Fr. Nivin's Homily Blog

 “The weeds are the children of the Evil One, and the enemy who sows them is the Devil." Last year, I didn't plant anything in my planter. I left it bare and basically neglected it, but over time, I discovered weeds were growing naturally and thrived. They covered my whole planter. I neither watered them nor used any fertilizer, yet they survived the hot summer and finally withered only during winter. This year, I planted Asian spinach in the same soil, and thankfully, they grew well and thrived too. I have harvested them many times now, yet they continue to grow. There are no weeds so far because the spinach grew so well that it covered the entire planter, there is no room for any weeds to grow, no space for weeds to enter. My friends and I have eaten much of what has grown, and some deer nearby have also had a good share of the harvest. At the recent National Eucharistic Conference, the place was filled with thousands of people, and everyone was joyful, friendly and kind to ...

 “Many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them about their brother Lazarus, who had died.” Martha, Mary and Lazarus — loving brother and sisters to each other, and close friends of Jesus during His earthly life. We do not know how He became friends with them, nor what happened to Lazarus after he was raised from death. Common tradition holds that he and his sisters moved out of Bethany after Jesus’s ascension to go out and preach the Gospel. Lazarus was said to have become a bishop and thereafter, died again either from natural causes or from martyrdom. No one knows for sure what exactly happened to Lazarus, Mary and Martha after that, but we know enough to be certain that Jesus loved them and taught them about eternal life and the kingdom of God. They too loved Jesus and were faithful to His teachings. Each of the three of them were different, in personality and preferences, strengths and weaknesses. The levels of their spirituality were also different, yet Jesus l...

 "This is the temple of the LORD! The temple of the LORD! The temple of the LORD!" In the first reading, we hear Jeremiah making this exclamation repeatedly and fervently.  And in the responsorial psalm, we too repeated, “How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord, mighty God!” In times of war and disaster around the world, when common folks lose their homes or safety, very often many would seek shelter and safety in churches. The temple of the Lord is indeed a safe place, not just for the body and mind, but more importantly, for the soul. We have many beautiful churches all around the world, old and new. Our very own SAC is an old but grand and beautiful building. I have seen many visitors' faces light up as they enter and admire the architecture, the organ, the stained glass, everything. From the first reading, it is clear that the temple of the Lord is not just about the physical building, it is also about the community. Being part of this community, we are all called to ...

 “For whoever does the will of my heavenly Father is my brother, and sister, and mother.” Father, mother, brother, sister. This makes a family. What makes a strong family? When father, mother, brother and sister are united, when they move and grow together in the same direction, are never divided in their ways, each looking out for the other, keeping together. Traditionally the father, being the head of the family, sets the direction, and everyone follows faithfully, there will be unity, there will be strength. This is how the ideal, perfect, strong family of God would be. A kingdom divided against itself will not stand, so there can be only one direction, one will. So, what is God’s will? For the world, it is unity. For us, it is to be in communion with Him, and with one another. Does that mean simply obeying God’s commandments? No. That is just a guideline to help us live righteously, without falling into sin. To do the will of God, is to live proactively in response to God’s cal...

(Homily for Holy family school Faculty and Staff)  “Shepherd your people with your staff, the flock of your inheritance.” Today’s first reading started with this verse, which is apt for all of you here. Typically, people in various occupations would have an instrument specific to and representative of their profession. When I was young, I learnt about occupations from picture books that showed in a simplistic way what that profession is about: a waiter with an apron and serving tray, a fireman with a red safety helmet and fire hydrant, a farmer with a straw hat and a rake, a carpenter with a hammer and nails, and so on. What we see in reality, may not be exactly the same. For example, in such picture books, a teacher was almost always shown with a book and a chalk board. But when I was in school, all the teachers I saw were always holding a cane! And the school principal had the biggest cane! Caning children was the norm of discipline in those days. They were always on the lookout ...

 "Have you seen him whom my heart loves?" When we are in love with someone, we want to see them as often as possible, for as long as possible, and to keep the separation as short as possible, right? How we love, is but a glimpse of how God loves. And this is how God loves us: passionately, faithfully, eternally. Today's first reading is taken from the Song of Songs, which is a collection of poems expressing the immense, deep love of God for His people Israel. God loves His people so much that He seeks them out when they are lost from His sight, distant from His care, gone from His zone. He detests the separation from His beloved people. This reading is also most appropriate for today’s feast of Mary Magdalene. She was a woman tortured by demonic disturbances before she met Jesus, who then freed her, forgave her and healed her with God’s immense love. Because she was forgiven much, thus she was able to love as much. Mary Magdalene loved Jesus truly and totally. She loved H...

“In the blood of calves, lambs, and goats, I find no pleasure.” Why does God find no pleasure in such blood sacrifices? What would please God? In the past, one of the parishes in my home diocese in India used to practice animal sacrifices in church. I do not know how it all started but I know how it all ended. In 1924, exactly one hundred years ago, the bishop at that time banned all animal sacrifices in our parishes. It was a huge decision and he faced strong opposition. Why? The parish church was dedicated to St. Anthony attracted many visitors from other states. People would go and offer animal sacrifices, in the hope of getting their petitions granted. The church would sell chickens outside the church, and when a devotee wanted to offer a sacrifice, they would cut the necks of the chickens, and sell it to the devotees for their sacrificial offertory. The parishioners who sold the chickens to the church made a lot of money and the church profited from the offertory as well. You can ...

