Homilies about law

Ley de Dios vs. Tradiciones Humanas: ¿Cuál es la diferencia?

The homily distinguishes between God's law and human traditions, emphasizing that Jesus came to fulfill the law, not abolish it, and to challenge traditions that deviate from the true spirit of the law. The priest uses examples from daily life and Church teachings to illustrate how human traditions can sometimes overshadow or misinterpret divine law, urging the faithful to seek clarity from priests regarding religious questions.

Why Obedience to God's Law (and Your Parents) Matters for Salvation

The homily emphasizes the importance of obedience to God's law, which includes divine, church, and even civil laws, extending to children obeying their parents. It highlights that Jesus came not to abolish the law but to fulfill it, and stresses the responsibility to not only keep these laws but also to teach them to future generations for salvation.

La Ley de Dios: El Camino a la Verdadera Libertad

The homily emphasizes that God's law, given after liberation from slavery, is meant to preserve and deepen freedom, not restrict it. It highlights that true freedom comes from living according to God's law, which is inscribed in our hearts and leads to wisdom and prudence. The priest uses examples like lying and infidelity to illustrate how breaking God's law leads to enslavement, while following it, as exemplified by Christ's sacrifice, leads to integral freedom.

Why Jesus Didn't Abolish the Old Law: It's All One Story of Love

The homily emphasizes that Jesus came not to abolish the Old Testament law and prophets, but to fulfill them, integrating them into a continuous story of God's love and covenants. It warns against modern secularism that seeks to cut off from these Christian roots, urging believers to hold fast to this story of God's love and live it out, recognizing that the laws are guides within this larger covenant of love.

Mercy: The True Fulfillment of God's Law

This homily emphasizes that mercy is the ultimate fulfillment of God's law, not merely an exception to it. Drawing on seminary experiences, the priest illustrates how human instinct often defaults to strict adherence to rules, even in compassionate situations, while God's perspective is always rooted in mercy. He encourages believers to embrace this understanding of God's mercy, especially during Lent, to live a life of less fear and more compassion.

Why God's Laws Are a Blessing, Not a Burden

The homily uses the analogy of fences and property lines to explain the purpose of God's laws, emphasizing that laws are not meant to restrict freedom but to establish common good, respect, and provide a blueprint for a good life. It highlights Jesus' fulfillment of the law through perfect love of God and neighbor, and encourages humility and obedience to God's will, even when it's difficult, to find the fullness of life.

How God's Laws Bring You Freedom (Like Baseball's Infield Fly Rule)

The homily uses the analogy of baseball's infield fly rule to explain how God's laws, though sometimes seemingly arbitrary, are ultimately for our freedom and good. It emphasizes that Jesus came not to abolish the law but to fulfill it, meaning to bring us to true freedom, and that Lenten practices like fasting and almsgiving are meant to liberate, not restrict.

God's Law: Freedom, Not Restriction

The homily explores the concept of God's law, contrasting human perceptions of law as restrictive with God's intention for it to bring life and freedom. It emphasizes that Jesus came not to abolish the law but to fulfill it through love and compassion, calling believers to participate in this law through their daily words, actions, charity, and kindness.

God's Commandments: Guard Rails, Not Restrictions

The homily emphasizes that God's commandments are not restrictive but rather act as 'guard rails' on the highway of life, guiding us towards what is good and right. It challenges the American inclination towards absolute freedom, distinguishing it from true freedom, which is the ability to do what one ought. The core message is to embrace an ordered life patterned after God's laws, especially during Lent.

Beyond the Rules: Finding the Fullness of God's Law

Fr. Yosvel Rodríguez Ordaz

The homily emphasizes that God's law is not about negative prohibitions, but about safeguarding positive values like life and property. The priest urges listeners to move beyond a ritualistic fulfillment of rules and instead seek the 'fullness' of the law, living out its positive values with intentionality and love, as Jesus did. He uses examples like attending Mass and giving alms to illustrate the difference between mere compliance and living with fullness and dignity.

The Law of Love: How Lent Guides Us to True Freedom

The homily reflects on the human struggle with law, contrasting the Old Testament's emphasis on God's law as foundational for a people with Jesus' teaching to fulfill the law through love and the spirit of the law. It connects this to Lenten discipline, urging reflection on how we keep God's law, which is ultimately love, to achieve true freedom.

How God's Law Keeps You on the Right Path

The homily emphasizes that Jesus came not to abolish the law, but to fulfill it, becoming the living embodiment of God's word. It stresses the importance of understanding and adhering to God's laws—natural, ecclesial, and spiritual—as guides that keep us on the right path, preventing us from straying and losing our spiritual understanding. The priest uses analogies of a steep, curvy driveway with reflectors and bowling bumpers to illustrate how God's law protects and guides us.

When Law Becomes a God: The Danger of Losing Love

The homily emphasizes that God's laws and traditions are meant to be a container that holds society together, preventing it from falling apart. However, it warns against the danger of the law becoming an end in itself, rather than a means to foster love for God and neighbor, which is the ultimate fulfillment of all commandments.

Is True Freedom Found in Rules or Anarchy?

This homily challenges the common perception of freedom as the ability to do whatever one likes, arguing instead that true freedom is found within reasonable laws and norms that protect and guide us. Using the analogy of traffic rules, the homilist explains that laws, including the Ten Commandments, are not obstacles but rather enable us to live safely, peacefully, and justly in community, ultimately leading to the capacity to choose the good.

How Jesus Fulfills the Law and Frees Us to Love

The homily explores the nature of God's law, contrasting the Old Testament's external, sin-exposing law with the New Covenant's internal law written on the heart through Jesus Christ. It emphasizes that Christ came not to abolish but to fulfill the law, becoming its personification, and that divine grace is essential for us to overcome sin and truly love.

¿Para Qué Sirve la Ley de Dios? La Verdadera Libertad

The homily reflects on the purpose of God's law, contrasting it with rigid legalism. Using the Gospel story of Jesus healing on the Sabbath, the priest explains that the law is meant to provide a 'fence' for our protection and freedom, allowing us to focus on God's goodness, rather than being a tool to judge others. He emphasizes that true peace comes from an intimate connection with Christ, which no external offense can take away.