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: January 20, 2026. Tuesday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time (Anointed-Spirit )

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 “And from that day on, the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon David.” Today’s first reading narrates a very moving and exciting scene in the Book of Samuel: the anointing of future King David. He was still a youth, inexperienced and not tested, but he knew God and God knew him. God chose him, anointed him and his life changed forever. A few months ago, I watched the show ‘David’ at the Sight & Sound Theatre. This scene was so well done that it stayed vivid in my memory. When Samuel anointed David, something real happened, the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon him. David felt it. Thus throughout his life, he lived with a deep awareness of God’s presence and holy obedience to God. God’s presence was so strong in David’s consciousness then even though he later sinned, he did not hide from or justify himself with God. Instead, he offered up one of the most beautiful penitential psalms in deep contrition. “Do not cast me from Your presence, nor take Your Holy Spirit from me.” David unders...
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Homily: January 23, 2026, Friday of the second week in Ordinary Time (Forgiveness)

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 “Saul then said to David: ‘You are in the right rather than I; you have treated me generously, while I have done you harm.’” I may not remember everything from my theology classes, but one thing from the study of Christology that fascinated me and stayed with me, was the person of David. Not just as an impressive king in the Old Testament but as a prominent faithful servant who prefigured Jesus.  The similarities are striking. David and Jesus were both born in Bethlehem. They were both from the same tribe and lineage. David was a shepherd; Jesus is the Good Shepherd. David wept in the Garden of Olives after being betrayed by his own son, Absalom. Jesus wept in the Garden of Gethsemane after being betrayed by Judas. David was a king anointed by God; Jesus is the King of kings sent by God. But more than all these parallels, what touches me most is this: both David and Jesus loved and forgave their enemies. David was impressive but far from perfect. When sin overtook him, he com...
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Homily: Janaury 18, 2026, Second Sunday in Ordinary Time (Life mission )

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 “I will make you a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.” These words from the prophet Isaiah are not only ancient poetry, they are also personal. God was speaking to Israel, telling them His plans. He is also speaking to us now, sharing the same vision He has for us. They echo what St. Peter affirms us in his epistle: “You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own… called out of darkness into his marvelous light.” Last Sunday we reflected on the identity that we are beloved children of God. His heir, and His beloved. This Sunday, the Church asks us to reflect on the question that follows: If this is who you are, then what are you called to do? Your life is not random. You exist not by accident. You live, not just to survive till death. The truth is, your existence is planned, you are entrusted with a mission. Imagine Isaiah standing here today and saying to you: “I will make YOU a light to the nations.” Not any...
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Homily: Janaury 19, 2026 Monday of the Second week in Ordinary Time (Renewal)

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 “Rather, new wine is poured into fresh wineskins.” In today’s Gospel, Jesus speaks about the new and the old. He uses the parallel of an unshrunken cloth being sewn on an old cloak, and of new wine being poured into old wineskin, both of which would cause trouble. His listeners understood these situations. Everyone wants newness and freshness, so what needs to change? Jesus is the new. He is the bridegroom heralding a new life, a new relationship, a new phase of life, but if we hold on to old and stubborn attitudes, we will not be able to appreciate His good news. This newness Jesus speaks of is not about external changes or more programs that do the same old thing in packaged in a new exterior. His newness is about interior renewal, an inside job. From time to time, I receive invitations to attend conferences or programs that promise quick and total transformation of the parish. Interestingly, none of these programs are free, in fact they cost a lot. I always wonder if the transf...
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Homily: December 8, 2025, Solemnity of Immaculate Conception

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 “He chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and without blemish before him.” These powerful words from St. Paul to the Ephesians remind us of a truth that should fill our hearts with great joy: we are chosen. We choose or nominate someone because we see great value in the person. It is an honor to be chosen, especially for something great. But today, St. Paul tells us something far greater: You and I have been chosen by God Himself the Creator of the vast universe, the Lord of galaxies and stars, the One who holds everything in existence. And God chose us, long before the world began, long before our birth, before we could do anything to earn His love. Why? Because God has a divine purpose for all of us. The blessed virgin Mary was chosen too, in an extraordinary way. God chose her and granted her a unique grace: conception without original sin. Mary’s soul was untouched by any stain of sin from the very first moment of her existence. God has a plan of salv...
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Homily: January 17, 2026, Saturday of the First Week in Ordinary Time (Discipleship)

