Fr. Nivin's Homily Blog

 “The souls of the just are in the hand of God, and no torment shall touch them.” This beautiful passage from today’s first reading is one we often hear at funeral Masses. It comforts and consoles us deeply, assuring us of God’s merciful love and protection for those who have passed from this life. Today, as we commemorate All Souls’ Day, we remember the souls of all the faithful departed, those in purgatory awaiting the fullness of union with God. Their souls are in the hands of God, and while we need not worry for them, we can still assist them with our prayers. During the first week of November, the Church offers us the special grace of a plenary indulgence for our deceased loved ones. But what exactly is a plenary indulgence? It is a special grace that removes the temporal punishments due to sin. While the Sacrament of Reconciliation forgives sins and removes the eternal punishment of hell, temporal punishments may remain. Temporal punishments are the natural consequences arising f

 Did you hear this question in the first reading? "Who are these wearing white robes, and where did they come from?" St. John the Apostle had a vision of heaven and asked the angel regarding the many people he saw who were praising and worshipping God. I think you might know some of those people. Let’s see. Do you know who this is? Yes, Saint Teresa of Calcutta, we affectionately call her Mother Teresa.  Do you know where she was born in? She was born in Skopje, where it is now Albania. And where did she spend most of her life? She spent her life in India, taking care of the very poor, sick and dying. Who’s this man? Yes, he is Saint Joseph. Where was he born? In Nazareth. What was his job? He was a carpenter. And he was chosen by God to be the foster father of Jesus. St. Joseph cared for and protected Jesus and Mary as a family, serving God in his own humble way. Who is this woman? That’s right, Saint Kateri Tekakwitha. Do you know where she was born? She was born in New Yor

 "Be subordinate to one another out of reverence for Christ. Wives should be subordinate to their husbands as to the Lord." I chose this phrase to preach, knowing it might meet with some resistance, even rejection from some of you. When this same passage appears in Sunday readings, there’s even an option to use a shorter form that would avoid these verses. Why? Because the teaching of subordination is hard to accept, and the preaching of it is even harder. Being obedient or subordinate to someone is challenging, even if under authority. And to expect a woman, especially a modern, independent and self-assured American woman, to be subordinate to her husband, is like declaring war. This resistance is not just in spousal relationships. Sometimes, it seems like the only “person” who obeys my commands perfectly is my phone – Google Assistant. ‘She’ is most obedient, ever ready to satisfy and please, always responds politely and would do whatever I ask, and without delay. Google As

"Through him, the whole structure is held together and grows into a temple sacred in the Lord." In this letter to the Ephesians, St. Paul described the community of believers like a physical sacred temple, thus the people are the church. The structure of the church, which refers to the faith of the believers, are held together by Christ, and grows in holiness with the Lord. Christ is the cornerstone, the apostles are the foundation and we, the believers, are the different parts of the temple. We look to the time of the apostles as the "golden age" of the Church — a period when it was growing fast and flourishing. But even then, the Church faced external persecutions and internal divisions arising from cultural, social, historical and personal differences. Today’s church is not much better, if not worse. In the first 300 years, there was only one Church. Then the first division separated into the Catholic and the Orthodox Christianity. Then came the Reformation which

 "Take courage; get up, Jesus is calling you." Bartimaeus was blind and a beggar, someone whom society had ignored, forgotten and cast aside. Bartimaeus had no status, no rights, nothing. But Bartimaeus had faith.  He believed that this Jesus whom he had heard so much about, could do for him what others could not do. He was so sure thus he did not hesitate to call out to Jesus who was walking by. Not once, but repeatedly. Even when others told him to stop, to keep silent, he cried out louder. Jesus heard his cry, his desperate plea for mercy. Jesus saw his sincere persistence and responded to him. "Take courage; get up, Jesus is calling you." And what Bartimaeus do? “He threw aside his cloak, sprang up, and came to Jesus.” Bartimaeus was spontaneous and immediate in his response. His cloak was the only thing he had, which gave him protection and security. But at the call of Jesus, he threw it aside and came to Jesus, he did not hesitate at all to detach from his one

 "…that you…may have strength to comprehend with all the holy ones what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God." I love this passage very much. In my native language, it is expressed even more beautifully, and I have cherished it in my heart since young. Can we ever fully comprehend the love of God? I don’t think we can ever grasp even a fraction of it. His love is immensely wide, long, high and deep, it surpasses all knowledge and understanding, beyond our imagination. How do we even begin to understand something so vast?  Let’s look at how today’s first reading started: "I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named." To kneel before God is probably one of the first and best way to start to know Him. It is said that St. Thomas Aquinas learned more theology on his knees than from books. And Blessed Archbishop F

