Homily: January 10, 2023, Tuesday of the first week in Ordinary Time.

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In today’s first reading, St. Paul is writing to the Hebrews to tell them about the dignity with which God created the first man, “You crowned him with glory and honour, subjecting all things under his feet.”

This was our original state. We were subject to God only, and all else, the whole of creation, were subject to us. But with one fall, a single sin, we lost our glorious state, and became subject to many other things, even to nature and its forces. 

In today’s world, we are still enslaved. The greatest slave master is the social media. Many children are addicted to it and can’t live without their gadgets. Through easy access to social media and its influences, these children are also exposed to drugs, alcohol, pornography, promiscuity and other illegal and immoral activities easily. Many adults too are vulnerable to these.

Who introduced gadgets and social media to the children? Their parents, the adults. Slavery is passed down from one generation to another.

It all began with the first sin, the original. When man disobeyed God and succumbed himself to vain glory. Sin is passed down from one generation to another.

Can we ever be restored to our original glory?

Yes! Jesus has shown us how. Yesterday’s feast we celebrated Jesus’ baptism and rejoiced at our own, which affirms our identity as beloved sons and daughters of God and removed our original sin. Baptism has given us the privilege and opened heaven to pour down graces to help us.

But the story doesn’t end there.

We have the graces, we have the gifts, we have the direction, now we just have to walk the way.

We need to let go the chains that tie us to our addictions and worldly distractions. We cannot continue to live in the sin of disobedience, the attraction of worldly vanity.

We should live the way life was created to be – free. The only way to true freedom is to follow Christ.

So, let us ask ourselves, “What have I subjected myself to, which is not from God? What have I allowed to control my life, if not our heavenly Father? Am I walking the way towards restoring my original glory given by God?”

Amen.

Fr. Nivin Scaria 


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Today’s second reading ends with this powerful phrase: “Because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.” Today we celebrate two beautiful events: the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity and Father’s Day. So, happy Father’s Day to all our fathers, grandfathers, fathers-to-be and godfathers! My siblings and I are incredibly blessed to have had a good Christian father who fulfilled his duties both as a father and as a Catholic. My papa was a very quiet, resilient, yet very gentle person. He loved and protected all his seven children, physically, emotionally, mentally and especially spiritually. He taught us the faith and was a great model of the traditions. He made sure we never missed Sunday Mass and took us regularly to Confession. I was very much a “dad’s boy”, working with him daily on the farm, taking care of the animals together with him. He didn’t worry much about school grades, but he was very firm and strict with us re...
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