The spectacular story of the prophet, Elija, helps us understand more profoundly the proclamation of Jesus in the Gospel of John that he is the Bread of Life, the Bread Come Down from Heaven. In Elijah's story, the God of Israel gives him the bread he needs to continue on in his great prophetic mission. So Jesus is the Bread of Life given to us by his Father that nourishes us and strengthens us for our own mission in this world. 

Homily shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community in Cuenca, Ecuador. (This homily is also available in Spanish). 

La historia del profeta Elías nos ayuda entender a Jesús cuando proclama que si mismo es el pan de vida en el evangelio de San Juan. El verdadero Dios de Israel no abandona a su profeta, sino le da el pan que necesita para seguir en su misión profética. Así es con Jesús: él es el pan que Dios, su Padre, da a nosotros para cumplir nuestras misiones en este mundo. 

Homilía compartida con los feligreses de la Iglesia de Santa Teresita, Misicata, (Cuenca), Ecuador. 

Those poor folks in the desert! Having just escaped the slavery of Egypt, now they must face the reality of not having bread for their journey towards the Promised Land! Their murmuring against both Moses and God is not without effect for God provides them with their daily bread because of his love for them. Jesus does much the same in his own time; last Sunday he provided a bounty of bread to a hungry crowd; but this week, he does more: he proclaims himself as the true bread come down from heaven, the very Bread of Life! 

Homily shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community in Cuenca, Ecuador.

Los pobres hebreos en el desierto! Después de haber dejado atrás la esclavitud de egipcio, se encuentren sin pan y con hambre en el desierto de Sinaí.  Se murmuran contra Moisés y contra Dios. Sin embargo, Dios les provee su “pan de cada día” por amor a ellos. Jesús hace lo mismo a los judíos de su tiempo; les da pan de harina de trigo (el domingo pasado) pero mas importante, les da pan que no se acaba, Pan de Vida, que es su ser.

Homilía compartida en la Iglesia de San Roque, Cuenca, Ecuador.

Our world has many hungers: Hunger of the body. Hunger of the spirit. Hunger for riches and power. Which of these merits the primary attention of the Christian? A case can be made for each of them. Jesus addresses all three as one in today's magnificent gospel story of the multiplacation of the loaves and fishes. 

Homily shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community of Cuenca, Ecuador

Hay mucha hambre en esta tierra. Hambre del cuerpo. Hambre del espiritu. Hambre tambien para el poder y las riquezas. ?Cual de esas es la mas importante para los Cristianos? Para Jesus, todos a la vez. El milagro de los panes y pescados es mucho mas que una maravilla, es un momento de formar de las multitudes un Pueblo de Dios compartiendo el Pan de la Vida. 

Homilia compartida en la Iglesia de San Roque, Cuenca, Ecuador. 

"Jesus vio una numerosa multitud que lo estaba esperando y se compadeció de ellos, porque andaban como ovejas sin pastor..." En este momento tierno del Evangelio de San Marcos, la falta de pastores para las ovejas de Israel es algo notable. ¿Donde estan? Nos urge a todos nosotros examinar bien nuestras vidas como discipulos de Jesus; ¿estamos actuando como pastores a las ovejas que buscan la presencia de Dios en sus vidas diarias? 

Homilia compartida en la Iglesia de San Francisco, Cuenca, Ecuador. 

As Jesus encounters the crowds looking to him for an experience of God in their lives, he is moved deeply and describes them as "sheep without shepherds." But where were those "shepherds" who were supposed to be caring for them? The priests of the temple, the students of the Law, and others who should have been with them were occupied elsewhere. The implicit critique of these non-shepherding shepherds, together with the powerful indictment in the prophet Jeremiah (first reading of the day), calls all of us who are pastors in one way or another to examine our consciences as to how absent we might be from the sheep the Lord has given to us. 

Homily shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community of Cuenca, Ecuador. 

Life has its unexpected changes. Such was true for many of the great figures in the Scriptures, including Jesus' Twelve. In Mark 6, they experience the unexpected and challenging change from their status as "disciples" to "apostles."

Homily shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community of Cuenca, Ecuador.

En la vida, siempre hay cambios  Asi era para los grandes figuras de las Escrituras y en particular para los Doce. En el sexto capitulo de San Marcos, la vida de los Doce se cambia en una manera grande e inesperaba: se cambian de discipulos a apostoles. 

Homilia compartida a los feligreses de la Iglesia de San Francisco de Asis en Cuenca, Ecuador.