Homily: August 13, 2024, Tuesday of the nineteenth week in Ordinary time (Eat the word of God)

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 “Be not rebellious like this house of rebellion, but open your mouth and eat what I shall give you.”

God’s instructions in this first reading sounds similar to what Asian mothers would tell their children at mealtimes, “Open your mouth and eat whatever is being served. No fuss, no complaints. Eat and be thankful.”

To these mothers, they believe that food is important for children’s growth, to eat well, for energy and good health, so that they can grow strong and be productive in life.

Here, God is telling prophet Ezekiel to eat the scroll, which contains the word of God. Why?

He continues and says, “eat this scroll, then go, speak to the house of Israel.”

Last week, during my vacation with my sister and family, my sister was cooking all our favorite Indian food, thus she was always busy in the kitchen whenever we were back at the lodging. At one point, I went to check on her.

I found her listening attentively to an online retreat and jotting down what she heard in a notebook. Her notebook was full of Bible verses which she picked up from various spiritual talks she has attended over time. It was so well organized according to different topics.

She has Bible passages for praising God, for times of sadness, when feeling lonely, for condolences, and so on. She would memorize these verses to use appropriately in various situations and she would pray using these verses. She also has passages appropriate for praying for priests. And she taught her children a prayer for priests which they recite together daily. I am so blessed.

This was also how my parents prayed when they were alive. I am rediscovering something beautiful which I have forgotten.

Praying with Bible verses is powerful.

My sister is a simple woman, but she has deep faith. She is "eating" the word of God every day, like Ezekiel eating the scroll. She is consuming the word of God into her heart, mind and soul, so that in times of need, she can recall God’s word to guide her.

Ezekiel ate the word of God and proclaimed it to the people of Israel.

We become what we eat. And our character, our outlook, our values are shaped and influenced by what our mind takes in.

The world, through social media, is feeding us a lot of unhealthy stuff, some fake, some twisted and some are even deadly for our soul. It will lead us astray, confuse us and ultimately lead us away from God, towards eternal condemnation.

Be careful what we consume, physically, mentally and spiritually.

Eat and pray the word of God daily, it is truly a lamp to our feet and a light to our path.

Amen.


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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: February 17, 2026 Tuesday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time (Desire)

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 “Then desire conceives and brings forth sin, and when sin reaches maturity, it gives birth to death.” St. James gives us an important teaching today. Desire, he says, can conceive and thereafter give birth to sin. If allowed to grow, it can reach a point of maturity, with the ability to take control and set direction, leading to death. The consequence of sin is death. Are all desires sinful or evil? 2,500 years ago, Buddha taught that desire is the cause of suffering. Because people almost always desire what they do not yet have. To be able to achieve the object of our desire, will sometimes bring us satisfaction, but when unable to achieve what we desire, will cause a sense of failure, a feeling dissatisfaction, the beginning of suffering. Many Buddhists today desire freedom and justice, in places which do not have freedom and justice. The desire stems from a real need, and that is nothing bad or wrong. What could go wrong is the way such a desire is pursued. To desire is a norma...
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