Homily: July 13, 2022, Wednesday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time.

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 “Although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned, you have revealed them to the childlike.” 

What does it mean to be childlike?

One of my sisters has three children, a 5-year-old son, a three-year-old girl and a 4-month-old baby girl. One day, her older children were playing with her husband. He was lying on his tummy while they were having so much fun jumping on his butt and sliding off the blanket. My sister then jokingly told the children, “If you keep jumping, daddy’s butt will be gone!”

The three-year-old girl suddenly lifted up the blanket and reported, “Daddy’s butt is still here!”

How simple. How un-inhibited. How innocent.

That’s how children are. They do not think too much, they do not complicate life with unnecessary thoughts and concerns. They respond spontaneously and purely. They wonder but not doubt. They may be ignorant but they trust. They may not know so much but they believe. They may not be capable of big things but they are wise in little things.

So, God revealed His mysteries to mere children.

The Jewish scholars and scribes had the privilege of knowing scripture but they could not recognise Jesus because their intellectual pride blocked their faith. They defined God within the confines of their knowledge and could not believe in more. Instead, the simple-minded fishermen could believe and followed.

God continues to reveal Himself to us every day in different ways. Have you seen His works? Have you heard His words? Have you been childlike in your faith? Or do you question, doubt, distrust, disbelieve?

Today let us ask for the grace to be like a child again, to be open and obedient, to trust and believe.


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Homily: March 13, 2026, Friday of the third Week in Lent (Trees)

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Homily: March 17, 2026, Tuesday of the Fourth Week in Lent (Water)

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 “Wherever the river flows, every sort of living creature that can multiply shall live… wherever this water comes the sea shall be made fresh.” Where there is water, there is life. The prophet Ezekiel in today’s first reading, tells us with great detail the prophetic vision he had, about the water of life which flowed from the temple. If you have read the book The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese, you would know something about my home in India, the state of Kerala. It is a small state. Iowa is almost three times the size of Kerala. But Kerala has a lot more water than Iowa. The Western Ghats is a mountain range that runs 1,600 km along the western coast of India, covering several states including Kerala. It is an important watershed, keeping in the rain clouds thus bringing much rainfall, and feeding many rivers. Because of that, Kerala has forty-four major rivers. Forty-one of them flow toward the Arabian Sea and three toward the east. Rain is plentiful throughout the year e...
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Homily: February 27, 2026Friday of the First Week in Lent (Salvation)

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 “Since he has turned away from all the sins that he committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die.” In the spiritual tradition of the Church, we often talk about the four last things: death, judgment, heaven, hell. Death is certain for each one of us. We will all die one day.  Judgment is also certain. It is part of our encounter with God. He is the ultimate Judge. Then the final destination. It is not heaven and hell, it is heaven or hell. Each of us will have the freedom to choose. Do you think everyone will choose heaven? Many do not want hell, but that does not mean they want heaven. Choosing heaven means choosing God, choosing His will. This is where we all failed. Everyone has sinned. But in today’s first reading, the prophet Ezekiel gives all of us a great big hope: our past does not have the final word. The hope is that if a person turns away from sin, if they repent and choose what is right, they shall live - repent and believe in the Gospel! Many people, myself ...
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 “They called him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.”  Today’s first reading is fascinating account of how Ruth and Boaz came together and became the great grandparents of King David, the powerful king of Israel who established Jerusalem as the holy city and wrote many of the psalms we still pray today. Ruth is one of the Five women mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus. The other three are Rahab, Tamar and Bethsheba, and Mary, the Mother of God. Interestingly, Ruth who was a Moabite woman, a foreigner, has her life recorded in scripture as an important part of salvation history, even though her story is not one of perfection. The circumstances which led her to Boaz were not ideal, yet God turned everything into good. Ruth showed courage and a respectable character when she left her homeland and went with her mother-in-law to her people. That act of faithfulness must have pleased the God of Israel. Thousands of years later, we continue to read her story and p...
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Homily: March 8, 2026, Third sunday of Lent (Jesus Thirsts)

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 “Jesus said to her, ‘Give me a drink.’” Many of us would remember that Jesus said on the cross, “I thirst.” These two words carried a deep message. It meant so much to Mother Teresa of Calcutta, who reflected deeply on it all through her missionary life. St. John Paul II also referred to it often in his spiritual reflections. Our Lord Jesus on the cross, in His dying breath, said: “I thirst.” Surely, He wasn’t asking for a drink. He was thirsting for something else. But this thirst of Jesus did not begin only when He was on the cross. We see it already here in today’s Gospel, when He met the Samaritan woman at the well. Jesus’ thirst is real. Yes, He was physically thirsty when He was at the well. But there was something deeper. Jesus thirsts for souls. Not to consume, but to commune. He wants so much to be a big part of our lives, and for us to be totally in His life, eternal life. We are created in His image and likeness. God did not need to our existence to complete Him. He is ...
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Homily: March 25, 2025, Solemnity of the Annunciation ()

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 "Therefore, the Lord himself will give you this sign: the virgin shall be with child, and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel, which means 'God is with us!'"  One book I read during my school days was titled: ‘The God of Small Things’. The book has nothing to do with God or religion, but I like the title because it reminds me that our God is also a God of small things. He appreciates and takes pleasure even when we offer Him the littlest effort or prayer or joy of our day. And He too often shows Himself in simple, silent humble signs. In today’s first reading, King Ahaz was given the opportunity to ask for a great sign from God, but he rejected, claiming to not want to test the Lord. Still, God chose to give him a sign anyway - not in a big way, but something simple yet powerful: "A virgin shall conceive and bear a son." This sign is simple yet powerful because while it is normal for a woman to bear a child, it is impossible for a virgin to do so. Only ...
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