Homilies and Other Writings

  1.  Let’s talk about prayer. Prayer is not a vending machine. When a vending machine doesn’t work, we get upset and go somewhere else to find what we want. God is a person, not a machine. A machine is made for us, God is not, rather, we are made by him and for him. Prayer is not like paying God for what we want, as if God were the owner at a nearby convenience store. God is our Father, and prayer is like talking to Him, asking Him for what we want, for what we think we need. It is easy to know when people relate to us, not because they care about us, but because they need something from us. True, we cannot expect everyone to reach out to us out of love, as if they were family; but we do expect it from our own family. God is our Father; we belong to His family. The way we ask things from Him matters to Him. Even when we ask things from God, it has to be personal. For example, if He sees that you approach Him with confidence, knowing that He loves you and wants the best...

  “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.” What is that only necessary thing? If we knew, we could perhaps overcome our worries and anxieties. This necessary thing can be taken in two senses. First, it is the goal, that for the sake of which we do everything we do. Second, it is the next action in order to get closer to the goal. There is only one goal, one reason for which we should do everything we do. And there is only one action before us that will take us to that goal. We should only worry about that. If you want rest, if you want peace, you should only worry about the next action that will take you closer to God. Nothing else. 1.   This is why Jesus said once “come to me all you who are weary and carrying heavy burdens and I will give you rest” ( Matthew 11:28). This is so true that, even in this life, all the things that can give a person rest...

  Many things pass through the mind of a religious when he is asked to move. Especially because, usually, we are not just “commanded,” but rather it comes as a request you may accept or not. Many times, they give you some time to think about it. You know that the thing has been thought through, so you know that, most probably, the best thing for everyone is that you accept, but the ball is on your court and you have to play your part. There is a part of you that feels the pressure to accept in order to please “the boss,” and another part that feels the responsibility of doing the right thing so that the move does not end up creating bigger problems for everyone; a part that mourns the loss, and a part that may be excited about what is coming. Playing your part means, sometimes, bringing to your boss’ attention relevant objections that he may not have considered or may be unknown to him; other times, just being honest about your feelings; always, it is giving your heart to your ...

  “Lord, what do you want from us? What should we do to inherit eternal life?” Sometimes, we would like the Lord to give us a task, something we can do ourselves, so that once and for all we can get rid of the problem of saving ourselves and the fear of condemnation. How often do we “love” our neighbor simply as a way of getting rid of them? That is, we do for our neighbor what we have to do, and then we move away from him. It seems to us that, by giving our neighbor what he needed, we have completed our work: we are “justified,” and we can now go and do whatever we want. Perhaps we believe that to love our neighbor is to approach him when he needs something and then turn away, as if he were not really part of our life... In today’s Gospel ( Luke 10:25-37), the Pharisee knows that he must love his neighbor, that he must do something for his neighbor. But perhaps it was not very clear who was the “neighbor,” that is, the one "nearby,” the one who is considered “close.” Who is my...