Homilies and Other Writings

  The True Meaning of Unconditional Love (Homily for Sunday, October 1 st 2023) Today’s readings are clear that mercy and conversion are not opposed but actually go together. In the first reading ( Ezekiel 18:25-28), God is merciful with the sinner who repents and does the right thing, but punishes the good person who becomes corrupt and does evil. Now, obviously, if this last person, who became corrupt, repents and does again the right thing, he or she will be saved. While there is time, God gives us the opportunity to change for the better. In the Gospel ( Matthew 21:28-32), the son who says “no” to his father but later changes his mind and does his father’s will, this son is placed by the Lord as the model, as the good son. The Pharisees had said “yes” to the prophecies of the Scripture, but when the prophecies were fulfilled in Jesus, they did not accept them anymore and did not follow Jesus. The sinners, instead, who had said “no” to the law of Moses and the Scriptur...

(On  Philippians  1:21-24) St. Paul once said that he was caught between two options. “ For to me life is Christ, and death is gain. If I go on living in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. And I do not know which I shall choose. I am caught between the two. I long to depart this life and be with Christ, for that is far better. Yet that I remain in the flesh is more necessary for your benefit ” (Cf. Philippians 1:21-24). We Christians also are sometimes caught between two options. If we had to choose between continuing to suffer something very difficult and going to Heaven, what would we choose? If we had to choose between continuing to work hard, apparently without success, for the establishment of God’s Kingdom in human culture and going to Heaven and resting, what shall we choose? What is the reason we want to keep working, or to stop suffering? What is the reason we want to go to Heaven? What is the reason that sometimes we desire the Lord to come back? ...

(On Matthew 16:16-18) Jesus does not say to Simon you are the rock (the petra , rock in Greek). He says to him “you are Peter ( Petros ) and upon this petra I will build my Church” ( Matthew 16:18). St. Augustine explains that the name Peter comes from petra as the name Christian comes from Christ. [1] We are Christians because we participate in the life, grace, truth, doctrine, body and blood of Jesus Christ. Simon is Peter because he participates in the stability and firmness of the petra , the rock which is Jesus Himself. There is something in Peter which is as stable and firm as a rock. [2] Peter is not the rock: he will still break a few times, and Jesus knows it. Peter will die one day, and Jesus knows it. But Peter’s confession will never break, it will never pass away, it will never be moved to the left or to the right. Peter’s confession will never die: “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God” ( Matthew 16:16). How can the confession of a man be so stable? Have no...

Since today’s readings keep showing us God’s mercy towards the sinner, let me continue my reflections on anger. Anger is what makes it so difficult for us to be merciful as God is merciful. Let me give you four suggestions to moderate our bad anger. 1.   Fulton Sheen [1] described the bad anger as “the anger of the clenched fist prepared to strike not in defense of that which is loved but in offense against that which is hated.” What does it mean to defend that which is loved? Supposed that a shirt you love gets stained, right before you go to a party. You don’t begin hating your shirt because of the stain: you hate the stain because it doesn't allow you to enjoy your shirt and wear it at the party. Sinners should be seen as lovely shirts that only need a little wash or a stain remover... Well, sometimes it’s easy to get the stain out, other times you need to scrub: however, you never scrub so hard as to ruin your lovely shirt. Good anger is like that perfect scrubbing, which i...

  (Homily for September 17 th 2023) At the Last Supper, the Lord told His Apostles to buy a sword, even if they had to sell their own vestments to obtain it (cf. Luke 22:35-36). This sword is God’s word, because this sword is more important than anything else we may have in life: this sword is the only thing which will save our souls at the time of persecution. But that same night, (cf. Luke 22, vv. 37-38 and vv. 47-53) the Apostles, probably not understanding exactly what Jesus meant, said to Jesus, “Master, here are two swords.” Jesus responded, “It is enough.” These two swords can be understood as the two powers Jesus left to the Church: the power to liberate people by teaching the truth, and the power to defend herself from human enemies. However, this second sword is subordinated to the first. Christians do not defend themselves when this is detrimental to the preaching of the Gospel or to the work of redemption. Christians do not defend themselves when their enemies ca...

  (Homily for Sunday September 10 th ) 1.   In the first reading, if the prophet Ezechiel does not speak to the sinner, then the sinner dies, the sinner is not saved. St. Paul, in his letter to the Romans, tells us that the whole law is to love one another: now, if you love your neighbour, you don’t let your neighbour die, you try to save them. In the Gospel, Jesus tells us that fraternal correction is an act of love. If your brother, after sinning, listens to you and repents, you have won over your brother, you have saved a brother. Sin kills your brother or sister: if you take away sin from your brother or sister, you give them life. Speaking against sin is perceived, sometimes, as imposing one’s own views on other people. Correcting another person’s moral wrongdoing might be seen as taking away their free choice or, perhaps, as not respecting another person’s freedom. Now, if I know that my friend’s opinion will get him killed and I love him, I will do everything I can ...

Zero is an interesting number. It is not worth anything, but if you put a zero in the correct place, it is worth a lot. For example, if you add a zero after the number “100” you make it into a “1000”: a lot more. Zero, by itself is nothing. Perhaps, Mr. Zero thinks that, because he is round, and the circle is perfect, he is perfect. But, poor Mr. Zero, he indeed is nothing, he is a hole... The value of number zero is a relative value. In order to be worth something, zero must be related to another number: it must be related to “one,” and put behind, after “one.” Zero can teach us about humility. Each one of us is like a zero. Sometimes we look proudly at ourselves, thinking that we are something… However, like Mr. Zero, by ourselves we are (in a sense!) like a hole, nothing. True humility is to realize that without God we are nothing and can do nothing. Jesus said, “Separated from me you can do nothing” ( John 15:5). St. Paul used to say: “ What do you have that you did not re...