humana.

En el sacramento del matrimonio, al momento de los votos, el novio comienza el matrimonio administrando a su novia la gracia de Dios, y también la novia administra la gracia de Dios al novio. Este es el momento en que la gracia de Dios se derrama sobre los novios. El Catecismo de la Iglesia Católica indica que mediante estas gracias “Cristo vive en los matrimonios, y les da la fuerza para tomar sus cruces y seguirle, les da fuerzas a volver a levantarse cuando han caído, les da fuerza a perdonarse mutuamente, les da fuerza para llevar los problemas del cónyuge, les da las fuerzas para que ‘expresen su respeto a Cristo siendo sumisos los unos a los otros.’” El casarse por la Iglesia les da a los novios más que una boda. ¡Les da el amor de Dios sacramental para vivir un matrimonio tan bello!

Como Jesús preguntó una vez, “¿No han leído que el Creador al principio los hizo hombre y mujer? Por eso el hombre dejará a su padre y a su madre y se unirá con una mujer y serán los dos una sola carne.’” Por lo tanto, el matrimonio fue diseñado por el Creador “desde el principio” para ser donde el amor perpetuo y duradero forma una familia.

Cuando Joel y María estaban pensando en casarse, no tenían preocupaciones; se casaron por la Iglesia Católica. “Para nosotros, la boda no sólo consiste en el banquete de bodas, en las flores, y en la luna de miel”, dijo María. “Lo importante es el sacramento, el cual nos une como una sola carne ante los ojos de Dios.”

Pero, ¿cómo pudieron pagar por una boda en la iglesia? “Fácil”, dijo Joel. “Mantuvimos el enfoque en la Misa. El banquete fue en un salón de la iglesia, y la comida se nos donó por nuestros amigos. Las decoraciones eran sencillas, y la madre de María hizo el pastel de bodas. Los amigos tomaron las fotos. Y la luna de miel duró unos pocos días.”

Bueno, Joel y María ya se han acabado los días estudiantiles y recientemente celebraron su duodécimo aniversario de bodas. ¿Tienes alguna pena por haber tenido una boda tan sencilla? “No. Ninguna”, dijo María. “¿Por qué iniciar el matrimonio con grandes deudas de una boda lujosa – nada más para que estén maravillados nuestros amigos? Joel afirmó, “Nosotros tuvimos una boda muy linda, y tenemos memorias muy bonitas. Pero tenemos más que memorias – tenemos un matrimonio muy lindo que nos acerca más a Dios. Y es en esto que consiste el matrimonio. Cristo estaba en el centro de nuestra boda, y ahora está en el centro de nuestro matrimonio.”

Ayer hubo un retiro de parejas aquí en este salón. Y tan lindo que más de 70 parejas participaron. Muchos de ellos casados, otros en uniones libres pensando en el matrimonio, hasta otros preparándose para el matrimonio. El amor verdadero no basta con el primer paso. El amor verdadero sacrifica hasta el fin. Que Dios ayude a todas las parejas a crecer más profundamente en el verdadero amor sacrificial el uno por el otro. Que Dios los bendiga a ustedes.

The Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time, February 8 Homily

February 8, 2026

English

So, recently we celebrated the feast of St. Blaise. Remember last week, we offered the traditional blessing of the throats after Mass? Well, this made me think of a true story – something that happened to me three years ago. After celebrating a baptism one day, I went to the party afterwards – a great celebration with lots of ethnic food. One of the things on the menu was some delicious whole fish. I was enjoying it so much until I swallowed a mouthful that had some bones in it. That happens to people. Usually, no problem. However, this time, one of the bones got lodged in my throat. I tried drinking lots of water. Nothing. Then I tried a couple of bananas. Nothing. It was just really uncomfortable. Well, that night at about 1:30 am, I woke up with a kind of stabbing pain in my throat, which was a little frightening, to say the least. Then, I remembered – “I can’t believe this, but the feast day of St. Blaise is coming up.” In case you don’t know, St. Blaise is the patron saint of illnesses of the throat, so named because he helped save a child who was choking on a fishbone. So I asked St. Blaise to pray for me to be healed of the problem at hand. Somehow, I went back to sleep, and when I woke up the next morning, there was surprisingly no pain in my throat, just some pressure. I went to my prescheduled doctor appointment, and when they looked into my throat with the scope, they could certainly see where the bone had been – it was all red and swollen – but no bone. Somehow, it had dislodged after I went back to sleep. Then it occurred to me. All those efforts of trying to get that fishbone out just didn’t work, no matter what. And yet after praying, things seemingly resolved themselves on their own.

