Fr. Nivin's Homily Blog

 From the first reading, Peter said: “Now I know for certain that the Lord sent his angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people had been expecting.” From the second reading, Paul said: “The Lord will rescue me from every evil threat and will bring me safe to his heavenly Kingdom.” Peter and Paul. Distinct characters but one heart and mind. Different persons but together in mission. Two apostles but one Lord and Master. Today the Church celebrates the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, the two pillars of the Catholic Church, together they make up the foundation of our Catholic teaching. Among the many disciples of the Lord, we know more about Peter and Paul, thanks to St. Luke, who recorded their stories and events in the Acts of the Apostles. The first half of the book was focused on Peter, the other half on Paul. When we look closely at them, we immediately see many differences, but why does the Church celebrate them together on the same feast ...

 “As a shepherd tends his flock when he finds himself among his scattered sheep, so will I tend my sheep.” Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. And yet, if we look closely at the readings, we don’t see any explicit reference to the heart of Jesus. However, in the second reading, we read about the love of God through Jesus and in the first reading and Gospel, we are given a clear description of the love of a good shepherd for his own sheep. The good shepherd in these texts refer to Jesus, so what we celebrate today, is the loving, self-giving heart of Jesus, our good and true shepherd. We celebrate His unwavering protection, dedicated care and sacrificial love for us, His flock. Sheep are vulnerable, they do not have any sense of direction, totally cannot protect themselves or each other, but quite amazingly, they respond to the voice and instructions of their shepherd. They cannot survive on their own, they need their shepherd. So, the good shepherd w...

 “What, then, will this child be?” One of the greatest joys of my ministry as a priest is baptizing and welcoming new Catholics, whether adults, youth, young children or babies. At St. Ambrose, I have witnessed an overwhelming number of baptisms compared to funerals. Last year, we had over 70 baptisms, only 8 funerals. Thanks be to God! In my last four years here, I have had the privilege of baptizing at least 150 babies. Every baptism is a celebration of new life in Christ, a rebirth, a new creation. And very often, shortly after a child is born, families would invite me either to the hospital, or once they get home, to pray for, to bless or simply to be present with them as they rejoice in the arrival of their newborn. The birth of a child is a profound sign of a greater force at work.  As I gaze at these beautiful little bundles of new life, like the people at the birth of John the Baptist, I too wonder: What will this child be? How will God work through this life? When I w...

“The measure with which you measure will be measured out to you.” Some of us may feel that most times we give goodness but receive trouble. We give friendship but receive enmity. We give love but receive rejection. Life does not seem fair, does it? But let’s be honest, sometimes we do receive much better than what we give, even undeserving and unworthy. So, it probably evens out at the end, to our advantage. Especially when we work it out with God. Our first reading is from Genesis chapter 12, when the story of salvation began. The eleven chapters before this are considered pre-history, there was no revelation from God yet. And then came Abram. He heard a voice, felt it was a divine calling, and he trusted it. It was a call that went beyond his understanding and control, yet he obeyed and followed. Now named Abraham, he gave his word to trust and obey God, whom he had never known before. What was the measure he received in return? Nearly 4,000 years later, his story continues to be tol...

 “Three times I begged the Lord about this, that it might leave me, but he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you.’” This sentence in today’s first reading is one of the most well-known and quoted lines in the New Testament. There are many interpretations about what could be the “thorn in the flesh” which St. Paul referred to and asked for the Lord to remove for him. No one knows for sure, and no one needs to know exactly. What we do know is that it was something Paul believed the “angel of Satan” was sent to torment him. It was so bad for him that he wished and prayed for the Lord to take away from him. But Jesus did no, and told Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you.” Jesus is telling us the same: “My grace is sufficient for you.” Are you struggling terribly? Do you feel greatly tormented? Are you facing huge troubles? Do you feel like there is no way out? If you are crying out to the Lord like St. Paul, know that you are not alone. God’s silence is not absence. He is with y...

“And apart from these things, there is the daily pressure upon me of my anxiety for all the churches.” Did you follow closely today’s first reading? Could you empathize with the hardships St. Paul had endured in his ministry? He lamented: “Five times I received from the Jews forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked.” And that’s not even half the list! But here’s something more amazing: Despite the many troubles Paul suffered, he never gave up. He didn’t quit. He kept preaching the Gospel, he continued converting people and building the Church. He was faithful till the end, till he was beheaded in Rome. Why did he have to suffer so much hardship? Why didn’t God intervene and block off all those troubles? Wouldn’t the mission be more efficient and reap greater results if his mission was smooth sailing and trouble-free? Maybe, maybe not. The fact is, the church did grow exponentially during those times when there were ext...

