Homily: August 15, 2024, Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

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 “For he has looked with favor on his lowly servant. From this day all generations will call me blessed.”

Indeed, two thousand years since then, over a billion Catholics and millions of Orthodox Christians continue to call her blessed. Blessed is she who said yes to God to be the mother of God’s Son, blessed is she who conceived and birthed the Savior into the world, blessed is she who cared for and raised the Messiah for all of us, blessed is she who watched in pain and stayed with her son as He died on the cross, blessed is she who accepted to be the mother of the church.

Today, the whole Catholic church, every diocese in the world, is celebrating the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. We celebrate this feast every year, and we already know it is to commemorate the belief that Mary was taken straight up to heaven, body and soul, because she lived and died sinless.

What makes Mary so important to the Church?

The Church honors her with many titles, because she is the lady, the mother, the virgin who knows every one of her children in all different areas and situations of life. She knows and she is there with us in every aspect of our earthly life, assisting us, protecting us and interceding for us.

None of the apostles and none of the saints of the Church, has been known to have such a privilege, Mary is the only one assumed into heaven.

In Matthew 10:40, Jesus told His disciples, “Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.” Our Lord is also saying that whoever receives Mary, receives Jesus, and receives God the Father too.

When we celebrate Mary, we are celebrating what God has done, is doing and will do for the whole of humanity.

“For he has looked with favor on his lowly servant…”

Mary, who is constantly and completely faithful to God’s will, God’s Law and God’s work considered herself a lowly servant. Yes, this shows that she is truly humble, not even a mention of her pride and esteem as the chosen Mother of the Savior.

But beyond that, what Mary is declaring in her fiat, is that God is greater than great, more merciful than mercy, more generous than generosity.

For the Creator of the Universe to take favor on a mere human, to yearn love from His created beings, to go through sacrifice for the redemption of His sinful, unfaithful people is beyond understanding. His mercy and love are worthy beyond our praise and worship and thanksgiving.

Mary knows and understands it so plainly and simply. Her fiat expresses it fully for us.

So, what does this all mean for us?

How do we think this great Almighty looks at us? Every single one of us?

“For he has looked with favor on his lowly servant…”

God created every single one of us unique; there is not one other person who is like us, and not one life is duplicated. God looks at every single one of us with favor, even as lowly and sinful, disobedient and unfaithful, rebellious and prideful as we are. Mary is telling us plainly and simply in her fiat.

She is not declaring her faithfulness, nor her humility; she is declaring God’s faithfulness and mercy on her and the whole of humanity.

What matters to God is that each and every one of us is saved. What should matter to each and every one of us is that we are loved.

Mary, assumed into heaven to be united with God, body and soul, is an assurance and promise to us that all of us will one day be in heaven with God, new body and sinless soul.

Mary, assumed into heaven to be our Mother, assisting us, protecting us, and interceding for us, from heaven.

Indeed, all generations will call her blessed, and all generations will be blessed because of her fiat, her yes to God.

Blessed Virgin Mary, assumed into heaven, pray for us. Amen.


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Homily: September 11, 2024 Wednesday of the Twenty-third Week in Ordinary Time (best attitudes)

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 "Rejoice and leap for joy on that day! Behold, your reward will be great in heaven." When I was a small boy, I used to look up in the sky when I heard a plane fly by. At that time, no one in my village had ever flown in an airplane before, so my dream was to fly in a plane to a place far away from my home. I thought that would be the day I would be very happy. Today I am here in the USA, more than 8 thousand miles away! Do you have a dream for yourself? We all have dreams, and whatever our dreams are, we all believe that when they come true, we will be very happy. I too have a dream for Holy Family School. I dream that every student who comes to this school will experience joy, that they will be happy learning and growing together, to make good friends and create beautiful memories here, and that every student here will gain not just great knowledge of the world, but also develop a deep understanding and love for God. Today’s Gospel passage is known as the Beatitudes. The Be
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“For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes.” There are many reasons people choose to go to a particular church on Sundays. Some say, “I like the music,” or “I like the homily.” Others might say, “My friends are going there,” or “I like the diversity of this community,” or “The Mass time is convenient.” Some people choose to attend other denominational or non-denominational services to make their Sunday church experience more interesting. What about you? Why do you come to church? There could be many motivations too, but truly, any Mass at any Catholic church is the same, whether the homily is wonderful or awful, whether the music is traditional or contemporary, whether the community is lively or sleepy… because the exact same sacrificial event takes place at every Mass. Be it here in Iowa, or there in South Sudan, it is the same Jesus, the same sacrificial death on the cross, the same redemptive love at every Mass. And so, w
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 Jesús les dijo: “Vengan a almorzar”. Mi mamá cocinaba nuestras comidas familiares a la manera tradicional de la India, preparando todo con ingredientes frescos y cocido a la leña. Pasaba la mayor parte de su tiempo en la cocina cocinando para sus siete hijos. También trabajaba en la granja familiar. Sin embargo, todos los días, a la hora de comer, cuando terminaba de cocinar, nos llamaba a todos: “vengan para comer”. Incluso cuando no nos habíamos portado bien o cuando estaba enojada y molesta con nosotros, siempre que la comida estaba lista, mamá llamaba. Ella debe habernos llamado miles de veces hasta el día en que fue enterrada. Las invitaciones a la hora de comer de mi mamá todavía resuenan claramente en mi corazón. Otra tradición india, mi mamá nunca se sentaba a comer con nosotros cuando teníamos invitados para cenar, tenía que esperar hasta que nosotros, incluido papa y los invitados termináramos de comer antes de comer ella. Mi mamá siempre se aseguraba de que estuviéramos bie
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Homily: June 18, 2023, Sunday of the Eleventh Sunday in ordinary time (God's Love)

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 "At the sight of the crowds, Jesus' heart was moved with pity because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd." I especially admire Pope Benedict XVI. I can relate to his personality in many ways. He was an introvert and shy, so am I. And he liked bier, so do I. He was one of the greatest theologians of our time. Through the encyclicals, which are papal letters to all the bishops of the church, Popes share their wisdom and insights on world issues and the faith to guide the church forward. When Pope Benedict was installed, many theologians and the world waited eagerly for his first encyclical, wondering which global issue of the time he would address. Instead, his first encyclical dwelt on a very basic yet profound topic, "Deus Caritas est", that means "God is love". It was what the church needed, to go back to who God really is and focus on the very basis and essence of our existence. No world issue can be resolved without kno
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Homilía: Marzo 24, 2022, Jueves de la III semana de Cuaresma.

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Homilía: 23 de Octubre 2022, XXX Domingo ordinario (ES)

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