Why do I tell that story? Well, first off, I was just so grateful to no longer have a fish bone stuck in my throat! But even more, I actually remember telling St. Blaise that night in my prayer, that if he healed me, I would give him all the credit and give all the glory to God. So I want you to know, to God belongs the glory, and He truly does answer prayers. Yes, it’s true – we don’t always get what we want, when we want, how we want it in prayer. But if we don’t ask at all in prayer, then should we expect anything from Him? As one preacher I like to listen to puts it: “I’d rather ask God for a lot and only get a little, than to ask God for nothing and get all of it!”

Speaking of giving God the glory, Jesus teaches in our Gospel: “your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.” And this really struck me. When it comes to our good deeds, yes, we may do them so that others are helped, and what a good motive that is – loving our neighbor in a tangible way – that’s good! And we may do these things as well because we feel good doing them in the first place – and that’s fine too, it’s rewarding for us. But, above all, as Christians, our good deeds should be about showing the world how God actually changes people’s lives to do these good things in the first place – and thus give the glory to Him – all so that we can be drawn deeper into a saving relationship with Him! This is the power of a personal testimony – changed lives.

You know, sometimes God wants to use the big things, like miracles, to get our attention and give Him the glory, drawing us in. But so often it’s those little things that we as Christians can do in our daily lives that have a similar result. Here are some I thought of recently:

- If you’re an impatient person, what kind of witness would it be to others, especially if they know you’re impatient, to let someone else go in front of you, or not try to beat them to the traffic light?

- Or, if you’re more of a selfish kind of person, how about being generous and thinking of how you can make someone else’s day better instead of thinking of yourself all the time?

- Of, if you struggle with being kind, what kind of glory would be given to God if you were just warm and friendly to someone, even if they were cold and mean to you?

These little things can truly get people’s attention in a self-absorbed, impatient, selfish kind of world, and make them wonder why we’re actually patient, generous, and kind – and give God the glory.

And how do we become these things we’re not? By growing in our daily relationship with the God who changes lives. By cultivating a meaningful daily prayer life, we spend time with Jesus. And the Holy Spirit gives us the grace to become like Him whom we’re spending time with. So, let us ask God the Father to transform us, so that we can truly live as His children. And let us do so, so that others may see our changed lives and so actually want to come to church, our Father’s house, to be in relationship with Him and have changed lives too! God bless you.

The Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time, February 1 Homily

February 1, 2026

English and Español

In today’s Gospel, we just heard the very beginning of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount.  This introduction is, of course, known as the Beatitudes.  Beatitude is a word best translated as “blessed” or “supremely happy”.  If I’m honest, the Beatitudes have always been a bit of a mystery to me.  I mean I know them.  I can recite them.  But, what do they actually mean – above all, practically speaking?  Perhaps some of you can identify, if you’re really honest with yourselves too!  But over time, what I’ve come to learn about the Beatitudes from what Scripture repeatedly teaches us – God’s ways are not man’s ways.  His ways are so far above our ways as human beings.  And many times, because of our limited viewpoint, we interpret things only on a natural level – we are human beings after all!  But, being human doesn’t mean that we’re just matter – our bodies.  We are spiritual as well.  We have souls – that part of us that is created in God’s image and likeness, and includes our personalities, our wills, our emotions – and that houses that inner sanctuary where God’s very Spirit dwells within us.  What this means is that everything in life is not merely reducible to the material world.  And when we choose with God’s grace, we can actually see things in a much fuller way – God’s way!

Thus enters the Beatitudes.  The Beatitudes take natural circumstances, and breathe supernatural purpose into them that gives the natural reality a whole new meaning.  Take the reality like mourning.  “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”  Certainly we would say in the natural that we are hardly supremely happy or blessed when we are mourning.  We’re sad, even grief-stricken.  But again, if we see only with our natural eyes, that’s all we can see.  According to God’s plan however, when we mourn, we’re in a place of need by which God, loved ones, even strangers can comfort us.  If we were so self-sufficient that we didn’t need anyone, how much would we be missing out on the love and compassion of others that comes to us when they, for example, comfort us in our mourning!    

