Elegido misericordiosamente para el Reino

 Homilía: 25o Domingo en el Tiempo Ordinario – Ciclo A

Nuestro difunto Santo Padre, el Papa Francisco, eligió como lema papal el mismo que había elegido cuando fue ordenado obispo: “Miserando atque eligendo”, que significa “teniendo misericordia y eligiendo”. Al elegir este lema, lo que el Papa Francisco esperaba reconocer era que no veía su elección como papa (o como obispo, para el caso) como algo que se hubiera ganado por mérito propio, sino más bien como algo que fue elegido porque Dios lo había "mirado con misericordia". Menciono esto aquí porque creo que, en cierto modo, este es el tema subyacente a la lectura del Evangelio de hoy.

Primero, por supuesto, debemos enfatizar que Jesús, al darnos esta parábola, está hablando del fin de todos los tiempos, pues afirma: “El Reino de los cielos es semejante a…” Por lo tanto, esta no es una lección sobre cómo ser un gerente de negocios generoso y más “semejante a Cristo”; sino más bien de una lección sobre el sentido de la vida y el propósito de nuestra existencia aquí. Con esto presente, examinemos la parábola.

Jesús nos presenta la imagen de un propietario (que, en este caso, representa a Dios) que sale a contratar trabajadores para su viña (quienes, por supuesto, nos representan a nosotros). Ahora bien, antes de pasar por alto este detalle, detengámonos a considerar algo. Esos trabajadores acudían a la plaza pública con la esperanza de que alguien viniera y los contratará por el día para así ganar dinero; presumiblemente, para proveerse a sí mismos y a sus familias. En otras palabras, reconocían que, en cierto sentido, carecían de los medios para conseguir por sí mismos lo que necesitaban y, por ello, buscaban a un propietario generoso que pudiera proveérselo a cambio de su trabajo. Así pues, iban a la plaza con la esperanza de ser contratados. De este modo, la primera lección que aprendemos de esta parábola es la siguiente: si deseamos recibir la generosa misericordia de Dios, debemos disponernos a ella renunciando a nuestra autosuficiencia y buscando su generosa elección.

Este es, de hecho, el mensaje que escuchamos del profeta Isaías en la primera lectura: “Busquen al Señor mientras lo pueden encontrar”, oímos proclamar a Isaías, “invóquenlo mientras está cerca ... que [el malvado] regrese al Señor, y él tendrá piedad; a nuestro Dios, que es rico en perdón”. Por lo tanto, si bien es cierto que el Señor vendrá a nosotros para elegirnos para su viña, también es cierto que solo lo hará cuando nos hayamos apartado de la ilusión de la autosuficiencia y hayamos "salido a la plaza" para entregarnos a su generosidad. Entonces, tras haber sido mirados con misericordia y elegidos para el reino de Dios, saldremos a trabajar en su viña.

Luego, en la parábola, vemos que el propietario de la viña regresa a la plaza cuatro veces más y encuentra a otros trabajadores disponibles que estaban “ociosos”, lo cual indica que no habían sido contratados para trabajar. Esto, por supuesto, demuestra que Dios nunca deja de buscar a quienes están perdidos o abandonados; pero también revela cuán abundante es la labor en su viña: “La cosecha es abundante, pero los trabajadores son pocos”, dice Jesús en otro pasaje. Aquí vemos que no hay límite al número de personas que Dios elegirá para salir a su viña. Dios, por tanto, busca constantemente a quienes se vuelven hacia Él. En consecuencia, nosotros (es decir, aquellos que ya hemos sido elegidos misericordiosamente por Dios) debemos participar en su misión de elegir más trabajadores para su viña, llamando a quienes están “ociosos” en la plaza para que “vayan”–como nos exhorta Isaías–y “busquen al Señor mientras lo pueden encontrar”.

Hermanos y hermanas, no puedo enfatizar este punto lo suficiente. Debemos salir, como el propietario de la viña, y buscar a aquellos que no tienen rumbo, que están "ociosos en la plaza", e invitarlos a entrar en la viña del Señor. La parábola de Jesús relata que a las cinco–la última hora de la jornada laboral–el propietario sale, encuentra a más trabajadores en la plaza y les pregunta: “¿Por qué han estado aquí todo el día sin trabajar?”, a lo que ellos responden: “Porque nadie nos ha contratado”. Es una realidad de nuestros tiempos que, al preguntar a las personas que no pertenecen a ninguna iglesia por qué no se han unido a una, la mayoría responde que nunca se les ha invitado. Por lo tanto, debemos ser nosotros esos representantes de Dios que, al encontrarlos habiendo "permanecido ociosos" la mayor parte de sus vidas, los inviten a salir y encontrar un profundo significado y propósito en sus vidas, por trabajar en la viña del Señor.

Finalmente, hermanos míos, habiendo sido mirados con misericordia por Dios que nos escogió para su viña, no debemos caer víctimas de la tentación de menospreciar a nuestros hermanos y hermanas que han llegado "tarde en el día", por así decirlo, a la viña para trabajar. Este fue el pecado de los trabajadores contratados primero en la parábola de Jesús: olvidaron que habían recibido la misericordia del propietario de la viña y creyeron merecer más que quienes llegaron tarde a la jornada. En lugar de agradecer la gracia de poder proveer para sí mismos y para sus familias un día más, sintieron envidia de los otros, que ganaron lo mismo trabajando menos. Por tanto, hermanos y hermanas, no permitamos que se nos olvide con cuánta misericordia nos eligió Dios y la gracia que nos ha concedido, y así caigamos en la envidia hacia aquellos hermanos que, tal vez, apenas han comenzado a conocer y experimentar la elección misericordiosa de Dios y la gracia que esta conlleva; pues, por la misericordia divina, ellos son, junto con nosotros, coherederos del Reino de los Cielos.