 He chose us in Him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and without blemish before Him. In the second reading, St. Paul wrote to the Ephesians telling them their glorious destiny, to be holy and without blemish. This destiny had been set even before the foundation of the world. Do you believe that God has already planned your destiny ahead of you? And that it will be holy and glorious? In the big cities of India, as you walk along the streets, you would see many fortune tellers doing palm reading. As you walk nearer to them, they will shout out something that had happened in your life. Very often they would coincidentally make a good guess and the passersby would be amazed enough to want to know more. To know more, you would have to pay a fee. Since they know they have gotten your interest, their earlier guess must have been somewhat correct, with clever questioning, they then weave an almost accurate account of something that had happened in your past. That’s not the e...

"With their silver and gold, they made idols for themselves, to their own destruction. Cast away your calf, O Samaria!".  As you already know, I grew up in India, a predominantly Hindu country. But in the state of Kerala, my hometown, 50% of the people are Christians. And most of the Hindus in our small town were from other states who came to work.  The workers on our family farm were also Hindus from other states. They were very poor and uneducated. They would be allocated some land space in a corner of the town to live in.  Once they settle down, they would set up a worship area made with bricks and every evening, they light a candle or an oil lamp. Every month, they would add on something to build up this small altar. Eventually, they would dedicate it to one Hindu deity — either Shiva, Amman, Kali, Muruka, Vinayaka, Vishnu or another of the many deities. Then every year they would celebrate the dedication, thus it becomes a temple. With their own ‘silver and gold’, th...

“My daughter has just died. But come, lay your hand on her, and she will live.” How could this official be so sure that just by laying hands on his daughter, Jesus could raise her to life? I have witnessed many miraculous healings and other situations personally, but I have never personally encountered someone returning from death, though I have heard of near-death experiences. I have anointed many dying persons and presided over many funerals of people I personally know, including my own parents and relatives. Did I ever wish and pray for them to escape death or be raised from death by Jesus? Yes, many times. But no, they did not live. I do believe that Jesus is the Lord of life, and He has the power to bring the dead back to life. I am certain that He can perform such miracles even today. I believe this without a doubt. But why did He raise some but not others? In the gospel accounts, only three death-to-life miracles were recorded: Lazarus, the brother of Mary and Martha; the daught...

“He was amazed at their lack of faith.” The word “lack” in Aramaic is ‘lachasirutha’, which is like saying ‘being small’ or ‘having a little of’. So what Jesus was describing here of the people from his native place was that they had some faith but very little. The people in the synagogue upon hearing Jesus preach, were amazed at his eloquence and wisdom, believing it to be a gift beyond human doing but at the same time, they were also doubtful and skeptical because of what they knew about his background and family. They judged based on their familiarity and knowledge, but never did they consider that God could work through humble settings and simple beginnings. Their line of thought is not uncommon, it is logical to some extent. Don’t we also rationalize the same way sometimes? How could someone who was so poor become so generous? How could someone from uneducated parents become a scholar or a scientist? How could someone with a terrible sinful life become a saint? How could someone w...

“Thus says the LORD: On that day I will raise up the fallen hut of David; I will wall up its breaches, raise up its ruins, and rebuild it as in the days of old…” In today’s first reading, ‘the fallen hut of David’ refers to Jerusalem which had disobeyed and sinned against God, and fallen into captivity. But God does not hold a grudge against His people, He wants to rebuild Jerusalem, the house of David. He wants to free His people from captivity and bring them back to the glory He gave them since the beginning. At the very beginning of creation, God created everything good, but soon after, man destroyed what was good and made it imperfect. From then, God started His restoration work, rebuilding His creation and renewing His relationship with man all through the history of salvation. Man breaks, God mends. Man messes, God fixes. Today, we celebrate the feast of St. Maria Goretti. She was canonized a saint in 1950, 48 years after she died as a young child. I have visited her tomb at Nett...

“Prepare to meet your God, O Israel.” This is the last verse from today’s first reading, and it reminds me of my school days. When I was in school, from Pre-K right up to high school, there were umpteen times when I was told, “Prepare to meet your principal.” And that meant trouble. Every principal that had led my school, has had the privilege of punishing me for being naughty or not doing my homework, and occasionally my parents too were called in to meet them. That was so embarrassing for them, and totally shameful for me. Yet it did not stop me from getting into trouble as I progressed through school. And so, whenever I go to Holy Family School here, and if I see students in the principal's office, it reminds me of my own experience in the past. I imagine that they too probably got into some trouble for not finishing their homework or misbehaving in class. And if I see a kid from SAC in the principal's office, I would just pretend that I did not look inside and did not see t...

 "For three crimes of Israel, and for four, I will not revoke my word; because they sell the just man for silver, and the poor man for a pair of sandals. They trample the heads of the weak into the dust of the earth and force the lowly out of the way." This was how our first reading began today. Prophet Amos was prophesying against the northern kingdom of Israel. They had become rich and established themselves as a superpower among the nations, but they had completely forgotten how God was the one who guided and protected them all through the years when life was uncertain, and they were poor. Instead of being thankful to God, they disobeyed His commandments and abused the poor among them, the rich became richer while the poor became poorer. Thus, Amos warned how God will ‘crush (them) into the ground’ if they persisted in their sinfulness. Is being poor a sin? In this country, many people choose to be poor and homeless. In my home country, no one wants to be poor, because in ...