Homily: July 6, 2023, Thursday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time (Isaac offering).

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 "God Himself will provide the sheep for the burnt offering."

Why did God require Abraham to sacrifice his son – his one and only son, someone he loved so much, someone who did nothing wrong, someone whom God gave to Abraham as a blessing?

Why take away after He has given?

It is hard to understand God’s intention if we only see it from our logic. Well, look at it this way, if this incident did not happen, generations after would never fully respect Abraham as the father of the faith, one who trusted and loved God, even to the point of sacrificing his own son in full obedience.

And Abraham was right, God did provide the sheep for the sacrifice, the ram at Mount Moriah and His own beloved Son at Calvary.

This sacrifice which Abraham was prepared to make prefigured the sacrifice which God ultimately made, letting His own Son, Jesus, die on the cross.

Many of us might think that Isaac was just a little boy, it was a cruel request from God and a heartless decision by Abraham. But if you read carefully, you would understand that Isaac was a grown man.

How else could he alone carry the firewood for the burnt offering? To burn a sheep for offering would require a good amount of firewood. A small boy would not have the strength to carry that up the mountain. 

Isaac carried the firewood to Mount Moriah just as Jesus carried the wood of His cross to Calvary.

As a grown man, Isaac would have understood he was the sacrificial lamb when Abraham tied him down on the altar, he could have fought it off if he himself was not willing to obey his father, who was obeying God.

This full obedience, to the point of death, foreshadows the full obedience of Jesus to accepting His crucifixion.

It was a three-day journey to Mount Moriah, and Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection also happened in three days. Coincidence? No. Prophetic? Yes.

Seventeen hundred years later, Jesus perfected and brought to fulfilment all the prophecies in the Old Testament.

Truly, "God Himself will provide the sheep for the burnt offering."

God doesn’t need Abraham’s sacrifice. Isaac’s death will do nothing to the salvation of the world. God doesn’t need our sacrifice. Nothing we can give came from ourselves anyway, but everything is from God.

All He wants is for us to have faith in Him. Abraham passed the test and left a legacy for us all. Be faithful as he was faithful. Be obedient as he was obedient. Trust as he trusted. God Himself will provide the sheep for the burnt offering. Amen.


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

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 But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”  Just a few days ago on Monday, we saw the disciples pleading with Jesus, and ourselves too praying for the same, “Lord, increase our faith.” So, has your faith increased since then? Because today our Lord is checking in with us, when He comes again, will He find faith on earth, will He find faith in us? I am sure we are able to answer ‘yes’! I see many of you coming regularly for daily Mass, serving passionately in the ministries, and doing your best to live a holy life. Very often, I would look back and am so thankful that I have faith in God. I think you would understand and agree too, because we know we would not have come this far in life if we didn’t know God, if we didn’t know prayer. But of course, there is still much to do in terms of spreading the good news. Just within Des Moines, I guess there are still thousands of people who live without faith. I really wonder how they will manage life, especially in i...
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Funeral Homily: William J. Baum, June 8, 2023

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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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Homily:August 18, 2024, Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Wisdom)

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 “Let whoever is simple turn in here; To the one who lacks understanding, she says, Come, eat of my food, and drink of the wine I have mixed!” This generous invitation in today’s first reading is from Lady Wisdom. This reading is taken from Chapter 9 of the Book of Proverbs which portrays two women: Lady Wisdom and Dame Folly. Our first reading presents only the invitation of Lady Wisdom. She invites us, ‘whoever is simple’, to her home to enjoy the real good life, one of understanding and food good for our body and soul, while Dame Folly attracts people to destruction. Many people seek wisdom, sometimes for unwise reasons, often in the wrong places, and in the wrong ways. Wisdom is unlike knowledge and intellect, it is not something we can gain through studying or hard work, it does not come automatically with age or experience; it is ultimately a gift from the Holy Spirit. In Proverbs 2:6, it says ‘For the Lord gives wisdom…” I am very blessed to have met many wise people who in ...
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Homily: March 14, 2023, Tuesday of the Third week in Ordinary time.

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