Homily: March 17, 2022, Thursday of the Second Week of Lent

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 “Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose hope is the LORD. He is like a tree planted beside the waters that stretches out its roots to the stream: It fears not the heat when it comes, its leaves stay green.”

The biggest tree in our family farm is a tree growing just beside the creek. It should be more than 100 years old now. My siblings and I have a lot of memories around this tree. It is always green, even in the hot summer. And its huge crown provides much shade to needy plants and people. I have taken shelter under this tree on many occasions during heavy rain. It also protects the cardamom plants around it from the harsh heat of the sun. There was a rock in the creek on which my mummy used to wash our clothes under the shade of this big and strong tree. The river feeds this tree while it serves others.

The saints are like that, they stay close to God, feeding on His words. They are strong spiritually because they receive abundant graces from God through the sacraments, especially the Holy Eucharist. Their lives are not without struggles yet they are happy despite their challenging circumstances. They serve others with joy and make people around them happy too. Like the big tree beside the creek.

The purpose of our existence is not to live and die for ourselves. We draw strength from God to serve others, just as our Lord did. Let us not be like the rich man in today’s Gospel. Let us live close to Jesus and love like Him. Amen.


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Homily: July 25, 2025, Feast of St. James the Apostle (Dying to give life)

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 “So death is at work in us, but life in you.” Profound words from St. Paul. Death was at work in his life, in other words, he was dying. Whatever he was doing at that time, it was causing his death sooner than later. But his dying was giving life to others. I grew up witnessing real models who died to themselves to give life to others. They were my parents. My papa worked hard from very early in the morning till late in the evening on our farm every day. There are no rest days for farmers because the crops need attention daily. My mother cooked all our daily meals, prepared from scratch, used firewood for cooking, there was no running water from taps, water had to be fetched from the river. You can imagine she would be cooking and washing non-stop from the moment she woke till she rested at night. Life wasn’t easy. They worked hard to provide for their seven children; they gave their life for us. They were dying a little each day while we were growing steadily. We, their children,...
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Homily: July 20, 2025, Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary time.

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 “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing.”  What is the only one thing needed? In the first reading, God visited Abraham in the heat of the day. Abraham saw three men approaching his tent and sensed something special about them. In normal circumstances, Abraham simply could have acknowledged them and gone on with his work, but he did not. He dropped his work, ran to them, bowed before them, presented himself at their service, and got his household to prepare a good meal for them. He paid attention to their needs, and to what they had to tell him. In the Gospel, Jesus visits His dear friends Martha and Mary. Martha busies herself to prepare food to serve her special guest. While Mary chooses to sit at the feet of Jesus and listen to Him. Mary is paying full attention to Jesus and enjoying His presence, while Martha is overwhelmed with perfecting her tasks, and then complains, in an attempt for Jesus to deny attention to Ma...
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Homily: July 22, 2025, Feast of Mary Magdalene (Loved Most)

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 Stop holding on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am going to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’  St. Mary Magdalene is known in the Church as the “Apostle to the Apostles”, a privileged and beautiful title. Even Peter, the head of the apostles, or John, the beloved disciple, were not entrusted with the first announcement of the Resurrection. Instead, Jesus gave that mission to Mary Magdalene. She was the first to proclaim the central truth of our faith: Christ is risen! He has overcome death, and because of that, we live with hope and our faith is strengthened. Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life. Death has no power over us too, because the One who conquered it, has the power to resurrect us as well. For over 2,000 years, since Mary Magdalene’s first announcement, Christians have continued to proclaim the Good News of Jesus’s resurrection. It is our call, our mission, to echo Mary Magdalene’s joyful ...
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Homilía: Marzo 24, 2022, Jueves de la III semana de Cuaresma.

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 “El que no está conmigo, está contra mí; y el que no recoge conmigo, desparrama”.”. El mensaje de Jesús es muy claro. No podemos seguir a Jesús parcialmente. Si no lo estamos siguiendo de todo corazón, no somos sus seguidores. Hoy es el vigésimo día de Cuaresma, sin contar los domingos. Estamos a la mitad. ¿Recuerdas lo que decidiste hacer especial para estos 40 días de Cuaresma? ¿Lo estás cumpliendo? Mientras nos esforzamos por fortalecernos espiritualmente, los demonios se esfuerzan más para mantenernos deprimidos. Me pregunto quién está a la cabeza en esta mitad de camino. En mis años de infancia, solo los niños ricos de mi pueblo podían tener bicicletas. Cuando estaba en quinto grado, mi hermano mayor y yo decidimos recolectar flores silvestres de nuez moscada del bosque cercano para venderlas y poder comprar una bicicleta. Nos despertábamos muy temprano en la mañana y corríamos al bosque para buscar y recolectar tantas como fuera posible. Muchos niños de otros pueblos estaban...
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Homily: July 26, 2025, Saturday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time (Weeds-Wheat-Blood)

