ARCHBISHOP GOMEZ PROCLAIMS THAT ‘JESUS IS ALIVE’; CALLS FAITHFUL TO TURN TO HIM FOR PEACE DURING EASTER SUNDAY HOMILY
April 17, 2022  |  By:   |  Press Releases  |  

Archbishop José H. Gomez reminded the faithful once again that Jesus is alive and that He is the one to turn to in times of struggle, during his Easter Sunday homily to a packed Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels at the 12:30 p.m. Mass in Spanish. The Mass was celebrated with in-person attendance.

“In these times when the world seems so disturbed, when there are so many wars and divisions, God continues to be the Lord of history and of nations. Jesus is the one we can turn to, the one who can save us and give us peace,” said Archbishop Gomez in his homily in Spanish. Full homily in Spanish and English below as it was prepared.

“In this time when the world is so troubled by war and division, we know that the only way to find peace in our families, in our society, in our world, is through our faith in Jesus Christ, through our commitment to follow his teachings and his example.

“Jesus always accompanies us; he keeps us company in all our hopes and in all the difficulties of our daily life, trying to do things in the best way possible, giving glory to God and loving our neighbor,” said Archbishop Gomez.

“With the conviction that our life has great importance in God’s plan. Jesus now counts on us to continue his work on earth. This is our mission, this is the beautiful purpose of our life, dear brothers and sisters.

“And the beautiful thing is that we are called to live and love like Jesus in our homes, in the workplace, at school, in everything we do. We do it simply by trying to live like Jesus, carrying out our daily obligations with a heart full of peace and joy. The saints speak of the ‘duty to share the joy.’ Live with joy and try to spread that joy to others.”

The feast of the Resurrection of Christ is the oldest and most important Christian celebration. Christians believe that, by rising from the dead, Jesus demonstrated his power over sin and death, manifesting his divinity as the Son of God. According to the Christian Scriptures, Jesus is the long-awaited Messiah who offered his life for the sins of the world as was prophesied in the Hebrew Scriptures.

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Under the spiritual leadership of Archbishop José H. Gomez, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles is the largest in the United States, serving the counties of Los Angeles, Ventura and Santa Barbara, covering approximately 9,000 square miles in 120 cities. The nearly 5 million Catholics in the Archdiocese come from some 70 countries and from every continent. Weekly Masses are celebrated in 42 languages throughout 288 parishes, and more than 73,000 students attend an Archdiocesan Catholic elementary or high school. For the latest news, events and to subscribe for media alerts, visit media.la-archdiocese.org.

 

SPANISH

Homilía – Domingo de Pascua de la Resurrección del Señor (C) 

Mons. José H. Gómez

Arzobispo de Los Ángeles

Catedral de Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles

17 de abril de 2022

Queridos hermanos y hermanas en Cristo,

¡Felices Pascuas de Resurrección!

Nuestra liturgia de hoy nos ayuda a revivir la experiencia de los discípulos en aquella primera mañana de Pascua.

Caminamos con María Magdalena en la oscuridad que precede al amanecer de ese primer día de la semana. Y vemos —así como ella lo pudo ver— que la piedra ha sido removida y que el cuerpo del Señor Jesús ya no está allí.

Podemos imaginar lo que María Magdalena habrá sentido y lo que habrán experimentado San Pedro y el apóstol Juan, al mirar dentro de la tumba. Se les ve como asustados y confundidos, pero también emocionados.

En el Evangelio escuchamos las palabras que pronunciaron: “Se han llevado del sepulcro al Señor y no sabemos dónde lo habrán puesto”.

Mis queridos hermanos y hermanas: ¡Jesucristo está vivo!

Jesús, a quien acompañamos en la Semana Santa durante el transcurso de los últimos días de su vida terrenal; Jesús, que fue golpeado y clavado en una cruz, y a quien vimos morir el Viernes Santo, ¡Jesús está vivo!

Esta es la verdad que tenemos que redescubrir cada Pascua.

El Evangelio de hoy nos dice que la Resurrección forma parte del plan de Dios. Como escuchamos: Ellos vieron y creyeron, “porque hasta entonces no habían entendido las Escrituras, según las cuales Jesús debía resucitar de entre los muertos”.

¡Ellos todavía no entendían las cosas, pero muy pronto las llegarían a entender!

Dios tiene un plan, queridos hermanos y hermanas. Nunca podemos olvidarnos de eso.

En estos tiempos en que el mundo parece tan perturbado, en que hay tantas guerras y divisiones, Dios sigue siendo el Señor de la historia y de las naciones. Jesús es a quien podemos acudir, quien puede salvarnos y darnos la paz.

San Pablo dice en la epístola de esta mañana: “porque han muerto y su vida está escondida con Cristo en Dios. Cuando se manifieste Cristo, vida de ustedes, entonces también ustedes se manifestarán gloriosos, juntamente con él”.

Hermanos y hermanas, ¡no nos dejemos vencer por las dificultades y retos de este mundo y alegrémonos como se alegraron los discípulos durante aquella primera mañana de Pascua.

¡Somos hijos de Dios! Somos hermanas y hermanos, entre todos formamos la Iglesia, somos el pueblo que él ha estado preparando desde el principio de los tiempos.

