Fr. Nivin's Homily Blog

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Homily: October 12, 2024, Saturday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time (United)

- October 12, 2024

“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

Homily: Ocotber 8, 2024, Tuesday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time (Purpose)

- October 08, 2024

"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

Homily: October 7, 2024, Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary (Weapon)

- October 07, 2024

"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

Homily: Ocotber 5, 2024, Saturday of the Twenty-sixth Week in Ordinary Time (Blessed)

- October 05, 2024

“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.

Homily: September 28, Saturday of the twenty fifth week in Ordinary time (Understand)

- September 28, 2024

“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

Homily: September 25, 2024, Wednesday of the Twenty-fifth Week in Ordinary Time (Modesty):

- September 25, 2024

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

Homily: Septtember 24, 2024, Tuesday of the Twenty-fifth Week in Ordinary Time (act on it. )

- September 24, 2024

“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

Homily: September 22, 2024 , Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Welcome child )

- September 21, 2024

“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

Homily: September 16. 2024, Monday of the Twenty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time (Reason)

- September 16, 2024

“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

Richard Murphy's Funeral Homily, Monday September 16, 2024.

- September 16, 2024

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

Homily: September 11, 2024 Wednesday of the Twenty-third Week in Ordinary Time (best attitudes)

- September 11, 2024

"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

Homily: September 10, 2024, Tuesday of the Twenty-third Week in Ordinary Time (Deception).

- September 10, 2024

“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

Homily: September 9, 2024, Monday of the Twenty-third Week in Ordinary Time (Immoral Christians).

- September 09, 2024

“It is widely reported that there is immorality among you, and immorality of a kind not found even among pagans.” Once, I came across this quote from Thomas Merton: “The greatest evil is found where the highest good has been corrupted.” How true! And how sad… There is probably no statistics to confirm this, but superficially, we can see how countries with majority Christians seemed to be more liberal in their views and practices which are opposing to Church teachings, while some countries with minority Christians, even with persecution of the faith, seem to be more in agreement with Church values. St. Peter warned, “Your adversary the devil walks around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.” And the devil wants to devour the believer, because the non-believer is already on his side. And if we are not careful, or are complacent or weak, we are easy targets. As I read somewhere, “the devil doesn’t come dressed in a red cape and pointy horns, he comes disguised as everythin

Homily: September 7, 2024, Saturday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time (Suffering).

- September 07, 2024

“To this very hour, we go hungry and thirsty, we are poorly clad and roughly treated, we wander about homeless, and we toil, working with our own hands.” The Apostle Paul described the life of him and his companions as they do their mission of proclaiming Christ. It was quite a life of hardship and suffering. And it seemed that many, if not all, of the missionaries who went out to proclaim the Gospel suffered similarly – other than persecution from anti-Christianity haters, it was simply hardships in daily living conditions. Is it true that living for Christ and proclaiming the Gospel means living a harsh life of suffering? St. Ignatius Loyola said, “If God sends you many sufferings, it is a sign that He has great plans for you and certainly wants to make you a saint.” So, it is true that to be a saint does mean going through suffering. Doesn’t this sound irrational and sadistic? Why can’t we be faithful to Christ and not have to suffer? Does such suffering come with pain and anguish

Homily: August 27, 2024, Tuesday of the Twenty first week in Ordinary time (Deception)

- August 27, 2024

“Let no one deceive you in any way.” We live in a world full of lies, deception, cheating and empty promises. Fake news, fake products, now even fake identities are going around in the virtual world and destroying life in the real world. People who deceive aim to turn others away from what is real, to believe in what is not real, so that they can take advantage of the ignorant believers for their own profit and gain. Thus, parents, elders, and guardians would warn the young and vulnerable whom they love and care for, to let no one deceive them and lead them into trouble. St. Paul particularly loved the Thessalonian church because they were one of the first communities he formed, and they were faithful to his teachings. But they were still young and vulnerable as a faith community, St. Paul knew that they could be easily misled, tempted or influenced to deviate from the ways of the Lord. St. Paul was concerned for their souls, and so he warned them, “Let no one deceive you in any way.”

Homily: August 26, 2024, Monday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time (Boast)

- August 26, 2024

“Accordingly, we ourselves boast of you in the churches of God regarding your endurance.” In today’s first reading, St. Paul writes to the Thessalonians, saying he boasts of them in the churches of God. He was so proud of them, the church in Thessalonia. Has anyone boasted of you and your achievements before? Modern parents nowadays have access to many resources for parenting tips and wisdom, with lists of the do’s and dont’s. One common piece of advice is to never compare your child’s abilities and achievements with that of another child, especially in the presence of your child. However, many Asian parents in the previous generations followed a parenting approach from the old school. They thought that by comparing children, it could motivate a weaker child to want to do better. My parents did that to me very often. They would always tell me how some of my friends were doing well in their studies and that I should model after them. Did it help me in my studies? No. I continued to do

Homily: August 25, 2024, Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time

- August 25, 2024

“This saying is hard; who can accept it?” “As a result of this, many of his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him.” This weekend is the last of the five Sundays during which the Gospel readings were taken from chapter 6 of St. John, the Bread of Life discourse, exploring fully Jesus’ teachings on the Eucharist, beginning with the multiplication of loaves. Next week we will continue with the Gospel of Mark. So, what saying is hard to accept for the disciples? It is Jesus’ saying that His body is true bread, His blood is true drink and only those who eat and drink His body and blood will have eternal life with Him. Is it also hard for you to accept? There are many teachings in the Catholic Church which are hard to accept. And like many of the disciples who left Jesus and returned to their former way of life, even after seeing all His works and miracles, many present-day Catholics also leave the church because they could not accept the teachings. Sho

