Homily: July 5, 2022, Tuesday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time

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 “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so, ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest”.

This is a commonly used passage when the church calls for prayers for vocations, especially the vocation to the priesthood and religious life.

But priests and religious are not the only labourers in God’s salvific plan. Every baptised catholic has the same call to save souls but in different vocations: married or single, lay or religious. Truly, few labourers do not refer to priests only, but few are those who follow God’s will.

So, when we pray for vocations, we should not pray for our young people to specifically respond to the priesthood or religious life, but we should pray that they would listen clearly to God’s voice, know His plans for them and accomplish His will with courage.

When I was younger, I wanted to become a very good and wealthy farmer, a labourer in the cardamom fields. I had my dreams. But God’s plan was different.

I could have followed my own plans but deep in me, I knew I should follow God’s call. Even now, when things get tough and I feel incompetent in dealing with the challenges of my priestly duties, I would again wonder if farming would have been more suitable for me. But God’s will be done. I am still here, a priest breaking bread for His people and am happy doing so.

The loud noises of this world often drown out the soft and gentle voice of the Lord. Let us pray to the Lord of the harvest to send more labourers to His field. And may all who hear His voice, respond to His call courageously: clergy, religious or lay, married or single. Amen.


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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: September 12, 2026, Saturday of the Twenty Third week in Ordinary Time.

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 “That one is like a man building a house, who dug deeply and laid the foundation on rock. When the flood came, the river burst against that house but could not shake it, because it had been well built.” When we speak about the Church, these words give us great hope. Throughout her history, the Church has faced persecutions, divisions, scandals, wars, and many other difficulties. Yet she remains. For two thousand years, the Church has endured because her true foundation is not any human person; her foundation is Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. The world around us changes. Cultures change, opinions change, and people change, but Christ remains the same. And the Church continues to place her faith in him. In today’s Gospel, Jesus is asking each one of us to build our lives in the same way: to dig deeply and build our lives on the solid rock of faith in him. I have known many people who had that kind of strong and simple faith.  All of us nee...
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Homily: August 15, 2026, Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Sin-death)

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 “For since death came through man, the resurrection of the dead came also through man.” Sin and death are connected, but Christ has come to break that connection and give us life. In his Letter to the Romans, St. Paul says, “The wages of sin is death.” Sin separates us from God, and God is the source of life.  God created Adam and Eve for life and friendship with him. But through their disobedience, sin entered the world, and with sin came death.  But when God prepared the world for the coming of his Son, he gave Mary a unique grace. From the first moment of her conception, she was preserved from original sin.  We can see Mary as the new Eve. Eve was created without sin, but she disobeyed God. Mary, by God's grace, responded differently. When the angel came to her, she said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” Eve's disobedience was connected with humanity's fall. Mary's obedience opened the door for Christ, the Savi...
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Homily: September 10, 2026, Thursday of the Twenty-Third week in Ordinary Time (Ordination Anniversary)

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“Truly you have formed my inmost being; you knit me in my mother’s womb.” We prayed these beautiful words in today’s Responsorial Psalm. Psalm 139 has always been one of my favorite psalms, especially these words: “You formed my inmost being; you knit me in my mother’s womb.” They remind us that our life is not an accident. Every human life is a precious gift from God. Each one of us is known, loved, and wonderfully formed by God even before we are born. These words have a very personal meaning for me today as I prepare to celebrate the tenth anniversary of my priestly ordination tomorrow. My parents waited seven years after their marriage before they were blessed with a child. During those years, they experienced the pain of four miscarriages. Eventually, God blessed them with seven children, and I am number five. I remember my parents at every Holy Mass I celebrate because, through them, God gave me the gift of life. They allowed God to “knit me” in my mother’s womb, and then, throug...
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Homily: September 14, 2026, Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross (Look at the Cross)

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 “If anyone who has been bitten looks at it, he will live.” The Israelites had sinned against God, but when they repented, God gave them a very simple way to be healed: look at the bronze serpent and live. They did not have to accomplish some extraordinary task. They simply had to look with faith. Today, on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, we are given the same invitation: Look at the Cross. Do not turn away from it. Look at the crucified Christ. See His wounds. See His sacrifice. And above all, see the love of God. Jesus tells us in today’s Gospel: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.” Naturally, we like beautiful images of Jesus—the Good Shepherd, the Sacred Heart, the risen Christ. But there is no Christianity without the Cross. The Cross reminds us how much God loves us. It teaches us that suffering is not meaningless. It reminds us that Jesus entered into our suff...
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Homily: May 23, 2026, Saturday of the Seventh Week of Easter (Scripture is enough)