Again, this is the whole point of the Beatitudes – to challenge us to see things from God’s perspective.  God is not saying He will take away our mourning.  We need to experience that, as painful as it can be.  But, He does provide for us in that very mourning which transcends it and brings forth good from that which is not good.  In fact, I have come to see the Beatitudes, in a way, as fulfilling my favorite Scripture passage – Romans 8:28: “God works all things for good for those who love Him…”  God is good.  And therefore, He can and will bring forth good from that which is not good when we are willing to love Him and accept His purpose or plan.  Then we can truly be blessed by Him, whereas otherwise, we would merely be stuck naturally in the mourning.

Above all, the first and last Beatitude make this point even more – because they are the “bookends” that highlight what is most important – “the Kingdom of God.”  “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” and “Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”  In other words, you and I were not created just for the 70, 80, or 90 years we get on this earth – again, as if we were just in the natural.  But, we were created for eternal communion with our Father forever in the glory of heaven.  How often do we lose sight of this ultimate truth, and just live as if this life were it!

However, when persecution or trial comes along, or we get a real taste of how we utterly just can’t do life all ourselves – such realities shake us to be open to seeing things from God’s perspective.  We come to see how spiritually impoverished we are.  We come to really understand that we cannot save ourselves – that we desperately need God’s mercy and grace to lead us safely through the perils of this life to our eternal home in heaven.  That needing God just on Sundays in church just will not do!

And so, my brothers and sisters, may God comfort and strengthen us this week with the grace He promises us in the Beatitudes.  God bless you.

Español

En el Evangelio de hoy, escuchamos el comienzo del Sermón del Monte que se llama las Bienaventuranzas.  Bienaventuranza es una palabra que se traduce mejor como “bendito” o “sumamente feliz”.  Siendo sincero, las Bienaventuranzas siempre han sido un misterio para mí.  Es decir, las conozco.  Puedo recitarlas.  Pero, ¿qué significan realmente?  Pero con el tiempo, lo que he llegado a comprender sobre las Bienaventuranzas, a partir de lo que la Escritura nos enseña repetidamente, es que los caminos de Dios no son los del hombre.  Los caminos de Dios están muy por encima de los nuestros como seres humanos.  Y muchas veces, debido a nuestra perspectiva limitada, interpretamos las cosas solo a un nivel natural.  Pero ser humano no significa que seamos solo seres materiales, solo nuestros cuerpos.  También somos seres espirituales.  Tenemos alma, esa parte de nosotros que está creada a imagen y semejanza de Dios, y que incluye nuestra personalidad, nuestra voluntad, nuestras emociones, y que es el santuario interior donde mora el Espíritu de Dios. Esto significa que toda la vida no se puede reducir simplemente al mundo material. Y con la gracia de Dios, podemos ver las cosas de una manera mucho más completa: ¡a la manera de Dios!

Así entran en juego las Bienaventuranzas.  Las Bienaventuranzas toman las circunstancias naturales y les infunden un significado sobrenatural que da a la realidad natural un sentido completamente nuevo.  Tomemos la realidad del luto. “Bienaventurados los que lloran, porque serán consolados”.  Ciertamente, en el plano natural, diríamos no es somos felíz cuando estamos de luto.  Estamos tristes, incluso afligidos.  Pero, de nuevo, si solo vemos con nuestros ojos naturales, eso es todo lo que podemos ver.  Sin embargo, según el plan de Dios, cuando lloramos, nos encontramos en una situación de necesidad en la que Dios, nuestros seres queridos e incluso extraños pueden consolarnos.  Si fuéramos tan autosuficientes que no necesitáramos a nadie, ¡cuánto nos perderíamos del amor y la compasión de los demás que nos llegan cuando, por ejemplo, nos consuelan en nuestro luto!  Una vez más, este es el sentido de las Bienaventuranzas: desafiarnos a ver las cosas desde la perspectiva de Dios.  Dios no dice que nos quitará el luto.  Necesitamos experimentarlo, por doloroso que sea.  Pero Él nos provee en esa misma circunstancia, trascendiendo el luto y sacando el bien de lo que no es bueno.  De hecho, he llegado a ver las Bienaventuranzas, en cierto modo, como el cumplimiento de mi pasaje bíblico favorito: Romanos 8:28: “Ya sabemos que todo contribuye para bien de los que aman a Dios…”  Dios es bueno.  Y por lo tanto, Él puede y sacará el bien de lo que no es bueno cuando estemos dispuestos a amarlo y aceptar su propósito o plan.  Entonces podremos ser verdaderamente bendecidos por Él, mientras que de lo contrario, simplemente nos quedaríamos atrapados en el luto.

