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.
The readings from last week's Mass showed us that all of us, without exception, are called by the Lord but what are we called to do? We all have a vocation and that it should be lived with integrity and courage. We Christians have been chosen, we have a vocation, to struggle against the evil that exists in this world and to recognize Jesus Christ, "the Holy One of God," as our Lord and Savior.
his post-modern period is characterized by a multiplicity of choices, where the criterion between a good choice and a b ad choice is blurred. For Jesus, the criterion is clear: Is it pleasing to God? (Jn.:29).
The conflict between good and evil today, is not as dramatic as demonic possessions. The modern forces of evil do not show themselves as frightening faces or as contorted bodies. As one movie title indicates, the devil today may wear Prada or any designer brand. He may be sending messages through the internet. He may be courteous, polite, well-educated and sophisticated.
In a normal game of hide and seek, one starts by seeking out those who are hidden, and the game ends when you find them. But here, one has to be found first, and then one is able to go seeking. Who do you seek? The One who found you; if He did not find you, you could not go looking for Him.
The Narcissism Epidemic: Living in the Age of Entitlement has reached such epic proportions today that it accounts for multiple other disorders: selfishness, anger, greed, vanity and worst of all, a detachment from others - from "the obsession that many Americans have with . . . themselves."
In the story of the demoniac in the Capernaum synagogue, we are shown someone who can be found in the midst of the community of faith, yet who is isolated and all alone. When Jesus heals, Jesus restores the relationships between God and all of us. It may not occur to us that people in our midst feel isolated even when they're sitting in our midst. But it happens. For that matter, some of us may not have figured out we're the ones who feel apart and lost. We have a part to play in the healing, in the restoration and in the salvation.
Jesus' exorcism of an unclean spirit teaches us about the spiritual dimension to evil and the role of the church in fighting evil.
Authority comes from within; it has to do with the kind of person that you are, and it comes from a spirit of charity, holiness, humility, and perfect love casts out all fear, so it involves a spirit of fearlessness, which is very different from a spirit of audacity or boldness. The holier a person is, the greater is their authority, and it is an authority that others recognize.