Homily: October 12, 2024, Saturday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time (United)

-

“For you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

Over the past few days, we have been reading from the letters of St. Paul to the Galatians. Today’s reading we see him pleading with the community to be united in Christ. 

What is happening to the Galatian community?

Didn’t we read in Acts of the Apostles, “All the believers were one in heart and mind”? That was how the early Christians lived during the Pentecostal event despite strong persecution. But the Galatians were living differently.

It seemed that their society then, like ours today, was greatly divided, separated by ethnicity, social status, gender discrimination, and differences in culture and tradition. St. Paul emphasized and reminded them that they are ‘all one in Christ Jesus’.

What about our society?

Recent surveys show that more than 80% of Americans feel that the country is more divided than united. Although we are a Christian nation, we are polarized in our political stands, religious views and many other life issues.

At St. Ambrose, however, we may not feel this so strongly. When I preside at the 8:30 or 11 a.m. Mass on Sundays, it feels like I am addressing the United Nations. I see a beautiful diversity worshipping in unity, all praising the same God. It would be perfect if the rest of the country comes together the same way.

Jesus warned that, “If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.” And at the Last Supper, He prayed, “…that they will all be one, just as you and I are one.”

This is the prayer of Christ. This is the plea of St. Paul. This too shall be our wish for our church, our society, our world.

Let’s start with ourselves, baptized Catholics. We are all one in the name of Christ. We may have different opinions, life experiences, stories, and situations, but we are united in our faith. We have received the same baptism, the same sacraments, and share the same cup at every Mass.

We pray and believe that this vision of Jesus, this desire of God, will be fulfilled.  Amen.


Comments

Post a Comment

Read

Homily: October 12, 2024, Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Bible)

-
 “Indeed, the word of God is living and effective, sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating even between soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart.” Is the word of God living and effective in your life? This is my personal Bible. It is in Malayalam, my native language. My papa bought it for me on June 7, 2003, two days before I turned 15 years old. It has been with me ever since. It accompanied me through all my seminary years even when in Rome. I’ve read it many, many times. If you receive a beautiful letter from someone you love, wouldn’t you read it over and over, many times? I’ve used my Bible to pray, to praise God, to seek His advice, and to learn more about Him. When I was younger, I had the habit of memorizing a verse from the Bible every day. Over that time, I have memorized hundreds of passages. In our family, everyone, as well as my parents, had their own personal Bible. My family still keeps my grandpa’s Bible, which
Read more

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

-
 En la primera lectura escuchamos: “El Señor es un juez que no se deja impresionar por apariencias. No menosprecia a nadie por ser pobre”. Siempre pensé que Dios tiene un amor especial por aquellos que son pobres, débiles y vulnerables. Sin embargo, de las lecturas de hoy está claro que todas las personas son iguales, nadie es favorecido, Dios nos ama a todos por igual. Rico o pobre, fuerte o débil, pecador o santo. Cuando nos presentamos ante Dios, todos somos iguales para Él, apreciados y amados. Igual de amados y valorados. Toda persona humana está creada a imagen y semejanza de Dios, esta es la divinidad que todos compartimos, nuestra identidad, nuestra dignidad. Todos los años, por este tiempo, cuando cambian las estaciones, a menudo noto que los animales también están ocupados preparándose para el invierno. En mi jardín vive una ardilla de tierra que está más ocupada en este tiempo del año. La veo corriendo para arreglar su nido para la hibernación y almacenar comida para el invi
Read more

Homily: May 24, 2022, Tuesday of the Sixth Week of Easter

-
Jesus said to His disciples, “And when the Advocate comes he will convict the world in regard to sin and righteousness and condemnation: sin, because they do not believe in me.” Not believing in Jesus is sin. Believing in Jesus is salvation. In the first reading, St. Paul and Silas told the jailer, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you and your household will be saved”. Did the jailer believe? Yes. Did he do something concrete with that belief? Yes. He took in Paul and Silas, who were prisoners, took care of them and served them even though his and his family’s life would be in great danger.  They then accepted baptism, and they rejoiced for having received their faith. The jailer believed in Jesus, and he acted courageously according to his belief. If we truly believe in Jesus, we will live life active in the Spirit of Christ. If we truly believe in Jesus, we will act according to His commandments of love.  If we truly believe in Jesus, we will stand firm in the teachings of the church a
Read more

Homily: August 20, 2022, Saturday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time

-
“The angel led me to the gate which faces the east, and there I saw the glory of the God of Israel coming from the east”.  These words in the first reading remind of the Orthodox and Oriental Churches. When they construct their churches, they would set their church altars to face the east, so that, when the priests celebrate Mass, they will be looking towards that direction. In India, especially in Kerala where I came from, all our church altars face the east. The concept is based on the expectation that Christ would come again, arriving from the east, and the priest is leading the community to the heavenly Jerusalem.  Interestingly, the Hindu temples also face eastwards.  And do you know, the houses in my village are built with the kitchens facing the east also. Why? It has nothing related to the coming of Christ. It has to do with the sunrise. The mothers of the households start cooking when they wake up, and the kitchens are open concept, so the rising sun will provide the much need
Read more

Homily: November 27, 2023, Monday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time (Fear of the Lord)

-
 “In any question of wisdom or prudence that the king posed to them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his kingdom.” One of my favorite books in the Old Testament is the book of Daniel. The stories of Daniel and his friends inspire me a lot. I enjoy reading how God was always with them and blessed them with great wisdom and a unique gift in interpreting visions and dreams. In today’s first reading, we see how King Nebuchadnezzar tested and then invited these three young men, Daniel and his two friends, to serve him. It was an honor and seen as a great fortune to be trusted by the King, to eat and converse with him while all other Israelites were living as slaves. But Daniel and his friends did not once forget the God of their ancestors. Even though they had privileges from the King, they did not disobey God’s laws. They feared the Lord in all their days, they loved God in all their ways. And for that, they had great wisdom and understanding. And fo
Read more

Homilía: Marzo 24, 2022, Jueves de la III semana de Cuaresma.