Así pues, hermanos y hermanas, al responder cada día a la misericordia de Dios y a su generoso llamado a salir a su viña para trabajar por su Reino, no olvidemos nuestra responsabilidad de invitar a quienes nos rodean a unirse a nosotros en esta labor llena de alegría; pues la promesa de “un salario diario” está al alcance de ellos, aun cuando hayan entrado en la viña a última hora. Y resistamos la tentación de sentir envidia ante la generosidad de Dios con todos sus trabajadores, ya que esto solo engendra amargura en nuestros corazones y desprecio hacia los demás y hacia Dios. Más bien, celebremos la generosa misericordia de Dios al elegirnos a cada uno de nosotros–esa misericordia que nos ganó el sacrificio de su Hijo, Jesús–y que ahora le ofrecemos de vuelta aquí, en este altar.

Dado en la parroquia de San Bonifacio: Lafayette, IN – 20 de septiembre, 2026

Mercifully chosen for the Kingdom

 Homily: 25th Sunday of Ordinary Time – Cycle A

Our late Holy Father, Pope Francis, chose for his papal motto the same motto he had chosen when he was ordained a bishop: “Miserando atque eligendo”, meaning “by having mercy and by choosing”.  In choosing this motto, what Pope Francis hoped to acknowledge was that he did not see his election as pope (or as bishop, for that matter) as being something that he earned through any merit of his own; but rather that it was because he had been “looked upon mercifully” by God, that he was chosen anyway.  I mention this here because I think that this, in a way, is the hidden theme behind the lesson of today’s Gospel reading.

First, of course, we must emphasize that Jesus, in giving us this parable, is speaking about the end of all time, for he states: “The kingdom of heaven is like…”  Therefore, this is not a lesson in how to be a generous, more “Christ-like” business manager; but rather it is a lesson about the meaning of life and what it is that we are all doing here.  With that in mind, let’s look at the parable.

Jesus gives us the image of a landowner (who, in this case, represents God) who goes out to hire laborers for his vineyard (who, of course, represent us).  Now, before we run past this detail, let’s first take note of something.  Those laborers went out to the marketplace hoping someone would come and hire them for the day so that they could earn money; presumably to provide for themselves and their families.  In other words, they acknowledged that they were, in a sense, powerless to acquire what they needed on their own and so were looking for a generous landowner who could provide it for them in exchange for some commitment of labor.  They, therefore, went to the marketplace in the hope of being hired.  And so the first lesson we learn from this parable is this: that if we want to be receivers of God’s generous mercy we must make ourselves available to God’s mercy by turning away from our self-reliance and seeking his generous election.

This, in fact, is the message that we heard from the prophet Isaiah in the first reading: “Seek the Lord while he may be found,” we hear Isaiah proclaim, “call him while he is near … let [the wicked] turn to the Lord for mercy; to our God, who is generous in forgiving.”  Therefore, while it is true that the Lord will come to us to choose us for his vineyard, it is also true that he will only do so when we have turned away from the illusion of self-reliance and have “gone out to the marketplace” to give ourselves over to his generosity.  Then, having been mercifully looked upon and chosen for God’s kingdom, we will go out to labor in his vineyard.

Then, in the parable, we hear that the landowner goes back to the marketplace four more times and finds other able laborers who were “standing idle”, indicating that they had not been hired for work.  This, of course, indicates that God never ceases to seek out those who are lost or abandoned; but it also shows just how abundant the labor in his vineyard is: “The harvest is abundant, but the laborers are few”, Jesus says in another place.  Here we see that there is no limit to the number that God will choose to go out into his vineyard.  God, therefore, is constantly seeking those who turn to seek him.  Therefore, we (that is, those who already have been mercifully chosen by God) must share in God’s mission to choose more laborers for his vineyard by calling those “standing idle in the marketplace” to go, as Isaiah exhorts us, and “seek the Lord while he may be found.”

My brothers and sisters, I cannot emphasize this point enough.  We must go out, like the landowner, and seek those who have no direction, who are “standing idle in the marketplace”, and invite them to come into the Lord’s vineyard.  Jesus’ parable states that at 5:00—the last hour of the workday—the landowner goes out and finds still more laborers standing in the market and he asks them, “Why do you stand here idle all day?” and they reply, “Because no one has hired us.”  It is a truth of our time that when asked why an individual hasn’t joined a church, a majority of those who are un-churched will say that it’s because they have never been invited.  We must, therefore, be that representative of God who, finding them having “stood idle” most of their lives, invites them to go out and find deep meaning and purpose in their life by working in the vineyard of the Lord.

Finally, my brothers and sisters, having been looked on mercifully by God who chose us for his vineyard, we must not fall victim to the temptation to look down on our brothers and sisters who have come “late in the day”, so to speak, into the vineyard to labor.  This is the sin of the laborers who were hired first in Jesus’ parable: they forgot that they had been recipients of the mercy of the landowner and thought that they deserved more than what had been given to those who came late in the day to work.  Instead of being thankful for the grace of being able to provide for themselves and their family for another day, they became jealous of the others who earned the same amount with less labor.  Therefore, my brothers and sisters, we must not allow ourselves to forget with what mercy God has chosen us and the grace that he has bestowed upon us and so become jealous of our brothers and sisters who, perhaps, have come only recently to know and experience God’s merciful election and the grace that comes with it; because, by God’s mercy, they are co-heirs to the kingdom of heaven with us.

And so, my brothers and sisters, as we daily respond to God’s mercy and his generous call to go out into his vineyard to labor for his kingdom, let us not forget our responsibility to invite those around us to join us in this joy-filled work; for the promise of “a full day’s wage” is available to them, even if they’ve gone out into the vineyard late in the day.  And let us resist the temptation to be jealous of God’s generosity to all his laborers, for this only breeds bitterness in our hearts and contempt for one another and for God.  Rather, let us celebrate God’s generous mercy in choosing each one of us—the mercy won for us by the sacrifice of his Son, Jesus—the mercy that we turn now to offer back to him here on this altar.

