Homily: May 24, 2022, Tuesday of the Sixth Week of Easter

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Jesus said to His disciples, “And when the Advocate comes he will convict the world in regard to sin and righteousness and condemnation: sin, because they do not believe in me.”

Not believing in Jesus is sin. Believing in Jesus is salvation. In the first reading, St. Paul and Silas told the jailer, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you and your household will be saved”.

Did the jailer believe? Yes.

Did he do something concrete with that belief? Yes.

He took in Paul and Silas, who were prisoners, took care of them and served them even though his and his family’s life would be in great danger. 

They then accepted baptism, and they rejoiced for having received their faith. The jailer believed in Jesus, and he acted courageously according to his belief.

If we truly believe in Jesus, we will live life active in the Spirit of Christ. If we truly believe in Jesus, we will act according to His commandments of love. 

If we truly believe in Jesus, we will stand firm in the teachings of the church and against the ways of the world. We will defend life and reject vice. We will be saved.

We do not just say ‘we believe’, we live it.

Not believing in Jesus is sin because it means not believing in God, nor salvation, nor eternal life. It would mean believing only in self, without the need for God.

If we study the book of Genesis carefully, we will see that the devil did not tempt Adam and Eve to steal or kill or cheat or commit anything seemingly wrong, he simply tempted them to live independent of God. That was the sin of our first parents. And it continues to be the sin of the world today.

Do you truly believe in Jesus?

Fr. Nivin Scaria 


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Homily: September 15, 2026, Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows.

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 “And you yourself a sword will pierce.” Today, September 15, the Church celebrates the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows. We remember the sufferings Mary experienced throughout her life, especially as the Mother of Jesus. Traditionally, the Church remembers seven sorrows of Mary: the prophecy of Simeon; the flight into Egypt; the loss of the child Jesus in the Temple; Mary meeting Jesus on the way to Calvary; Jesus dying on the Cross; Mary receiving the body of Jesus into her arms. and finally, the burial of Jesus. What does this feast teach us? First, it teaches us that sorrow is part of human life. None of us can go through life without experiencing suffering, disappointment, loss, or grief. But Mary teaches us something even deeper: suffering does not mean that God has stopped loving us. Mary was loved by God in a unique way. She was full of grace and chosen to be the Mother of his Son. Yet being close to God did not protect her from suffering. She stood beneath the Cross and watche...
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Homily: September 4, 2026, Friday of the Twenty second Week in Ordinary Time (Do not Judge)

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 “Therefore, do not make any judgment before the appointed time, until the Lord comes.” It is very difficult to live without judging others. Knowingly or unknowingly, we often judge people based on what we see, especially those who are different from us. But we are all different. Our life situations are different, our ideas are different, and the ways we were raised are different. There is a beautiful saying often attributed to Philo of Alexandria: “Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a great battle.” How true that is. We often do not know what another person is carrying in his or her heart. Jesus also tells us, “Do not judge, and you will not be judged.” So how do we overcome a judgmental attitude? One way is by becoming more empathetic. Instead of immediately judging someone, we can try to know the person, listen to their story, and understand why they may think or act differently from us. St. Paul reminds us today that the final judgment belongs to God. God knows what is ...
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Homily: September 20, 2026, Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Come to my Vineyard)

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 “Why do you stand here idle all day?” They answered him, “Because no one has hired us.” There is something very sad in those words: “No one has hired us.” These men were not necessarily lazy. They had been standing there waiting. Perhaps they were not as young or as strong as the others. Perhaps when employers came looking for workers, they looked at them and chose somebody else. And perhaps some of us know something about that feeling. Someone tells you, “We don’t need you anymore.” You lose a job. A relationship ends. Someone you loved decides that they no longer want to walk with you. You are overlooked while somebody else is chosen. There is a particular pain in feeling that nobody wants you. And in the time of Jesus, these workers were not simply looking for something to occupy their day. A day’s wage could mean food on the table for their families. If nobody hired them, they might return home that evening with nothing. But then comes this landowner. He goes out early in the ...
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Homily: February 22-2026, First Sunday of Lent (Angles)

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 As I was preparing this homily, I first thought of preaching about the three temptations of Jesus. Then I changed my mind and thought of focusing on the first reading, and then perhaps the second reading. I couldn’t get the right inspiration, so I went through the readings several times over the past days. Finally, I noticed one phrase which stayed with me quietly but firmly: “The devil left Him, and angels came and ministered to Him.” It was a reassuring resolution to an intense build-up of temptations. Jesus had fasted forty days. He endured hunger, thirst, solitary living and silence. At the end of it when he was at his weakest, tempting offers to satisfy His possible needs and wants were presented to Him. He was at His weakest, physically, but he was also at His strongest, spiritually. As He overcame the temptations and defeated the devil, heaven responded - not with applause, but with accompaniment. Angels came to minister to Him. We see the same later in the Gospel of Luke. ...
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Homily: June 1, 2026 Monday of the Nineth Week in Ordinary Time (Grow in Virtues)