-
 “El que no está conmigo, está contra mí; y el que no recoge conmigo, desparrama”.”. El mensaje de Jesús es muy claro. No podemos seguir a Jesús parcialmente. Si no lo estamos siguiendo de todo corazón, no somos sus seguidores. Hoy es el vigésimo día de Cuaresma, sin contar los domingos. Estamos a la mitad. ¿Recuerdas lo que decidiste hacer especial para estos 40 días de Cuaresma? ¿Lo estás cumpliendo? Mientras nos esforzamos por fortalecernos espiritualmente, los demonios se esfuerzan más para mantenernos deprimidos. Me pregunto quién está a la cabeza en esta mitad de camino. En mis años de infancia, solo los niños ricos de mi pueblo podían tener bicicletas. Cuando estaba en quinto grado, mi hermano mayor y yo decidimos recolectar flores silvestres de nuez moscada del bosque cercano para venderlas y poder comprar una bicicleta. Nos despertábamos muy temprano en la mañana y corríamos al bosque para buscar y recolectar tantas como fuera posible. Muchos niños de otros pueblos estaban hac
Read more

Homily: November 10, 2023, Friday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time (End of World)

-
 "Those who have never been told of Him shall see, and those who have never heard of Him shall understand."  While the Apostles went around preaching to the Jews, Paul was preaching to the Gentiles, because he wanted to reach ‘those who have never been told of Him’ and ‘those who have never heard of Him’. Yesterday, during our priest study day, our speaker Fr. Patrick Mary said that we are living in a post-Christendom era. Evangelizing the Gentiles and pagans in the early days were about shifting their belief in pagan gods to the one true God. But today, we are dealing with people who believe in nothing, it is a bigger challenge. They have been told of Him, but do not believe. They have heard of Him but refuse to understand. How do we shake and wake people up to the truth? When I was in middle school, there were Jehovah's Witnesses in our small town, and they distributed flyers everywhere proclaiming that the world was going to end. They warned people that for them to be
Read more

Homily: December 20, 2022, Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Advent.

-
As a priest, I also follow the daily reflections of other good preachers, to learn their insights and to be inspired and nurtured spiritually. There is one daily reflection which I follow closely, that of Archbishop William Cardinal Goh, the Archbishop of Singapore. His reflections always touch me so deeply and open my mind to new perspectives. I admire his courage to correct the church lovingly, his deep trust in God, and his passion for evangelization and dedication for his ministry, at the same time he is also very humble. Last night as I was preparing the homily for today, i was thinking about my struggles and challenges trying to minister and lead this parish. I always felt that my weaknesses are too great and my strengths too mild to do a good job here. My own faith and self confidence have been tested intensely. Then reading Archbishop Goh's reflection for today's scripture texts inspired me and even answered my doubts and questions concerning my ministry here. I think i
Read more

Homily: December 26,2022, Feast of Saint Stephen, first martyr.

-
From the first reading, we heard Stephen declare, “Behold, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” But his persecutors ‘cried out in a loud voice, covered their ears, and rushed upon him together.’ If we could visualize the scene, we would imagine Stephen looking radiant with joy as he anticipated his death, while his persecutors looking tormented and fearful as they prepared to kill. We know why Stephen was joyful as he looked up to heaven, because he could see where his future would be. We also know why his persecutors were afraid as they closed their ears to Stephen’s words, because they did not want to hear the truth. It tormented their conscience and pierced through the darkness in their hearts. I am sure we ourselves may have experienced the same, when our wrong doings were being highlighted, when our shame were being revealed or when our hurts were being exposed, we might also cry out, “stop! I don’t want to hear it! I don’t want to know i
Read more

Homily: July 24, 2023, Holy Family School Mass for faculty and staff.

-
 In two days, all our students will be back in school. They will be in the classrooms, in the fields, in the halls…everywhere. How do you feel about that? Holy Mass, our celebration of the Eucharist, is the source and summit of Christian life. It is the source where we receive spiritual nourishment, enlightenment, love, mercy, and peace. It is the summit, the highest form of prayer, worship and thanksgiving to God, who first gave, who first loved. We are now all gathered here, faculty members, staff, school board, foundation members, and friends to thank God and to seek His graces for this academic year. We all need it, don’t we? These days our first readings are taken from the book of Exodus. I picked these verses for our reflection today: And they complained to Moses, “Were there no burial places in Egypt that you had to bring us out here to die in the desert? Why did you do this to us? Why did you bring us out of Egypt? Did we not tell you this in Egypt when we said, 'Leave us a
Read more