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 Jesus said to him, “Follow me.” And without hesitation, Levi got up and followed Him. There was no second thought, no delay, no negotiation. In that moment, Levi left behind his profession, his security, and all the benefits and privileges that came with it, and he became Matthew, the apostle. Not only that, Matthew brought many of his friends to Jesus.  Where there is true conversion, others are always drawn in. This is how discipleship works. When someone genuinely encounters Christ, that encounter never remains private. Every true conversion becomes contagious. Those who grow closer to Jesus naturally begin to bring others to Him. The same is true for us. Our discipleship is not a one-person journey. We live our faith within families, communities, and parishes. If we are truly walking with Christ, our lives will influence others, whether we realize it or not. And this leads us to a serious truth. Influence works both ways. In the first reading, we hear about Saul, who was ...
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Homily: December 23, 2025 Tuesday of the Fourth week of Advent (Stories)

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 “All these matters were discussed throughout the hill country of Judea.” I know how this works. I grew up in a hill country very much like Judea, long before the time of internet, wi-fi and cell phones. Only one house in our village had a telephone, yet somehow everyone knew what was happening in every family. News traveled fast and no one was ever left out of the details. Communication was efficient and effective, without technology. And everyone shared quite freely about their joys and sorrows, ups and downs, happy stories, sad stories, all real, nothing fake. I wonder if the youth of today can imagine that. I am glad we still have these ways of personal communication in practice, especially with those who do not depend on cell phones. I love the little children of St. Ambrose whenever they come to me in excitement. Because they tell me everything that happened in their homes, even things I probably didn’t need to know! They are fast, and detailed. And often they return very soo...
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Homily: June 15, 2025 Soemnity of the Most Holy Trinity

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Today’s second reading ends with this powerful phrase: “Because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.” Today we celebrate two beautiful events: the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity and Father’s Day. So, happy Father’s Day to all our fathers, grandfathers, fathers-to-be and godfathers! My siblings and I are incredibly blessed to have had a good Christian father who fulfilled his duties both as a father and as a Catholic. My papa was a very quiet, resilient, yet very gentle person. He loved and protected all his seven children, physically, emotionally, mentally and especially spiritually. He taught us the faith and was a great model of the traditions. He made sure we never missed Sunday Mass and took us regularly to Confession. I was very much a “dad’s boy”, working with him daily on the farm, taking care of the animals together with him. He didn’t worry much about school grades, but he was very firm and strict with us re...
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Homily: September 3, 2025, Wednesday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time (Healing Hands)

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Holy Family School Mass Homily.   “At sunset, all who had people sick with various diseases brought them to him. He laid his hands on each of them and cured them.” In today’s Gospel, we hear about Jesus healing many people with different diseases. The passage begins with the healing of Peter’s mother-in-law, who was very sick in bed with a very high fever. She was not merely resting, in fact her fever was so bad that she was unable to get out of bed. I am guessing it could be 103 or 104 degrees! Normally, if we get such a high fever, it would take us days to recover with strong medication. But when Jesus visited Peter’s mother-in-law, He simply stood over her, rebuked the fever, that means He scolded the fever, and it left her!  Instantly, she was well again and was able to get up and serve Jesus and His disciples. Wow! Jesus is the King of the Universe, He has power over everything in the world, if you would only believe in Him and trust Him. Even today, Jesus continues ...
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Homily: February 22, 2025 Feast of the chair of St. Peter.

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 “And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock, I will build my Church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.”  Our Lord founded the Church and handed over its growth and development into the future, to Peter. Note that the disciple is Simon, but the pope is Peter. Thus, this appointment to build the church, an appointment so solid like a rock, will be so strong and firm that not even hell could ever overcome it. Simon Peter was not perfect; he had his human weaknesses. It is written that he had cowardly denied Jesus three times, and at one point, Jesus even rebuked him, “Get behind me, Satan” (Matthew 16:23). Christian Tradition also tells that during the time of persecution in Rome, he had tried to escape and flee from Rome. The story continued that on his way along the road outside the city, he met our Lord Jesus where he asked, “Quo vadis, Domine?” - “Where are you going Lord?” To which our Lord replied, “Romam eo iterum crucifigī” – “I a...
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