Homily: July 25, 2022, Feast of Saint James, Apostle

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 “The mother of the sons of Zebedee approached Jesus with her sons and did him homage, wishing to ask him for something.”

Wow, what a mother. Actively taking charge of and deciding her sons’ future.

I think Mrs. Zebedee was an Indian. Because typical Indian mothers tend to control their children’s life decisions, and typical Indians use social connections to get ahead.

In India, if you know someone who has power, authority or influence, you can get recommendations to jobs, schools, offices etc. If you only did well in your exams even with excellent results, you may not necessarily get admission into the college or university of your choice if you did not have someone prominent, like a politician, to recommend you. 

Similarly, if you want to start a business, you will need someone with great influence to recommend you, along with the basic official documentation and application. So, it is not what you know, but whom you know, that will help you achieve success in life.

That’s why I escaped to USA. Because one of the many things I like about the American culture is equal opportunity for everyone based on your own merit. You work hard, you are smart, you are honest, you are responsible, or you have done well in school, these personal qualities and qualifications are recognised and assessed fairly. Your own effort determines your future to a large extent.

So how does Jesus respond? In this gospel, Jesus sounds like an American. He is not pressured by the mother’s recommendation but questions the two sons’ abilities by laying down the demands of the job – “Can you drink the chalice that I am going to drink?”

Our salvation is our responsibility. God has given us gifts and talents to walk the way. Our salvation is also God’s desire so He sends personal angels to help us. And those who have gone before us, the saints, are supporting us too.

And above all these, we have our blessed Mother Mary, who will not just help us become qualified and worthy, but she will ultimately recommend us to Jesus. She will prepare us well for the chalice of life.

Mary is our perpetual help in this life and on our journey to the Kingdom of Jesus. Mary, our Mother, pray for us. Amen.


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Homily: April 15, 2026 Wednesday of the Second Week of Easter (Angels)

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Holy Family School Mass Homily:   “During the night, the angel of the Lord opened the doors of the prison.” Did you hear that line in today’s first reading? The Sadducees put the apostles in jail. But during the night, an angel of the Lord came, opened the prison doors, and set them free. That is amazing, right? Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have an angel like that? But here is the good news: You already do! Each one of you has a guardian angel. God has given every one of us an angel to protect us, guide us, and help us reach heaven. Some saints were very close to their guardian angels. St. Isidore, a farmer in Spain, loved God very much. There are stories that angels helped him with his work when he was busy praying. St. Padre Pio often spoke with his guardian angel and even asked his angel to help others. St. Gemma Galgani also experienced her guardian angel, who guided her and even corrected her when she did something wrong! Even in the life of Jesus, when He was praying in t...
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Homily: April 18, 2026, Saturday of the Second Week of Easter (Be not Afraid )

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 “It is I. Do not be afraid.” One of my nephews and I used to do WhatsApp video calls. You know how those apps have masks and funny filters. One day I put on a scary mask, he threw the phone aside, and ran away. He got frightened. Later I called him and said , “It’s your uncle. Don’t worry.” After that we made an agreement—no more masks/ filters during our calls. Now he is fine! In today’s Gospel, the disciples see Jesus walking on the water, but they do not recognize Him. They think they are seeing a ghost, and they are terrified. Then Jesus speaks: “It is I. Do not be afraid.” The moment they hear His voice, fear begins to leave them. His words help them recognize Him. His voice brings peace. That is the power of the word of God. We see the opposite in Gethsemane. When the soldiers came to arrest Jesus, they asked, “Are you Jesus the Nazorean?” Jesus answered: “I AM.” And the Gospel says they drew back and fell to the ground. The same Lord. The same voice. The same divine power. ...
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Homily: April 17, 2026, Friday of the second week of Easter (Gamliel)

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 “Fellow children of Israel, be careful what you are about to do to these men.” These are the words of Gamaliel in today’s first reading. Gamaliel was a Pharisee, a highly respected teacher of the law. People listened to him because his words carried wisdom and authority. He was also the teacher of Saul who later became Paul the Apostle. In today’s reading, we see that his logic was simple but profound: “For if this endeavor or this activity is of human origin, it will destroy itself. But if it comes from God, you will not be able to destroy them; you may even find yourselves fighting against God.” And so too, his advice was simple but wise: Be careful. Think. Do not act in haste. I often wonder, “Where was Gamaliel when Jesus was being condemned?” If he was present at the Sanhedrin, could Jesus be spared the death sentence like the Apostles? In any case, from today’s reading, we can conclude that Gamaliel was indeed a man of justice, a man of prudence, a man of wisdom, and a man o...
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Homily: April 19, 2026, Third Sunday of Easter (God Walk with us )

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 “Jesus himself drew near and walked with them, but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him.” When I was a child, I walked a lot. Because few families owned a car, including my family and there was hardly any public transportation in my village. So, everybody walked. One of my earliest memories in life was walking with my grandfather. He brought me along wherever he went. We walked along the narrow village roads, through farms and plantations. Sometimes I would walk slowly by his side. Sometimes I would run ahead a few steps, then pause to wait for him, and then I would run ahead again. I still enjoy going on walks, with nowhere specific to go to, just strolling around leisurely, sometimes with my nieces and nephews, with friends, or alone, just to enjoy the scenery and fresh air. It is always especially pleasant to walk with someone you love, respect or are comfortable with. In today’s Gospel, we see a life-changing walk. On the day of the Resurrection, two disciples of Jes...
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Homily: October 26, 2025, Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time.

