Homily: May 30, 2023, Tuesday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time (Give to the Most High)

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 "Give to the Most High as He has given to you, generously, according to your means."

When I read this, my first thoughts were about tithing and almsgiving. But when I read again and thought deeper, "Give to the Most High as He has given you"…

What has He given me?

He has given me my life, my family, an intellect and free will. Everything else is derived from these, so all that I have is from Him, my God, the Most High.

Is that all? Is it just about what He gave me for my life on earth? 

No. There is more, and it is the most important. He gave me His own life, His beloved Son, His wisdom, His will.

He wills that His beloved Son come into my world, teach me wisdom and die for me that I may have a share in His divine, eternal life.

What He has given me is a sacrifice of Himself, every day, in the Holy Eucharist. And so, the same I should give to Him, generously, according to my means.

There is a powerful quote from C.S. Lewis, “God doesn’t want something from us. He simply wants us.”

The Eucharist is God’s greatest gift of Himself. Because He wants to dwell in us. How should we respond?

Yes, receive Him generously, give Him a dwelling place in our heart so that He can live in us. He gives daily, let us too receive daily. He wants us, and He wants us to want Him.

So, let us give ourselves totally to God the Most High, just as He has given Himself totally to us.

Give Him our whole heart, not just a small corner, an occasional remembrance nor only in times of urgent need, but daily, every minute, every moment, just as He gives us His every moment.

Let us want Him in us, as much as He wants us in Him.

Amen.


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

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

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Funeral Homily: Maria Dolores Tovar. January 21, 2022

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"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:...
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Homily: August 28, 2023, Monday of the twenty first week in Ordinary time (Past sins- St. Augustine

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 "And how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God and to await His Son from heaven."  Thessalonica was a Greek city. Before the people encountered St. Paul’s preaching, they were practicing idol worshipping, they had numerous deities which they turn to for their needs and wants. They made statues to worship and accorded much superstitious powers to these statues of various deities.  They believed that many of their wishes and requests were answered through these. Such worship gave them much sensual satisfaction and immediate gratification. These heightened the worshippers’ reliance on the deities. As such, it was not easy for the people to give up idol worship. Although St. Paul’s preaching about Christ and the good news of eternal salvation were powerful in converting some of the Thessalonians, he could not remove them completely from the old habits of idol worshipping. They were living in the city which was still very much practicing the old ways. ...
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Homily: October 8, 2023, Twentyseventh sunday in ordinary time (wild grapes and bad tenants)

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“The kingdom of God will be taken away from you  and given to a people that will produce its fruit.” We are now in harvesting season. Many months before this, we were planting and pruning, now we see the results, the fruits, the produce. Our two readings today are also about producing and harvesting fruits. In the first reading the vineyard produced wild grapes instead of good grapes. What went wrong? If the vineyard owner had done everything right, and yet the vineyard brought forth wild grapes, then the problem must have been the soil? Yet it was a land set on the fertile hillside. There is nothing the vineyard owner could do than to let it waste and be cursed. In the Gospel, the story is not about the soil which could not produce, but the tenants who refused to give the produce back to the vineyard owner. What went wrong? The produce must have been good, and the tenants might have become greedy, and wanted to keep all the harvest to themselves and even planned to kill to take ov...
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“Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and said, 'Father, the hour has come.'" Fourteen years ago, before I was ordained a priest, my mommy was in the hospital for some time, and I stayed by her side every day. She was undergoing chemotherapy and radiation treatment for final-stage metastatic cancer. Suddenly one day, she asked me to get her a priest so she could do her confession and receive the anointing of the sick. I was a little shaken by her request. Was she going to die? Secretly, I called my siblings and informed them about her request for the sacraments, and they too wondered if she was getting ready to die. That night, again I sat by her bedside, with a big worry on my face. My mommy noticed it and just before going to sleep, she gently but calmly assured me, “I’m not going to die tonight. You sleep well, and tell your siblings too.” I never knew my facial expression could betray all my thoughts, worries, and what I did! Mommy was right, she didn’t die that night. But ...
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March 1, 2025: First Holy Communion Homily: St. Joseph's Catholic Church Seffner, Florida

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Did you listen attentively to the Gospel reading? Yes? Let me test you… What did Jesus say? Did He say, “Whoever eats my bread and drinks my wine?”  No! He said, “Whoever eats my FLESH and drinks my BLOOD remains in me and I in him.” Yes, when you receive Holy Communion, you are receiving the real flesh and blood of Jesus. I am sure Fr. Roy, your catechists, parents and the whole parish community have prepared you well for this day, so you know what you are receiving today. But what I want to focus on now is the last part where Jesus says, ‘remains in me and I in him’. 29 years ago in 1996, I received my First Holy Communion. I was eight years old, but I still remember that day vividly. I remember the preparations, my First Reconciliation, and the excitement I felt when I lined up to receive Jesus for the very first time. I remember seeing the priest dipping the Precious Body into the Precious Blood, and then that precious moment – Jesus’ body and blood rested on my tongue. So swee...
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