 “Brothers and sisters: You were at that time without Christ, alienated from the community of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, without hope and without God in the world.” What does it mean to be ‘without Christ’? St. Paul says it means to be ‘alienated’, a ‘stranger’, ‘without hope and without God’. To me, that means being lost, no goal, no direction, no purpose, no reason to exist. Have you ever experienced being lost? When I was in third grade, my family went on a Marian pilgrimage to Tamil Nadu, which is quite far away from our home. Some families from our neighborhood went also. There were thousands of other pilgrims at the site, all of us on the same path were moving along, packed against one another, like a giant river of people. My parents gave strict orders to hold on to each other’s hands tight and not to let go nor stray away from each other.  I was holding on to my papa’s hand, but the crowd was pushing so much that at one point, I lost my grip and was quick

 He asked himself, ‘What shall I do, for I do not have space to store my harvest?’ The rich man in Jesus’ parable had a wonderful problem. His harvest is so abundant that his existing storehouse was not big enough for it. It was time for expansion! He will get wealthier! Thus, he thought to himself, “…you have so many good things stored up for many years, rest, eat, drink, be merry!”’ Isn’t that what most of us plan for ourselves? To earn as much as possible as soon as possible, so that we can retire early and enjoy the rest of our lives. Many people believe that having enough wealth will bring them happiness, so they focus on accumulating and protecting their possessions and wealth. The problem with this rich man is not his wealth, nor about the abundant harvest he was having, but about what was dominating his life. The problem was not what he possessed, but what was possessing him. Greed possessed him, and determined his decisions, plans and actions. There was no room for thanksgivin

 “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has similarly been tested in every way, yet without sin.” This verse from today’s second reading is both beautiful and powerful. It tells us profoundly of the deep compassion of God for His people through the sacrificial priesthood of Christ. Someone who has gone through suffering can surely better understand and empathize with the sufferings of others. When I minister to parishioners whose family members have passed on, I can feel their pain because I too have lost my beloved parents. I know a couple who lost their beloved son unexpectedly while he was in college. It took them a long time to overcome the pain and sorrow of loss. Eventually, they started a ministry in their parish to help others who were also grieving the loss of loved ones. Their suffering enabled them to offer comfort, consolation and companionship to others in similar situations. Our high priest Jesus Christ is not one wh

 “That you may know what is the hope that belongs to His call.” What is His call? God called us into life, but not just a life of mere breathing and living. St. Paul, in his letter to the Ephesians, reminds us that “(God) chose us in Him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and without blemish before Him.” To be holy and blameless before God, this is His call for us. Then what is our hope? Every one of us has hopes for much in life. We hope for betterment, fulfillment and achievement in various aspects of our living.  In the last three years here, I have learned a lot about hope. Hearing stories of our refugee communities, about their journey from one end of the world to the other, how they survived in refugee camps, their perseverance through wars and injustices, and despite all these challenges, they never lost hope that life would get better, days will be brighter. And in many ways, their prayers have been answered now that they have settled here. They did not hope in vai

 “The harvest is abundant, but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.” We are the in the harvesting season.  Back in my homeland, the harvesting season was always a super busy period, because we had to work very fast to take in the harvest within a few days. so that we don’t lose the crops. We would look for extra laborers during that season to help us get the job done on time. More laborers meant a bigger harvest. Here in this land, harvesting is done in quick time without the need for extra laborers. On a few occasions, my farmer friends have invited me to ride with them in their combine to go around their farms. I saw how with technology, hundreds of acres of crops can be harvested within just a few hours. Jesus sees this world like a huge farm. With the effective planting of seeds by His apostles and the church, and the nurture of the Holy Spirit, it can yield plentiful fruits. When it is time for harvesting, He will need many o

 “Indeed, the word of God is living and effective, sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating even between soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart.” Is the word of God living and effective in your life? This is my personal Bible. It is in Malayalam, my native language. My papa bought it for me on June 7, 2003, two days before I turned 15 years old. It has been with me ever since. It accompanied me through all my seminary years even when in Rome. I’ve read it many, many times. If you receive a beautiful letter from someone you love, wouldn’t you read it over and over, many times? I’ve used my Bible to pray, to praise God, to seek His advice, and to learn more about Him. When I was younger, I had the habit of memorizing a verse from the Bible every day. Over that time, I have memorized hundreds of passages. In our family, everyone, as well as my parents, had their own personal Bible. My family still keeps my grandpa’s Bible, which

