Homilies

Today, with Mother Church, we begin the twenty-sixth week of Ordinary Time, in September, the month of the Bible. The Word of God is more than letters, words, and phrases written in books. The Sacred Scriptures are life and truth. Jesus is the Word made flesh. He fulfilled all Law and prophecy. God continues to speak today through the life and teachings of Christ. The apostles and their immediate successors, helped by the Holy Spirit, had a perfect understanding of the Word of God. Therefore, the apostolic Church had the authority to interpret and teach the Sacred Scriptures, according to Jesus' original intention. The apostolic Tradition is fundamental to understanding the Bible. Today, the Evangelist Luke tells us about the parable of the rich man and poor Lazarus, told by Jesus to the Pharisees. The rich man dressed in fine, elegant clothes and feasted sumptuously every day. When he died, he was buried and, in the realm of the dead, was tormented, suffering in the flames. Poor L...

Today, with Mother Church, we begin the twenty-fifth week of Ordinary Time, in September, the month of the Bible. To achieve excellent results, Mother Church teaches Her children the method of Prayerful Reading of the Bible, Lectio Divina. In short, after invoking the Holy Spirit, one begins by reading a previously selected biblical text (the Gospel indicated by Mother Church for each day is suggested). In this stage, one identifies the characters, places, most important phrases, and repeated words. A good Bible has footnotes, an introduction to each book, maps, and a biblical dictionary, all of which enrich the reading experience. Next, one meditates on the biblical text, bringing its message to personal, family, ecclesial, and social life.  The next step is prayer based on the biblical text, talking with God, praising Him, begging for His forgiveness, asking for His blessings and graces. Then, in the contemplation stage, one rests in God and experiences His love and consolation, ...

Today, with Mother Church, we begin the twenty-fourth week of Ordinary Time, on September 14th, the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. Each year, for Bible Month, the Church presents a book for in-depth study. In 2025, the Letter to the Romans was chosen. In short, it is the first and longest writing of the Apostle Paul and the most important for its theological content. In the capital of the Roman Empire, there were Christians converted from Judaism and other religions, who had been expelled from Rome in 49 by Emperor Claudius. Around the year 55, while in Corinth, the Apostle wrote to the Christian community in Rome about the sin of humanity, salvation through faith, justification through the cross of Christ, transformation by the Holy Spirit, and the rejection of Christ by Judaism. The Letter to the Romans is a profound Catechesis on the salvation that God offers to sinners who believe in Christ and allow themselves to be transformed by the Holy Spirit. It is highly recommen...

We begin with Mother Church the twenty-third week of Ordinary Time, this September, dedicated to the Sacred Scriptures. The Bible is a collection of 73 books, organized into two parts: the First Testament (sacred books of Judaism) and the Second Testament (sacred books of Christianity). The Bible is one of the three pillars of faith and divine revelation for Catholics, along with the Tradition and Magisterium of the Church. For Christians, the divine promises to the Jews contained in the First Testament were fully fulfilled in Jesus Christ and the Church, as demonstrated in the Second Testament. At Mass, there is the Liturgy of the Word, where texts from the Sacred Scriptures are proclaimed, reflected upon in the homily, and prayed in the Prayer of the Faithful. The center is the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which is preceded by a reading from the First Testament (accompanied by a Psalm) and another reading from the Second Testament. Faith is born and develops from reading/listening to the ...