Homily: May, 16, 2023, Tuesday of the Sixth week of Easter (Prison-Praise).

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About midnight, while Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God…

This part of the first reading really struck me. Paul and Silas had just been beaten badly with rods and thrown into the innermost cell prison, with their feet chained up. They must be in extreme pain, every inch of their bodies, feeling very uncomfortable being chained up, very hungry and thirsty. Yet they prayed and sang hymns to God.

How many of us can sing while having a bad headache? I can’t even smile.

What was it that kept Paul and Silas, and the other apostles going and glorifying God even when they were tortured, suffering and in great pain?

We live in a society of pain avoidance, we want a painless life, painless religion, painless relationships, painless death. And so we rely on painkillers, we want comfort and minimal struggles.

My papa had cancer, and in his final days, he went through great pain. In India, we do not administer morphine. I was not with my papa when he passed away, but my sister told me that he prayed calmly and unceasingly throughout the night till he died, even though he was in intense pain. He faced his death with faith.

Recently, I read an article about St. Pope John Paul II in which his personal doctor, Renato Buzzonetti, who attended to him from 1978 till his death, shared that the Pope had always refused all kinds of pain medication. Instead, he offered all his pains and suffering to Mary.

The saint Pope said, “Prayer joined to sacrifice constitute the most powerful force in human history.” Thus, we see how Paul and Silas’ prayer and praise amidst suffering brought about the conversion of the jailer and his household.

He also said, “Each man, in his suffering, can also become a sharer in the redemptive suffering of Christ.”

Jesus saved us through his suffering and death, could we also offer our little pain and discomfort for the salvation of another soul? Even if we can't sing out a hymn, we can silently offer them to our Lord on the cross.

That was probably what Paul and Silas, and the apostles had, the conviction to do what Jesus did, to be united with Him in His suffering. Christ lived in them.

The late Pope Benedict XVI said, “The world offers you comfort. But you were not made for comfort, you were made for greatness.” Let us not live for comfort but for Christ. Christ lives in us! Amen.


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Homily, Wednesday,January 5, 2022, Memorial of Saint John Neumann, Bishop

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Readings:  https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/010522.cfm In the first reading, St. John writes, “Whoever acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God remains in him and he in God”.  Do you truly and fully believe that Jesus is God? Do you know someone who does not believe so? Many, I am sure. Similarly in St. John’s time, there were many early Christian communities who questioned the divinity of Jesus. They followed Jesus’ teachings but regarded Him as simply a human person with the special power to perform miracles. They did not believe He is God. The disbelief stemmed from the humanity of Jesus. He was born from a woman like any other human, he grew from infancy to adulthood in the same way as the rest of humanity. He experienced hunger, pain, emotions and temptations like anyone. But He did not sin. Jesus was indeed fully human, so how could He also be fully divine? Human logic cannot explain it. Science cannot prove it. Thus, many could not accept it. God came to sav...
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Homilía: 3 Julio, 2022, XIV Domingo Ordinario

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Homily April 29, Memorial of Saint Catherine of Siena, Virgin and Doctor of the Church

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 “And all day long, both at the temple and in their homes, they did not stop teaching and proclaiming the Christ, Jesus”. Even after being flogged, all day long, the disciples continued teaching and preaching everywhere… Amazing, isn’t it?  These past few days, we have been reading from Acts of the Apostles. We see how the Jewish leaders and high priest tried to stop the apostles from preaching in the name of Jesus. But they failed. The Pharisee Gamaliel rightly said, “if it comes from God, you will not be able to destroy them; you may even find yourselves fighting against God.” How true. The church is from God. The disciples did not stop teaching and proclaiming. They even rejoiced at being flogged for what they were doing. They were on fire for Jesus. They were so eager and excited to tell everyone about Jesus. What about us? If there is a new restaurant serving delicious food or a store is having a great end-of-summer sale, we would hear many people talking about it. Some w...
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Homily: August 20, 2022, Saturday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time

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“The angel led me to the gate which faces the east, and there I saw the glory of the God of Israel coming from the east”.  These words in the first reading remind of the Orthodox and Oriental Churches. When they construct their churches, they would set their church altars to face the east, so that, when the priests celebrate Mass, they will be looking towards that direction. In India, especially in Kerala where I came from, all our church altars face the east. The concept is based on the expectation that Christ would come again, arriving from the east, and the priest is leading the community to the heavenly Jerusalem.  Interestingly, the Hindu temples also face eastwards.  And do you know, the houses in my village are built with the kitchens facing the east also. Why? It has nothing related to the coming of Christ. It has to do with the sunrise. The mothers of the households start cooking when they wake up, and the kitchens are open concept, so the rising sun will provide...
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Christmas Homily 2021,

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Homily: December 10, 2024, Tuesday of the second week In Advent (Word of God)

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