Why Does He Go To The Desert?
Brothers and Sisters, Jesus is tempted by the devil. Now is fashionable to say that the devil does not exist, even some priests say this. That believing in him is like a fairy tale. How great it will be not to have this struggle, but my reality is that we are constantly tempted. And we…
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Do You Look Like The Father?
Dear Brothers and Sisters, I liked very much one of the gospels this week where Jesus takes the blind man aside, leads him out of town and puts some spittle on his eyes. This is not what he usually does. And he does the same to us each Sunday; he takes us away from the…
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How Is God Humble?
Dear Brothers and Sisters, This gospel is a word of God’s love for us even if it doesn’t look like it. One characteristic of God that we don’t think about too much is his humility. It’s a human category but it applies to him as well. He is humble how do we know? Because to…
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Why Are You Here?
Dear Brothers and Sisters, What a beautiful gospel we hear today. Jesus says you are called to be holy, to be a saint by your baptism. This doesn’t mean that you don’t sin, but your deeds of love and reconciliation make God present, they give glory to God. People who know us realize that we…
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Ten Invitations To Perfect Love
Dear Brothers and Sisters, Sister Anawim used to call me to say the Mass for the Missionaries of Charity in Downtown Newark, a place you do not want to go at night. It was always a very moving experience since the nuns are so young, from every continent, barefoot, and very pious. Her name means…
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How Do We Live The Dash?
Dear Brothers and Sisters, A friend once gave me a poem called ‘Dash’. It spoke of a woman who gave a eulogy for her friend. She referred to the two dates that were to placed on her tombstone. First came the date of her birth and then the date of her passing. They she made…
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John The Baptist Saw Something That Changed His Life
Dear Brothers and Sisters, A few years ago, I made my profession of faith in a public way with my community in a large parish. It was much different from the profession of faith I made before I was ordained a priest. Then I basically recited the Creed and signed a document. My recent experience…
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What Star Guides Us Today?
Dear Brothers and Sisters, People today use the expression, ‘I had an epiphany the other day’ when I saw how gifted my life is or how blessed I am with my children or something similar. The solemnity today is not an epiphany but the Epiphany. It is a fact, not a feeling. It is the…
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Mary Ties Things Together
Dear Brothers and Sisters, The first reading on the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, is a blessing not of human words but directly from the Father. He is instructing Moses on how Aaron and his sons should do the blessing: May the Lord bless you and keep you; may his face shine upon you;…
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He Comes To Us In Something Smaller Than A Manger
Dear Brothers and Sisters, Many years ago, a candy maker wanted to show, through the candy he made, that Jesus was born among us, lived, and died to save us all. So, through the use of color and shape, he created a piece of candy that told the story of Jesus. He created the candy…
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