Archbishop Jose Gomez, the new archbishop of Los Angelos, gave his first Sunday homily yesterday, and it is wonderful. H/T Rocco Palmo of Whispers In The Loggia.

Excerpt:

“The readings today from the Word of God are all about Catholic identity and Christian mission. They are about who God made us to be, and what he wants us to do.

We are Catholics, my friends! That means our lives are not our own. I feel that more and more as time goes on. No matter where we come from, no matter what we do for a job — we belong to Jesus, who loved us and gave his life for us. We belong to his family, the Church. And we belong to one another, as Christ’s sisters and brothers.

We have to learn to see our lives with the eyes of Christ. In his eyes, each of us is here for a reason. Each of us is called by God. He calls us by name, like a Father calls his beloved children.

God knows your name. God knows my name. Every time I think about this, my friends, I can’t help it: I am amazed.

St. Paul said: “From before the foundation of the world, he destined us in love to be his children through Jesus Christ.”

Think about what that means! The God who created the sun and the moon, the stars and all the earth, wanted me to be born. Ever since the world began, this God wanted you to be born.

That’s the Gospel, my friends. That good news should totally change our lives! To know how much our Father loves us. To know that he gave his only Son so that we could live  forever with him as his sons and daughters!

This is the good news that he commands his Church to proclaim to the ends of the earth.”

Do take the time to read the homily (scroll down the post). It is worth your time.