Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church: Catholic Sunday Homilies

The Good Shepherd Heals by His Wounds - Trust Him (Jn 10:1-10) (4 ET)

We are healed by His wounds. He leads us from the darkness, to green pastures and flowing water. This is a short homily  on healing followed by a prayer for healing. 

How Do we See Jesus 2000 Years after the Resurrection? Three Places to See Jesus. (Lk 24:13-35) (3 ET)

The disciples on the Road to Emmaus could not recognize Jesus even though he was with him and talking to them. Is the past preventing us to recognize Christ with us now? Or how about the future, is that preventing us from seeing Christ now? We can find him in the sacrament, the scripture and the others in our lives. Invite him to stay with us as the two disciples did. Invite him into your struggles, shattered dreams, disappointments, and into your heart. 

The Greatest Attribute of God is Mercy. But what is it Really? How do we share in it? (Jn 20:19-31) (2 ET)

God Forgives us for our sin, thus reconciling us back to Himself, and therefore sharing with us the Divine Life we forfeited. As great as this is, it is not His Mercy. His Mercy is shown not in that He forgives, but How He Forgives.. He comes to us! He reconciles us even before our perfect contrition, even before we know how bad we need it. And if He treats us this way, should not we who are created in His Image and Likeness do the same? We share in His Mercy by ourselves becoming Ambassadors of His Mercy, going out, reconciling, forgiving, serving, and building up the community. In the world response to the pandemic, we see signs that deep down this is the kind of world we all long for. A world where our highest priority is helping one another be healthy, whole and have what they need to live. It is common to us. Let us move forward and build that world, not backwards restoring the status quo. 

He is Risen and Triumphs over Sin, Death, even Coronavirus! (Mt 28: 1-10) (1 ET)

An Angel descends, the earth quakes, the Angel rolls away to stone from the entrance to the tomb, and sits on top, inviting the women to come and see that He is Risen! Such a dramatic scene! Even more earth shaking is when we realize/believe it is really true. It really happened. Do you believe? If you are still doubting; the angel invites us to search and enter to see for ourselves. Many have made that search; Lee Strobel, author of The Case for Christ; Francis Collins, author of "The Language of God", C.S. Lewis the author of Mere Christianity. God has testified through Miracles over the years. But most convincing is if we have the courage to make that search and encounter the Risen Lord ourselves.  For believers, this shows us are call. To be witnesses. And to all of us in these times of suffering and confusion due to the coronavirus, it is hope, that during this time of social distancing and suffering, God is strengthening us, so that when we come back together again, we will be better witnesses and more powerfully proclaim to the world that; HE IS RISEN!

The Death of Jesus Was the Worse of All Deaths; Yet it Shows the Depth of His Love (Jn 18:1-19:42) (Good Friday)

In one way, Jesus' death is just the consequence of His Incarnation. But, it was the most awful of all deaths, as the devil used all his power to try to tempt Jesus to come down from the cross. But He showed His Love for us, until the end. For He loved His own who were in the world.  So we can have confidence of His Love for us, and when we encounter suffering, we know He knows are pain and is with us. When we feel like we cannot be forgiven, we know we are because He died for our forgiveness, and when we feel alone, we are never alone. He Loves us, He is with us, and He is strong. He has triumphed over evil, sin, and death.

Jesus' Mission was to Institute the Eucharist (Jn 13:1-15) (Holy Thursday)

This is a bold statement; that Jesus' Mission was to institute the Eucharist! Most would say it was to die for our sins, and bring us everlasting life. It is through the Eucharist that we receive our Salvation. In the Eucharist we participate in His Life, Death, and Resurrection. In the Eucharist we choose to unite ourselves to Christ, so as to be united to Him in his Resurrection, and to be united with He who is eternally alive. So by our union with Him, we to are eternally alive. Thank you Lord for the institution of the Eucharist that we celebrate tonight. 

Raising Our Prayers and Uniting our Sufferings to Christ: Standing in the Breach (Jn 11:1-45) (5 LT)

I don't know why, but I do know how we can respond to all that is happening around us these days. Let us raise our sufferings and join them to the sufferings of Christ. Let us reach out in love to ease the suffering of others. Let us Pray. Deliver us oh Lord we beseech, as we stand in the breach. That is a term from the Prophet Ezekiel in chapter 22, where God asks if there will be anyone to stand in the gap, and intercede for his people. Forgive me but I use the lyrics of my favorite poet and songwriter Jackson Browne. Pray he recovers soon from the coronavirus!

What Do Eyes of Faith See in these Times of Corona Virus? (Jn 9:1-41) (4 LT)

Today's Gospel reading on one level talks about our Catechumens who are preparing to be baptized this coming Easter. But also it is about how Faith calls us to look at our world, especially during these times of the Corona Virus Pandemic. How can God allow this? What is God's purpose? I don't claim to know. However we all saw the rainbow over Hermosa Beach last Tuesday. In Genesis 9:16 God says: "When the bow is in the clouds, I shall see it and call to mind the eternal covenant between God and every living creature." God is still with us. And if God is with us, God will also deliver us, and in these times we can draw closer to God and one another. Let us all pray to have the "Eyes of Faith" to see and follow what the Lord is doing in these times. 

Let's Have a Mountaintop Experience (And Not Just Talk About It) ) (Mt 17:1-9) (2 LT)

Rather than talk about encounters with God, parishioners share their "mountain top" experiences

Eat of the Fruit of the Tree of Life; the Body of Christ (Mt 4:1-11) (1 Lt)

The image of the Garden of Eden is central not only to the book of Genesis, but the Entire Bible! Jesus is the fruit of the tree of life, and His cross is the tree. The temptation of the Garden, is the same temptation of the Desert. Jesus leads us from the deserts in our lives, back to the garden, if we let him. This homily breaks down the Fall of Humanity in Genesis, and Jesus's work to restore that Garden in our lives so that we may have not only life eternal, but fullness of life now.