Sobre todo, la primera y la última Bienaventuranza enfatizan aún más este punto, porque son los “pilares” que destacan lo más importante: “el Reino de Dios”. “Dichosos los pobres de espíritu, porque de ellos es el Reino de los cielos” y “Dichosos los perseguidos por causa de la justicia, porque de ellos es el Reino de los cielos”.  En otras palabras, tú y yo no fuimos creados solo para los 70, 80 o 90 años que vivimos en esta tierra, como si solo viviéramos en lo natural.  Sino que fuimos creados para la comunión eterna con nuestro Padre para siempre en la gloria del cielo. ¡Cuántas veces perdemos de vista esta verdad fundamental y vivimos como si esta vida fuera todo!

Sin embargo, cuando llega la persecución o la prueba, o experimentamos de verdad que no podemos vivir la vida solos, estas realidades nos sacuden para que estemos abiertos a ver las cosas desde la perspectiva de Dios.  Y yo sé que unos de nuestra comunidad se están pasando una tremenda prueba en estos momentos.  Pero llegamos a ver cuán espiritualmente empobrecidos estamos.  Llegamos a comprender de verdad que no podemos salvarnos a nosotros mismos, que necesitamos desesperadamente la misericordia y la gracia de Dios para que nos guíe con seguridad a través de los peligros de esta vida hasta nuestro hogar eterno en el cielo.  ¡Necesitar a Dios solo los domingos en la iglesia no es suficiente!

Así mis hermanos y hermanas, que esta semana Dios nos consuele y nos esfuerce con la gracia que nos promete en las Bienaventuranzas.  Que Dios los bendiga.

The Third Sunday of Ordinary Time, January 25 Homily

January 25

English and Español

The word ‘identity’ is defined as “the fact of being who or what a person or thing is”.  So, given that definition, there are lots of ways we each could identify ourselves.  I am a man; a priest; a sinner; someone who loves to eat.  We could define ourselves as introverts or extroverts; as funny or serious; as Polish Americans or Mexican Americans; as Catholics or other Christians; as a mother or a father, as a son or as a daughter.  Certainly, in today’s Gospel, there is the question of identity going on.  Are James and John merely sons of Zebedee?  Is Peter and Andrew merely fishermen?  And who is this rabbi Jesus who calls them “fishers of men”?

As for Jesus, two weeks ago, we celebrated the feast of the Baptism of the Lord.  And it’s interesting and important to note that when Jesus steps into the light of public ministry for the very first time, in His baptism at the Jordan, the voice of God the Father says, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”  And, in some of the last words of His public ministry, Jesus says from the cross, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.”  How did Jesus know His identity, who He was?  He looked to God His Father.  It was by being in relationship with the Father that the Son knew who He was – not merely a rabbi or a carpenter or even Savior of the world. 

And Jesus would need to remain rooted in the truth of this most fundamental identity, as the only-begotten Son of God.  He needed to be reminded of that truth when He was in the desert being tempted by Satan, who said, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down” from the parapet of the temple.  He needed to be reminded of this truth at His crucifixion when people passing by sneered at Him saying, “Save yourself, if you are the Son of God, [and] come down from the cross!”  Satan, the world, other people – they all tried to get Jesus to doubt His identity, to doubt the truth of who God the Father said He was.

So, what about us – how do we define ourselves?  By our work, or what we do for a living?  By our social or legal status?  By our success in the classroom or on the sports field?  By the size of our house or our income?  By the number of activities our kids are involved in?  By the sins of our past?  By what other people say about us?  These are some of the popular offerings that the world, the flesh, and the devil propose to us as to what our identity should be based on.

Many times, though, how we see ourselves is shaped by our early experiences in life – by our parents, our family, our friends, and the like.  Maybe people said things to you as a child that made you doubt your worth, and now you look for your identity outside yourself to make up for what others said was lacking.  Or, maybe you feel like you are what you do – and, if you’ve done lots of things wrong in life, then that’s just who you are – you’ll never change.  Or, maybe you felt like you were lacking material security growing up, and so now you just cling to stuff to make you feel assured and secure.

The problem with all these ways of defining ourselves – and the majority of ways we are tempted to find our identity in – is that they are all at the whim of circumstance.  We can lose a job.  We can fall into that sin again.  We can get a bad grade on a test or do poorly on the field.  Others can talk meanly behind our backs.  And then, where does that leave us?  Now, who are we?      

