Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (2026)

Dear brothers and sisters, this Sunday´s gospel reminds us that faith means trusting in Jesus, especially during the storms of our lives. Let me ask you: Have you ever faced a difficult situation and wondered where God was? Have you ever prayed for something that seemed impossible? Have you ever felt alone?

The disciples experienced those same feelings. As their boat was tossed by the waves, Jesus came to them walking on the water. At first, they believed it was a ghost, but when Jesus told them that it was him. Peter asked Jesus to allow him to walk on the water. Peter courageously stepped out of the boat and began to walk toward Jesus. But when he took his eyes off the Lord and focused on the wind and the waves, he became afraid and began to sink.

How often does that happen to us? We begin with faith, but when life's problems become overwhelming, we focus more on our fears than on Christ. Yet Peter teaches us a beautiful prayer: "Lord, save me!" And immediately Jesus reached out His hand and saved him.

The first reading gives us another important lesson. The prophet Elijah expected God to appear in dramatic ways—in the powerful wind, in the earthquake, or in the fire. But God was not in any of these. Instead, He came in the sound of a gentle whisper.

Often, we expect God to act with extraordinary signs and miracles. Sometimes He does. But more often He comes quietly: through a word of Scripture, the kindness of another person, the celebration of the Eucharist, a moment of silent prayer, or the peace that slowly returns to our hearts after a difficult time.

Let us keep in mind that God is always present, even when His presence seems hidden. Like Elijah, we must learn to recognize Him in the gentle whisper.

No matter what storm we are facing, Jesus never abandons us. He comes to us with the same reassuring words He spoke to the disciples:

"Take courage. It is I. Do not be afraid."

May we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, trust in His presence, and never hesitate to pray with confidence: "Lord, save me." He will always reach out His hand to those who place their faith in Him. Amen.

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XIX Domingo del Tiempo Ordinario (2026)

Queridos hermanos y hermanas: El Evangelio de este domingo nos recuerda que la fe significa confiar en Jesús, especialmente en medio de las tormentas de nuestra vida. Les hago unas preguntas: ¿Han pasado alguna vez por una situación difícil y se han preguntado dónde estaba Dios? ¿Han pedido alguna vez algo que parecía imposible? ¿Se han sentido solos?

Los discípulos experimentaron esos mismos sentimientos. Mientras la barca era sacudida por las olas, Jesús vino hacia ellos caminando sobre el agua. Pedro, lleno de confianza, bajó de la barca y comenzó a caminar hacia Jesús. Pero cuando apartó la mirada del Señor y se fijó en el viento y en las olas, tuvo miedo y comenzó a hundirse.

¿Cuántas veces nos sucede lo mismo? Comenzamos con fe, pero cuando los problemas de la vida nos abruman, ponemos más atención en nuestros temores que en Cristo. Sin embargo, Pedro nos enseña una de las oraciones más hermosas del Evangelio: «¡Señor, sálvame!» , de inmediato, Jesús extendió la mano y lo sostuvo.

La primera lectura nos deja otra importante enseñanza. El profeta Elías esperaba que Dios se manifestara de una manera extraordinaria: en el viento huracanado, en el terremoto o en el fuego. Pero Dios no estaba en ninguno de esos fenómenos. En cambio, se hizo presente en el suave murmullo de una brisa.

Con frecuencia, nosotros también esperamos que Dios actúe por medio de grandes signos y milagros. Y, en ocasiones, así lo hace. Pero, la mayoría de las veces, Él se manifiesta de manera silenciosa y discreta: a través de una palabra de la Sagrada Escritura, de la bondad de una persona, de la celebración de la Eucaristía, de un momento de oración en silencio o de la paz que poco a poco vuelve a nuestro corazón después de un tiempo de dificultad.

Es importante recordar que no importa cuál sea la tormenta que estemos viviendo, Jesús nunca nos abandonará. Él viene siempre a nuestro encuentro y nos repite las mismas palabras que dirigió a sus discípulos: 

«¡Ánimo! Soy yo. No tengan miedo.»

Que estas lecturas nos ayuden a mantener siempre nuestra mirada fija en Jesús, a confiar en su presencia y a nunca dejar de decir con fe: «¡Señor, sálvame!» Pues él siempre extenderá su mano para sostener a quienes confían en Él. Amén.

18th Sunday – Cycle A – 2026

My friends, our gospel reading today is about giving.  Jesus, giving of Himself and his invitation to His disciples to give of themselves.

As we heard, Jesus went off by himself for several reasons:

• He had just finished preaching and healing for many days.  He was tired and in need of rest.

• He just heard that his cousin and friend, John the Baptist, was killed by Herod.

• He knew that that some day he would have a fate similar to John’s and he undoubtedly wanted to spend some time alone in prayer with His Father.

So, Jesus went off by Himself to a deserted place to get some rest for His body and soul – but He was not to get it.  When He got to the other side,  the massive crowds were waiting for Him.  When He  saw the vast crowd, His heart was moved with pity for them, and He cured their sick.

Jesus was always willing to gave more of himself.  Now, it was late in the day and Jesus must have been exhausted.

My friends, few of Jesus' miracles are as revealing as this one:

• It tells us of the compassion of Jesus.  Our Gospel tells us that when Jesus saw the crowds, His heart was moved with pity.  A few weeks ago, the meaning of the phrase, “His heart was moved with pity” was explained.  It means that Jesus was moved to the deepest level of His soul.

• It would have been understandable if He would have insisted on privacy.   But Jesus was not like that.  Far from finding them a nuisance, He was moved with pity for them.  Jesus never found anyone a nuisance, even if His whole being was crying out for rest and quiet.

• This story tells us that neither should his disciples find anyone a nuisance.  It was the end of the day, Hs disciples were tired and they had a simple solution for the huge crowd, “Dismiss them, get rid of them.”  Jesus said, “No.  You feed them.  You give them some food yourselves.”

•  In this story we see Jesus witnessing that all gifts are from God. He took the food and he said the blessing.  The Jewish prayer before meals was very simple: "Blessed are you, Yahweh, King of the universe, who brings forth bread from the earth."   Jesus taught His disciples:  “It is not my bread that I eat, rather it is bread given to me by God.”

• This miracle tells us that clearly the work of the disciple is the  work of Christ.  Jesus gave to the disciples and the disciples gave to the crowd.  Jesus worked through the hands of his disciples on that day, and he still does today.

Pope Francis this about feeding the hungry:  “You pray for the hungry.  Then you feed them.  This is how prayer works.”

My friends, again and again we come face to face with the truth which is the heart of the Church.  The disciple is helpless without the Lord, and the Lord needs the help of the disciple.  That’s why He sent the Holy Spirit so that we could understand the ministry of Jesus and act on His behalf.

Our Gospel teaches us that great miracles are possible if Jesus and His disciples work together.  If we work with Jesus, great challenges with seemingly little or no resources can be accomplished.

Sometimes we can be discouraged by a task of great magnitude.  When Jesus told the disciples to feed the crowd, they told him that all they had was five loaves and two fishes.  Yet, with what they brought to Him, He brought about a miracle that fed 5,000 men, not counting women and children. Jesus does not demand from us what we do not possess.

Jesus teaches us that no matter how ill-equipped we might think we are, He will use it greatly in His service.  Little is always much in the hands of Christ.

At the end of the miracle the fragments were gathered up.  Even when the miracle fed thousands of people, there was no waste.  God gives to us in abundance but wasteful extravagance is never right.

God's generous giving and our wise sharing must go hand in hand.