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“While everyone was asleep, his enemy came and sowed weeds all through the wheat, and then went off.”  The parable in today’s Gospel warns that we live in a world where sin has entered through the works of the devil, disguised to look like wheat. Good and evil are thus left to grow side by side, because it is hard to tell the difference at this point. We experience this confusion every day and now with technology, it gets harder to distinguish real from fake, good from evil. Think about the phone calls we receive, many of us hesitate to answer unknown callers because we don't know if it is a genuine call or a scam. Health products and medications proposed to help us get better could be found later to cause more problems or threaten our well-being. Parents might think cartoons or children’s games are suitable for children but might contain inappropriate content that could contaminate or mislead innocent minds. Sin often disguises itself as something good, poison is sometimes package...
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Homily: Feast of Saint John, Apostle and evangelist, Monday, December 27, 2021

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  “ They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter…” Today is the 25th death anniversary of my paternal grandmother. I remember vividly that day. My papa had always been a calm and composed man, I hardly see him excited or hurried. But exactly 25 years ago this day, I saw my papa run in anxiety. Early that morning, my grandmother collapsed at home and was unconscious. We had no telephone, no car. There were only three cars in our village and only two families had telephone connection. Papa ran to one family to ask them to drive grandma to the hospital. The rest of us waited in silence at home. Later in the afternoon, our neighbour who had phone connection, ran to our house and reported, "grandma is no more". That was the first time I encountered death in the family. I was eight years old. I didn’t understand what death meant. I knew I would not see grandma at home anymore, I felt sad, because papa was sad. Grandma’s death was certain. But is death final? In the g...
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Homily: July 28, 2025, Monday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time (Moses Blackmail)

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 If you would only forgive their sin! If you will not, then strike me out of the book that you have written.”  Wow. Does this sound like emotional blackmail? When Moses came down from Mount Sinai and saw how the Israelites had turned from God and were worshipping the golden calf, he was furious. In his rage, he broke the tablets of the Ten Commandments, the very tablets written by the hand of God. He even ground them into powder, mixed with water, and made the people drink it. Moses was super angry with them, because he knew they have committed a grave sin, to worship something else other than God, but he allowed his anger to take over his head. He was chosen by God to lead the people, not to punish them. Moses believed God would be furious too and feared the worst. What was striking was what happened the next day. Moses returned to God, despite his own anger, he wanted God to forgive the people. He stood before the Lord and pleaded, more like he threatened God with his resign...
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Homily: December 3, 2023, First Sunday of Advent (Jesus Coming)

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 "It is like a man traveling abroad. He leaves home and places his servants in charge, each with his own work." Have you ever been in the same situation as the servants in this parable, where you were given responsibilities to take charge of while the person in authority took leave for some time? Did you accomplish your tasks? Or have you ever gone away for a while and left others in charge of your property or duties? Did things get done as you had expected? We are now in a new liturgical year. This year we will be taking readings from cycle B and the gospel texts will be from Mark and then from John later, since Mark’s gospel is short. Today is the first day of the new liturgical year, so ‘happy new year’! Though it is the beginning of the year, the readings seem to be warning about the end times, reminding us to prepare for the second coming of Christ. Well, why not? ‘Begin with the end in mind’ is one of the seven habits of highly effective people, according to the author ...
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Homily: December 6, 2022, Tuesday of the Second Week of Advent.

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“Though the grass withers and the flower wilts, the word of our God stands forever." This was one of my favorite Bible phrases for some time in the past, and then it was forgotten. While preparing for this homily, it again touched and inspired me. Do you also have a favorite verse or phrase from the Bible? Is there a book of the Bible which you like to read over, and over again? Has any word or phrase in the Bible helped you in life and gave you hope? Did you memorize any verse from the Bible to deepen your faith? Do you feel God speaking to you through the Bible? My last question to you, do you even read the Bible? The Bible, the word of God, contains the truths of this life and the life eternal.  It is an interesting book, in a profound way. God’s word was written by more than 40 different authors, inspired and guided by the Holy Spirit, over a period of thirteen centuries.  From a secular point of view, the Bible is a massive compilation of historical, theological, philosop...
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Reflection: April 18, 2025 Bridge Churches stations of the cross on good Friday.

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"Then he said, 'Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.' He replied to him, 'Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.'"  The good thief asked only to be remembered, but Jesus, always faithful to His promises, responded with the gift of eternal life. Jesus was nailed to a cross, like a criminal, with two real criminals by His side. He had once been surrounded by thousands who needed His healing, followed by many who wanted to hear Him, and accompanied by friends who loved Him. But now at the final hour of His suffering and dying, they had all left Him. This is what many of us fear, to be forgotten and left alone at our dying moment. Let us look at the situation of the two thieves crucified beside Jesus. As thieves, they probably lived in poverty, anxiety and constantly hiding. They might not have family or friends since they work in darkness. Now caught and condemned, they too are in the last hour of their lives, about to die. Yet,...
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