Rather, to counter the pressures, the fluctuations, even the tragedies of life, we need to do what Jesus did.  We need to regularly and frequently root ourselves in the truth of our most fundamental identity – as beloved sons and daughters of God the Father, in Christ.  Let me tell you from personal experience, if you don’t let God remind you of who you are, then the world, the flesh, and the devil will come along and propose lies for you to believe.

So, how can you do this?  Well, you can start by looking in the mirror daily – into your eyes – and speaking the most bedrock truth to yourself – that I am a beloved son or daughter of God.  As a member of Christ’s Body through Baptism, this is our most fundamental identity – whether you feel like it’s true or not; feelings are not facts!  Also, this weekend, as we celebrate the Sunday of the Word of God, you’ll find in the bulletin a list of verses from the Bible about our identity in Christ – who we are in Him.  You can read through that regularly during your prayer time each day to root yourself in the truth of who our heavenly Father says you are.

In the end, each of us will believe what we tell ourselves over and over again.  We can either agree with what God says about us, or we will believe lies.  The first will bring us joy and peace, the latter will make us miserable.  God bless you.    

Español

La palabra “identidad” se define como “el hecho de ser quien o lo que es una persona o cosa”.  Así pues, dada esta definición, hay muchas maneras en que cada uno de nosotros podría identificarse.  Soy un hombre; un sacerdote; un pecador; alguien a quien le encanta comer.  Podríamos definirnos como divertidos o serios; como americanos o mexicanos; como católicos u otros cristianos; como madre o padre; hijo o hija.  Ciertamente, en el Evangelio de hoy, se plantea la cuestión de la identidad. ¿Son Santiago y Juan simplemente hijos de Zebedeo?  ¿Son Pedro y Andrés simplemente pescadores?  ¿Y quién es este rabino Jesús que los llama “pescadores de hombres”?

Con respecto a Jesús, hace dos semanas celebramos la fiesta del Bautismo del Señor.  Y es interesante e importante notar que cuando Jesús fue bautizado en el Jordán, la voz de Dios Padre proclamó: “Éste es mi Hijo muy amado, en quien tengo mis complacencias”.  Y, en unas de las últimas palabras de su ministerio público, Jesús dijo desde la cruz: “Padre, en tus manos encomiendo mi espíritu”.  ¿Cómo conocía Jesús su identidad – quién era?  Bueno, miraba a Dios su Padre.  Al estar en relación con el Padre, el Hijo sabía quién era – no simplemente un rabino o un carpintero, ni siquiera el Salvador del mundo. 

Y Jesús necesitaría permanecer arraigado en la verdad de esta identidad fundamental, como el Hijo unigénito de Dios.  Necesitaba que se le recordara esa verdad cuando estaba en el desierto siendo tentado por Satanás, quien dijo: “Si eres el Hijo de Dios, arrójate desde” la parte más alta del templo.  Necesitaba que se le recordara esta verdad en su crucifixión cuando la gente que pasaba se burlaba de él diciendo: “¡Sálvate a ti mismo, si eres el Hijo de Dios, [y] baja de la cruz!”.  Satanás, el mundo, otras personas, todos intentaron que Jesús dudara de su identidad, que dudara de la verdad de lo que Dios Padre había dicho que era.

Entonces, ¿qué hay de nosotros?  ¿Cómo nos definimos?  ¿Por nuestro trabajo, o por lo que hacemos para ganarnos la vida?  ¿Por nuestro estatus social o legal?  ¿Por nuestro éxito en la escuela o con deportes?  ¿Por los pecados de nuestro pasado?  ¿Por lo que dicen los demás de nosotros?  Estas son algunas de las opciones populares que el mundo, la carne, y el diablo nos proponen como base de nuestra identidad.

Sin embargo, muchas veces, la forma en que nos vemos a nosotros mismos está determinada por nuestras primeras experiencias en la vida: por nuestros padres, nuestra familia, nuestros amigos.  Quizás de niños, nos dijeron cosas que nos hicieron dudar de nuestro valor, y ahora buscamos nuestra identidad fuera de nosotros mismos para compensar lo que otros decían que nos faltaba.  O quizás sentimos que somos lo que hacemos, y si hemos cometido muchos errores en la vida, entonces así somos, y nunca cambiaremos.  O quizás sentimos que nos faltaba seguridad material, y ahora nos aferramos a las cosas materiales para sentirnos seguros.

