Fr. Nivin's Homily Blog

 "Their voice has gone forth to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world." Today’s first reading is one of my favorite Bible passages. It is filled with beautiful, encouraging, and uplifting words. What makes it even more remarkable is that it was written by St. Paul while he was imprisoned, awaiting his trial which he knew would very likely be a death sentence. Yet, there was no sign of desperation, frustration, or lamentation about his situation in his writing, only positivity and great hope in his words. This is the power of the Good News. How happy are the feet chained for the sake of the Gospel. How joyful are the hands imprisoned yet proclaiming true freedom. Recently, when I went for a house visit, I saw Bible verses written on a long whiteboard which also served as a door. I was deeply moved by this. The parents of that house were sharing the Gospel in creative ways not just with their children, but with everyone who comes to their door. They were clear...

“For those others have all made offerings from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has offered her whole livelihood.” How much do you love God? How grateful are you to God who has given you everything you need, including His own life? When we love someone deeply, we would be more than willing to give everything we have for the good of the person we love, right? And if we are truly grateful to someone, we would show appreciation in the most sincere and respectful way, wouldn’t we? Recently, a friend told me what one priest shared in his homily: “Don’t give to God as you would give to a homeless beggar.” That struck me. God does not need our sympathy, He does not need our money, He wants our love and gratitude. But church needs money to function, to accomplish God’s mission, so when we give to church, we are giving to God. So how much does the church need, how much do we give? Some general statistics look alarming. Typically, only about 30% of parishioners are supporting a p...

 "Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus answered, "My kingdom does not belong to this world." Our Lord Jesus Christ is King. His kingdom does not belong to this world, but this world belongs to His kingdom. Beyond this world, in truth, all the worlds in the whole Universe belong to Him. Jesus Christ is not just King of this earth or of heaven, but He is King of all creation, the entire universe, as far and wide as you can imagine, and beyond. To better understand His Kingship, the Church has chosen readings that tell us the essence of our Lord and King. In the first reading, we read, "His dominion is an everlasting dominion that shall not be taken away, his kingship shall not be destroyed." From this we understand that Christ’s Kingship is forever and ever, it is authentic and true, and he holds the authority and power, so it can never be taken away nor destroyed. In the second reading, we read, “"I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, ...

“Then they heard a loud voice from heaven say to them, ‘Come up here.’ So they went up to heaven in a cloud as their enemies looked on.” In this scene, we can identify three parties: the loud voice from heaven, which we know is God; the two prophets who died, but later received the breath of life from God and went up to heaven in a cloud; and finally, their enemies who could only look on as the two were taken up to heaven. Are we people who reject Church teachings and persecute Jesus’ way of life? Or are we people who live by the teachings of the Church and give witness to the Gospel of Christ? We can be called Christians and be baptized in the name of the Holy Trinity, but are we living the life as witnesses or anti-witnesses? This vision from the book of Revelations gives us hope and reinforces our belief in resurrection, it also is a warning to those who are believers only in name but not in practice. This vision will become a reality at the end of time. Will we be the ones taken up...

 “I, John, had a vision of an open door to heaven.” Do you know what is the difference between a dream and a vision?  Dreams happen usually when we are asleep. On average we would dream four to six times in one night. Do you remember any of your dreams when you wake up? Sometimes we do, sometimes we don’t, right? Dreams are often influenced by our deeper emotions, subconscious thoughts, or unresolved issues. Recently I’ve been talking to a friend about my home country India, just before going to bed. So, most of my dreams have been about India or the people I know there. A vision, on the other hand, happens when we are awake. It is vivid, intense, and feels as though it’s truly happening. It does not fade from memory, is never forgotten. A divine vision is sent by God and carries a clear message. For example, before St. Paul became a Christ believer, when he was persecuting the Christian communities, he had a vision of a bright light and heard the voice of Jesus calling out to...

“Yet I hold this against you: you have lost the love you had at first.” Love is the greatest Christian virtue. Without love, Christianity is meaningless. Without love, salvation is pointless. Without love, our life is aimless. We are created by a God who is love, saved by His Son out of love and called to imitate Him in love. He created us to accept His love, to love Him, and to love others. Therefore, a life without love is empty. The greatest love ever is Jesus giving his own life completely to us. Our response to this is to love Him back all our mind, heart and soul. In today’s first reading from the Book of Revelation, God’s angel rebukes the church in Ephesus for having lost the love for Jesus they had when they first embraced the faith. The Ephesians fell passionately in love with Jesus at the beginning. They surrendered totally to Him, obeying His teachings fully. They left all their old ways to follow Him. But now God’s  is warning and reminding them, because they have beco...

