Homily: December 10, 2024, Tuesday of the second week In Advent (Word of God)

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 "Though the grass withers and the flower wilts, the word of our God stands forever."

On Sunday, I taught the confirmation class about the Bible and shared how it was written and compiled. The word ‘Bible’ in Ancient Greek means ‘book’. It contains 73 books, and thus is often referred to as ‘The Book of books’. 

These sacred scriptures were penned by 40 different authors over a span of 1,500 years. Every single word in the Bible is inspired by the Holy Spirit, because every author wrote, not for any other reason but what they believed was what God wanted them to write.

You may have heard of the Dead Sea Scrolls or Qumran Scrolls. In 1947, near the north-eastern part of the Dead Sea, a teenage shepherd lost his sheep and went searching for it in a cave. Incidentally, he found ancient jars stuffed with scrolls in the cave. 

At first, he tried to sell them at the market, and those who bought them eventually re-sold them to scholars. That led to Archaeologists getting interested and went to excavate where the scrolls were found. Finally in 1956, they uncovered a complete scroll of writings which are now the Book of Isaiah, along with some portions of Genesis, Daniel, Leviticus, and other books.

These scrolls were written in Hebrew, before and during the time of Jesus, and had somehow been preserved for centuries. Who knows, there might still be other scrolls waiting to be discovered. 

This is a testament to the enduring power of God's word. Indeed, “the word of our God stands forever.”

So scholars have found the ancient sacred scriptures, and have studied and selected the texts which now form our Bible, having been carefully translated into 756 languages, that everyone may have access to the Truth.

Honestly, how many of you actually read the Bible?

If scripture is really sacred, if God’s word is the truth about the world, life, death and eternity, if the word of God is powerful – why are you not reading it?

Do you treat their other possessions better than the Bible?

Do you spend more time on games or entertainment than reading the Bible?

Let us take this as an invitation to read and reflect on God’s word more intentionally and regularly. Read the Bible and you will understand God’s heart. Meditate on the Bible and you will discern God’s will.

As we prepare for the great solemnity of Christmas, when “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us,” let us cling even more closely to God’s word. Amen.


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Homily: November 16, 2024 Saturday of the Thirty Second week in Ordinary time (Find Faith)

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 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...
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Homilía: Julio 17, 2022, XVI Domingo Ordinario

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 "Marta, Marta, muchas cosas te preocupan y te inquietan, siendo así que una sola es necesaria. María escogió la mejor parte". ¿Qué es esa única cosa que se necesita? Este consejo de Jesús es muy importante para cada uno de nosotros. Reflexionemos sobre las lecturas de hoy para entenderlo mejor. En la primera lectura, Abraham vio a tres hombres que estaban cerca de su tienda; inmediatamente se ofreció a servirles y les dio una buena cena, antes de que siguieran su camino. En la lectura del Evangelio, cuando Jesús entró en el pueblo, Marta y María lo recibieron. Marta se ocupó de preparar una buena cena para Jesús. Mientras que María, se sentó a sus pies a escucharle hablar. Marta se sentía agobiada y ansiosa. Necesitaba la ayuda de María para dar una buena comida a su invitado. Entonces Jesús dijo: "una sola es necesaria. María escogió la mejor parte...". Efectivamente, María eligió algo maravilloso. Sentarse con Jesús y escucharle hablar. Eso es lo que nos gustaría...
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"But many in Israel were determined and resolved in their hearts not to eat anything unclean; they preferred to die rather than be defiled with unclean food or profane the holy covenant, and they did die.” At the beginning of the first reading, the situation of the Israelites was disappointing. There were many ‘breakers of the law’ who ‘seduced’ their fellow Jews to discard their covenant with God. Many chose to disobey and disown God, and accepted the gods and deities of the Gentiles, believing that would protect their lives. They were quick to give up their faith in the generous God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Moses because of some difficulties and discomfort in life. That led to the persecution of the Jews during the time of the Maccabees. But when we come to the end of the reading, the determination of some of the Jews ‘not to eat anything unclean’ shows that there were many who kept the covenant with God and were faithful even in the face of death. There is hope. Looking at...
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Homily: Janaury 13, Monday of the first week in Ordinary time (Come After me)