El problema con todas estas formas de definirnos a nosotros mismos es que todas están a merced de las circunstancias.  Podemos perder el trabajo.  Podemos volver a caer en ese pecado.  Podemos sacar una mala nota en un examen o tener un mal desempeño en el deporte.  Otros pueden hablar mal de nosotros a nuestras espaldas.  ¿Y entonces, qué nos queda?  ¿Quiénes somos entonces?

Más bien, para contrarrestar las presiones, las fluctuaciones, e incluso las tragedias de la vida, necesitamos hacer lo que hizo Jesús.  Necesitamos arraigarnos una y otra vez en la verdad de nuestra identidad más fundamental: como hijos e hijas amados de Dios Padre, en Cristo.  En mi experiencia, si no permitimos que Dios nos recuerde quiénes somos, entonces el mundo, la carne, y el diablo nos propondrán mentiras para que las creamos.

Entonces, ¿cómo podemos hacer esto?  Bueno, pueden comenzar mirándose al espejo a diario, a los ojos, y diciéndose a sí mismos la verdad más fundamental: que soy un hijo o una hija amado de Dios.  Como miembros del Cuerpo de Cristo a través del Bautismo, ésta es nuestra identidad más fundamental, lo sintamos o no – ¡los sentimientos no son hechos! Además, este fin de semana, al celebrar el Domingo de la Palabra de Dios, encontrarán en el boletín una lista de versículos de la Biblia sobre nuestra identidad en Cristo: quiénes somos en Él.  Pueden leerlos regularmente durante su tiempo de oración diario para afianzarse en la verdad de quién dice nuestro Padre celestial que somos.

Al final, cada uno de nosotros creerá lo que nos repetimos una y otra vez.  Podemos estar de acuerdo con lo que Dios dice sobre nosotros, o creeremos mentiras.  Lo primero nos traerá alegría y paz, el otro nos hará sentir miserables.  Que Dios los bendiga.

The Baptism of the Lord, January 11 Homily

January 11, 2026

English and Español

Today, I celebrated a baptism for one of our families that’s journeying through OCIA – the process by which an adult becomes a member of the Catholic Church. The little one was so sweet – she hardly made a peep. Of course, warm water and a calm voice definitely help! Well, anyway, since today we celebrate the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord – the celebration of Jesus making holy the waters of our baptism – I thought it would be fitting to talk a little bit about this first and foremost sacrament of initiation.

Now, first and foremost, Jesus is the only-begotten Son of God the Father. In taking flesh, He became one of us – true God and true man. He entered into our human condition, which means Jesus could now experience death. Death wasn’t part of God’s plan from the beginning of creation, but rather something that entered in as the result of sin. As Scripture teaches us in Romans, “the wages of sin is death”. And so, on the cross of Calvary, Jesus died for us – a man for all men. But as God, death could not hold Him captive. And so, three days after His death, He rose triumphantly from the grave. In His Resurrection, Jesus defeated sin and death.

The thing is, Jesus did this historically nearly 2,000 years ago. So, how is it that something that happened so long ago could have any effect on our lives personally today? Well, it’s through the Church that Jesus founded – the very Body of Christ – and in particular, the sacraments, by which the very ministry of Jesus continues on to all people of all times and places. And so, what happened in history now passes over into the mystery of the sacraments we celebrate.

Through baptism, we enter into and participate in Jesus’ death on the cross, so that we can also enter into and participate in His rising from the dead. In baptism, then, we experience a rebirth. We die to the old life of sin, and we’re born again as beloved children of God the Father – sons and daughters in Christ, the only-Begotten Son. As a result, we are washed clean of all sin, including original sin – that broken relationship we’re all born into as a result of the Fall of Adam and Eve at the origin of humanity.

And the symbolism of the sacrament shows this: the person to be baptized is lowered into the font and blessed water is poured over his or her head three times, symbolizing the death and burial of Jesus in the tomb for three days. But then, just as Jesus Himself conquered the grave, and rose from the dead, so too, the person, who is brought up from the font, receives the precious gift of eternal life, won for us by Christ. In baptism, we personally receive what Jesus has already historically done for us.

Now, we might say to ourselves, “Really, all of that with just a little bit of water?” -- - AND the power of the Holy Spirit! Jesus says in the Gospel of John “Unless you are born again of water AND the Spirit, you cannot enter the Kingdom of God.” My friends, the Holy Spirit, who enables us to cry out “Abba, Father”, comes to dwell within us. It is He who enables us to experience this spiritual rebirth through the waters of baptism.

