On this First Friday dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Fr. Miguel reflects on the infinite, concrete love of Christ poured out for us on the Cross. No human love — not even the generous love of St. Francis — can match the love of the Sacred Heart.

While we often try to grow in holiness by “working hard,” Fr. Miguel emphasizes the more urgent interior work: allowing God’s grace to change us and accepting His permitting will, especially in trials and suffering. He points to Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane — “Not my will, but yours be done” — as the perfect model of holy acceptance.

Quoting Mother Angelica, he reminds us that by accepting our pain we are doing God’s will in an awesome way and becoming more like Christ. When we accept wholeheartedly what God allows, even bitter crosses can bring unexpected peace and joy.

Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us.

In this straightforward homily, Fr. Miguel takes up St. Paul’s strong words to the Corinthians: they were acting as “fleshly people” and infants in Christ because of jealousy and rivalry. The same spirit of competition still appears today — between groups, parishes, forms of the Mass, and more.

The remedy is the virtue of charity: loving God and neighbor for God’s sake without compromising the truth. On this Wednesday devoted to St. Joseph, Fr. Miguel points to the foster father of Jesus as the model of mature faith. The litany praises him as “most just, most chaste, most valiant, most obedient, most faithful.”

He also shares a powerful testimony from an Irish exorcist who discovered that the demons hate St. Joseph precisely because they could never defeat him with temptation. A clear call to leave behind childish rivalry and grow into adult discipleship under the patronage of St. Joseph.

In this honest and practical homily, Fr. Miguel faces the hard words of Jesus head-on: “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.” He admits this is not a message that gets many likes on social media, yet it is the very heart of Christian discipleship.

Drawing on St. Francis, who embraced the cross so completely, and Mother Angelica’s image of a diamond formed under pressure, Fr. Miguel shows that the trials God permits are meant to transform us. He then shares concrete, personal examples of denying oneself — limiting daily news, controlling phone habits, and choosing silence when criticized — to illustrate how small daily choices form real virtue.

The goal is not suffering for its own sake, but everlasting life with the Lord. A clear, down-to-earth call to live the Gospel we claim to follow.

On the memorial of the Passion of St. John the Baptist, Fr. Miguel reflects on how speaking the truth began the process of the great forerunner’s martyrdom. John told Herod it was unlawful for him to have his brother’s wife. That single act of truth-telling inconvenienced Herod, enraged Herodias, and eventually cost John his head.

Fr. Miguel draws from Mother Angelica, St. Francis, St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein), and St. John Paul II to emphasize that truth and love must never be separated. We are called to speak the truth with love, and equally important, to allow the truth we hear to conform and transform our own lives.

A powerful and timely reminder: truth can be dangerous, but silence in the face of evil is more dangerous still.

On the memorial of St. Augustine, Fr. Miguel reflects on the famous restless heart that searched everywhere for pleasure, prestige, and peace — until it finally found rest in God.

Augustine lived a sinful lifestyle for years, yet God never stopped pursuing him. Through his mother Monica’s prayers and the mysterious workings of grace, Augustine discovered that every good desire, even the desire to come to Mass, begins with God’s initiative. He became one of the Church’s greatest teachers on divine grace.

Fr. Miguel reminds us that the saints are not perfect packages dropped from heaven. They are wounded, broken people like us who learned to depend completely on God. Trials, failures, and long searches can all become the very means God uses to draw us to Himself.

A hopeful message: God is always the one who seeks us first.

St. Augustine, pray for us.

On the memorial of St. Monica, Fr. Miguel reflects on St. Monica’s long years of tears and prayer for her wayward son, Augustine. What looked hopeless was not hopeless. Monica’s persevering prayers and disciplined soul became the instrument God used to bring Augustine from spiritual death back to life. Once he returned to the faith and became a servant of God, she could finally rest.

Fr. Miguel reminds us that many parents, priests, and religious today carry the same anguish for children, family members, and friends who have left the Church. The Church needs more Monicas — prayer warriors who do not give up even when they cannot yet see the fruit.

A hopeful call to keep praying, keep offering our tears, and trust that Jesus still raises the dead to life.

St. Monica, pray for us.

On the optional memorial of Our Lady of Częstochowa, Fr. Miguel reflects on the famous Black Madonna of Jasna Góra and the deep faith he witnessed while visiting her shrine in Poland with his parents.

He contrasts the external righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees with Our Lady, who always kept and pondered the Word of God. The history of the icon, its miraculous reputation, and the devotion of saints such as St. Faustina, St. Maximilian Kolbe, and St. John Paul II are recalled.

Fr. Miguel encourages us never to stop praying the Rosary, reminding us that when we pray it, Our Lady is truly present with us — as St. Bernadette experienced at Lourdes. Under her protection we fight the battles of life and hope to be victorious at the hour of our death.

Our Lady of Częstochowa, pray for us.

In this practical homily, Fr. Miguel teaches that holiness requires loving both God and neighbor — not one or the other. The two loves feed each other. We do not have to like every neighbor or agree with them, but we are commanded to love them.

He shares the challenging words of the late Father Angelo Shaughnessy: “You love God only as much as the neighbor you love the least.” The people who irritate us most are often the ones God places in our lives to stretch our patience, charity, and virtue.

On the memorial of Pope St. Pius X, Fr. Miguel highlights how worthy Holy Communion increases our union with Christ and strengthens our love for neighbor. He encourages us to receive Communion with specific intention, especially for the difficult people in our lives, as if it were our first, last, or only Communion.

A clear and useful call to grow in both loves through the Eucharist.

In this practical and vivid homily, Fr. Miguel compares the dress code at the Shrine to the far more important “dress code” for heaven. In the Gospel parable, the man without a wedding garment is cast out into the darkness.

Jesus Himself provides the proper garment at Baptism — the white garment of immortality, the putting on of Christ. When we stain or wrinkle that garment through sin, Confession cleanses it with the Precious Blood of Jesus. Beyond simply wearing the garment, we are called to adorn it with the virtues: faith, hope, charity, humility, purity, and more.

On the memorial of St. Bernard of Clairvaux, Fr. Miguel points to Our Lady as the perfect guide who knows exactly how to clothe and adorn us for the eternal wedding feast.

A clear reminder to keep the baptismal garment clean and ready.

In this honest and searching homily, Fr. Miguel reflects on the strong words of the prophet Ezekiel: “Woe to the shepherds of Israel who have been pasturing themselves.” God condemns those who failed to strengthen the weak, heal the sick, bind up the injured, bring back the strayed, or seek the lost — and who instead ruled harshly and brutally, scattering the sheep.

Fr. Miguel applies this examination not only to priests and bishops but to parents and anyone given authority to guide others. He shares a personal experience of receiving an overly harsh penance in confession and how it taught him what kind of shepherd he never wants to be.

While all human shepherds fall short, Jesus is the true Good Shepherd who seeks the lost and tends His flock with perfect gentleness and love. A call to humility, self-examination, and following the example of the one true Shepherd.