Homily: March 14, 2023, Tuesday of the Third week in Ordinary time.

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 In the first reading we heard “But with contrite heart and humble spirit let us be received”.

And our Gospel text today ends with these words “unless each of you forgives your brother from your heart”.

It is very clear what God wants of us in our relationship with Him and in our relationship with one another. It is all about the heart. Worship God with a contrite heart, forgiving brother from our heart.

So being a disciple of Christ is an inside job.

From times of old, beginning with the Israelites, the tradition of pleasing God with burnt offerings, sacrifices, incense, first fruits and so on continues to our time. Our liturgy expresses our worship in similar rituals.

And in this Lenten season, we are also encouraged to make sacrifices, fast, pray and give alms.

All these are good and helpful in cultivating a spiritual discipline of self-denial and putting God in the focus, but if we do it without a sincere, contrite heart, would it really please God?

Our God is a God who looks into our hearts. He sees what is truly inside, He sees our intentions and motivations. He sees our yearnings and desires. He sees what we try to hide. He sees and He loves, He yearns for our hearts to soften and convert to become like His. Full of love, full of mercy, full of joy.

Past Sunday we sang in the responsorial psalm “if today you hear the voice of God, harden not your hearts”.

May this season of lent be a time for true conversion of our hearts. Overcome with contrition, may we yearn to be forgiven the debts of our sins. Overcome with love, may we forgive others for the hurts of their offenses.

St. Therese of Lisieux said, “The goodness of the heart of man mirrors the goodness of the heart of God.”

May we walk closer to our Lord and our hearts be more like His. Amen.

Fr. Nivin Scaria 

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Homily: November 16, 2024 Saturday of the Thirty Second week in Ordinary time (Find Faith)

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"But many in Israel were determined and resolved in their hearts not to eat anything unclean; they preferred to die rather than be defiled with unclean food or profane the holy covenant, and they did die.” At the beginning of the first reading, the situation of the Israelites was disappointing. There were many ‘breakers of the law’ who ‘seduced’ their fellow Jews to discard their covenant with God. Many chose to disobey and disown God, and accepted the gods and deities of the Gentiles, believing that would protect their lives. They were quick to give up their faith in the generous God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Moses because of some difficulties and discomfort in life. That led to the persecution of the Jews during the time of the Maccabees. But when we come to the end of the reading, the determination of some of the Jews ‘not to eat anything unclean’ shows that there were many who kept the covenant with God and were faithful even in the face of death. There is hope. Looking at...
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"Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men." Jesus called out to Simon and Andrew. Without hesitation, they left their nets and followed Him. Just a few moments later and a short distance further, Jesus called out the same to James and John, and they, too, left their father and workers to follow Him. Did they know what was required to be fishers of men? What commitment did they have to make? What would it cost them to give up their familiar trade? What if the invitation turned out bad? What if it was a scam? What if Jesus was a false prophet? There are many considerations before making a major life changing decision, right? Yes, right, and that is what I would usually do when faced with a major decision. Very often I would think of the many options and alternatives, I worry about making mistakes, I worry about consequences, to the point where I would not be able to decide, I cannot move on, I feel overwhelmed. I would respond, “Let me pray about it.” Yes, I would pray...
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 The souls of the just are in the hand of God, and no torment shall touch them. The soul of Bill is in the hand of God, no torment shall touch him. We are here to bid our final farewell to Bill, our beloved brother, grandpa, dad, husband, friend. I feel privileged to have known Bill these last two years and honored to preside over this Mass for his sending off. Many of you would have known him much longer and much better than I. I wish I had more time with him. I was awed when I read his obituary, his life story is inspirational. I know from my encounter with him that he was a dedicated husband, a loving and caring father, the greatest fan to every one of his grandchildren, and an incredible friend to countless people here and around the world. His going would surely leave a void in our lives. It is only natural that we grieve this loss. Bill was a man of remarkable character. His love for life, his sense of humor, and his thoughtfulness for others were the hallmarks of his persona...
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Homilía: Julio 17, 2022, XVI Domingo Ordinario

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 "Marta, Marta, muchas cosas te preocupan y te inquietan, siendo así que una sola es necesaria. María escogió la mejor parte". ¿Qué es esa única cosa que se necesita? Este consejo de Jesús es muy importante para cada uno de nosotros. Reflexionemos sobre las lecturas de hoy para entenderlo mejor. En la primera lectura, Abraham vio a tres hombres que estaban cerca de su tienda; inmediatamente se ofreció a servirles y les dio una buena cena, antes de que siguieran su camino. En la lectura del Evangelio, cuando Jesús entró en el pueblo, Marta y María lo recibieron. Marta se ocupó de preparar una buena cena para Jesús. Mientras que María, se sentó a sus pies a escucharle hablar. Marta se sentía agobiada y ansiosa. Necesitaba la ayuda de María para dar una buena comida a su invitado. Entonces Jesús dijo: "una sola es necesaria. María escogió la mejor parte...". Efectivamente, María eligió algo maravilloso. Sentarse con Jesús y escucharle hablar. Eso es lo que nos gustaría...
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“Untie him and let him go.” Why was Lazarus tied up? Who tied him up? The Jews believed that the deceased person's spirit will be in the body until the third day. After that, they would bundle up the deceased, according to the Jewish burial tradition. The body is rubbed with perfumed oil all over and wrapped with linen cloth from head to toe, then placed in a tomb. Lazarus died four days before, has been wrapped up by his family and relatives, and placed in the tomb. Why did Jesus wait four days to arrive? First, for Lazarus to be confirmed dead, and second, for Jesus to perform the miracle to raise him up, so “that they may believe that you sent me”, said Jesus as He prayed to God. Similarly in the first reading, God said through Ezekiel, “Then you shall know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves and have you rise from them.” He also said, “I will put my spirit in you that you may live.” These words remind us of the beginning of creation when God breathed into Adam and gave ...
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