“For you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Over the past few days, we have been reading from the letters of St. Paul to the Galatians. Today’s reading we see him pleading with the community to be united in Christ.  What is happening to the Galatian community? Didn’t we read in Acts of the Apostles, “All the believers were one in heart and mind”? That was how the early Christians lived during the Pentecostal event despite strong persecution. But the Galatians were living differently. It seemed that their society then, like ours today, was greatly divided, separated by ethnicity, social status, gender discrimination, and differences in culture and tradition. St. Paul emphasized and reminded them that they are ‘all one in Christ Jesus’. What about our society? Recent surveys show that more than 80% of Americans feel that the country is more divided than united. Although we are a Christian nation, we are polarized in our political stands, religious views and many other life issues. At St. Ambr

"But when He, who from my mother’s womb had set me apart and called me through His grace, was pleased to reveal His Son to me, so that I might proclaim Him to the Gentiles." St. Paul’s conversion always gives us hope. A persecutor who became a preacher. His transformation was a miracle. Yes, nothing is impossible for God. Paul went around to preach and proclaim what he previously persecuted and sought to prevent its spread. What struck me deeply is Paul’s belief that “from my mother’s womb, He had set me apart and called me.” That means that the very purpose of his existence was not to persecute the Christians, but to preach the Good News to the Gentiles. St. Paul was born for this, to be an apostle to the Gentiles and an author for nearly 25% of the New Testament books. When he realized his true calling, he embraced it fully and excelled in it. That is why he said, “Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel.” His life would have been meaningless and purposeless if he did not f

"And coming to her, he said, 'Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.'" I have seen this many times – one of our catechists holding up a rosary in her hand and asking the kids, “What is this?” When they respond, “It’s a rosary,” she would add, “This is a weapon to fight against the evil one.” How true! But have you ever wondered how does a rosary become a weapon against Satan? When Jesus was tempted in the wilderness, He used the Word of God to counter the temptations presented by the evil one. Satan is afraid of the Word of God. And when we pray the rosary, we are repeating the Word of God, bead after bead, don’t we? Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you. The “Hail Mary” is a prayer woven beautifully with the words of Scripture, and the “Our Father” is the prayer that Jesus Himself taught us, straight from the Bible. These are prayers recited repeatedly in the rosary. The rosary is thus a deeply biblical prayer which anyone can pray, and anytime we can recall

 “Thus the LORD blessed the latter days of Job more than his earlier ones. For he had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand she-asses.” That’s a lot of livestock! Maybe not for American farmers, but I think Job’s property was huge. When I first came to Iowa, people would ask me about my parents and their lives. When I talked about our family farm back in India, they would naturally imagine it like an American farm, and I didn’t think too much about it. My family farm was considered one of the larger ones in my area, though it was just 10 acres of land, every inch of it was cultivated. We had five cows, a few goats, and a dozen chickens, which was more than enough to sustain our family of 11. Only later did I realize that an average American farm can be 500 to 1,000 acres, and their livestock can number hundreds or thousands. In comparison, Job’s household was much larger, after God restored more than all that Job lost earlier in his life.

 “But they did not understand this saying…” In today’s Gospel from Luke, we are told the disciples could not understand what Jesus was telling them, that He would be ‘handed over to men’, that He would be captured, tortured and killed. I remember when my mommy was diagnosed with cancer, I was still a seminarian studying in Rome. I was far away from home. I didn’t know what to do, but since my siblings were able to be around to help her, I felt I could continue with my life as planned. But I was praying hard, I offered my sacrifices to God believing that He would be merciful and heal my mommy, at least to let her witness my ordination. But she died in 2012. I was not due for ordination till 2016. It was not surprising, since cancer was a fatal illness in those days in my hometown. But I did not understand. I did not accept it. I felt that God ignored my prayers. Then two years after my ordination, in 2018, my papa was diagnosed with cancer too. I was shocked and I prayed harder. In just

Holy family school Mass  “Put falsehood and lying far from me, give me neither poverty nor riches; provide me only with the food I need.” This is what we heard in today’s first reading taken from the book of Proverbs in the Bible. It is a prayer request of a holy person. He asked to be kept away from falsehood and lying, that means he prayed that he will not be a scammer or a liar. And he didn’t care much for being rich but he didn’t want to be poor either. All he asked for was to have food to eat and survive. That is a very simple prayer, isn’t it? When you pray, do you ask God for many things? What do you ask for? How many of you want to be rich, more than you are now? When I was your age, I wanted to become rich. I was from a poor farming family. I had to help out at the family farm every day. I enjoyed the work. So I would always think about working hard on the farm to make a lot of money, then I would be rich, I would buy a nice new car, and travel far away to see the world, etc e