 “Take care not to perform righteous deeds in order that people may see them.” We live in a world of performance, we work to be seen and heard, to be recognized and applauded. With the explosive growth and popularity of social media, modesty has nearly disappeared. Many have taken to exposing every aspect of their personal lives, it is now so convenient and easy to share, like, and repost every little thing for the world to see. It is not a bad thing to share openly and freely with friends, especially the good moments, the joyful events, the memorable occasions. And within the Church, it is helpful to keep the community connected and informed, to broadcast and share all the good that is done, so that we can together praise and thank God for His blessings. Ahhh, here is the problem... Do we do good so that we can praise God, or do we do good so that others can praise us? Do we sometimes work hard to show that we are the most active, generous, or popular church in town? Are we offend...

“Not to receive the grace of God in vain.” Today’s first reading began with a stern warning. Are we receiving the grace of God in vain? Do we got to confession, yet continue to live in habitual sin and disobedience to God’s will? Christian living is a life in and of grace. It is a life of grace, because from the moment of our baptism, followed through with the other sacraments, God pours out His grace to us. But the full effect of His grace requires our cooperation. If we take it for granted, are non-responsive or even ignorant, if we do not actively nurture it, God’s grace would be fruitless, and futile in our life. Imagine pouring water to a cup with a closed lid, nothing gets filled, the cup remains empty. Think of baptism. At a child’s baptism, the parents and godparents profess the faith on the child’s behalf. They promise to raise the child according to the Catholic faith. If they fail to live that promise, if they do not bring the child to Mass, do not pray with the child, neith...

Today’s second reading ends with this powerful phrase: “Because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.” Today we celebrate two beautiful events: the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity and Father’s Day. So, happy Father’s Day to all our fathers, grandfathers, fathers-to-be and godfathers! My siblings and I are incredibly blessed to have had a good Christian father who fulfilled his duties both as a father and as a Catholic. My papa was a very quiet, resilient, yet very gentle person. He loved and protected all his seven children, physically, emotionally, mentally and especially spiritually. He taught us the faith and was a great model of the traditions. He made sure we never missed Sunday Mass and took us regularly to Confession. I was very much a “dad’s boy”, working with him daily on the farm, taking care of the animals together with him. He didn’t worry much about school grades, but he was very firm and strict with us re...

 “The love of Christ impels us.” Have you ever observed someone who was madly in love? I know of a young man whose mother always complained that he was sloppy and unkempt, looked like a mess and smelled like a dead rat! He was not interested in anything but was always slouched over his computer games when he was off work. He wore the same dirty shirts and just could not be bothered by the world. Then one day, she noticed he took a bath, shaved clean, brushed his hair neat, wore a crisp ironed shirt, sprayed perfume and asked her excitedly where the best place for pasta was. He was a changed man! And what had that power to move him from the valley to the mountain top? Yes, love! Love is powerful. When we love someone, we are willing to go beyond our limits, step out of our comfort zone, fly to the moon and back, just to please, just to satisfy, just to enrich the relationship. We go more than the extra mile. We might even be willing to die, be it a painful death, to go to hell and c...

 “So death is at work in us, but life in you.” This phrase from today’s first reading truly struck me powerfully. It is deep, profound, and it captures the essence of what it means to be on Christ’s mission. If we really observe the way the apostles lived, or study how the saints chose to live, literally, they chose death. Like their Master, like the life of Jesus Christ, who chose death for Himself, so that all of us may live. This truth is in the cross. As a priest, if I die to myself and my selfish desires every day, my parish life and my mission for Christ will thrive. A father or a mother who sacrifices their own comfort and convenience for the good of their children will see them bloom and grow positively. John 12:24, “Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit.” This fruit is a fruit in the life of Christ. So, death is at work in us, but life is in Christ. The love we receive in the Eucharist...

 “You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned? It is no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.” Would salt ever lose its taste? From what I understand, the answer is no, not in its pure form. Salt in its pure form, is sodium chloride, and it is very stable, it cannot lose its taste, not even for over a hundred years, it will still maintain its saltiness. So why did Jesus use this salt analogy? What did Jesus mean by “salt losing its taste”? I have come across many interpretations. Some say that salt in this example by Jesus, is referring to our faith, others say it is our love, or our zeal. They are all good perspectives to help us understand what Jesus meant. A Christian without faith, without love, without passion for God, is in a grave spiritual danger of losing his real essence, the purpose of his being and existence. Jesus was warning His disciples: if they lose the mission of their faith, they will lo...

 “All these devoted themselves with one accord to prayer, together with some women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.” What a beautiful scene! Imagine if we walk into St. Ambrose Church and see everyone sitting close together as one big family, devoted in prayer as one people, with the Mother of Jesus, Blessed Virgin Mary among us, leading us. The unity, the faith, the togetherness are simply beautiful and inspirational. That was the scene we just read in our first reading. And upon the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the Church was born. On that first day of the Church’s birth, Mary, the Mother of Jesus, was there. And that tells us something profound: the Church was born with a mother. Not just any mother, but the mother of Christ, who is the head of the Church, naturally she is the mother of the same Church, the body of Christ,. Mary is our mother, not just individually, personally, but together, as a Church. What does a mother do? Many of you know that today is my b...