Given in Spanish at St. Boniface Parish: Lafayette, IN – September 20th, 2026

Mercy is integral to the Kingdom

 Homily: 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Cycle A

Friends, the Scriptures that have been given to us for our reflection this week provide us with a theme that is perhaps challenging to most of us: the lesson of radical forgiveness.  A theme like this, for many of us, can almost immediately invoke an emotional response: something along the lines of, “I get what Jesus is saying, but I don’t think he understands how that person hurt me!”  If you’re having that kind of response, that’s okay.  The Gospel is given to us to help us live fully human lives and our emotional lives are an integral part of that; so it’s fair if we need to wrestle with our emotions while trying to understand and integrate the Gospel in our daily lives.  And so, if you are having an emotional reaction, I invite you to take a deep breath so as to open your heart and your mind to receive the message with which God is blessing us this week.  Okay?  Good.  Let’s take a deeper look at this theme.

First, let’s remind ourselves of one thing.  That is, that in the Ten Commandments, there is not one that commands us to forgive anyone.  “I am the Lord, your God, you shall not have other gods besides me; you shall not use the Lord’s name in vain, you shall keep holy the Lord’s day, you shall honor your father and mother, you shall not kill, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not bear false witness, you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, you shall not covet your neighbor’s goods.”  Ten commandments, not one that says, “you shall forgive offenses”.  Nonetheless, throughout the old and new testament, an admonition—nay, a commandment—to forgive those who have done wrong to you appears.  This commandment is not arbitrary, however, but rather has great purpose: a purpose which our readings show to us today.

In the book of Sirach (which is a “wisdom” book that is a collection of wise sayings), we find not only the admonition to forgive but the reason behind it.  In fact, let’s just read it again: 

Wrath and anger are hateful things,
yet the sinner hugs them tight.
The vengeful will suffer the LORD’s vengeance,
for he remembers their sins in detail.
Forgive your neighbor’s injustice;
then when you pray, your own sins will be forgiven.
Could anyone nourish anger against another
and expect healing from the LORD?
Could anyone refuse mercy to another like himself,
can he seek pardon for his own sins?
If one who is but flesh cherishes wrath,
who will forgive his sins?
Remember your last days, set enmity aside;
remember death and decay, and cease from sin!
Think of the commandments, hate not your neighbor;
remember the Most High’s covenant, and overlook faults.

Again, not only does this reading tell us that we must forgive sins, but it tells us the reason why we must do it: for if we refuse to forgive, we ourselves cannot expect forgiveness from the Lord.  When it says, “the vengeful will suffer the Lord’s vengeance”, it echoes a teaching from Jesus: “the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you”.  Thus, the admonition to forgive is one of self-preservation!  Yet there’s also a further reason given, towards the end of the reading: “Remember your last days,” it says, “set enmity aside; remember death and decay, and cease from sin!”  In other words, “Don’t hold onto these grudges and hurts. Forgive them! Because your days are numbered and holding onto grudges threatens your readiness to receive the fulfillment of God’s covenant with you.”  Perhaps even more succinctly: “These worldly grudges don’t matter in heaven, so let them go and they won’t keep you from it.”

Then in the Gospel reading, Jesus turns this admonition to forgive into a commandment.  When Peter asks how often he should forgive someone who wrongs him, he asks with a number that was absurd: “As many as seven times?”  Jesus replies with an even more absurd statement: “Not seven times, but seventy-seven times.”  If it wasn’t serious, it would be almost silly.  It would be like someone asking “When I see someone begging on the street, how much should I give him? As much as $100?” and then receiving the reply, “Not $100, but $100 thousand”.  It was the kind of reply that would make you pause and say, “Wait, are you serious?”  That was obviously the look that Jesus got from Peter and so Jesus proceeded to tell the parable in order to illustrate that he was, indeed, serious and why. ///

The point—and the reason why the admonition to forgive has the weight of a commandment—is this: God has acknowledged every offense—every sin—big or small, that any of us have committed throughout our lifetime; and when we have come before him in humility and sincerity of heart and asked forgiveness, he has forgiven them.  Not because he is compelled to forgive, mind you, but rather because he wants to forgive.  He chooses this both out of his love for each of us, but also because, as our Father, he desires to give us the example of how we are to treat one another.  Thus, the parable in which a man is called to reckon for his enormous debt (some say that it was as much as $60 million in today’s money), but who is then forgiven of it when he begs his master’s mercy, and who then fails to show mercy to one who owes him a paltry amount, in comparison (maybe $100).  This offense is not missed by the master who then rescinds his forgiveness and sends the man to prison until his whole debt can be paid.  (Think about that for a minute: how long would you have to work washing dishes at minimum wage to pay off $60 million of debt?) ///

Nevertheless, in spite of the very practical nature of this parable, we should not get lost in thinking only of the practicalities of this teaching (i.e. how generous we should be with our forgiveness).  Jesus is talking about mercy in worldly affairs, for sure.  The parable, however, is meant to demonstrate to us a vision of the final judgment.  All of us have racked up an enormous debt with God because of our sins.  Nonetheless, God forgives us when we turn to him and seek forgiveness (especially in the sacrament of reconciliation).  If we, then, fail to forgive the offenses of others against us (which are tiny in comparison to the ways that we have offended God), God will judge us for our lack of mercy and in turn rescind his forgiveness: sending us to a place where we will suffer until that debt is fully paid.  This place is hell and eternity is the length of time that we will need to pay the debt.