Think of it this way, “Moms, when your water broke”, out came baby sometime later”. This was natural birth – and we celebrate natural life with such great fervor every year on our birthday! But by coming to the womb of Holy Mother Church – that is, the baptismal font – we receive the gift of eternal life. Baptism is not merely a ritual. It actually brings about our rebirth as sons and daughters of the Father.

Baptism is truly a miracle given to the Church by her Savior. And while we can only receive this sacrament one time, Jesus left the Church another way of entering into His saving sacrifice on the cross to be nourished again and again in our celebration of the Eucharist at Mass. In the Sacrament of Holy Communion, we again share in the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus, when we receive His Body and Blood sacrificed for us. And this gift strengthens us week by week in our daily lives of discipleship. And so, Father, please help us through these great sacraments of Baptism and holy Eucharist to always live worthy of our dignity as your beloved sons and daughters. For indeed we are! God bless you.

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Ayer, yo celebré el bautismo de una niña en la iglesia histórica. La pequeña era tan dulce, casi no hizo ningún ruido. ¡Claro que el agua tibia y una voz tranquila definitivamente ayudan! Bueno, en fin, ya que hoy celebramos el Bautismo del Señor, la celebración de Jesús santificando las aguas de nuestro bautismo, creo que sería apropiado hablar un poquito de este primer y principal sacramento de iniciación.

Ante todo, Jesús es el Hijo unigénito de Dios Padre. Al encarnarse, se hizo uno de nosotros: verdadero Dios y verdadero hombre. Entró en nuestra condición humana, lo que significa que Jesús ahora podía experimentar la muerte. La muerte no formaba parte del plan de Dios desde el principio de la creación, sino algo que entró como resultado del pecado. Como nos enseña la Escritura en Romanos, “la paga del pecado es muerte”. Y así, en la cruz del Calvario, Jesús murió por nosotros: un hombre por todos los hombres. Pero como Dios, la muerte no pudo retenerlo. Así, tres días después de su muerte, resucitó triunfante de la tumba. En su resurrección, Jesús venció al pecado y a la muerte.

La cuestión, es que Jesús hizo esto históricamente hace casi 2000 años. Entonces, ¿cómo es posible que algo que sucedió hace tanto tiempo pueda tener algún efecto en nuestras vidas personales hoy? Bueno, es a través de la Iglesia que Jesús fundó — el Cuerpo mismo de Cristo — y, en particular, los sacramentos, mediante los cuales el ministerio de Jesús continúa a todas las personas de todos los tiempos y lugares. Y así, lo que sucedió en la historia, ahora pasa al misterio de los sacramentos que celebramos.

Mediante el bautismo, entramos y participamos en la muerte de Jesús en la cruz, para que también podamos participar en su resurrección. En el bautismo, entonces, experimentamos un renacimiento. Morimos a la vieja vida de pecado y nacemos de nuevo como hijos amados de Dios Padre: hijos e hijas en el Hijo Unigénito, Jesús. Como resultado, somos lavados de todo pecado, incluyendo el pecado original – esa relación rota en la que todos nacemos como resultado de la Caída de Adán y Eva.

Y el simbolismo del sacramento lo demuestra: la persona que va a ser bautizada es bajada en la pila bautismal y se le vierte agua bendita sobre su cabeza tres veces, simbolizando la muerte y sepultura de Jesús en el sepulcro durante tres días. Pero luego, así como Jesús mismo venció a la muerte y resucitó, así también la persona, al ser levantada de la pila bautismal, recibe el precioso don de la vida eterna, que Cristo nos ganó. En el bautismo, recibimos personalmente lo que Jesús ya ha hecho históricamente por nosotros.

Ahora, podríamos preguntarnos: "¿De verdad, todo eso con solo un poco de agua?" - -- ¡Y con el poder del Espíritu Santo! Jesús dice en el Evangelio de Juan: "Si no naces de nuevo del agua y del Espíritu, no puedes entrar en el Reino de Dios". Amigos míos, el Espíritu Santo, quien nos permite clamar "¡Abba, Padre!", viene a morar en nosotros. Es Él quien nos permite experimentar este renacimiento espiritual a través de las aguas del bautismo.

