Homily: October 18, 2024, Feast of St. Luke the Evangelist (Harvest).

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 “The harvest is abundant, but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.”

We are the in the harvesting season. 

Back in my homeland, the harvesting season was always a super busy period, because we had to work very fast to take in the harvest within a few days. so that we don’t lose the crops. We would look for extra laborers during that season to help us get the job done on time. More laborers meant a bigger harvest.

Here in this land, harvesting is done in quick time without the need for extra laborers. On a few occasions, my farmer friends have invited me to ride with them in their combine to go around their farms. I saw how with technology, hundreds of acres of crops can be harvested within just a few hours.

Jesus sees this world like a huge farm. With the effective planting of seeds by His apostles and the church, and the nurture of the Holy Spirit, it can yield plentiful fruits. When it is time for harvesting, He will need many of us to bring in the harvest before the evil one destroys the crop.

Heaven has room for everyone. However, many do not know the way, they need direction, guidance, and help to get there. 

They need laborers to bring them into the Kingdom of God. This is the role of discipleship, to draw people to God, to show the way to heaven. This is the duty of all baptized Catholics.

We need everyone, lay people, priests and religious to work together for a plentiful harvest. Our diocese now does not have any new seminarian, and there will be no priestly ordination next year. This is a cause for concern. So Jesus tells us to “Ask the master of the harvest…”

So let us pray and ask, for more men and women to respond to the priestly and religious vocations, to dedicate their lives fully in service to God. Ask and we will receive.

Amen.

 


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Homily: March 4, 2025, Tuesday of the Eight week in Ordinary time (Empty Handed)

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Homily: March 8, 2025, Satruday after the Ash Wednesday (Call of Levi)

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 He said to him, "Follow me." And leaving everything behind, he got up and followed him.  Have you watched the TV series about Jesus, The Chosen? Which is your favorite character? I personally love the character of Matthew. With poetic imagination, they beautifully presented this scene when Jesus called out to Matthew and how he responded spontaneously to the call. I remember watching Jesus walk past Matthew’s tax collection booth, and they both locked eyes, just before Jesus called out to him. It was exciting to see the way Matthew looking shocked at first and then disregarding even the Roman guard’s attempts to stop him, Matthew just went out of his booth and left his high-paying job forever, without looking back. It almost seems as if Matthew had been waiting, and waiting for someone to reach out to him, someone to invite him, call him and give him a good reason to change his life. As a tax collector, Matthew was trapped between two worlds. His own Jewish people rejected h...
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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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Holy family School Mass  “Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and I will not reject anyone who comes to me”.  Isn’t this wonderful? Jesus says that He will not reject anyone who comes to Him. This means that whoever goes to Jesus, whether they are naughty or nice, good or bad, He will accept them all and love them all. So, every one of you here, no one excluded, as long as you go to Jesus, He will accept you. This is truly good news! And this is what we are celebrating for Easter, Jesus died to save not just some people, but the whole world. During this season of Easter, we take readings from the Acts of the Apostles. We see how the Apostles were fervent and fearless in the way they go around to preach this good news and how thousands and thousands of people believed and were baptised. But it was not smooth and easy, we see in the first reading, how the early church was being persecuted. The enemies have killed Jesus, and they continue to kill those who believ...
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