Homily: March 10, 2023, Friday of the second week in Lent

-

 “Looking up, they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead, their camels laden with gum, balm and resin to be taken down to Egypt.”

This incident in today’s first reading struck me. 

I don’t sing well but there is one old African-American hymn which I like very much and enjoy singing whenever I think of it. This is how it begins:

There is a balm in Gilead to make the wounded whole. There is a balm in Gilead to heal the sin-sick soul.

The words and melody of this song are beautiful and moving, it is often sung in funeral masses.

The balm in Gilead refers to a spiritual medicine to heal the Israelites from their sins, pointing to the Messiah. So how does God save and heal the Israelites?

In this first reading, we see how the brothers of Joseph, planning to kill him, decided to sell him to the Ishmaelites when they saw them coming. Who are the Ishmaelites?

They are the descendants of Ishmael, the son of Abraham, born from Hagar the servant girl. Sarah chased Hagar and her son out with nothing, they almost starved to death but God protected them and they became a great nation, through Ishmael.

Now after three generations, the Ishmaelites unknowingly rescued Abraham’s great grandson, Joseph. And it is through Joseph’s line that Jesus came to be born.

God saved Ishmael, and his descendants saved the descendants of Jacob. In this sense, the Ishmaelites saved the Israelites.

From this incident, we learn two things: first, God’s healing and protection is always available for us. Secondly, very often His saving grace may be very different from what we had expected.

Brother killing brother. We see that in humanity from the beginning of time when Cain killed Abel. The people thereafter continued to repeat the same sins, as we now see the murder plot of Joseph’s brothers.

Yet, God can turn the wrong doings of man into fulfilment of His plan, He can send graces through the wounds of souls, to heal and make whole again.

God heals and protects, God saves, in His way, in His time. Our wickedness can never destroy God’s plan. Our sinfulness can never dry up God’s mercy.

May we continue to have faith in his love and compassion, and may we always trust in his wonderful plan for our lives.

May God bless us and keep us always in his care. Amen.


Comments

Post a Comment

Read

Homily: November 16, 2025, Thirty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time (End Times )

-
 “All that you see here the days will come when there will not be left a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down.” We have reached the 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, the last Sunday before we celebrate the Solemnity of Christ the King, which concludes the liturgical year. Naturally, the readings at this time of year turn our attention toward the end times, to the final things: death, judgment, heaven, and hell.  When Jesus foretold the destruction of the Temple, His listeners were shocked. For the Jewish people, the Temple in Jerusalem was the anchor of their faith and center of their life. It was the dwelling place of God, the heart of their worship. And the whole community had poured in their possessions to build this temple. So to be told that the temple would be destroyed must have felt terrible. How could life continue without the Temple? And yet, what Jesus foretold did happen, but only forty years later. The Roman army destroyed the Temple in 70 A.D. What h...
Read more

Homily: November 15, 2025, Saturday of the Thirty-Third Week in Ordinary Time (Preserverance )

-
 “Jesus told his disciples a parable about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary.” It is very easy to get discouraged in our spiritual life. Many of us become discouraged by our repeated sins and weaknesses. Another area where discouragement often enters is in our prayer life. Sometimes, after praying for a long time without seeing results, we grow weary or lose hope. That is why Jesus gives us today’s parable the story of the unjust judge. The judge was not a good man. He had no fear of God and no compassion for people. And the person who came to him for help was a poor widow. She had no power, no social standing, and no one to defend her. In that time and culture, widows were among the most forgotten and neglected people. Yet this widow received justice. Why? Because she refused to give up. Her persistence and perseverance won the judge’s attention. If a heartless judge can respond to persistence, how much more will our loving Father in heaven respond to th...
Read more

Homily: August 21, 2024, Wednesday of the twentieth week in Ordinary time (Holy family school Mass )

-
“For thus says the Lord GOD: I myself will look after and tend my sheep.” At the end of the first reading, in which the prophet Ezekiel spoke to the people on behalf of God, saying that God will look after and tend His sheep Himself, that means He will never leave His precious sheep to anybody else. How many of you have pets at home? Do you love them and care for them? If you were going away for a long, long vacation, would you leave your pets with me to care for them? I used to have a pet cow when I was a little boy in India. Her name was Mannikutti. She was a newly born calf when she was first given to me. Every day after school, I would go to her, talk to her, feed her, clean her and just spend time with her. I love her very much! I would know if she was sick, just by the way she ate her food. And she would respond to me happily whenever I talked to her. And I was always very happy spending time with her. I know her very well because I am always with her, observing her and taking ca...
Read more

Homily: November 12, 2025, Wednesday of the Thirty-second Week in Ordinary Time (Thankful)

