Homily: February 9, 2022, Wednesday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time.

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For readings: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/020922.cfm  

When the Queen of Sheba witnessed Solomon’s kingdom, she was breathless. “Your wisdom and prosperity surpass the report I heard. Blessed are your men, blessed these servants of yours, who stand before you always and listen to your wisdom.”

Today’s first reading tells us about the richness, the wealth of King Solomon, the result of his wisdom, the virtue of having good judgement of what is right and wrong, good and bad.

My paternal grandfather was a wise man. He was 98 years old when he passed away. He was very alert and fit. One of his wisdom in daily living was using traditional herbal Ayurveda products, all in its most natural form. He has never used chemically produced soap but uses natural herbal powder for his daily bath. I have never seen him sick until the last two weeks of his life on earth. His health was proof of his simple wisdom that man-made chemical products may harm but nature provides the best and most suitable products for us.

God has given each of us this wisdom to know good from bad, right from wrong. In the gospel today, Jesus teaches us very clearly that “what comes out of the man, that is what defiles him”.

So, our thoughts, our decisions, our actions are proof of what is in our hearts. If we carry God’s word in our hearts, our life choices will bring forth the fruits of God’s wisdom.

Jesus teaches that “Nothing that enters one from outside can defile that person” so let us not worry about what is happening outside us but take care to make sure our hearts are pure and holy, right and true. God’s wisdom will lead us to holiness.


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Homily: July 19, 2026 Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Holy Spirit -Praying for us.)

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“Ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete.” What do you ask God for? When I was little, I asked God for many small things. One of them was the snacks from a tea shop on the way to school. Once in a while, my parents  would buy them for me, and I loved them. I even wished sometimes that I had been born as the tea shop owner’s son, so I could eat those snacks every day. Years later, one of my friends whose father owned a tea shop told me that he was tired of those snacks because he had them every day. He wished he had grown up on a farm like me, with fresh food and fruits. Very often, we ask for small and temporary things, thinking they will make us happy. Even now, as adults, many of our prayers are like that. We ask for things that are passing, things that do not truly satisfy the heart. But Jesus says: “Ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete.” Not temporary happiness—but complete joy. So maybe today we should ask for something greater: A joyfu...
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F or forty days and nights, satan was waiting, to strike when Jesus was most hungry, at His weakest. First temptation: “Command this stone to become bread.” Jesus needed food indeed. Satan did not give food, but suggested Jesus to abuse His divine power to create food for Himself. He makes us think our needs and wants are most important. And suggests shortcuts to satisfy ourselves. Selfish desires turn us away from God. Second temptation: “I shall give to you all this power and glory…worship me.” Jesus’ mission is to preach the good news to all nations. Satan tries to persuade Jesus to take the easy way, to receive power and glory from him. satan is the father of lies. Nothing belongs to him. satan tries to make us believe that money will give us power and earthly possessions will give us glory. He tempts us with quick and convenient ways to achieve our ambitions. Greed and vanity block us from holy virtues. Third temptation: “If you are the son of God, throw yourself down from here…” ...
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