Lifeissues is mainly concerned with publishing thoughtful articles directly related to issues raised in Evangelium Vitae. However, from the very beginning, we have also published a few related homilies, notably by Fr. Al Cariño, O.M.I., Fr. Tony Pueyo, and others.
Please use the pulldowns below to select a homily by Liturgical Calendar date.
Our image of God may have been formed by our experiences with people who influenced us in our growing years.
A good Christian should show to the world the light received in the Holy Mass. The light should shine in him or her so brightly that they should be the image of Christ for others.
The suffering that diminishes us may be the same suffering that can magnify us. As examples we may cite the various letters from prison that became sources of strength and inspiration. Our great national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal wrote the beautiful poem “Mi Ultimo Adios” while waiting for his execution. Who can forget its opening lines, “Adios Patria adorada, region del sol querida”? From his experiences of Hitler’s concentration camp, Dr. Viktor Frankl came up with logotheraphy and his book, “Man’s Search for Meaning.” The theologian Bonhoeffer who resisted Hitler wrote his “Letters from Prison”. St. Paul himself wrote some of his letters from prison (Col. 4:7-10).
God's formula for salvation includes grace and faith. When you put the two together, the result is good works.
God offers salvation through simple belief. Salvation is God's initiative, not ours. We do nothing to cause it or earn it. It was already there before we knew we needed it. Jesus Christ in his ministry is living proof of this. This is our message to the world.
We can refuse to cooperate with sufficient grace, and if we do so, that is our doing. But the mysterious side of this is that if we do cooperate with divine grace, that is itself a grace. Our cooperation is a grace, and the credit goes to God, not us.