For most of my adult life, I didn’t go on retreats.  Oh, I had been to one as a requirement for my Confirmation and another one as a requirement for my marriage.  I actually liked both of them.  Why then, didn’t I ever take advantage of a retreat when the […]

Prayer is the simple manifestation of being in a relaxed way in the presence of a faithful friend.Is God our friend? Being friends with God sounds unimaginable; yet, Sacred Scripture presents over and over again our relationship with God in terms of friendship. In the Book of Genesis, Abraham, throughout […]

There are difficult moments in our earthly life which impact our spiritual life.  In my case, when my faith becomes distorted and I feel disconnected from God, I feel like I am walking alone through a barren desert.  I feel discouraged, wandering without energy and no longer radiating the joy […]

Following Jesus is following the path of love. It looks easy on the surface, but in reality, we all know that it is not. Love implies making decisions that are usually very difficult. It requires a selfless heart. Real and authentic love is accompanied by self-sacrifice. In order to prepare […]

In the summer of 2022, I kept myself busy organizing the upcoming move to college of my twin sons, Carlos and Luis. It was a deadline for which I had been preparing for 18 years, yet I was not ready. Not even close.With every day that went by I felt […]

At the end of my third year in the seminary, after spending my last two summer vacations outside of the country, I spent the summer at home. While I was there, I was happy to visit old friends and all the places I used to frequent.  When the day finally […]

Lord, will only a few people be saved?  The answer to this question hits all of us directly, not so much because of the number, but as individuals.  Jesus replied: “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter, but will not be […]

All of us at some time in life have gone through moments in which we lose control, in which our feelings and passions manage to dominate us and make us perpetrators of acts that we later regret. These are moments in which our passions take over our good wishes and […]

I have very distinct memories from visiting and volunteering in some of the poorest areas of the United States, Central & South America, and two African nations. As a young adult, years before entering the seminary, I had my first volunteer home repair assignment in the poverty-stricken region of the […]