Homily: March 28, 2022, Monday of the Fourth Week of Lent.

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 Jesus said to him, “You may go; your son will live”.

Jesus did not ask any question to find out more details about the son’s illness. He did not see the child nor observed his condition. Yet He responded to the royal official’s pleading with certainty. Of course, He’s God.

But if you didn’t know that Jesus is God and has power over life, and if it was your son nearing death, would you believe Him so simply?

When I was a young boy, I used to walk 4 miles up and down, to go a blacksmith in the next village to sharpen our sickles, spades, and farming tools. He would say, “Come back same time tomorrow, your tools will be ready.” So, next day I would walk again 4 miles to collect the tools.

Then one year, I had to go back 5 consecutive days because each time I went back, the tools were not ready and he told me the same thing every day, “Come back same time tomorrow.” I believed him every time. Finally, on the 5th day, it was all done.

Thankfully, my uncle lived nearby. The blacksmith’s unreliable words gave me a chance to visit him daily and enjoy nice lunches and snacks. Otherwise, I would have been very upset with the failed trips.

We see the royal official also believing in Jesus’ words. He was not a Jew. He was a Roman. Romans did not trust Jews, and vice versa. But in this instance, he believed completely and went home trusting that Jesus’ words will come true. This is amazing faith.

My walk to the blacksmith was 4 miles. Capernaum to Cana was 20 miles. If Jesus’ words were not reliable, the royal official’s son would have died before he reached home.

Jesus’ words are reliable. God’s promises never fail. 

Jesus said that he will never leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:15). But we are the ones leaving Him.

And God says, “Come back to me with all your heart.” (Joel 2:12) “For I know the plans I have for you…plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11).

Do you believe? Will you come back same time every day? Will you bring others back?


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Homily: November 15, 2025, Saturday of the Thirty-Third Week in Ordinary Time (Preserverance )

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 “Jesus told his disciples a parable about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary.” It is very easy to get discouraged in our spiritual life. Many of us become discouraged by our repeated sins and weaknesses. Another area where discouragement often enters is in our prayer life. Sometimes, after praying for a long time without seeing results, we grow weary or lose hope. That is why Jesus gives us today’s parable the story of the unjust judge. The judge was not a good man. He had no fear of God and no compassion for people. And the person who came to him for help was a poor widow. She had no power, no social standing, and no one to defend her. In that time and culture, widows were among the most forgotten and neglected people. Yet this widow received justice. Why? Because she refused to give up. Her persistence and perseverance won the judge’s attention. If a heartless judge can respond to persistence, how much more will our loving Father in heaven respond to th...
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 “But many in Israel were determined and resolved in their hearts not to eat anything unclean.” These were people of true obedience to the faith. They were truly committed and disciplined to follow the teachings. The events we hear about in today’s first reading from the Book of Maccabees took place in the second century before Christ. It was the time when the notorious King Antiochus Epiphanes ruled over Israel. He was anti-Jews. Many among the Israelites began to follow pagan practices and false religion promoted by the king. This period in history is often called the “silent years” of salvation history, a good 400 years after prophet Malachi, before John the Baptist appeared. For four centuries, there were no prophets, no new divine revelations, and no visible signs from God. It seemed like God was silent. That is why the commitment of those who refused to eat unclean food was extraordinary. There was no prophet to remind or encourage them to keep God’s law, no miracles to susta...
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Holy family school Mass -  “Ten were cleansed, were they not? Where are the other nine?” Do you know where the other nine went? Can you guess?  Yes. They went hurriedly and eagerly to show themselves to the priests, as Jesus told them to do. Why? So that they could be certified clean, and be allowed to go back to their homes, their families and communities.  In those days, when someone had leprosy, they would be sent away from everyone, they could not go home, school or do any work, they could not even be near to anyone.  So, when they knew they were healed, they were just too excited to go back home, be with their loved ones and live normal lives again. It was obviously a miracle because no one can ever be cured of leprosy, and only someone sent by God could perform such a miracle. But did they even realize that Jesus is a holy man sent by God, or think about thanking Him? No. Just a simple “thank you” would mean that they remembered God was merciful to them. What a...
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Homily: November 18, 2025, Tuesday of the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time (Courage)

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 “Aspire to live a tranquil life, to mind your own affairs, and to work with your own hands, as we instructed you.”  This is exactly what I desire for my own life, a tranquil, serene, peaceful life. And I believe many of us long for the same too. St. Paul repeatedly encourages the Christian community to live in peace, to engage in meaningful work, and to live in harmony with one another, respecting a healthy privacy and space for others. One common misunderstanding among the early Christians was about the Second Coming of Christ. Many believed that Christ’s return was imminent, so close that it would happen within their lifetime. Because of this anticipation, some thought that working to upkeep livelihood or planning for their children’s future were pointless. And in some sense, it is practical. If you knew that everything you are working for would soon be useless, that your life would be totally transformed and all your property would be valueless, would you still work? Work ...
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Homily: August 21, 2024, Wednesday of the twentieth week in Ordinary time (Holy family school Mass )

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“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...
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Homily: November 14, 2025, Friday of the Thirty-Third Week in Ordinary Time (End-time)

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 “As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be in the days of the Son of Man; they were eating and drinking.” As we near the end of the liturgical year, the readings also begin to focus on end times. Jesus reminds us that the end times will be unannounced, there will be no advanced notice, it could happen anytime, when people could still be “eating and drinking” making a reference to people who are oblivious to the presence of God, ignorant to the truth and who reject Jesus. They are the ones who will be caught off-guard and in shock. Whereas for people who have faith, who believe and are following Jesus through the teachings of the church, will know that while no one knows when, the warning signs have been given in the Bible. Jesus has described the signs that will precede the end times: wars, divisions among families, and cosmic changes in the sun, moon, and stars.  Taken together, these remind us that the world will not last forever and that we must always be prepared. Look...
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March 1, 2025: First Holy Communion Homily: St. Joseph's Catholic Church Seffner, Florida

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Did you listen attentively to the Gospel reading? Yes? Let me test you… What did Jesus say? Did He say, “Whoever eats my bread and drinks my wine?”  No! He said, “Whoever eats my FLESH and drinks my BLOOD remains in me and I in him.” Yes, when you receive Holy Communion, you are receiving the real flesh and blood of Jesus. I am sure Fr. Roy, your catechists, parents and the whole parish community have prepared you well for this day, so you know what you are receiving today. But what I want to focus on now is the last part where Jesus says, ‘remains in me and I in him’. 29 years ago in 1996, I received my First Holy Communion. I was eight years old, but I still remember that day vividly. I remember the preparations, my First Reconciliation, and the excitement I felt when I lined up to receive Jesus for the very first time. I remember seeing the priest dipping the Precious Body into the Precious Blood, and then that precious moment – Jesus’ body and blood rested on my tongue. So swee...
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