Forgiveness, therefore, is not about appearing nice—or worse yet, soft and weak—but rather about the eternal destination of our souls!  We forgive, first and foremost, because of our gratefulness for having been forgiven.  Second (and of equal importance), we forgive because this way of mercy is the way of the kingdom of heaven which we, as disciples of Jesus, have been tasked to proclaim to the world!  You know, everyone is out there looking for and claiming solutions to all of the strife that afflicts our world today.  I hear very few persons, if any, saying that the way out of this strife is to forgive others their offenses.  Well, let me be one who says it: there will be no way out of the strife and enmity that are embroiling our society today unless we can look at our neighbor and say: “What you did hurt me, but I forgive you.  If there is anything that I have done to hurt you, I am sorry and I beg your forgiveness.”  You and I must take personal responsibility to do this or we will never see this societal strife come to an end. ///

“But Father, that’s not fair!”  You’re right; it’s not fair if you’re only thinking in worldly terms.  Strict natural justice says, “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth”.  Do not forget the words of Sirach, however: “Remember your last days, set enmity aside; remember death and decay, and cease from sin!”  In other words, “Pay attention to what is beyond this world and live according to those consequences, not the ones of this world.”  In the world beyond this one, we will be shown mercy to the extent that we showed mercy.  If we want unlimited mercy, then we must be unlimited in the mercy that we show to others here and now.  “But Father, won’t the wicked then prevail?”  Maybe so, but in this world only, while our souls will be preserved for eternal life.

This week and last, we’ve been treated to lessons on a number of the “spiritual works of mercy”.  Last week, Jesus gave us a very practical example of how, with great love, to perform the work of “admonishing the sinner”.  This week, he is showing us the consequences of failing to perform the works of “forgiving offenses” and “bearing wrongs patiently”.  While these negative consequences are to be avoided, there are, nonetheless, positive outcomes, too.  For when we forgive offenses and bear wrongs patiently, we, in a sense, absorb the spirit of wickedness in the world and take away its energy.  

Here’s what I mean: Many of us remember the “super-bouncy balls” right?  When you bounce one of these balls in a small room with nothing in it but walls, what happens?  It loses very little of its energy as it ricochets off walls repeatedly, perhaps even bouncing back and hitting you, the one who gave it its energy in the first place!  If there are some soft surfaces in there, however (an overstuffed couch or chair with pillows, let’s say) and the ball hits one of those things, then what happens?  The ball’s energy is absorbed, and it stops bouncing all together.  This is the effect of the spiritual works of mercy on evil and wickedness in the world.  As long as we resist them, trying to “fight fire with fire”, we become like hard surfaces off of which the energy of evil and wickedness bounce and ricochet back into the world.  If we bear them patiently and offer ready forgiveness, however, we become those soft surfaces in the room which absorb their energy so as to end their destructive chaos. ///

Is this the way that the world proposes to solve our problems?  Nope.  Will we be mocked for proposing this as the way?  Absolutely, yes.  Does that change the fact that we are called to live and proclaim it?  Not one bit.  Friends, the fact that you are here at Mass demonstrates to me that you get this, at least implicitly.  For what we celebrate here is the ultimate fulfillment of all that I just explained: Jesus took the full brunt of force that human wickedness and evil could bring forth in his passion and he absorbed it so that the full force of the grace of God could be poured forth into the world again.  As members of his Body, we are called to continue this work of absorbing the world’s wickedness and pouring forth grace in its place so that the full flourishing of God’s kingdom can be made manifest in our time.

Friends, only in Christ can we do this; and so, as we come forward to receive him today, let us open our hearts and minds to be filled with his strength and courage, so that we might be greater instruments of his mercy in the world.

Given at St. Patrick Parish: Kokomo, IN – September 13th, 2026

The cross that leads to full flourishing

 Homily: 22nd Sunday of Ordinary Time – Cycle A

Friends, today our readings give us another insight into Jesus’ teaching on the costs of discipleship.  Particularly, they speak to the often-paradoxical ways that following God’s call reveals to us the deepest meaning of our lives: that is, how deep meaning and fulfillment most often manifest themselves through distress and hardship.  This is a truly fundamental thing to understand and so it’s worth taking a deeper look at the readings so as to understand.

In our first reading, we heard the prophet Jeremiah lamenting the fact that he had allowed himself to be tricked (or “duped”) by God.  Very young when God first called him, Jeremiah tried to convince God to pick somebody else.  God, however, insisted on promises that he would be with him to deliver him from whoever would oppose him.  Jeremiah, however, wasn’t feeling the love.  Every time that he prophesied in the Lord’s name he was compelled to speak of God’s outrage at his chosen people for having disobeyed him for so long and of the violence that would come upon them if they didn’t change their ways.  Because of the seeming absurdity of his message—and, perhaps, because of his young age—Jeremiah was roundly mocked, derided, and at times assaulted for speaking such things.  Thus, he felt like God had tricked him into doing this with false promises of security and we hear him today “kicking himself” for allowing himself to be tricked.

In our Gospel reading, Peter seems to be feeling like he had been tricked also.  After having responded to divine inspiration to acknowledge Jesus as the Christ of God, and after having received such a glowing approval from Jesus (the one which we heard last week: “Blessed are you, Simon, son of Jonah…), Peter is now confronted by Jesus’ proclamation that he must go to Jerusalem to suffer and be killed by the elders and to be raised on the third day.  Perhaps we could understand Peter’s strong reaction: “What?  No way will we ever let this happen to you!”  Peter was confident that he had found the Christ; and the Christ for whom he was waiting would be an all-conquering king.  Thus, he felt like he had been tricked when Christ revealed that his grim fate would be to suffer and to be killed at the hands of the elders.

Jesus, however, took this opportunity to teach his disciples an important lesson.  Discipleship would not lead one into honor and prestige in this world; rather it would lead to shame: the greatest shame known to man at the time, that of being crucified.  The shame would only be an earthly shame, however: for having lost their lives for his sake in this world, they would in turn find the eternal life that salvation would bring them.  And, as we would see years on from this event, Peter would eventually find the deepest meaning of his life in the cross that he had been “tricked” to carry.

Jeremiah, too, would find the deepest meaning in his life by carrying the cross that he felt he had been “tricked” to carry.  For when he says that he tried to keep himself from speaking the Lord’s words, those words would become like a fire burning within his heart that he could not contain, that he could not endure; as if trying to contain them was something unnatural to him, while their spilling forth from him brought relief, even as it brought forth the cross of ridicule and derision. ///

Most of you don’t know this, but I am not originally from Indiana.  I grew up in the Chicago area and originally pursued a career in engineering.  I wanted to work for one of the “big three” automakers and so, as I was finishing my studies to obtain my degree in mechanical engineering, I started to apply for jobs in the Detroit area.