Piénsenlo así: "Mamá(s), cuando rompieron aguas, salió el bebé un tiempo después". Este fue un parto natural, ¡y celebramos la vida natural con gran fervor cada año en nuestro cumpleaños! Pero al llegar al seno de la Santa Madre Iglesia, es decir, a la pila bautismal, recibimos el don de la vida eterna.

El bautismo no es simplemente un ritual. En realidad, produce nuestro renacimiento como hijos e hijas del Padre. El bautismo es verdaderamente un milagro que nuestro Salvador le ha dado a la Iglesia. Y aunque solo podemos recibir este sacramento una vez, Jesús dejó a la Iglesia otra manera de participar en su sacrificio salvador en la cruz para ser alimentados una y otra vez en la celebración de la Eucaristía en la Misa. En el Sacramento de la Sagrada Comunión, al recibir el Cuerpo y Sangre de Jesús – sacrificados por nosotros – volvemos a participar en su pasión, muerte y resurrección. Y este don nos fortalece semana tras semana en nuestra vida diaria como discípulos. Por lo tanto, Padre, ayúdanos a través de estos preciosos sacramentos del Bautismo y la Sagrada Eucaristía a vivir siempre dignos de nuestra dignidad como tus amados hijos e hijas. ¡Porque en verdad lo somos! Que Dios los bendiga.

The Epiphany of the Lord, January 4 Homily

January 4, 2026

We celebrate today the Epiphany of the Lord – a special moment of focusing on how Jesus was revealed to the world as the only-begotten Son of God, the Messiah of the nations. Typically, we reflect on the wise men, or the magi, coming to adore the Christ-child, bringing him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. While the Scriptures don’t provide many details about the magi, Christian tradition fills in some of the gaps. For example, we learn that the wise men were possibly astronomers from the Orient – the East. As men familiar with stars, they were very familiar with the belief of the time that every great person in history had a star to announce his arrival. And so, when they saw the Star of Bethlehem rising over Israel, they must have known that this was the sign of a great king being born for the Jews. After all, when they came before Herod, they asked him, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage.”

Tradition also tells us that there were three wise men, presumably because there were three gifts offered to the infant Messiah. And the names of Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar have been given them, names which mean “Master-of-Treasure”, “King-of-Light”, and “Protect-the-King”, respectively. Whether or not they were of different races, representing the various continents, as some traditions suggest, they definitely were Gentiles. And as such, they were the first non-Jews to come and accept God’s Messiah, who came so that all might be saved.

It’s customary that on Epiphany Sunday, the blessing of homes take place, since God made His home with us in the person of Jesus. This blessing takes the traditional form of using the first letter of each of the names of the three magi over the inside of their front door, along with the numbers of the new year. Interestingly enough, C – M – B also stands for the Latin words, Christus Mansionem Benedicat, “May Christ bless this home”. Since this home blessing was performed in the new year, it was also a witness of people’s faith in Christ, and a prayer of protection against all evil that might come. After Mass today we’re providing cards to take home. They have the phrase I just mentioned on one side, and a short explanation and prayer on the other. Simply offer the prayer on the reverse side together as a family, and then place the card over the main door inside your home.

Now, all of this got me thinking about the magi – they were students of the heavens after all. But the wise men must have been so convinced by the meaning of this star that they were willing to leave their homelands far behind in order to follow it. The light of this one lone star guiding them on this pilgrimage – imagine! That one star guiding them through the darkness of night on a journey they had never taken.

Well, what about us as we navigate through life? Here’s a question to ask yourself: What is the guiding star of my life? I mean, what is it that really determines what I do with my life? Is it a particular goal, maybe like happiness or success? Is the star that I’m following reliable? Is it leading me to the person I really want to be and the best life I’m called to live?

I can tell you the only truly reliable star is Jesus Christ, who the Book of Revelation calls the bright Morning Star. When we think about it, what is the real goal of this life? Yes, there are many goals – graduating school, finding a satisfying job, living our lives to the fullest, finding happiness. But then what? As we journey through this life, it only leads to one place – the end. And then what?

You and I were created by God, for God – by divine Love, for divine Love. The terminus of our journey is God, and the destination of our lives is heaven. The only sure, reliable star that guides us there is Jesus Christ. So, as we begin this new year, let's consider how oriented my life is toward Him. Am I just a few degrees off course? Or, do I need a major course correction? And so, as we receive Jesus in this Holy Eucharist today, may we be guided by “the one Morning Star who never sets” each day of our lives. God bless you.

Father Marcoe’s 2025 Homilies

Father Marcoe’s 2025 homilies can be found here.