Homily: August 17, 2023, Thursday of the nineteenth week in Ordinary time (Pastors-Forgive)

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 Today, I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know I am with you, as I was with Moses."

One of the beautiful papal exhortations by John Paul II is "Pastores Dabo Vobis”. In English it means "I will give you pastors or shepherds".

This encyclical was based on Jeremiah 3:15, wherein God promised His prophet, "And I will give you shepherds after My own heart, who will guide you with knowledge and understanding." Did God keep His promise?

When Moses died, He raised Joshua. After Joshua, for 400 years, the people were guided by Judges. After judges, another set of 42 kings ruled, although they were all at some point unfaithful, except Josiah, who was only 8 years old when he ruled Israel. Even during the time of exile, God raised prophets like Daniel, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and so on.

Then there was a 400-year silence from God until the voice of John the Baptist was heard. Even during this silent period, God called forth the Maccabees and brothers to rebuild the temple and led His people in holiness. And then Jesus came, God Himself made an entrance into our world to shepherd us.

God will give us pastors, shepherds, bishops, priests, and deacons to continue the sanctifying work in this world. The world needs shepherds according to the heart of Jesus, who are ready to forgive sins not just seven times but seventy-seven times. Are we prepared to also forgive them for their wrongs and mistakes, again and again?

Amen.


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Homily: November 8, 2026, Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time (Running out of the Spirit)

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 “Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.” I invite you to read the parable of the ten virgins again when you go home today. Or simply reflect on this one sentence: “Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.” The oil in this parable can remind us of the Holy Spirit. Imagine these words as a prayer: “Lord, give us more of your Spirit, for without your Spirit, the light of our lives is going out.” As we approach the end of the liturgical year, the Church invites us to reflect on the end times. Our earthly lives will come to an end, and one day, the world itself will come to an end. But the important question is: Will our lamps still be burning when the Lord comes? Our Christian life is a life in the Holy Spirit. Throughout salvation history, our heavenly Father spoke through the patriarchs and prophets. In the fullness of time, he sent his only Son, Jesus Christ, who taught us, redeemed us through his death and resurrection, and before returning to the Fat...
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Homily: November6, 2026, Friday of the Thirty-First Week in Ordinary Time (Our citizenship)

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“But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we also await a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.” These words of St. Paul are especially meaningful for us today, particularly in the days following an election. We live in a country where politics and political ideologies have created so much division, anger, and sometimes even hatred. We see families divided, friendships broken, and there are people who  refuse to speak to one another simply because they have different political views. In the midst of all this, St. Paul reminds us of something very important: “Our citizenship is in heaven.” As Christians, we must never forget that our first and most important citizenship is in the Kingdom of God. We received this citizenship on the day of our baptism. Through the waters of baptism, we were reborn as children of God, became members of the Body of Christ, and were made heirs to the Kingdom of Heaven. And this citizenship is not temporary. It is meant to last for all eternity. We did not ...
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Homily: November 3, Tuesday of the Thirty-First Week in Ordinary Time (Invitation)

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“I ask you, consider me excused.” In today’s busy world, we use the word excuse so many times. We cannot attend every event, family gathering, dinner, or celebration to which we are invited. So we often excuse ourselves, giving one reason or another. In today’s Gospel, the invited guests did the same thing. One had purchased land, another had bought oxen, and another had just married. They all had their reasons. None of these things was bad in itself, but they gave them priority over the invitation to the banquet. God our Father also keeps inviting us to a banquet, the heavenly banquet. And whether we will be part of that banquet depends on our response to His invitation. God does not invite us just once. He keeps inviting us throughout our lives. God created us with a soul that constantly longs for Him, a soul that will find its ultimate fulfillment only when it is united with Him. And throughout our lives, God gives us opportunities to respond to His invitation. He invites parents to...
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Homily: November 2, 2026, The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls)

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 “I will not reject anyone who comes to me.” They are not just words. They are a promise from Jesus, a promise that gives us hope, especially as we remember our loved ones who have gone before us. There have been days in my life when I have been angry with God. Sometimes, I would even tell Him, “I am not going to pray to you anymore.” But you know something? I could never stay away from Him for long. Because He is a loving Father, and His love always draws me back to Him. Jesus tells us today that no matter who we are, no matter what we have done, He will never reject us when we come back to Him. We may have sinned, we may have made a mess of our lives, we may be broken, or we may have wandered far away from His will. But His promise remains the same: “I will not reject anyone who comes to me.” When I was growing up, there were times when I would get angry with my parents. I remember walking away from home and going somewhere far into our farm. I would stay there for a few hours, d...
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Homily: November 1, 2026, Solemnity of all saints