Not too long after I graduated, one of the companies to which I applied contacted me to come out for an interview.  I was surprised (shocked, actually) that the interview was not for a job in the Detroit area, but rather in Indiana (Kokomo, in fact).  Reluctantly, I did the interview and equally reluctantly I accepted a job in Kokomo, moving to Indiana soon after, only with the hope that I could transfer to Detroit in the future.

Not long after moving here to Indiana, I was certain that I had been tricked and I started looking for other jobs so that I could move: either up to Detroit or back to my home area near Chicago.  I strove with no success, however; but rather found that, when I accepted what I felt I had been tricked to accept and decided to settle here in Indiana, God revealed the deepest meaning of my life to me—that is, that he had called me to be a priest in this very same place—and so here I am today. ///

My brothers and sisters, our lives are full of times when we feel like we’ve been tricked by someone into accepting something that turned out to be a much more difficult or unsatisfying experience than what that person promised it would be.  Perhaps, like the prophet Jeremiah, we even feel like God has been that other person.  Nevertheless, if we take some time to look deeper at the situation, perhaps we will see how God is mysteriously using these events to reveal to us the deepest meaning of our lives: that is, how through the cross he has “tricked” us to carry he is preparing us to live in the Father’s glory when Christ returns.

What a message this is for us today, right?  We are living in a time in which the message of salvation could not be more important: namely, that there is an answer for all of the brokenness evident in the world.  Whether that brokenness be a flood that disrupts our community and causes great losses, or wars raging in different parts of the world that threaten to drag us in and cause an already unstable economy to be even more shaky, or the fraught state of politics in our country and all of the wrangling that public officials do trying to take advantage of these situations for political gain, the work that we Christians must do is to allow our minds to be transformed by God’s grace so that we might discern his mysterious movements within these distressful situations and proclaim that there is a definitive answer to them all: namely, to become disciples of Jesus, to live according to his teaching (which is God’s commandments), and therefore to prepare for the full coming of his kingdom when he returns.  Perhaps our doing so will put us at risk for rejection, suffering, and sorrow in this world; but as our readings today show us, Christians who suffer these things for the sake of God never suffer them without merit: for these crosses always bring forth the full flourishing of one’s vocation (and, thus, the full preparation for entering God’s kingdom).

My friends, this truth is never more evident than here in the Eucharist.  For through the cross that Jesus was compelled to bear came the fount of everlasting life: the sacrifice of his Body and Blood that we re-present here on this altar and the grace of redemption that we receive when we consume it.  And so, my brothers and sisters, let us boldly take up whatever cross our vocations or these turbulent times may have “tricked” us to carry because we are disciples of Christ: for there we will find Jesus, carrying the cross with us and leading us to our everlasting reward.

Given at St. Francis of Assisi Parish: Muncie, IN – August 30th, 2026

Una fe firme nos convierte en piedras

 Homilía: 21o Domingo en el Tiempo Ordinario – Ciclo A

Hermanos, las lecturas de hoy nos orientan hacia el establecimiento del papado y hacia la autoridad conferida a la Iglesia para gobernar al pueblo de Dios y emitir juicios en nombre de Dios. La lectura del libro de Isaías nos proporciona el contexto necesario para comprender cómo Jesús transmite a Pedro la autoridad del reino; pues, en dicho pasaje, la autoridad se retiraba a una persona y se otorgaba a otra basándose únicamente en la fidelidad del individuo para actuar como juez justo y buen administrador de los recursos del reino. Recordemos, no obstante, que era Dios quien realizaba este cambio, y no el rey terrenal. Más aún, Dios–por medio del profeta Isaías–promete que será Él mismo quien le confiera una autoridad firme gracias a su fidelidad. Es importante que tengamos presente este último punto al reflexionar sobre cómo Cristo instituyó el papado para su Iglesia.

Es importante porque, a primera vista, parece un tanto descabellado que Dios confiara su autoridad en la tierra a un hombre con graves defectos. Sabemos que Pedro era impetuoso e impulsivo; sabemos que era valiente, pero no siempre prudente. Hace apenas unas semanas recordábamos cómo, obedeciendo la orden de Jesús–quien permanecía milagrosamente de pie sobre la superficie del agua–Pedro salió valientemente de la barca y caminó sobre las aguas, pero pronto comenzó a hundirse al sentir miedo del mar agitado que lo rodeaba. Recordamos cómo Jesús lo reprendió diciéndole: ”Hombre de poca fe, ¿por qué dudaste?” Este es el mismo Pedro a quien Jesús confía la autoridad de su reino en el Evangelio de hoy. Conociendo lo que sabemos sobre Pedro, podemos–al menos en apariencia–cuestionar si esta fue la mejor decisión de Jesús.

Si examinamos la historia de los papas a lo largo de los siglos, no hará sino profundizar nuestro cuestionamiento sobre la decisión de Jesús de dejar la autoridad de la Iglesia en manos de hombres imperfectos. En esa historia encontramos figuras como el papa Esteban sexto, quien, movido por unos celos y un afán de venganza tan intensos hacia su predecesor, el papa Formoso, ordenó exhumar el cadáver de este, vestirlo con sus antiguas ropas papales y someterlo a juicio por todas las faltas que Esteban creía que había cometido. Tras aquella farsa de juicio, hizo mutilar el cuerpo de Formoso y arrojarlo al río Tíber (que atraviesa Roma). Sus acciones provocaron disturbios y agitación en toda la ciudad. ¿O qué decir del papa Alejandro sexto, quien utilizó su poder y autoridad para enriquecer a sus familiares, incluidos sus propios hijos (sí, ha oído bien)? Era conocido por recurrir a sobornos y a una manipulación política inmoral, además de incurrir en otros actos personales indecentes. Por desgracia, existen muchos más ejemplos de papas que actuaron de manera reprobable aún ostentando la plena autoridad de la Iglesia, transmitida originalmente a san Pedro.