-
Holy family school Mass -  “Ten were cleansed, were they not? Where are the other nine?” Do you know where the other nine went? Can you guess?  Yes. They went hurriedly and eagerly to show themselves to the priests, as Jesus told them to do. Why? So that they could be certified clean, and be allowed to go back to their homes, their families and communities.  In those days, when someone had leprosy, they would be sent away from everyone, they could not go home, school or do any work, they could not even be near to anyone.  So, when they knew they were healed, they were just too excited to go back home, be with their loved ones and live normal lives again. It was obviously a miracle because no one can ever be cured of leprosy, and only someone sent by God could perform such a miracle. But did they even realize that Jesus is a holy man sent by God, or think about thanking Him? No. Just a simple “thank you” would mean that they remembered God was merciful to them. What a...
Read more

Homily: November 17, 2025, Monday of the Thirty-Third Week in Ordinary Time (Faith)

-
 “But many in Israel were determined and resolved in their hearts not to eat anything unclean.” These were people of true obedience to the faith. They were truly committed and disciplined to follow the teachings. The events we hear about in today’s first reading from the Book of Maccabees took place in the second century before Christ. It was the time when the notorious King Antiochus Epiphanes ruled over Israel. He was anti-Jews. Many among the Israelites began to follow pagan practices and false religion promoted by the king. This period in history is often called the “silent years” of salvation history, a good 400 years after prophet Malachi, before John the Baptist appeared. For four centuries, there were no prophets, no new divine revelations, and no visible signs from God. It seemed like God was silent. That is why the commitment of those who refused to eat unclean food was extraordinary. There was no prophet to remind or encourage them to keep God’s law, no miracles to susta...
Read more

Homily: August 30, 2025, Saturday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time (Work Hard)

-
 “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 ...
Read more

Homily: February 17, 2025 Monday of the sixth week in Ordinary time (genration of sin)

-
"Where is your brother Abel?" We are now in the fourth chapter of Genesis. Before this, we read about the first sin of mankind – disobedience - when Adam and Eve did what they were told not to do. They lived in a perfect world and had dominance over everything, but they were discontented and were tempted by greed. Sin did not stop there; it was passed on to the next generation. In this chapter, we see Cain committing a grave sin - he killed his brother Abel. He was discontented with God’s favor on Abel and was tempted by pride. As we continue through Genesis, we see sin perpetuating and spreading through humanity. The Lord had warned Cain that “sin is a demon lurking at the door: his urge is toward you, yet you can be his master.” Eve, Adam, Cain and every one of us are tempted by sin, yet we can be its master. The moment we let it enter our heart, and leave it unchecked, it will deepen its hold on us and enslave us. Jesus says, “Everyone who sins is a slave of sin.” (John 8:...
Read more

Homily: September 25, 2024, Wednesday of the Twenty-fifth Week in Ordinary Time (Modesty):

-
Holy family school Mass  “Put falsehood and lying far from me, give me neither poverty nor riches; provide me only with the food I need.” This is what we heard in today’s first reading taken from the book of Proverbs in the Bible. It is a prayer request of a holy person. He asked to be kept away from falsehood and lying, that means he prayed that he will not be a scammer or a liar. And he didn’t care much for being rich but he didn’t want to be poor either. All he asked for was to have food to eat and survive. That is a very simple prayer, isn’t it? When you pray, do you ask God for many things? What do you ask for? How many of you want to be rich, more than you are now? When I was your age, I wanted to become rich. I was from a poor farming family. I had to help out at the family farm every day. I enjoyed the work. So I would always think about working hard on the farm to make a lot of money, then I would be rich, I would buy a nice new car, and travel far away to see the world, e...
Read more

Homily: November 18, 2025, Tuesday of the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time (Courage)

-
 “This is how he died, leaving in his death a model of courage and an unforgettable example of virtue not only for the young but for the whole nation.” Today’s first reading recounts the martyrdom of Eleazar, one of the most inspiring figures in the Old Testament. Listening to his story, especially how he died, gives us goosebumps.  A grand 90-year-old wise man was brutally tortured and killed because he refused to abandon his faith or eat what was forbidden by God’s law. He believed it was not worthy of his old age to give a poor example to the young. His heroic death thus gave courage to a whole generation. His story reminds me of another great model of unwavering faith.  St. Polycarp, the 80-year-old bishop of Smyrna. When he was brought before the Roman authorities and told to deny Christ, he said: “Eighty years I have served Him, and He has done me no wrong. How can I blaspheme my King and my Savior?” Then, with peace and courage, he accepted martyrdom by fire. The B...
Read more

Homily: November 7, 2025, Friday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time (Knowledge)

-
 “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 ...
Read more