Homilies

Today we begin the twenty-second week of Ordinary Time, concluding August, the month of vocations, reflecting on the vocation of catechists. Catechesis is education in faith to grow in the experience and knowledge of God and in holiness of life. Catechesis lasts a lifetime, but there is initial formation in view of the sacraments of Baptism, Reconciliation, the Eucharist, and Confirmation. Catechists are lay faithful who dedicate themselves to the important task of bearing witness to Christ and the Church, awakening faith through the transmission of Christian truths from one generation to the next, with fidelity and creativity. Today the Evangelist Luke tells us about the parable of the first places at a feast and the reward in the resurrection of the righteous. Jesus had been invited to dine at the house of one of the chief Pharisees. Noticing that the other guests chose the best places, Jesus, through a parable, encouraged humility, speaking of the honor of being invited to occupy an...

We begin the twenty-first week of Ordinary Time with Mother Church, still in the month of vocations, reflecting on the vocation of the lay faithful in the Church and society, especially that of catechists. As we know, the lay faithful are missionary disciples who live their faith in the world of family and work, being witnesses to Christ, "salt of the earth, light of the world" (cf. Matthew 5:13-14) and "leaven in the dough" (cf. Matthew 13:33). Besides acting in society—influencing culture, politics, and the economy with the values ​​of the Gospel—the lay faithful also act in the Church, assuming responsibilities in communities, pastoral care, and movements, supporting bishops and priests in evangelization and administration. Every lay faithful, through Baptism, is a priest, prophet, king, and missionary, offering spiritual sacrifices pleasing to God, proclaiming divine justice, denouncing human injustices, being good and just in the stewardship of the goods of cre...

On August 15th, Mother Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the fourth glorious mystery of the Holy Rosary. In some countries, the solemnity is postponed to the following Sunday to facilitate the participation of the faithful. This is a dogma of the Catholic Church, promulgated by Pope Pius XII in 1950, which declares that the Mother of Jesus, at the end of Her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into Heaven. Dogma is a truth of faith taught by the Church that must be accepted by the faithful. We are beginning the third week of the Vocations Month, which is dedicated to Consecrated Religious Life. We pray for the perseverance of the sisters and brothers who follow Jesus in the radical practice of poverty, obedience, and chastity in the various institutes, orders, and congregations throughout the world, who enrich the Church with the charism and spirituality inherited from its founders, with the Blessed Virgin Mary as their model and inspirat...

Continuing the month of vocations, we begin the nineteenth week of Ordinary Time with Mother Church, meditating on the vocation to Matrimony and praying for couples and families. Jesus confirmed to His disciples the Jewish teaching on the sanctity and indissolubility of conjugal love, saying: "What God has joined together, let no man separate" (cf. Mark 10:9; Matthew 19:6; Genesis 2:24). The Church confirms the elevated dignity of the family, declaring it the domestic Church and the sanctuary of life. Recalling the fourth commandment, the Church reaffirms the authority of parents over their children and the duty of children to honor their parents, especially in sickness and old age. Speaking of the sixth commandment, the Church teaches that the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit and is called to chastity. And delving deeper into the ninth commandment, the Church defends conjugal fidelity. As a model and intercession for families, the Church presents Jesus, Mary, and Joseph...

We begin with Mother Church the eighteenth week of Ordinary Time. We are in August, the month of vocations. Let us ask the Lord of the harvest to send laborers into the harvest, for the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few (cf. Matthew 9:37-38). This first weekend, we pray for vocations to the ordained ministry: bishops, priests, and deacons, as the liturgical feast of St. John Mary Vianney, the Curé of Ars, the patron saint of parish priests, approaches on August 4th. Today the Evangelist Luke tells us about the parable of the rich fool who stored up treasures for himself. Someone in the crowd asked Jesus to judge and divide an inheritance among brothers. But the Master cautioned against all forms of greed, emphasizing that a man's life did not consist in an abundance of possessions. In this context, Jesus told the parable of the man who, instead of being rich before God, preferred to keep his harvest and possessions for himself, ignoring the imminent death that would le...