Luego estaban aquellos que eran simplemente incompetentes. El papa Clemente séptimo fue un líder célebre por su incompetencia. Durante su pontificado, gestionó mal diversas alianzas políticas, lo que finalmente condujo a la invasión y conquista de Roma. Clemente también fue responsable de no lograr resolver la crisis con Enrique octavo de Inglaterra, la cual llevó a este último a separar la Iglesia de Inglaterra de la Iglesia romana. Cabe señalar que existen muchos otros ejemplos de papas que fueron simplemente incompetentes pero que, por ser sucesores de san Pedro, ejercían la plena autoridad de la Iglesia.

Llegados a este punto, tal vez se pregunten: “¿Acaso el padre intenta convencernos de que no debemos confiar en el Papa?”. Si es así, la respuesta es “¡NO!”. Simplemente trato de señalar que confiar la autoridad sobre la Iglesia–es decir, el sacramento mismo de salvación para todos los pueblos establecido por Dios–a un hombre imperfecto parece, a primera vista, algo descabellado. Lo señalo porque creo que, en el fondo, esa no es la cuestión principal. Más bien, considero que lo que estamos llamados a reconocer–la lección que Dios nos transmite–es que la Iglesia, con el papado, ha logrado sobrevivir a pesar de las numerosas imperfecciones de cada uno de sus papas. [REPEAT]

Los papas, como hemos visto, son personas complejas y con muchas aristas (Pedro no fue la excepción, ¿verdad?). Sin embargo, resulta que si aciertan en una sola cosa, logran sobrevivir. ¿Cuál es esa cosa? La profesión de fe. [REPEAT].

En la lectura del Evangelio, Jesús pregunta a sus discípulos qué dice la gente sobre él: “¿Quién dice la gente que es el Hijo del hombre?” Tras escuchar sus respuestas, les dirige la misma pregunta a ellos para ver si empiezan a comprender quién es él. Entonces, Pedro habla en nombre de todos (o tal vez no de todos, sino simplemente antes que los demás) y proclama su fe: "Tú eres el Mesías, el Hijo de Dios vivo". Jesús, el buen maestro, confirma la respuesta acertada de Pedro y responde con aquella famosa frase: “Y yo te digo a ti que tú eres Pedro y sobre esta piedra edificaré mi Iglesia…” y “te daré las llaves del Reino de los cielos…” Ahora bien, cuando Jesús dice “sobre esta piedra”, ¿se refiere a “Pedro, el hombre” o a “la profesión de fe de Pedro”? La respuesta, a mi parecer, es ambas cosas. Son ambas. Jesús se refiere a ambas.

Es cierto, en efecto, que las personas imperfectas constituyen un cimiento inestable sobre el cual edificar cualquier organización. Sin embargo, esas mismas personas que profesan con confianza (y humildad) su fe en la divinidad de Jesús–y en que Él es quien fue enviado al mundo para redimir a la humanidad–se convierten en piedra firme sobre la que puede edificarse la Iglesia de Dios. Todos aquellos papas imperfectos que mencioné (y los muchos otros que no cité), a pesar de las múltiples formas en que no estuvieron a la altura de la fe, profesaron no obstante esa misma fe y jamás enseñaron nada contrario a ella. Por haber sido fieles al profesar y custodiar la fe, Dios pudo proteger a la Iglesia e impedir que se derrumbara, haciendo efectiva la garantía divina que Él mismo proclamó ante Pedro en Cafarnaún, aquel día trascendental de hace casi dos mil años: “sobre esta piedra edificaré mi Iglesia. Los poderes del infierno no prevalecerán sobre ella”.

Hermanos, todos podemos ser–y estamos llamados a ser–piedras sobre las cuales Cristo edifica su Iglesia. Sin embargo, al igual que Pedro y todos los papas que le sucedieron, no tenemos por qué ser perfectos. ¡De hecho, es mejor si no lo somos! Más bien, en lugar de esforzarnos en exceso por alcanzar la perfección mediante nuestro propio ingenio, deberíamos procurar fortalecer nuestra profesión de fe y, con ello, nuestra confianza en que, si vivimos conforme a ella, el Reino de Dios seguirá surgiendo y creciendo a nuestro alrededor (¡e incluso a pesar de nosotros!).

¿En qué consiste vivir esta profesión–es decir, vivir confiando en el poder de Dios para edificar a través de nosotros? Consiste en adorar a Dios, tanto en la Misa como en la oración diaria; en vivir según sus mandamientos, ¡todos ellos!; en amar a nuestros seres más cercanos–principalmente en nuestras familias y en nuestra comunidad; y en no desesperar jamás ante nuestras propias faltas ni las de quienes nos rodean, sino en confiar en Dios y en su providencia en todo momento. Por último, cuando fallamos en cualquiera de estos aspectos, vivir esta profesión de fe significa volver al Padre con fe para pedir perdón y recibir la fortaleza necesaria para comenzar de nuevo. Esta, hermanos y hermanas, es la piedra sobre la que se edifica la Iglesia; y cada uno de nosotros está llamado–y recibe toda gracia–a hacer firme esta piedra.

Al unir hoy nuestras oraciones por nuestro papa actual, el Papa León, para que su fe se mantenga siempre firme mientras guía a la Iglesia de Dios, renovemos nuestra propia profesión de fe–y nuestro compromiso de vivir conforme a ella–a fin de que la Iglesia de Dios siga creciendo y nosotros continuemos acercándonos a nuestra recompensa eterna en el cielo.