En este tiempo en que el mundo está tan perturbado por la guerra y las divisiones, sabemos que la única manera de encontrar la paz en nuestras familias, en nuestra sociedad, en nuestro mundo, es a través de nuestra fe en Jesucristo, a través de nuestro compromiso de seguir sus enseñanzas y su ejemplo.

Jesús siempre nos acompaña; nos hace compañía en todas nuestras esperanzas y en todas las dificultades de nuestra vida diaria, tratando de hacer las cosas de la mejor manera posible, dando gloria a Dios y amando a nuestro prójimo.

Con el convencimiento de que nuestra vida tiene una gran importancia en el plan de Dios. Jesús cuenta ahora con nosotros para continuar su obra en la tierra. Escuchamos que los apóstoles decían en la primera lectura: “Nosotros somos testigos de cuanto él hizo”.

Ésta es nuestra misión, éste es el hermoso propósito de nuestra vida, queridos hermanos y hermanas.

Y lo bonito es que estamos llamados a vivir y amar como Jesús en nuestros hogares, en los lugares de trabajo, en la escuela, en todo lo que hacemos.

Lo hacemos simplemente tratando de vivir como Jesús, llevando a cabo nuestras obligaciones de cada día con el corazón lleno de paz y alegría. Los santos hablan del “deber de compartir la alegría.”  Vivir con alegría y tratar de contagiar esa alegría con los demás.

Si vivimos nuestra fe en la vida diaria, nuestra vida se transformará en un camino luminoso que conduzca a los demás a Jesús, en un camino que nos llevará al cielo.

Les deseo mucha paz y alegría en esta Pascua para ustedes y sus familias.

Y que Nuestra Santísima Madre María nos acompañe, en el camino que recorremos con Jesús. Que ella nos ayude a resucitar con “El y a compartir su amor con el mundo entero.

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Lecturas: Hech 10, 34, 37–43; Sal 118, 1–2, 16–17, 22-23; Col 3,1–4; Jn 20, 1–9.

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ENGLISH

Homily – Easter Sunday of the Resurrection of the Lord (C)

Bishop José H. Gomez

Archbishop of Los Angeles

Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels

April 17, 2022

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

Happy Easter!

Our liturgy today helps us relive the experience of the disciples on that first Easter morning.

We walk with Mary Magdalene in the darkness that precedes dawn on that first day of the week. And we see—just as she could see—that the stone has been rolled away and the body of the Lord Jesus is no longer there.

We can imagine what Mary Magdalene must have felt and what Saint Peter and the apostle John must have experienced when looking into the tomb. They are seen as scared and confused, but also excited.

In the Gospel we hear the words they spoke: “They have taken the Lord from the tomb and we do not know where they have put him.”

My dear brothers and sisters: Jesus Christ is alive!

Jesus, whom we accompany in Holy Week, during the course of the last days of his earthly life; Jesus, who was beaten and nailed to a cross, and whom we saw die on Good Friday, Jesus is alive!

This is the truth that we have to rediscover every Easter.

Today’s Gospel tells us that the Resurrection is part of God’s plan. As we heard: They saw and believed, “because until then they had still not understood the scripture, according that He must rise from the dead.”

They didn’t understand things yet, but very soon they would!

God has a plan, dear brothers and sisters. We can never forget about that.

In these times when the world seems so disturbed, when there are so many wars and divisions, God continues to be the Lord of history and of nations. Jesus is the one we can turn to, the one who can save us and give us peace.

Saint Paul says in this morning’s epistle: “because they have died and their life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ your life appears, your life, then you too will appear with Him in glory.”

Brothers and sisters, let us not allow ourselves to be overcome by the difficulties and challenges of this world and let us rejoice as the disciples rejoiced on that first Easter morning.

We are children of God! We are sisters and brothers, together we form the Church, we are the people that he has been preparing since the beginning of time.

In this time when the world is so troubled by war and division, we know that the only way to find peace in our families, in our society, in our world, is through our faith in Jesus Christ, through our commitment to follow his teachings and his example.

Jesus always accompanies us; he keeps us company in all our hopes and in all the difficulties of our daily life, trying to do things in the best way possible, giving glory to God and loving our neighbor.

With the conviction that our life has great importance in God’s plan. Jesus now counts on us to continue his work on earth. We heard the apostles say in the first reading: “We are witnesses to everything He did.”

This is our mission, this is the beautiful purpose of our life, dear brothers and sisters.

And the beautiful thing is that we are called to live and love like Jesus in our homes, in the workplace, at school, in everything we do.

We do it simply by trying to live like Jesus, carrying out our daily obligations with a heart full of peace and joy. The saints speak of the “duty to share the joy.” Live with joy and try to spread that joy to others.

If we live our faith in daily life, our life will become a bright path that leads others to Jesus, a path that will take us to heaven.

I wish you much peace and joy this Easter for you and your families.

And may Our Most Holy Mother Mary accompany us, on the path we travel with Jesus. May she help us rise with him and share her love with the whole world.

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Readings: Acts 10, 34, 37–43; Psalm 118, 1–2, 16–17, 22-23; Col 3,1–4; John 20, 1–9.

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