Homily: August 24, 2024: Feast of St. Bartholomew the Apostle (Duplicity)

- August 24, 2024

"Here is a true child of Israel. There is no duplicity in him." Bartholomew the Apostle is Nathanael. Today’s Gospel account is a moving encounter between Jesus and Nathanael. Nathanael encountered the true Son of God and Jesus encountered the true child of Israel, which also meant a true child of God. Jesus highlighted the quality that makes Nathanael stand out as being true and real - having no duplicity. Initially, I thought duplicity meant hypocrisy, a description Jesus often used on the Pharisees. Later I understood the difference. Hypocrisy is outwardly pretending to agree while inwardly opposing, or outwardly expressing to believe while inwardly is totally in disbelief. A hypocrite would criticize others openly for behavior which they themselves would engage in privately. A hypocrite is the biggest liar, pretending to be good when in truth, he is actually evil. Duplicity is having two faces, two sides, often with the intent to deceive or simply hiding the truth. A p

Homily: August 21, 2024, Wednesday of the twentieth week in Ordinary time (Holy family school Mass )

- August 22, 2024

“For thus says the Lord GOD: I myself will look after and tend my sheep.” At the end of the first reading, in which the prophet Ezekiel spoke to the people on behalf of God, saying that God will look after and tend His sheep Himself, that means He will never leave His precious sheep to anybody else. How many of you have pets at home? Do you love them and care for them? If you were going away for a long, long vacation, would you leave your pets with me to care for them? I used to have a pet cow when I was a little boy in India. Her name was Mannikutti. She was a newly born calf when she was first given to me. Every day after school, I would go to her, talk to her, feed her, clean her and just spend time with her. I love her very much! I would know if she was sick, just by the way she ate her food. And she would respond to me happily whenever I talked to her. And I was always very happy spending time with her. I know her very well because I am always with her, observing her and taking ca

Homily: August 20, 2024, Tuesday of the Twentieth week in Ordinary time (Detachment).

- August 20, 2024

“It is I who deal death and give life.” This is our response to the first reading today. God gave a warning to the king of Tyre, about his impending death. The king had accumulated so much wealth and power that he considered himself supreme and like a god. He felt so highly of himself that he forgot he was only a human and could never escape death. Only God could deal death and give life. Only by recognizing our own frailty can we see God’s supremacy over our life and death. A few months ago, one of my first cousins passed away at the age of 49 after battling multiple myeloma. She was survived by her loving husband and two children. Among the cousins who are still relatively young, she was the first to pass on. We were shocked and saddened by her passing. A few days later, I had a group call with my siblings, and we were talking about it. One of my sisters asked, “Who will be the first one among us to pass away?” I immediately replied, “I’m not ready.” My oldest sister then said, “If

Homily: August 19, 2024, Monday of the Twentieth week in Ordinary time (Gain Eternal life)

- August 19, 2024

“All of these I have observed. What do I still lack?” I admire the young man in today’s Gospel. His question “what do I still lack?” shows that he was seeking deeper, he knew whatever he was doing was not enough for him to gain eternal life. From the Gospel narrative, we understand that this young man had great wealth and was faithful to the commandments of the Lord. It seemed he was careful never to break the law. So, what did he still lack? Jesus went through the commandment checklist with him, but it's interesting to note that Jesus asked only the commandments which were about his relationship with others. He did not check on the first three commandments, which focused on his relationship with God. “All of these I have observed” was his reply. This young man was perfect in his observance of the law but imperfect in his relationship with others. He did not commit what he was required not to do, thus keeping the commandments, but he did not do what he could do, which was to help

Homily:August 18, 2024, Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Wisdom)

- August 18, 2024

“Let whoever is simple turn in here; To the one who lacks understanding, she says, Come, eat of my food, and drink of the wine I have mixed!” This generous invitation in today’s first reading is from Lady Wisdom. This reading is taken from Chapter 9 of the Book of Proverbs which portrays two women: Lady Wisdom and Dame Folly. Our first reading presents only the invitation of Lady Wisdom. She invites us, ‘whoever is simple’, to her home to enjoy the real good life, one of understanding and food good for our body and soul, while Dame Folly attracts people to destruction. Many people seek wisdom, sometimes for unwise reasons, often in the wrong places, and in the wrong ways. Wisdom is unlike knowledge and intellect, it is not something we can gain through studying or hard work, it does not come automatically with age or experience; it is ultimately a gift from the Holy Spirit. In Proverbs 2:6, it says ‘For the Lord gives wisdom…” I am very blessed to have met many wise people who in thei

Homily: August 17, 2024, Saturday of the Nineteenth week in Ordinary Time (let the children come to me)

- August 17, 2024

“Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them.” Quite recently, a family showed up at the office and asked if I could give them some basic orientation so that they can get their child baptized. They needed the orientation certificate on that day itself to submit to another parish conducting the baptism. The godparents came with them. So, I asked them some questions to understand their situation. The couple are not married, they have no plans in the near future to marry in Church, do not attend Sunday Mass, and one of the godparents was not in good standing with the Catholic Church. I hesitated for a moment and seriously wondered if they know what it means to baptize the child and how to bring him up in the Catholic faith? Should I provide the orientation and certify them as such? I looked at the cute innocent little baby, who was gazing straight at me. I decided I should. I told them about the obligations they were going to undertake with the baptism, and the responsibilities

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