Dado en la parroquia de San Patricio: Kokomo, IN – 23 de agosto, 2026

Strong faith makes us rocks

 Homily: 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time – Cycle A

Friends, today’s readings all point us to the establishment of the papacy and to the authority given to the Church to govern God’s people and to make judgments in the name of God.  The reading from the book of Isaiah gives us the context from which we are to understand Jesus’ handing on the authority of the kingdom to Peter.  For in Isaiah, the authority was taken from one and given to another solely based on the individual’s faithfulness to being a just judge and a good steward of the resources of the kingdom.  Remember, though, that it was God who was making this change, not the earthly king.  Still further, God (through Isaiah, the prophet) makes the promise that it is he himself that will make him a sturdy authority because of his faithfulness.  This last point is one that is important for us to remember as we think about Christ establishing the papacy for his Church.

Important because, on the surface, it seems a little bit crazy that God would entrust his authority on earth to a deeply flawed man.  We know Peter to be brash and impulsive; we know him to be someone who is brave, but not always prudent.  Just a couple of weeks ago, we recalled how he bravely stepped out of the boat onto the water at the command of Jesus (who himself was standing miraculously on the surface of the water), but then quickly sank as he became fearful of the stormy seas around him.  We recalled how Jesus admonished him: saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”  This is the same Peter to whom Jesus entrusts the authority of his kingdom in today’s Gospel reading.  Knowing what we know about Peter, we can–on the surface, at least–question whether this was Jesus’ best decision.

Then, when we look at the history of the popes throughout the centuries, our questioning of Jesus’ decision to leave the authority of the Church in the hands of flawed men will only deepen.  There, in the history, we find popes like Pope Stephen the sixth, who was so jealous and vengeful of his predecessor, Pope Formosus, that he had his body dug up from its grave, dressed in his former papal robes, and put on trial for all the wrongs that Pope Stephen thought he had committed.  After this mockery of a trial, he had Formosus’ body mutilated and thrown in the Tiber river (which runs through Rome).  His actions caused riots and unrest throughout Rome.  Or how about Pope Alexander the sixth, who used his power and authority to enrich his family members–even his children (yes, you heard that right).  He was known to deal in bribes and immoral political manipulation, along with other indecent personal acts.  Unfortunately, there are many more examples of popes who behaved badly while still holding the full authority of the Church, first handed on to Saint Peter.

Then there were those who were just incompetent.  Pope Clement the seventh was a famously incompetent leader.  During his papacy, he mismanaged a number of political alliances which led ultimately to Rome being invaded and conquered.  Clement was also responsible for being unable to resolve the crisis with Henry the eighth in England that led him to separate the Church in England from the Roman Church.  Again, there are many other examples of popes who were simply incompetent, but yet who, because they were the successor of Peter, wielded the full authority of the Church.

At this point, you might be thinking to yourselves, is Father trying to convince us that we shouldn’t trust the Pope?  If so, the answer is “NO”!  I am simply trying to point out that entrusting authority over the Church–that is, the very sacrament of salvation for all peoples that God established–to a flawed man seems, on the surface, to be a little bit crazy.  I point this out because I believe that, ultimately, this is not the point.  Rather, I believe that the point we are called to recognize–the lesson that God is imparting to us–is that the Church with the papacy has survived nonetheless in spite of the abundant flaws of each of its popes [REPEAT].

Popes, as we have seen, are messy, complicated people (Peter no exception, right?).  As it turns out, however, if they get one thing right they will survive.  What is that one thing?  It’s the profession of faith [REPEAT].

In the Gospel reading, Jesus inquires among his disciples to learn from them what other people are saying about him.  “Who do they say that I am?”  After they share their answers, he turns the question on them to see whether they are starting to understand who he is.  Here, Peter speaks for everyone (or maybe not for everyone, but just before everyone) and declares his faith: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”  Jesus, the good teacher, affirms Peter’s correct answer and then responds with that famous phrase: “And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church…” and “I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven…”  Now, when Jesus says, “on this rock”, does he mean “Peter, the man,” or does he mean “Peter’s profession of faith?”  The answer, I argue, is both.  It’s both.  Jesus means both.

It’s true, you see, that flawed persons are a shaky foundation on which to build any organization.  The same persons, however, who confidently (and with humility) profess faith in the divinity of Jesus, and that he is the one sent into the world to redeem mankind, become solid rocks on which God’s Church can be built.  All of those flawed popes that I mentioned (and the many others that I didn’t mention), in spite of the multitude of ways that they failed to live up to the faith, nonetheless professed the same faith and never taught anything against it.  Because they were faithful in professing and safeguarding the faith, God was able to protect the Church and keep it from collapsing: realizing the divine guarantee that he professed to Peter in Capernaum on that fateful day nearly two thousand years ago: “upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.”

Friends, we all can be–and we are called to be–rocks on which Christ builds his Church.  Like Peter and all the popes after him, however, we don’t have to be perfect.  Better, in fact, if we aren’t!  Rather, instead of striving too hard for perfection by our own ingenuity, we should strive to bolster our profession of faith–and, thus, our trust that , if we live from this profession, God’s kingdom will continue to emerge and grow around us (and even in spite of us!).

What does living from this profession–that is, living in this trust in God’s power to build through us–look like?  It looks like worshiping God–both at Mass and in daily prayer; it looks like living by his commandments–all of them!; it looks like loving those closest to us–that is, in our families, primarily, and in our community; and it looks like never despairing because of our faults and the faults of those around us, but trusting in God and in his providence at every turn.  Finally, when we fail at doing any one of these things, living from this profession of faith looks like turning back to the Father in faith to seek forgiveness and to receive strength to begin again.  This, my brothers and sisters, is the rock on which the Church is built; and we are each called–and given every grace–to make this rock firm.

As we unite our prayers today for our current pope, Pope Leo, that his faith will remain ever firm as he leads God’s Church, let us renew our own profession of faith–and our commitment to live from it–so that God’s Church may continue to grow, and we will continue to draw closer to our eternal reward in heaven.

Given in Spanish at St. Patrick Parish: Kokomo, IN – August 23rd, 2026

The greatest treasure is worth everything

 Homily: 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Cycle A

Friends, today in our Gospel reading we conclude the incredibly rich and dense thirteenth chapter from Matthew’s Gospel.  Over these last three Sundays we’ve heard a multitude of parables that our Lord Jesus used to describe the kingdom of heaven that he had come to inaugurate.

