Homilies

May 29, 2023: "These brave men and women died for a vision of the world — that is a world of freedom and peace. They gave their lives to defend the truths that our great nation holds to be self-evident. The truth that all men and women are created equal. The truth that we are all children of one God, endowed by our Creator with inalienable rights — to life, to liberty and to the pursuit of happiness."

May 28, 2023: "The fire that started at Pentecost is meant to keep burning in us! We are called to continue the work of Pentecost in our society. We are called to proclaim the mighty works of God — his salvation and the good news — to everyone we meet. Just as Mary our Blessed Mother and the apostles did at the first Pentecost."

May 14, 2023: "Jesus wants such a close relationship with each one of us, he wants to live in our hearts. St. Paul used to say, “It is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me.” That is the friendship that Jesus wants for you, and for me, and for every person!"

May 7, 2023: "Jesus is telling us today is that faith in him is the key that opens every door. We need to make him the way for our life, as we know. We need to live for Jesus and live our lives according to his plan, his teachings. And we can totally trust in his promises, because we are walking with him."

April 16, 2023: "And as we know, the Church calls this second Sunday after Easter “Divine Mercy Sunday,” I mentioned at the beginning of Mass, too. That is because in his great mercy, God has given us that new beginning, that “new birth,” that St. Peter talks about. This is the promise of Easter, the promise of the Resurrection."

April 9, 2023: "From this empty tomb, we can walk now in Jesus’ footsteps, following the risen Lord, living with him in friendship. Our whole life becomes a beautiful adventure with him. A beautiful adventure that is destined for heaven, for the love that never ends."

April 7, 2023: "On the cross, Jesus bears every burden for us — every evil and every sin, every sickness and suffering, every sorrow. He becomes weak, so we can overcome our weakness. He is crushed for our sins, so we can overcome our own sinfulness."

April 3, 2023: "Each year, the Chrism Mass is a liturgy of renewal. Not only for priests, but for every one of us in the Church. Tonight we renew our identity as Catholics, as believers and followers of Jesus Christ, and as sons and daughters in the family of God, his Church."

April 2, 2023: "Today we begin Holy Week — the most holy week in the liturgy of the Church. What we have just heard in today’s passage from the Gospel, is the story of our salvation. The salvation of the human race. But it’s also a story that is personal for each one of us, it’s the story of our own salvation."

March 19, 2023: "As I was saying, today is “Laetare Sunday,” the Sunday of joy. On this fourth Sunday in our Lenten journey, the Church calls us to contemplate the joy that will be ours on Easter Sunday. On Easter, the tears of mourning and grief are wiped away, life and light triumph over darkness and death."

February 26, 2023: "And on this first Sunday of Lent, our readings set before us the whole human history, the beautiful narrative of salvation — from the first man and woman to the “last Adam” — the “new man” in whom we are given the power to become children of God and a new creation."

February 23, 2023: "In the first reading we just heard, we heard the ancient words of Moses. And then he tells us: “Choose life!” This is what God wants for each one of us. Life in all its fullness and richness. Life, and life abundant, Jesus said. God wants us, each one of us, to have a beautiful life. God wants you to have a blessed life, a life filled with love, and family, and friends."

February 22, 2023: "Bishop Dave was a man who loved Jesus Christ, and he gave his whole life to following Jesus, to being his friend, and to helping others to find Jesus. This is what we are all looking for. We all are looking for that. We are all born with the desire to be happy, the desire to find love and joy and the meaning of our lives. And the truth is — only when we meet Jesus do we find the happiness that we are looking for. Bishop Dave knew this truth. And he wanted everyone to know this truth, too. And he showed us how beautiful life can be, when we love Jesus and live for him."

February 19, 2023: "That is who Bishop Dave was. He had a wonderful sense of humor and a beautiful devotion to Mary, our Blessed Mother. We all miss him very much. May he rest in peace."

February 5, 2023: "Whenever Jesus starts a sentence with the words, “you are,” I think we need to pay special attention. Because he is telling us something important about our purpose in life, the purpose of our mission. And our purpose is just this: to be the salt of the earth, and the light of the world."

January 29, 2023: "Sisters, thank you. You are a special gift for all of us. Every day. We rely on your prayers, more than you can ever know. And we are all grateful for your generous love for Jesus, and your witness to his love in your ministries of catechesis and charity, in your compassion for the poor and the sick."

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."