Blog - Homilies

January 22, 2023: "Jesus shows us the path in today’s passage of the Gospel, in his beautiful teaching of the “Beatitudes.” So we have to think of the Beatitudes as a “blueprint,” — as a “guidebook” — for how we grow in holiness."

January 21, 2023: "Tonight, we are praying for all those little ones, who never had the chance to be born. We pray tonight that the love they could not find on earth, they now find in heaven, wrapped in the loving arms of the Father. We also pray tonight for a new awakening of love — in our hearts, and in the hearts of our neighbors."

January 9, 2023: "In the waters of baptism, our Pope Emeritus died with Jesus. We pray now that he shares with him in the fullness of his resurrection, in the love that never ends. In his encyclical on hope, Benedict gave us a profound vision of heaven. Heaven, he said, was not some place high in the clouds, or some never-ending passing of days on a calendar."

January 5, 2023: "In my experience, Pope Benedict was a gentle soul, a beautiful man. It is true that he was a great teacher and biblical theologian, and one of the most brilliant minds in the history of the Church and Western civilization. But I will remember him, most of all, for his kindness to me and his deep humility."

December 25, 2022: "Tonight, the God who is love comes down to be close to us, to become one of us — to share in our lives, in our joys and in our struggles. Christmas, my dear brothers and sisters, is the great feast of the “humility of God.” We don’t think about God as being humble, but he is. And to know that truth is to understand the deepest mystery of Christmas, the deepest mystery of God’s love for us."

December 21, 2022: "We pray tonight that the home they could not find on earth, they now find in heaven, secure in the merciful arms of God. The question that we just heard from the scriptures is universal: “Who is my neighbor?” It’s a question for every time and place. It’s a question for this moment in Los Angeles."

December 18, 2022: "St. Joseph’s whole life was made up of ordinary little everyday things. Working, making a living. Raising Jesus, taking care of his family. Praying. Being a good friend and a good neighbor. Sounds a lot like our own lives, isn’t it? And that’s exactly the point, my dear brothers and sisters. St. Joseph shows us the way for our own lives."

December 11, 2022: "We rejoice because the Lord is near and become is coming brings us salvation, the promise of a new life. And, as we notice, throughout Advent in our first readings for these past Sundays and today, we have some beautiful descriptions of the new world and the new life that the Savior will bring when he comes."

November 27, 2022: "Today we begin the Church’s new liturgical year. And with every new year, we have a chance for a new beginning. That is why Advent is a time of joy, a time for hope: Because we know that Jesus is coming! The first Christians spoke of his coming as a new creation, as the dawning of a new day, a bright morning star that was rising in their hearts. And I think that’s how we should feel!"

November 10, 2022: "When you were baptized, we became — in the most beautiful way possible, a beloved son or beloved daughter of God. Jesus is reminding us tonight is that his kingdom is not an earthly kingdom. His kingdom spiritual — it’s a kingdom of the heart."

November 2, 2022: "Today we are following that ancient and beautiful custom of offering the Eucharist in remembrance of our beloved dead. We ask God to grant them salvation, to let the perpetual light of eternal life shine upon them."

November 1, 2022: "Today’s beautiful solemnity is really a celebration of our human destiny, of God’s beautiful promise for our life...God made us to strive for holiness, to be his image in the world! This is why we are here, my dear brothers and sisters. This is the beautiful possibility that we have in our lives."

October 30, 2022: "St. Peter Claver left everything behind to serve those who were being brought to Colombia in chains, he ministered on the slave boats arriving from Africa. Today let us remember his beautiful vow — he wanted everyone to know that he was: “Peter, slave of the slaves forever.” I’ve been thinking that his life is a beautiful witness to us."

October 29, 2022: "We thank God for all his blessings on this faith community, and we thank him for the love and sacrifices of those who came before us and helped to build this great parish. In a special way, we ask the intercession today of your patron, St. Ambrose, who as we know, was one of the great fathers of the Church, and one of the Church’s most important teachers."

October 23, 2022: "We are called to reflect this Sunday on the power of prayer, as I was saying before, especially I would think the prayer of petition, and the prayer for forgiveness, which we hear in our passage of the Gospel. Prayer, as we know, is the foundation of our friendship with God."

October 23, 2022: "Every year our Mass for doctors, nurses, and health care professionals in every level is a special moment of grace for all of us, and as we celebrate this Mass, we are lifting up the best of the human spirit. We are honoring values and virtues that truly reflect the men and women that God intends us to be."

October 22, 2022: "St. John Henry Newman said that a Catholic college gives students the power to perceive how everything fits together in the “circle of knowledge.” This circle includes the knowledge of the sciences and history, theology, morality, and the arts."

October 2, 2022: "Whenever I read this passage in the Gospel, I am always struck, surprised ,by the apostles’ humility. So in the passage of the Gospel today, they come to Jesus with such honesty and simplicity. They don’t ask him for power or comfort or possessions. From the bottom of their hearts, they ask him for one simple thing: 'Lord, increase our faith!'"

September 20, 2022: "To say “I am a Catholic” means: I choose to follow Jesus. I choose to make Jesus the way and the truth for my life. I choose to listen for his Word in my life, and to do whatever he tells me to do. This is who we are, my dear brothers and sisters. And it is a beautiful way to live. It is a beautiful thing to say, 'Yes, I am a Catholic.'"

September 18, 2022: "Jesus gave his life for our sins — your sins and mine, and so that we can have the grace and strength to grow as sons and daughters of God, to overcome our weaknesses, and to become the men and women whom God created us to be."