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 “Make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue.” Many of us, including myself, would be happy if we could just live every day without committing any serious sin. And to be able to just live out the basic life of a faithful – pray daily and receive the sacraments regularly – that should be enough and would be good with God. But St. Peter is challenging us to grow, go beyond the minimum, he says: “Supplement your faith with virtue.”  Faith, like health, cannot be stagnant. The basic daily meals may not be enough to keep us healthy and strong enough to meet growing needs, we may need supplements to add nourishment and nutrients. Faith too needs to grow and bear fruit, so supplement it with virtue. What are the virtues to add on? Cardinal virtues are prudence, justice, temperance, and fortitude. Theological virtues are faith, hope, and charity. Just avoiding sin is not enough, we need to pack in virtues to be strong. We must bear fruit with our faith. The Christian life ...
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Homily: May 11, 2026 Monday of the Sixth Week of Easter

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 “When the Advocate comes whom I will send you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, he will testify to me.” There is an often-used phrase in the Alpha program: “Alpha is designed to fail if the Holy Spirit does not show up.” This implies that since Alpha has not failed despite itself and continues to grow from 1977, the Holy Spirit is at work in the program. I think that is true not only for Alpha but for the Church and the whole Christian life. Church would have been totally destroyed, and the Christian life would have been completely crushed with so much internal struggle and trouble, external persecution and attacks, if we are without the Holy Spirit. Without the Holy Spirit, the Church would not survive, life would have ended, humanity would no longer exist. Yesterday, here in our parish, 25 young people received the sacrament of Confirmation. They confirmed their faith and received the fullness of the Holy Spirit in their lives. The first reading ...
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Homily: September 15, 2025, Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows (Entrustment)

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 “Woman, behold, your son.” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother.” This arrangement, spoken from the Cross, may look like a simple and practical arrangement for the care of His surviving mother, but truly, it carries a deeper and profound truth. It is one of the ‘seven last words of Jesus’. Quite naturally and obviously, He entrusted the care of His beloved Mother to someone reliable and obedient. He gave her to John. And at the same time, He also entrusted the continued nurturing of John, His beloved disciple, to His Mother. Jesus had no earthly possessions which will wither and end to leave behind. What He left, as a lasting forever legacy to His disciples and as a gift of eternity to all believers to come, was the institution of the Holy Eucharist at the Last Supper. Now from the Cross, He is giving to the whole of humanity something personal: His own Mother,  whom He took His human flesh and blood from when she carried Him in her womb. Why John the beloved ap...
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Homily: June 7, 2022, Tuesday of the Tenth Week in Ordinary Time.

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 “You are salt of the earth.” When couples are in love, they call each other ‘sweetheart’, ‘honey’ and maybe ‘sugar’? Because they add sweetness to each other’s life. And most religious leaders would expect their followers to be powerful, mighty and unbeatable. But here, Jesus calls His beloved disciples ‘salt’. Such a humble reference. What does Jesus want His disciples to do differently? One. Humble yet purposeful. Salt is common yet very useful in every home, rich or poor. His disciples would reach out and preach the good news to every home, every family in the world. Two. Taste enhancing. The right amount of salt makes food tasty. Without it, food tastes bland. Just a sprinkle of it will bring out the full flavor. His disciples would help everyone realise their purpose, to bring about the full consciousness of their true calling as children of God. Three. Purifies. Traditionally, Holy water is blessed by adding a pinch of salt because salt purifies and wards off evil. Jesus’ di...
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Homily: March 27, 2026, Saturday of the Fifth Week in Lent (Hardness of Heart)

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 “So from that day on they planned to kill him.” These are very strong and shocking words from today’s Gospel. During this season of Lent, we have been praying often in the responsorial psalm: “If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.” Every morning, priests and religious pray this line in the Divine Office. It is like a daily reminder, a warning—to keep our hearts open to God. But in today’s Gospel, we see the opposite. The Pharisees and the chief priests witnessed so many miracles of Jesus. And the final one—the raising of Lazarus after four days in the tomb—is something truly extraordinary. That one miracle alone should have led anyone to faith. But instead of believing, they decide to kill Him. Why? Because their hearts had become hard. They chose not to see. They chose not to listen. They chose not to believe. They closed their eyes to the truth and shut their ears to God’s voice. And this is where today’s Gospel speaks to us. Hardness of heart does not happen in o...
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Homily: June 16, 2026, Monday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time (Mercy)

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 “Since he has humbled himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his time.” Yesterday we heard the disturbing story of Naboth and the terrible injustice committed against him by King Ahab and Queen Jezebel. Their actions were cruel, wrong and sinful. They deserved judgement and punishment, especially Jezebel, who orchestrated the whole scheme. Yet today we see something remarkable. When Ahab humbled himself, fasted, and repented, God relented. He delayed the punishment that had been announced. What does this show us about God? It shows us that God’s mercy is greater than our sins. For thirteen years, Pope Francis reminded the Church of this beautiful truth: God's very name is mercy. God is just, but He is also infinitely merciful. He never ceases to seek out the sinner and offer the way back to Him. We see this throughout the events in Sacred Scripture. When Adam and Eve sinned, God pronounced the consequences of their sin. Yet immediately afterward, we read that “the LORD Go...
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