 "Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained."  Happy Feast of Pentecost! Today, we conclude the joyful fifty days of the Easter season and enter again into Ordinary Time after  Pentecost, the feast of fire, power, divine breath,  and popularly celebrated as the birthday of the Church through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Fifty days after rising from the dead, Jesus fulfills His promise that God the Father will send the advocate, the Holy Spirit to be His disciples. The Holy Spirit is poured out onto the Church, showering her with powerful spiritual gifts.  And what is the first fruit of this Spirit? Forgiveness. The power to forgive, to remove sin, in Jesus’ name, is given to the church. On the cross, Jesus exercised this power by forgiving His murderers and implored His Father’s mercy on the same. Forgiveness is the foundation of the Christian life. Without forgiveness, the burden of sin will ...

 “There are also many other things that Jesus did, but if these were to be described individually, I do not think the whole world would contain the books that would be written.”  Imagine that! The whole world would not be able to contain all the details of what Jesus did! Still, I often wish that we could have more stories about Jesus, more miracles recorded and more details about His life especially in His youth. Even though we have about 20 apocryphal gospels, which offer imaginative accounts of His childhood and youth, most of them were written two centuries after Jesus and can’t be fully verified for accuracy. The four Gospels remain silent about Jesus’ life between the ages of 12 to 30 before His public ministry. I sometimes wonder if John the evangelist, who took Mary into his home, would have asked her all the details about living with Jesus from His childhood days. Maybe he did and there was so much that he thus explained that the whole world would not be able to conta...

 “…and about a certain Jesus who had died but who Paul claimed was alive.” St. Paul claimed that Jesus was alive. That was the truth. It still is the truth. Jesus IS alive. This is what makes Christianity so radically different. We do not worship or follow a master who is dead. No. We worship and follow a living God. St. Paul says, “In Him we live, and move, and have our being.” We live because He lives, we move because He moves, we are because He is. We are preserved not by tradition alone but are sustained by His real presence. Is God real to you? Is Jesus alive in your life? For the Jewish leaders who planned the crucifixion of Jesus, His resurrection was a terrible scandal, a huge threat to their status and authority. I am sure they did believe that Jesus was alive, but they just didn’t want the rest of the Jewish people to believe it. They had to hide the truth. It might be relatively easy to stop people from believing that a dead person has come alive again, because it is log...

Today’s Mass is very special. We are here to give thanks to God for someone who has been a beloved part of our school community for many years, Fr. Ly Chu, who will be retiring from active ministry this July. Fr. Ly Chu has been a part of Holy Family School since 2008 and has served faithfully as a priest in our diocese for over two decades. The normal retirement age for priests is 70, and Fr. Ly Chu has reached that milestone this year.  Can you guess which year he was born in? That’s right, 1955! He was born in Vietnam, during a time of war, civil unrest, and religious persecution in the country. Even though it might endanger his life, Fr. Ly Chu felt called to become a priest. He began his seminary studies at what’s called an ‘underground seminary’, because at that time, religion was not permitted by the communist government. People had to celebrate Mass and receive the sacraments secretly, often in underground churches or hidden places. Despite many hardships, Fr. Ly Chu remain...

“When I was with them, I protected them in your name that you gave me.” Today’s Gospel continues the reading from John chapter 17. It details Jesus’ beautiful and loving prayer for his disciples as He is about to be separated from them physically for a long time. For three years, Jesus has been with them daily, teaching them, showing them the right way and protecting them from the evil one. He gave His life totally to them, in His living and dying. In the first reading, we see a similar moment with Paul. After three years of serving the Church in Ephesus, St. Paul offers his farewell to them with words of advice. His words echo the deep love of Christ and concern for their spiritual well-being as he warns: “I know that after my departure, savage wolves will come among you, and they will not spare the flock.” As a priest, I have experienced the pain of seeing parishioners turn away from the Catholic faith. Some were drawn to the Pentecostal churches or other denominations, and some have...

“Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and said, 'Father, the hour has come.'" Fourteen years ago, before I was ordained a priest, my mommy was in the hospital for some time, and I stayed by her side every day. She was undergoing chemotherapy and radiation treatment for final-stage metastatic cancer. Suddenly one day, she asked me to get her a priest so she could do her confession and receive the anointing of the sick. I was a little shaken by her request. Was she going to die? Secretly, I called my siblings and informed them about her request for the sacraments, and they too wondered if she was getting ready to die. That night, again I sat by her bedside, with a big worry on my face. My mommy noticed it and just before going to sleep, she gently but calmly assured me, “I’m not going to die tonight. You sleep well, and tell your siblings too.” I never knew my facial expression could betray all my thoughts, worries, and what I did! Mommy was right, she didn’t die that night. But ...

