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.
Let's put ourselves for a moment in Moses', Paul's and Jesus' place in this world when we ask the question, "Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" (Luke 18, 18).
If a person—whether a Jew, Muslim, Sikh, or perhaps even an atheist—truly loves his neighbor and is willing to risk so much for his neighbor’s well-being, that person loves Christ, without necessarily even knowing it or being explicitly aware of it, and he will recognize Christ in the end as the familiar face he loved in loving his neighbor, whose origin and identity is found in the Person of Christ.
Jesus told a parable about our ability to receive a seed from God and produce an abundant harvest. If we are good soil, we'll be amazed by what is created.
There are a lot of references to good Samaritans in our culture -- including hospitals and churches and institutions that bear the name of Good Samaritan. We see articles in print or on TV about people who do "Good Samaritan" deeds. But Jesus says it is really a matter of faith and being able to put our faith in action.
The Samaritan alone had the eyes to discern who it is who is lying half dead on the road. There is a reason for this. The Christ figure in this parable is not the Samaritan, but the man who fell victim to robbers and was stripped and beaten, and left for dead. The Samaritan is, for all intents and purposes, an outcast, and it took one outcast to recognize another outcast.
We shouldn't be shy about sharing our faith with others, because it's God who gives the growth.