 “And those who lead the many to justice shall be like the stars forever.” I remember in my childhood years, especially during the hot Indian summer nights, my siblings and I would go up to the rooftop of our family house, lie down on the cool concrete floor and look up into the sky. Everywhere was dark because we did not have streetlamps and electric lights in the village houses were weak. But the night sky was filled full with thousands and thousands of gently flickering stars. We would try to count them or spot constellations. I remember being very mesmerized by the stars. Now I live in this modern city with bright lights and fully lit-up houses everywhere, I could hardly see any stars at night. Just two weeks ago, I had my retreat in a monastery in Oklahoma. It was a simple and peaceful place, far away from the city and set within the great nature. Nights were calm and quiet, with only a gentle glow of dim lights in the retreat house. And yes, there, the night sky was filled wi...

 But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”  Just a few days ago on Monday, we saw the disciples pleading with Jesus, and ourselves too praying for the same, “Lord, increase our faith.” So, has your faith increased since then? Because today our Lord is checking in with us, when He comes again, will He find faith on earth, will He find faith in us? I am sure we are able to answer ‘yes’! I see many of you coming regularly for daily Mass, serving passionately in the ministries, and doing your best to live a holy life. Very often, I would look back and am so thankful that I have faith in God. I think you would understand and agree too, because we know we would not have come this far in life if we didn’t know God, if we didn’t know prayer. But of course, there is still much to do in terms of spreading the good news. Just within Des Moines, I guess there are still thousands of people who live without faith. I really wonder how they will manage life, especially in i...

 And the apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith." Do you think your faith needs to be increased too? In which area of our faith do we need our Lord’s help to increase or strengthen? If we read today’s Gospel again, we will notice that Jesus is teaching about forgiveness. The forgiveness He is teaching is not so simple, it is not superficial, it is not condescending, it is true forgiveness. Have you forgiven somebody before – someone who has hurt you deeply, betrayed you, caused you harm or even almost destroyed your life? It is not easy, it is tough. For some of us, it is possibly impossible to even forgive once, and here our Lord is telling us to forgive repeatedly, every time, if someone offends us seven times a day and says sorry again and again. Can you do it? I don’t think I can. Not with my own strength, wisdom or patience. But with the grace of God, with the help of the Holy Spirit, I believe I can, I believe you can. The Christian life is after all a call to l...

 In the 2,000-year history of the Church, monastic orders like the Cistercians and Trappists have existed, and the monks dedicate themselves to a life of deep contemplation and penance. Some of these monks take a vow of perpetual silence, speaking only in an emergency. When they pass each other in the monastery, their silent greeting is "memento mori" - "remember death." They remind each other daily to consider the reality of death and to always be prepared for it. Today, November 2, we commemorate All Souls' Day, remembering all the departed souls in purgatory who long to see God face-to-face. Like the consecrated monks, this commemoration invites us to pause and reflect on our own mortality. Memento mori. Remember death. We probably have said goodbye to many people in our lives: family, friends, relatives, famous people and people who have done great deeds that impacted society. Some of their names may have already faded from our memories. Perhaps we’ve even s...

 “The souls of the just are in the hand of God, and no torment shall touch them.” This beautiful passage from today’s first reading is one we often hear at funeral Masses. It comforts and consoles us deeply, assuring us of God’s merciful love and protection for those who have passed from this life. Today, as we commemorate All Souls’ Day, we remember the souls of all the faithful departed, those in purgatory awaiting the fullness of union with God. Their souls are in the hands of God, and while we need not worry for them, we can still assist them with our prayers. During the first week of November, the Church offers us the special grace of a plenary indulgence for our deceased loved ones. But what exactly is a plenary indulgence? It is a special grace that removes the temporal punishments due to sin. While the Sacrament of Reconciliation forgives sins and removes the eternal punishment of hell, temporal punishments may remain. Temporal punishments are the natural consequences arisi...

 Did you hear this question in the first reading? "Who are these wearing white robes, and where did they come from?" St. John the Apostle had a vision of heaven and asked the angel regarding the many people he saw who were praising and worshipping God. I think you might know some of those people. Let’s see. Do you know who this is? Yes, Saint Teresa of Calcutta, we affectionately call her Mother Teresa.  Do you know where she was born in? She was born in Skopje, where it is now Albania. And where did she spend most of her life? She spent her life in India, taking care of the very poor, sick and dying. Who’s this man? Yes, he is Saint Joseph. Where was he born? In Nazareth. What was his job? He was a carpenter. And he was chosen by God to be the foster father of Jesus. St. Joseph cared for and protected Jesus and Mary as a family, serving God in his own humble way. Who is this woman? That’s right, Saint Kateri Tekakwitha. Do you know where she was born? She was born in New Yor...