 “In the world, you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world.” Do you read horoscopes? Growing up in India living among Hindu neighbors and friends, I was introduced to the Hindu version of astrology since young. Based on my date and time of birth, the elders in my home community told me that my birth star was Revathi, a sign which foretold that my life would be peaceful, prosperous and I would live in abundance. It sure sounded wonderful, but hard to believe. In fact, looking at my life from young up till now, it has been quite the opposite. I lived through years watching my parents struggle to provide for our family of seven children with the bare minimum, hardly any prosperity to mention although we did have simple joys and fun amidst the hardship. I do not believe at all in star fortune telling or horoscope reading. I believe instead in God’s will and His plans for me. Our loving God who formed us, declares, “For I know the plans I have for you…plans to p...

 “He put all things beneath his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of the one who fills all things in every way.” Today’s second reading concludes very clearly the role and relationship of Christ and us, the church. This day of solemnity is not merely a commemoration of Jesus the Son returning to the Father. It is a firm proclamation of our identity, our mission, and our destiny as Church. Jesus Christ is the head of the Church. We, the Church, are His Body. And where the Head has gone, the Body will follow. The opening prayer for today’s celebration puts it beautifully for us: “Where the Head has gone before in glory, the Body is called to follow in hope.” Our destiny is heaven, confirmed. But we are not going alone as individuals, we are going as one united Church. When Jesus ascends into heaven, He goes in the same human body He took on through the Incarnation, the body which still bears the wounds of His sacrificial love, in...

 “Fear not, O Zion, be not discouraged! The LORD, your God, is in your midst, a mighty savior.” These powerful words from the prophet Zephaniah are just as timely today as they were when first declared. Indeed, it is a much-needed message for the Church today. At the last NCYC, one of the bishops began his talk, addressing the youth, with three simple words: “Joy over Fear.” And those words captured the attention of over 13,000 teenagers; it sure captured my attention too. We all listened to him keenly for more than an hour because deep inside every one of us, we yearn to have courage over fear, we long for joy over sorrow, and we all live in the hope that all will be well and good at the end of our days. Every day we wake up to some bad news, so it is very easy to slip into anxiety, fear, sadness and hopelessness. Even when we look at our church, observe its declining numbers and its silent community, it is easy to think that God is far away, Jesus is in the distance and we are he...

(Holy family School Mass) In today’s Gospel, Jesus says something very interesting to His disciples. He says, “I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now. But when the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you to all truth.” Do you know what Jesus is trying to tell His disciples and us? He is really saying that there is so many, many things that He wants to teach all of us, but right now, we are just not ready for all of it. Why? Because we will not be able to understand it all. But He continues to assure His disciples and us, not to worry because He is going to send someone to help us understand it all. Who is that someone? That’s right, the Holy Spirit! Do you know when did the disciples receive the Holy Spirit? They received the Holy Spirit on a very special day we call “Pentecost”. It sounds like a big word. Can you say that with me? Pen-te-cost. Very good! And do you know what happened to the disciples when they received the Holy Spirit? Their hearts were filled with...

 “No slave is greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you.” There is no doubt: every Christian who follows Jesus truly and live fully obedient to His commandments will face some form of persecution. The stories of the saints and martyrs throughout history confirm this reality. If we genuinely live according to the values of the Gospel, persecution is inevitable. Why? Because the world lives in opposition to the Gospel values. We all love Mother Teresa of Calcutta. She is now a canonized saint of the church but before she even died, she was already recognized as a living saint. She responded to the call of Jesus with extraordinary faith, humility and full obedience. She lived the Gospel in a powerful and real way, she showed mercy, compassion and solidarity with the poorest of the poor, living with them in the poorest of conditions, feeding them from the poverty she embraced but embracing them with the fullness of Christ’s love through the congregati...

(Holy Family School Mass) “He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and everyone that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit.”  Do you know what is pruning? If you ever see a gardener or farmer carefully cutting some parts of the plants, very likely he could be pruning the plant. He is definitely not killing it! In today’s reading Jesus tells about pruning grapevines. Now I am not very familiar with pruning grapevines, but I do know a little about pruning tea plants from my farming experience in my childhood years. When I was a young boy, my family had a few acres of tea plants on our farm. Every five years, toward the end of summer, we would prune those tea bushes. We carefully cut away all their leaves. Yes, all the leaves. So after pruning, the plants would look lifeless as if dead, with no leaves, nothing to admire, just bare branches and short. Seems very cruel and crazy, isn’t it? But then something amazing would happen soon afterward. In just a few days...