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 “The one who serves God willingly is heard; his petition reaches the heavens. The prayer of the lowly pierces the clouds; it does not rest till it reaches its goal.” Last week’s readings touched on the theme of prayer, this theme continues in our readings this Sunday. Throughout the week, I often see people coming quietly into our church to pray during different times of the day. Some light candles, some kneel before the statue of Our Lady of the World, and some just sit before the tabernacle in silence. A few come from nearby offices during their break from work to spend a few minutes with Jesus or with Mary. There are also those who are homeless, some are patients or their visitors from the hospitals. Different states of life, different prayer intentions, yet all come with faith in God. This is truly a house of prayer. All are welcome. As proclaimed in the first reading, God has no favorites. Rich or poor, young or old, well or sick, strong or weak, God welcomes all and hears al...
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Homily: April 20, 2026, Monday of the Third week of Easter (Friendship with Jesus)

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 “Amen, amen, I say to you, you are looking for me not because you saw signs but because you ate the loaves and were filled.” I have many personal friends whom I do not contact regularly anymore, mostly because of our busy schedules, time zone difference, and simply how quickly time passes. But when I need something from there, when I need their help, I would not hesitate to call them. And they would oblige and not reject me. They too, would reach out to me only when they need my help, and I would not deny them my assistance either. I do feel guilty quite often, however. I do think I should have called them more often, to check in with them and show concern, not just when I needed help. My friends are guilty of the same. In today’s Gospel, people were looking for Jesus, and He knew their motivation, because they knew He could provide for their needs, He could feed them and satisfy their hunger for food. Sadly, they did not know He could give them much more than mere food, they simp...
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Homily: March 24, 2026, Tuesday of the Fifth Week in Lent (Old-New )

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 “Why have you brought us up from Egypt to die in this desert…? We are disgusted with this wretched food!” When you read the story of Exodus to this point, do you feel frustrated with the Israelites? Don’t you think they should be deeply grateful to God? For years, they have been praying and crying to God to save them from slavery. Then God sent Moses and they saw with their own eyes the many miracles and wonders God performed to bring them all out of Egypt safely. The ten plagues, the passover, the parting of the Red Sea as they walked on dry ground to freedom. They experienced God’s power firsthand and saw what generations before and after them have not seen. They know God is real. Now they did not have to be flogged and beaten, they did not have to work in harsh conditions, they did not have to live in fear, they didn’t even have to grow their own food. God provided every day. And yet, they complained, they blamed God and Moses, they even called manna, the food God gave them fro...
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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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Homily: April 14, 2026 Tuesday of the Second Week of Easter (Simple Faith)

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 “If I tell you about earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you about heavenly things?” This first conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus happens early in John’s Gospel, but by then, Nicodemus would have already heard about Jesus and knew about some of the miracles He worked. Nicodemus knew there was something different about Jesus, something beyond the ordinary, something possibly divine. Thus, he said, “No one can do these signs unless God is with him.” Nicodemus was knowledgeable, and like the rest of the Jewish people, he was waiting for the Messiah. Yet he struggled to believe in Jesus. Jesus often spoke to ordinary people using simple every day images – planting seeds, vineyards, shepherding, fishing – events which were familiar to the people of that time. But when Jesus spoke to Nicodemus who was a learned man, He went deeper. He spoke about being born again, about the Spirit, about heavenly realities. And Nicodemus struggled. Why? Because e...
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Homily: March 25, 2026, Soemnity of Annunciation (Full of Grace)

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Holy family school mass:   “Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.” Isn’t that a beautiful greeting? Before we go further on this, let me first ask you a fun fact, and let you think about the answer: Do you know why the Church fixed March 25th as the day we celebrate the Annunciation event? Not all the dates of feasts of the Church are historical dates. For example, we celebrate Christmas on December 25th, but we don’t actually know the exact date Jesus was born. The Church chose that date many centuries ago for a certain reason. Now let us link this to the Annunciation. Think about this: If December 25th is the day Jesus was born, when would He have been conceived in Mary’s womb? Nine months is the length of a normal pregnancy. So if we count backwards nine months from Christmas day, that will bring us to March 25th! And so on this date every year, we celebrate the day when the angel Gabriel came to Mary to announce Jesus’ coming, the moment Mary said Yes, and Jesus began...
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