Homily: September 27, 2022, Tuesday of the Twenty-sixth Week in Ordinary Time (Memorial of of St. Vincent de Paul)

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“Job opened his mouth and cursed his day. Job spoke out and said: Perish the day on which I was born, the night when they said, “The child is a boy!” 

Job was so upset that he wished he was never born! I can fully understand how Job felt. He had been faithful, he had lived right but he had lost everything in his life, including his own health. He had nothing left. He had every reason to curse, to complaint.

Recently I visited a mom whose son took his own life. She was lamenting and crying her heart out to God. She cursed her life, complained to God and questioned Him why He allowed this tragedy to happen.

In my own troubled moments when nothing is going right, I too wonder, “Why did God create me?” Why send me to this world to go through hardship then bring me back again? He could have just kept me in heaven.

When everything go wrong, won’t we also think that life is meaningless?

Even though I don’t have the perfect explanation, I find my consolation in the cross of Christ, looking at the crucified Jesus, the sacrificial lamb of God. Why did God come to suffer? Why did he take the cross? Why go through torture and death? Could there be an easier way?

This much I know. I am saved through His suffering. You are saved through His death. This is the truth. This is the good news.

Jesus’ answer is clear and certain, there is victory only through the cross. It is a difficult concept to accept, but once we embrace, we will be graced.

Jesus, give me the grace to bless when I am tempted to curse. 

Jesus, give me the wisdom to follow you when I am tempted to walk my way. 

Jesus, give me the courage to carry the cross when I am tempted to avoid it.

Amen!


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Homily: November 30,2025 First Sunday of Advent (Peace)

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 “This is the way; walk in it,” whether you turn to the right or to the left. How wonderful it would be if God always spoke to us with this kind of clarity. So often in life we find ourselves stuck uncertain about the next step, unsure which direction to take, or confused about what God wants from us.  I remember times when I prayed earnestly to know God’s will whether for my own life or for the parish and I made decisions that seemed right, only to discover later that they were not where God was leading. And yes, in my frustration I asked God, “Why didn’t You show me the right way?”But the truth is: God is never silent. He speaks constantly. He speaks in the quiet sanctuary of our conscience that sacred inner place where His Spirit touches our soul.  The real challenge is not God’s silence but the noise around us and inside us. If we are always listening to the world, to our anxieties, to our distractions, we simply cannot hear Him. He speaks in Sacred Scripture every ti...
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 “You yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, and able to admonish one another.” ‘Full of goodness and filled with knowledge’. What powerfully positive words from St. Paul. One of my greatest blessings is being born into a traditional Catholic family and raised by God-fearing parents. From an early age I learned about Jesus, memorized prayers, and was familiar with church matters and traditions. But do I fully know God? No, not even at this stage of my faith life. My soul knows Him intimately, but my human knowledge and intellect still have a lot to learn. My knowledge of Christ and Christianity remains incomplete. Some who join the Catholic Church later may know more about God, more about the faith, than many of us who have been in the Church all our lives. That is why we must continue to grow in our knowledge of God, understanding of Church, and deepen our practice of faith. Jesus said, “For the children of this world are more prudent in their generation than ...
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Homily: August 10, 2025, Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.

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Homily: December 2, 2025, Tuesday of the First Week of Advent (Knowledge)

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“There shall be no harm or ruin on all my holy mountain;  for the earth shall be filled with knowledge of the LORD,  as water covers the sea.” How beautiful this promise is, the entire earth filled with the knowledge of the Lord as water covers the sea. Imagine a world where every heart, every home, every nation is filled with the knowledge of God. What a different world that would be. Knowledge is one of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. But this knowledge does not simply mean information it means truly knowing God: knowing His heart, His will, His love, His commandments. This is the very purpose of human life. The Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1721 teaches: God placed us in the world to know Him, to love Him, and to serve Him, and so to come to Paradise. And notice the order: Know> Love> Serve. We cannot love someone we do not know, and we cannot serve someone we do not love. So how do we know God? The Psalm tells us:  “Be still and know that I am God” (Psal...
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Homily: August 30, 2025, Saturday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time (Work Hard)

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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: December 7, 2025, Second Sunday of Advent (Fruitfulness )

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 “Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.” This is a stern and strong warning from John the Baptist. For some people, his words cause discomfort and threaten complacency. For those of us who are familiar with farming, we understand perfectly how this works. In my family farm back in Kerala, we had many fruit trees, mangoes, jackfruit, oranges, coconuts, and more. Each tree had a purpose; we planted it for its fruits or its other usefulness. If a tree was healthy and strong, but produced no fruit year after year, we would cut it down and plant another tree in its place. We didn’t keep any tree simply because it looked good. It was never good enough if it did not fulfil its purpose. It is the simple reality of farming. No fruit, no purpose, no reason to keep. The same is true with farm animals. A cow that has stopped producing milk cannot remain in the herd, it would be a waste of resources to feed and care for the cow if it did not do what...
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 “Though the grass withers and the flower wilts, the word of our God stands forever.” This line from today’s first reading is quoted quite often to remind us of the power and permanence of God’s word. Everything in this world will fade away, grass withers, flowers wilt, seasons come and go, people live and die, nothing stays the same, nothing lasts forever. But the Word of God will never change, will never die, will never disappear. It stands firm, unchanging, eternal. God created the entire universe just with His words. The Gospel of John puts it very well in clear perspective: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” And the Word was made flesh. The ‘Word’ refers to Jesus, the Son of God. ‘Word’ also refers to the Bible, the word of God. So every Catholic home should have a Bible. All of us should try to make it our personal companion in prayer. We all pray in different ways, but from the earliest days of the Church, Christians prayed with...
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Homily: December 5, 2025, Friday of the First Week of Advent

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Homily: February 11, 2025, Tuesday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time (Multiply)

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 God blessed them, saying: "Be fertile and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it." What do you think? Does God’s command to multiple and fill the earth with humans and more humans logical? Is the world’s resources sufficient for all to consume and enjoy? Honestly, I take pride that I come from India, it is the most populous country in the world. Its current population is four times the USA. The Western world has, in the past, often ridiculed India for its massive and growing population, considering such population a burden and its continued growth a crisis. International organizations have invested heavily in promoting products and schemes to help reduce India’s population. Government clinics and hospitals have pressured women to exercise birth control. Among indigenous and poor communities, sterilizations were often performed without the women’s consent. The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has even spent millions to promote such practices, primarily targeting poorer ...
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