Homily: April 27, 2024, Saturday of the Fourth week of Easter (Spread joy )

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 "So they shook the dust from their feet in protest against them and went to Iconium. The disciples were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit."

This is how today’s first reading ends. Paul and Barnabas were expelled from the city because the Jews were jealous of them preaching to the Gentiles. In the midst of these life-threatening persecutions and rejections, they were not depressed but “were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit”.

The joy that emanates from the depth of a person’s soul can be so powerful that others around can feel the effect, positively or negatively. 

The joy of the early Christians, which was a result of their total embrace of the good news and a gift from the Holy Spirit, was very contagious. 

The disciples went around preaching and teaching with so much joy that even troubles and persecutions could not dampen their spirit. That joy became a powerful witness to the Truth and brought hope to those who converted and believed.

The joy of the Christians even surprised their persecutors and made them wonder what the cause of the joy despite was being persecuted. 

It was unusual, it must be something miraculous and powerful they had in them that could give them such immense joy.

Recently, an RCIA director shared with me that one of his catechumens told her that she became very curious when she noticed her neighbors looking happy and cheerful after they attended church on Sundays. When she understood the joy that came from their faith, she decided to become a Catholic like them.

Life is not easy for any of us; there are challenges, ups and downs, joy as well as pain. Jesus told us, "In the world, you will have troubles." Yet, we do know that there are many who may be having it worse than us, some without faith, some because of the faith.

In spite of everything that we are going through, can we still find deep joy within us, simply because we are a child of God and know that He loves us? With this wonderful realization, may we be able to exude the same cheerfulness and share it with others. May they then be drawn to seek the source of our joy and find it in our faith, in the church. Amen.


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

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 “You yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, and able to admonish one another.” ‘Full of goodness and filled with knowledge’. What powerfully positive words from St. Paul. One of my greatest blessings is being born into a traditional Catholic family and raised by God-fearing parents. From an early age I learned about Jesus, memorized prayers, and was familiar with church matters and traditions. But do I fully know God? No, not even at this stage of my faith life. My soul knows Him intimately, but my human knowledge and intellect still have a lot to learn. My knowledge of Christ and Christianity remains incomplete. Some who join the Catholic Church later may know more about God, more about the faith, than many of us who have been in the Church all our lives. That is why we must continue to grow in our knowledge of God, understanding of Church, and deepen our practice of faith. Jesus said, “For the children of this world are more prudent in their generation than ...
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Homily: August 21, 2024, Wednesday of the twentieth week in Ordinary time (Holy family school Mass )

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“For thus says the Lord GOD: I myself will look after and tend my sheep.” At the end of the first reading, in which the prophet Ezekiel spoke to the people on behalf of God, saying that God will look after and tend His sheep Himself, that means He will never leave His precious sheep to anybody else. How many of you have pets at home? Do you love them and care for them? If you were going away for a long, long vacation, would you leave your pets with me to care for them? I used to have a pet cow when I was a little boy in India. Her name was Mannikutti. She was a newly born calf when she was first given to me. Every day after school, I would go to her, talk to her, feed her, clean her and just spend time with her. I love her very much! I would know if she was sick, just by the way she ate her food. And she would respond to me happily whenever I talked to her. And I was always very happy spending time with her. I know her very well because I am always with her, observing her and taking ca...
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Funeral Homily: Maria Dolores Tovar. January 21, 2022

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 We are gathered here today to mourn the loss of our beloved sister, Maria Dolores and to celebrate her passage from this world into the next. She suffered in her health for some time and is now released from those troubles. She is on her way to the heavenly kingdom. Within the same day of her death, her grandson Edgar Alonso was also called back to the Lord suddenly. This is a tough time for the Tovar family. No words can soothe your sorrows, no consolation can comfort your pain. Only God knows what you are going through and only He can grace you with the strength to embrace this time of sadness and help you go through it with faith. In the first reading taken from the book of Wisdom, we look at human suffering. In many cultures, suffering is seen as a punishment or curse, a lack of blessings. But for all of us who have faith in Jesus Christ, we know that suffering can be a saving grace. God did not cause the suffering, He allows it to happen. Therefore, it must have some good for...
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Homily: February 17, 2025 Monday of the sixth week in Ordinary time (genration of sin)

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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: November 12, 2025, Wednesday of the Thirty-second Week in Ordinary Time (Thankful)

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Holy family school Mass -  “Ten were cleansed, were they not? Where are the other nine?” Do you know where the other nine went? Can you guess?  Yes. They went hurriedly and eagerly to show themselves to the priests, as Jesus told them to do. Why? So that they could be certified clean, and be allowed to go back to their homes, their families and communities.  In those days, when someone had leprosy, they would be sent away from everyone, they could not go home, school or do any work, they could not even be near to anyone.  So, when they knew they were healed, they were just too excited to go back home, be with their loved ones and live normal lives again. It was obviously a miracle because no one can ever be cured of leprosy, and only someone sent by God could perform such a miracle. But did they even realize that Jesus is a holy man sent by God, or think about thanking Him? No. Just a simple “thank you” would mean that they remembered God was merciful to them. What a...
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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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Homily: June 3, 2025, Tuesday of the Seventh Week of Easter (The Hour)

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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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Homily: August 25, 2024, Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time

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“This saying is hard; who can accept it?” “As a result of this, many of his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him.” This weekend is the last of the five Sundays during which the Gospel readings were taken from chapter 6 of St. John, the Bread of Life discourse, exploring fully Jesus’ teachings on the Eucharist, beginning with the multiplication of loaves. Next week we will continue with the Gospel of Mark. So, what saying is hard to accept for the disciples? It is Jesus’ saying that His body is true bread, His blood is true drink and only those who eat and drink His body and blood will have eternal life with Him. Is it also hard for you to accept? There are many teachings in the Catholic Church which are hard to accept. And like many of the disciples who left Jesus and returned to their former way of life, even after seeing all His works and miracles, many present-day Catholics also leave the church because they could not accept the teachings. Sho...
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Homily: November 11, 2025, Tuesday of the Thirty-second Week in Ordinary Time (Servants )

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 “We are unprofitable servants; we have done what we were obliged to do.” In some translations, it reads “We are useless servants.” Whatever the wording, the message is clear. When we work for the Kingdom of God, we should not seek profit, recognition, or affirmation. Instead, we must serve with humility knowing that we are only doing what God asks of us. Jesus never promised comfort or reward for discipleship. He spoke instead of persecution, rejection, even suffering. Every saint has gone through moments of humiliation, misunderstanding, or pain, all for the good they tried to do in God’s name. Yet they continued to serve, not for gain, but out of love. It’s striking that the first title given in the canonization process is “Servant of God.” Even after their deaths, people recognize the quiet, humble service these men and women offered to God. They lived as “unprofitable servants”.  Mary, when greeted by the angel, said, “Behold, the handmaid of the Lord.” She did not ask fo...
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