“My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and act on it.” During Jesus’ public ministry, He had hundreds, if not thousands, of followers. He was very popular, his fame spread far and wide. Many people followed Him for various reasons - some wanted to witness His miracles, others to did not want to be left out of the happenings, and many wanted to be healed and cured by Jesus. One other key reason was His preaching. The simplicity, yet often intriguing and intellectually provoking, and the power of His messages, attracted and moved countless listeners who wanted to hear more from Him. Even today, we see dynamic preachers and Catholic speakers who would also attract large crowds. Many people, including myself, admire and would follow some well-known speakers so that we do not miss their talks or preachings. It is very uplifting and edifying to listen to such talks. But truly, does Jesus want us to just listen to Him and follow His talks so that we can feel intellectua

 “Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me but the One who sent me.” Who wouldn’t receive a child with open arms? Very often, it’s easier to welcome a child than an adult, don’t you think so? Children here are considered precious and are treasured. They receive much love, attention and care. Families and society make a lot of effort, including implementing laws, to protect them and safeguard their rights. Their needs and all aspects of their well-being are important. And of course, because they are so loved, that they are also lovable. I personally adore little children and enjoy being in their company. They are easily and eagerly welcomed into our life, into our gatherings. However, children in Jesus’ time were seen and treated very differently from the children of our time in this land. They were not given dignity, had no status, were regarded as useless and not valued at all by society. Families which had many children

“For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes.” There are many reasons people choose to go to a particular church on Sundays. Some say, “I like the music,” or “I like the homily.” Others might say, “My friends are going there,” or “I like the diversity of this community,” or “The Mass time is convenient.” Some people choose to attend other denominational or non-denominational services to make their Sunday church experience more interesting. What about you? Why do you come to church? There could be many motivations too, but truly, any Mass at any Catholic church is the same, whether the homily is wonderful or awful, whether the music is traditional or contemporary, whether the community is lively or sleepy… because the exact same sacrificial event takes place at every Mass. Be it here in Iowa, or there in South Sudan, it is the same Jesus, the same sacrificial death on the cross, the same redemptive love at every Mass. And so, w

Our beloved brother, Richard Murphy, has gone home to be with the Lord. We are saddened for our loss of a faithful brother, yet we come here with joy to celebrate the fulfilment of his long earthly life and his entry into eternity. As a faithful Catholic, he received all the necessary sacraments and was well prepared for his final walk from here to forever. We believe his soul is at peace, we too, are at peace for him. Murphy was a true servant of God. He began serving as an altar server in his home parish in Manson, Iowa, when he was a young boy and was also an active member of this Parish when he moved to Des Moines. Here at St. Ambrose, was where Murphy worshipped and served the Lord for the past few decades. Murphy was one of the first people I met during my first weeks here in 2021. I fondly remember him as someone who was either first or early in many things. He would arrive early for Knights of Columbus meetings, walking to the parish hall with his walker, and waiting patiently

 "Rejoice and leap for joy on that day! Behold, your reward will be great in heaven." When I was a small boy, I used to look up in the sky when I heard a plane fly by. At that time, no one in my village had ever flown in an airplane before, so my dream was to fly in a plane to a place far away from my home. I thought that would be the day I would be very happy. Today I am here in the USA, more than 8 thousand miles away! Do you have a dream for yourself? We all have dreams, and whatever our dreams are, we all believe that when they come true, we will be very happy. I too have a dream for Holy Family School. I dream that every student who comes to this school will experience joy, that they will be happy learning and growing together, to make good friends and create beautiful memories here, and that every student here will gain not just great knowledge of the world, but also develop a deep understanding and love for God. Today’s Gospel passage is known as the Beatitudes. The Be

 “Do you not know that the unjust will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Do not be deceived.” In Christian theology, there is something known as the Last Things, which are namely these four: Death, Judgement, Heaven, Hell. Death is the event at the end of this life when our mortal body is separated from our immortal soul. At that moment of death, each person is judged by God based on our faith and conduct in this life, and our soul will either be rewarded or punished. The reward is heaven, eternal bliss and joy when we come face to face with God, our Creator. Some will go through purgatory, a temporary state of purification in preparation for heaven. The punishment is hell, eternal torment and condemnation for our rejection of God. Heaven is real. Hell is also real. Once, during a talk for priests, the speaker asked us, “When was the last time you preached about eternal punishment?” I tried to think of a recent homily or message where I spoke about it, and there was none. I realised that