We heard the parables of the sower and the seed and the weeds and the wheat, in which he described how the word would (and wouldn’t) be received by the ones with whom it was shared, and how even those who received it would be threatened by the work of the evil one.  We also heard the parables of the mustard seed and the yeast and the dough, in which he described how the kingdom of heaven is something quite unremarkable by human standards–a tiny seed and a little yeast–that nonetheless works invisibly to create an outsized impact on the world: a large bush in which many birds can make their nest and whole large batch of leavened dough.

Today we heard the parables of the treasure in the field and the pearl of great price, in which he described how the kingdom of heaven is truly the most valuable thing one could ever find, and he emphasizes that those who truly seek it, upon finding it, are ready to abandon everything in order to obtain it.  Finally, today we also heard the last parable in this chapter, in which he describes the eschatological nature of the kingdom of heaven (that is, how the kingdom of heaven will be when all things come to an end).  Here he describes the great judgment at the end of time: the gathering of the various fish of the sea and the separating of the “good” and the “bad” fish–the good being those who heard the word and remained faithful to it (or those who never had the opportunity to hear the word, but nonetheless lived virtuous lives) and the bad being those who, having heard the word, either rejected it or were unfaithful to it (or who, never having had the opportunity to hear the word, nonetheless lived lives of debauchery and sin).

I don’t know about you, but when I put that all together, I can’t believe that it is all contained in just one chapter of the Gospel!  There’s so much there to unpack; but yet, there’s more!  Remember how his disciples asked him about why he taught in parables and the explanation that Jesus gave?  He said, it seems, that he taught in parables so that only certain people would understand and believe.  We had to wrestle with the idea that Jesus, who came for the salvation of all, nonetheless taught in a way that might leave some people unable to understand and, thus, unable to receive the salvation that Jesus came to bring.  Although it is possible to interpret his teaching as meaning that his disciples will be those who wrestle with their struggle to understand, and thus become intentional disciples, while those who simply reject his teaching because they couldn’t understand it right away will never become his disciples (and thus make some sense of why he taught in that way), we nonetheless have to wrestle with this idea and what that might mean for our own discipleship.  All this, again, adding to the incredible density of this chapter in Matthew’s Gospel. ///

Okay, with all of this swimming in our minds right now, let’s listen to the last question that Jesus asks his disciples at the end of this: “Do you understand all these things?”  I don’t know about all of you, but my reaction is something along the lines of, “Umm… sure?”  Certainly, at one level, we can answer with the disciples, who answered simply, “Yes”.  On the surface, these parables and Jesus’ teaching about why he teaches in parables are things that we can understand.  But I think that all of us can also see that there’s a depth to these parables that are not so easy to understand, and that would take prayer, study, and meditation to understand more fully.  Here, I think that we can invoke the words of the man who asked Jesus to cure his son.  When Jesus asked him, “Do you believe that I can do this?”, the man replied, “Yes, Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief”.  In our context today, our reply to Jesus’ question, “Do you understand all these things?”, might be, “Yes, Lord, I understand. Help my lack of understanding”.

With that in mind, perhaps we can appreciate King Solomon and his response to God in the dream in which God appeared to him and gave him a “blank check” to ask for whatever he wanted.  In spite of what must have been an incredible temptation to ask for a “long life”, “riches”, or “the life of his enemies”, Solomon understood his calling–which was to govern God’s people rightly–and so asked for “an understanding heart” to judge well how to govern them: justly and prudently.  Seeing how we are called to engage the word of God and to probe its truths, perhaps we too could ask for “understanding hearts” to “help our unbelief” (that is, our “lack of understanding”) and so become even more intentional disciples, who act as good “yeast” in the midst of the “dough” of our community, so that the kingdom of heaven might “leaven the whole batch”. ///

I know that we’re all still hurting from the news that we received last week, and that it is hard, perhaps, to strive to engage these teachings while we’re still processing it all.  Even still, I urge you to give it a try.  Throughout these last weeks, our Lord Jesus names the many ways that the kingdom of heaven will be made known to us and how the Gospel–that is, the Good News of salvation–will be proclaimed and/or experienced among us.  Then he reminds us that, no matter how you might be experiencing it right now, it remains the most valuable treasure you or I could ever find.  Yes, it will be both received and rejected…  Yes, it will be resisted and fought against…  Yes, it will seem small, unimportant, and ineffective…  Yes, at times it will seem like it doesn’t resolve everything (or even anything!)...  Nevertheless, our Lord’s admonition underlying all these parables is this: don’t worry about those things, because they will all be worked out in the end.  Rather, remember that the kingdom of heaven–that is, salvation–is the greatest treasure you or I could ever find and we should give everything… absolutely everything… to possess it.  And once we possess it, we should never let anything tempt us to let it go.

Friends, as we continue through these days of grief, confusion and uncertainty, it is imperative that we hold onto the truths that have been revealed to us and that we strive to remain faithful to those truths.  To do this, we turn to God in prayer: sharing with him all of the emotions that are in our hearts and asking him to comfort us, to clarify our doubts and confusion, and to strengthen us to persevere in faith in this difficult time.  And although it may seem difficult to do right now, we should all be doubling down on our devotional prayer–rosaries, chaplets of Divine Mercy, litanies, etc.–for these can be solid rocks on which to stand when everything else feels shaky.  Finally, once again, we need to support each other: sharing with one another the burdens of our hearts and praying for and with one another.  In doing so, we will strengthen each other in faithfulness and find that our own faith is strengthened. ///

My dear brothers and sisters, the kingdom of heaven is among us and for this we must give thanks.  May our Eucharist today strengthen our resolve to faithfulness, so that this kingdom–the great treasure buried in a field and the pearl of great price for each of us–might continue to grow and blossom in our midst.

Given at Sacred Heart Parish: Remington, IN – July 26th, 2026

Given at St. Augustine Parish: Rensselaer, IN – July 26th, 2026