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 “There are also many other things that Jesus did, but if these were to be described individually, I do not think the whole world would contain the books that would be written.” Once I walked into our youth Bible study, and they were discussing the Book of Enoch, an ancient Jewish apocalyptic text traditionally connected to Enoch, the great-grandfather of Noah. They asked me questions about it. I had read it myself when I was their age, mostly out of curiosity, but honestly, I do not remember much of its content. There are also several other apocryphal writings, like the Gospel of James, the Gospel of Thomas, and the Gospel of Mary Magdalene. But the Church never considered them inspired Scripture, because many of them were written decades after the death of the last Apostle, St. John. Public Revelation ended with the death of the last Apostle. Sometimes I also wish the Bible had more details about Jesus’ infancy and His hidden life. But St. John reminds us today that the world its...
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Homily, May 31, 2022, Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

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 “For at that moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy”. When I was studying in the minor seminary, news that my eldest sister was pregnant with her first child was announced. My siblings and I were very excited. According to local Indian tradition, at the seventh month of the pregnancy, the husband’s family would have to send his wife back to her parents’ home to prepare for birth of the child.  So, my eldest sister came home and stayed with us for three months before the delivery and another three months after the birth of her first-born son. my sister was the only pregnant woman I have ever had close encounter with. The most exciting experience I had was when I actually saw the movements of my nephew, still in her womb. And whenever me and my siblings came close to talk to my sister, her baby would make movements in her womb. So even a little baby in the womb can sense the presence of other people near the mother. Amazing, isn’...
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Homily: July 28, 2022, Thursday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time

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 “Whenever the object of clay which he was making turned out badly in his hand, he tried again, making of the clay another object of whatever sort he pleased.” Through prophet Jeremiah’s words, God is telling us He is the potter, we are the clay, and He is not finished making us yet. Whenever we turn out badly, He will remake us. This reminds me of an old song by Joel Hemphill titled ‘He’s still working on me’. It is one of my favorites, because the lyrics of the song are so encouraging and assuring. Let me read it out for you: He's still working on me make me what I ought to be took him just a week to make the moon and stars, the sun and the earth and Jupiter and Mars How loving and patient He must be He's still working on me.  There really ought to be a sign upon my heart ‘Don't judge him yet, there's an unfinished part’ But I'll be better just according to His plan Fashioned by the Master's loving hands. In the mirror of His word Reflections that I see Makes ...
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Homily: September 11, 2026, Friday of the Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time (Slave to all)

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 “No disciple is superior to the teacher; but when fully trained, every disciple will be like his teacher.” These words of Jesus give us a beautiful description of Christian discipleship. The word Christian means someone who belongs to Christ, someone who follows Christ. And the goal of discipleship is not simply to know more about Jesus, but gradually to become like Jesus. The Twelve walked with Jesus, listened to him, watched him, and learned from him. And eventually, their lives began to resemble the life of their Master. Jesus himself told them, “Learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart.” Perhaps humility was one of the hardest lessons for the disciples to learn—and it remains one of the hardest lessons for us. In today’s first reading, St. Paul says something remarkable: “Although I am free in regard to all, I have made myself a slave to all so as to win over as many as possible.” Paul was free, but he willingly surrendered his freedom. He put aside his pride, his pref...
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Homily: September 5, 2026, Saturday of the Twenty Second week in Ordinary Time (Be a saint)

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“When ridiculed, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; when slandered, we respond gently.” In today’s first reading, St. Paul tells us about the hardships and patient endurance that marked his ministry. Before his conversion, Paul had what the world might consider a better and more comfortable life. He was well educated, a zealous Pharisee, respected among his own people, and a man with authority. But after encountering Jesus, everything changed. He gave up his former way of life to follow Christ. And what did he receive in return? Persecution, rejection, suffering, imprisonment, and many hardships.  Today the Church celebrates the memorial of St. Teresa of Calcutta. In some ways, her story reminds us of St. Paul. She came to India as a young religious sister with the Loreto Sisters. She became a teacher and eventually the headmistress of a school. She loved her religious life and her work. But then something changed. While traveling by train from Calcutta to Darjeeling, she experi...
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