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 “These are the ones who have survived the time of great distress; they have washed their robes and made them white in the Blood of the Lamb.” On this Solemnity of All Saints, we remember that great multitude of men and women who have gone before us and are now with God in heaven. And they want us to be there with them one day. St. John, in his vision, sees a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, race, people, and tongue. Today’s feast reminds us of the ultimate purpose of our life: to become saints and to be with God forever. When we think about the saints, one thing is very interesting. No two saints are alike. They came from different backgrounds, lived in different circumstances, faced different struggles, and followed different paths. You and I are also called to become saints. But sometimes, when we look at the saints, we become discouraged. We look at their sacrifices, their holiness, and their extraordinary lives, and then we look at our own struggles ...
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Homily: November 9, 2026, Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome (Temple of God )

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“I saw water flowing out from beneath the threshold of the temple toward the east.” Today, as we celebrate the Feast of the Dedication of the Basilica of St. John Lateran in Rome, the Mother Church of all churches, the Church invites us to reflect on two temples: the physical church where we gather to worship, and our own bodies, which are temples of the Holy Spirit. What makes both temples sacred is the same beautiful reality: God has chosen to dwell in them. In today's first reading, the prophet Ezekiel sees water flowing from the temple, bringing life, healing, and fruitfulness wherever it goes. In a spiritual sense, this beautiful vision becomes a reality in every Catholic church. Think about how many graces flow into our lives from the Church! Through Baptism, we receive new life in Christ. Through Confession, our souls are cleansed and healed. Through the Eucharist, we are nourished with the very Body and Blood of Christ. Through the sacraments, God's grace continues to f...
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Homily: January 18, 2022, Tuesday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time.

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 Readings: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/011822.cfm “Take no notice of his appearance or his height for I have rejected him; God does not see as man sees; man looks at appearances but the Lord looks at the heart.” These words of God are so assuring. If God were to choose based on appearances and height, I would never have made it to priesthood. But the world chooses differently. When I was doing my seminary studies in Rome, I used to go to Germany for summer jobs. I was poor and my home diocese could not afford to give seminarians who studied overseas any allowances, so I worked during the vacation to earn pocket money for my daily expenses. During my first vacation stint, I got a job with a car factory in Munich which produced the BMW cars. Our job was to do summer cleaning of the factory. On the first day of work, they lined up all student workers according to our heights and weights. I was so skinny at that time, so I was almost last in line. Then the work was assi...
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Homily: September 14, 2026, Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross (Look at the Cross)

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 “If anyone who has been bitten looks at it, he will live.” The Israelites had sinned against God, but when they repented, God gave them a very simple way to be healed: look at the bronze serpent and live. They did not have to accomplish some extraordinary task. They simply had to look with faith. Today, on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, we are given the same invitation: Look at the Cross. Do not turn away from it. Look at the crucified Christ. See His wounds. See His sacrifice. And above all, see the love of God. Jesus tells us in today’s Gospel: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.” Naturally, we like beautiful images of Jesus—the Good Shepherd, the Sacred Heart, the risen Christ. But there is no Christianity without the Cross. The Cross reminds us how much God loves us. It teaches us that suffering is not meaningless. It reminds us that Jesus entered into our suff...
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Homily: March 3, 2026, Tuesday of the Second Week in Lent (Talk-Walk)

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 "The scribes and the Pharisees have taken their seat on the chair of Moses. Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you, but do not follow their example.” It is commonly said that ‘talk is cheap’. It is very easy to say what is right, what is good, what is impressive. But it is not easy to walk the talk, to live out what we speak about. In today’s Gospel, we understood that the scribes and the Pharisees talked a lot. Their position gave them the right to teach the law of Moses. But their ways did not match up. Jesus too taught a lot. But what gave power to Jesus’ teaching was not any official title He held. It was His integrity. His words and His works matched. His walk and His talk matched. He was authentic. What about us? As parents, teachers, priests, leaders, elders – we speak and teach often. People hear us but they are also watching us. Finally, especially children, they model us. They may hear us, but effectively, they follow what they see us do. The powe...
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Homily: March 8, 2025, Satruday after the Ash Wednesday (Call of Levi)

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 He said to him, "Follow me." And leaving everything behind, he got up and followed him.  Have you watched the TV series about Jesus, The Chosen? Which is your favorite character? I personally love the character of Matthew. With poetic imagination, they beautifully presented this scene when Jesus called out to Matthew and how he responded spontaneously to the call. I remember watching Jesus walk past Matthew’s tax collection booth, and they both locked eyes, just before Jesus called out to him. It was exciting to see the way Matthew looking shocked at first and then disregarding even the Roman guard’s attempts to stop him, Matthew just went out of his booth and left his high-paying job forever, without looking back. It almost seems as if Matthew had been waiting, and waiting for someone to reach out to him, someone to invite him, call him and give him a good reason to change his life. As a tax collector, Matthew was trapped between two worlds. His own Jewish people rejected h...
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