Blog - Talks & Writings

January 22, 2023: "We ask that God grant wisdom and prudence to law enforcement and public officials working to make sense of the violence and keep our communities safe.And we pray for peace. Peace in the hearts of those who are troubled. Peace in the hearts of those who are afraid and hurting today, and peace for those whose faith has been shaken."

January 21, 2023: "We all want to live in a society where human life is cherished and welcomed, where everyone can live with dignity — from conception to natural death. This is a spiritual movement. A movement of the hearts and minds and souls. The movement for life is a movement for love."

November 10, 2022: "So what the Gospel tells us tonight is that following Jesus, being a Catholic — often it’s like being in a small boat, far from land, with the waves and the wind against us. You and I, every day, we face the storms of living in a hostile culture, a culture where we face all kinds of pressures. And yes, we can get frightened by the challenges, by the moral darkness that we see our world. We can be discouraged by our failings and weakness."

October 26, 2022: "We ask that Our Lord Jesus Christ, in his grace, make this garden a sacred space — a sanctuary where those who are hurting may find healing and reconciliation. In the Church we are joined together in a spiritual bond, made one in Jesus Christ, and united in a beautiful solidarity of charity."

May 11, 2022: "With each passing year, this prayer takes me to different places in my heart, and to different places in my contemplation of Jesus and his mysteries."

February 27, 2022: "Please know that your Roman Catholic brothers and sisters in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles will always be near to you in solidarity and prayer. We are praying for a swift end to the evil of this war. We ask Jesus Christ, the Lord of Peace, to touch the hearts of the aggressors, and move them to conversion. We also call on those in authority to seek a just peace that recognizes the dignity and sovereignty of the Ukrainian people."

January 22, 2022: "OneLife LA has always been more than a procession, and more than an event. OneLife LA is a movement of love and peace. We are seeking to build a new culture and a new way of life in our country."

November 5, 2021: "From the first century, the Catholic Church has taught that abortion is a moral evil that involves the killing of the unborn child. In our day, abortion often victimizes women in poor and minority communities and is used to eliminate children with disabilities."

Noviembre 4, 2021: "Ustedes me han pedido que aborde un tema serio, delicado y complicado: relativo al surgimiento de nuevas ideologías y movimientos seculares que buscan el cambio social en Estados Unidos y las implicaciones que esto tiene para la Iglesia."

November 4, 2021: "You have asked me to address a serious, sensitive, and complicated topic — the rise of new secular ideologies and movements for social change in the United States and the implications for the Church."

September 13, 2021: "California lawmakers have passed legislation to replace a statue of St. Junípero Serra at the Capitol in Sacramento with a new monument honoring the state’s native peoples. The Serra statue has been in storage since it was torn down by protesters in July 2020."

September 8, 2021: "Two hundred and fifty years ago tonight, on the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, in the year 1771, Mission San Gabriel Acrángel was established by St. Junípero Serra, together with Tongva natives, who were this land’s first peoples."

April 15, 2021: "Racism, as we all know, is a grave sin, a spiritual disease and a social injustice. We need to stand together as one Church to eradicate this evil from our own hearts, from the hearts of our neighbors, and from the structures of our society."

February 6, 2021: "The Church is the conscience of every society, in every time and place. And our duty in our country at this time is to help our leaders and our neighbors to hear the cry of the poor — to understand that we belong to one another, to feel our responsibility for the vulnerable and weak."

February 2, 2021: "For much of this past year, America has been confronting the sad reality that racist thinking and practices remain all too common in our society. Millions of our brothers and sisters still experience indignity and are denied opportunity only because of their race."

January 12, 2021: "As Christians, we worship a God who has revealed himself as Love. And as Christians, we know that human beings are made in the image of this God, in the image of Love. We are created out of love. And we are made to love. To love as Jesus loved, and as Mother Teresa and the saints love."

August 1, 2020: “Let’s ask for the grace to continue his mission of love. As I was saying — we are all called to be missionary disciples, no matter how young or how old we are. If we follow Jesus we share in his mission.”

June 29, 2020: "Entiendo el profundo dolor que manifiestan algunos pueblos nativos de California. Pero también creo que Fray Junípero es un santo para nuestros tiempos, el fundador espiritual de Los Ángeles, un defensor de los derechos humanos y el primer santo hispano de este país. Yo tuve el privilegio de concelebrar con el Papa Francisco en su misa de canonización, en el año 2015. Confío en su intercesión para mi ministerio y su deseo de llevar la tierna misericordia de Dios a cada persona, es una fuente de inspiración para mí."

June 29, 2020: "I understand the deep pain being expressed by some native peoples in California. But I also believe Fray Junípero is a saint for our times, the spiritual founder of Los Angeles, a champion of human rights, and this country’s first Hispanic saint. I was privileged to celebrate his canonization Mass with Pope Francis in 2015. I rely on his intercession in my ministry, and I am inspired by his desire to bring God’s tender mercy to every person."

June 2, 2020: "The anger and unrest that has swept Los Angeles and the rest of the country since his death is a sad reminder that racism remains real. Millions of our brothers and sisters still today experience humiliation, indignity, and unequal opportunity only because of their race or the color of their skin."