THE WORD THAT HEALS THE RESTLESS HEART: Homilies for Every Day of the Liturgical Year

A homily for every day of the liturgical year, written at the altar for the heart that is searching for rest in God.

The Word That Heals the Restless Heart offers 398 homilies for the whole of 2027, from the First Sunday of Advent (November 29, 2026) through December 31, 2027: all of Year B and the opening weeks of Year C. Each entry gives the date, the celebration, the liturgical color, and the Lectionary readings, following the liturgical calendar of the dioceses of the United States.

Sundays, solemnities, and feasts receive an extended homily of six to seven minutes; weekdays receive a shorter homily of two to three minutes, suited to daily Mass.

Under the heading "For Reflection and Prayer," every day includes four aids:
- an Augustinian key, with a quotation from Saint Augustine and a brief reflection that brings it into daily life;
- a clinical-pastoral question for personal examination or group discussion;
- a gesture of the day, a simple action that puts the Word into practice;
- a closing prayer of its own.

Inspired by Saint Augustine's insight that "our heart is restless until it rests in you," the book joins fidelity to Catholic teaching with careful attention to people's wounds, fears, and hopes. It includes a full table of contents, an index of Sundays, solemnities, and feasts, a thematic index, a register of the works of Saint Augustine cited, and an appendix of basic prayers of the Mass and of Christian devotion.

A resource for priests and deacons preparing to preach, for catechists, pastoral ministers, and prayer groups, and for every believer who wants to accompany the liturgy each day with a word of life.

Fr. David Vargas-Grajales is a Catholic priest of the Diocese of Orlando, Florida, with twenty-five years of ministry in parishes, schools, hospice care, and missions in the United States and Puerto Rico. He holds a master's degree in clinical counseling and has a special dedication to Hispanic communities. He publishes this book on the occasion of the silver jubilee of his priestly ordination.