Homilies

Together with Mother Church, we begin the twenty-first week of Ordinary Time—still within the Month of Vocations—reflecting on the vocation of the lay faithful in the Church and in society. As we know, the lay faithful are missionary disciples who live out their faith within the spheres of family and work, serving as 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). In addition to their role in society—influencing culture, politics, and the economy with Gospel values—the lay faithful also serve within the Church, assuming responsibilities in communities, pastoral groups, and movements, and supporting bishops and priests in evangelization and administration. Through Baptism, every lay person is a priest, prophet, king, and missionary: offering spiritual sacrifices pleasing to God, proclaiming divine justice, denouncing human injustices, acting with goodness and fairness in the stewardship ...

On August 15, 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 transferred to the following Sunday to facilitate the participation of the faithful. This is a dogma of the Catholic Church, proclaimed by Pope Pius XII in 1950, declaring that the Mother of Jesus, at the end of her earthly life, was raised body and soul into Heaven. A dogma is a truth of faith taught by the Church, which must be embraced by the faithful. We begin the third week of the Month of Vocations, dedicated to Consecrated Religious Life. We pray for the perseverance of the religious men and women who follow Jesus through the radical practice of poverty, obedience, and chastity in the various institutes, orders, and congregations around the world; they enrich the Church with the charism and spirituality inherited from their founders, holding the Blessed Virgin Mary as their model and inspiration. To...

Continuing the Month of Vocations, we begin the Nineteenth Week in 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 regarding the holiness and indissolubility of conjugal love, saying: "What God has joined together, let no one separate" (cf. Mark 10:9; Matthew 19:6; Genesis 2:24). The Church affirms the high dignity of the family, declaring it the domestic church and a sanctuary of life. Recalling the fourth commandment, the Church reaffirms parental authority over children and the children's duty to honor their parents, especially in sickness and old age. Addressing the sixth commandment, the Church teaches that the body is a temple of the Holy Spirit and is called to chastity. And, delving into the ninth commandment, the Church upholds conjugal fidelity. As a model and source of intercession for families, the Church presents Jesus, Mary, and Joseph—the Hol...

Together with Mother Church, we begin the eighteenth week of Ordinary Time, deepening our knowledge and experience of Jesus Christ and His Church. We are in August, the month dedicated to vocations. Let us ask the Lord of the harvest to send laborers for His harvest, for the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few (cf. Matthew 9.37-38). On this first weekend, we pray for vocations to the ordained ministry—bishops, priests, and deacons—as the liturgical feast of Saint John Vianney (the Curé d'Ars), patron of parish priests, approaches on August 4th. Today, the Evangelist Matthew tells us of the multiplication of the loaves and fish by Jesus to feed a great crowd of approximately five thousand men. Crowds set out on foot from their towns, bringing their sick to meet Jesus, who was in a remote, deserted place. Moved by compassion, Jesus healed the sick. Aware of the food shortage and the difficulty of obtaining provisions in that place, Jesus' disciples suggested that He dism...