Homilies

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."

January 1, 2023: "Mary was thinking about Jesus all the time. And that’s how we ought to live, reflecting on Our Lord’s words and deeds in the Gospels, pondering the mysteries of his life, seeking to know his will for us. Trying always to follow his path for our lives, which is a path of love and compassion."

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."