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"Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men." Jesus called out to Simon and Andrew. Without hesitation, they left their nets and followed Him. Just a few moments later and a short distance further, Jesus called out the same to James and John, and they, too, left their father and workers to follow Him. Did they know what was required to be fishers of men? What commitment did they have to make? What would it cost them to give up their familiar trade? What if the invitation turned out bad? What if it was a scam? What if Jesus was a false prophet? There are many considerations before making a major life changing decision, right? Yes, right, and that is what I would usually do when faced with a major decision. Very often I would think of the many options and alternatives, I worry about making mistakes, I worry about consequences, to the point where I would not be able to decide, I cannot move on, I feel overwhelmed. I would respond, “Let me pray about it.” Yes, I would pray...
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Funeral Homily: William J. Baum, June 8, 2023

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 The souls of the just are in the hand of God, and no torment shall touch them. The soul of Bill is in the hand of God, no torment shall touch him. We are here to bid our final farewell to Bill, our beloved brother, grandpa, dad, husband, friend. I feel privileged to have known Bill these last two years and honored to preside over this Mass for his sending off. Many of you would have known him much longer and much better than I. I wish I had more time with him. I was awed when I read his obituary, his life story is inspirational. I know from my encounter with him that he was a dedicated husband, a loving and caring father, the greatest fan to every one of his grandchildren, and an incredible friend to countless people here and around the world. His going would surely leave a void in our lives. It is only natural that we grieve this loss. Bill was a man of remarkable character. His love for life, his sense of humor, and his thoughtfulness for others were the hallmarks of his persona...
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 “Beloved: Clothe yourselves with humility in your dealings with one another, for: God opposes the proud but bestows favor on the humble.” Humility – such a simple word but probably the most difficult to practice. It goes against our pride and ego. And the moment we think we are humble, we have lost it. As the river always flows towards the lower ground, so God's graces will also flow towards those who are humble of heart. The more we lower ourselves in humility, the more graces and blessings we receive. Mother Mary is the most humble woman, that is why she is full of grace. The logic is simple, the humble persons empty their hearts of ego and pride, thus having room for God’s graces to pour in. God wants to shower graces upon the arrogant ones too, but their hearts are so full of themselves, there is just no space for anything else. Thus they miss out on the precious graces of God. Those who are truly humble do not consider themselves higher nor lower than anyone, they do not have...
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Homily: Noviembre 15, 2022, Martes de la XXXIII semana del Tiempo ordinario

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 Ya en la primera lectura escuchamos: “Ponte alerta y reaviva lo que queda”. Cada palabra en la Biblia es inspirada por el Espíritu Santo, cada mensaje y enseñanza es tan relevante hoy, como lo fue en la antigüedad, y lo será hasta el final de los tiempos. Por eso el mensaje que nuestro Señor le dio a San Juan para la Iglesia en Sardes también está destinado a nosotros. La iglesia en Sardes tenía personas que dejaban la fe. Algunos incluso vivían en oposición al mensaje del evangelio que recibieron de los apóstoles. Miremos la iglesia en USA, ¿tenemos también la misma situación que Sardes? Vemos una gran decadencia de la fe en este país. El número de personas sin afiliación a ninguna religión va en aumento. Muchos creyentes tampoco son seguidores activos, son cristianos solo de nombre. En todas las parroquias de los EE. UU., el número promedio de católicos que asisten a misa con regularidad es de aproximadamente el 30-35 % del total de feligreses registrados, ¿dónde está el resto d...
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Homily:August 18, 2024, Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Wisdom)

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 “Let whoever is simple turn in here; To the one who lacks understanding, she says, Come, eat of my food, and drink of the wine I have mixed!” This generous invitation in today’s first reading is from Lady Wisdom. This reading is taken from Chapter 9 of the Book of Proverbs which portrays two women: Lady Wisdom and Dame Folly. Our first reading presents only the invitation of Lady Wisdom. She invites us, ‘whoever is simple’, to her home to enjoy the real good life, one of understanding and food good for our body and soul, while Dame Folly attracts people to destruction. Many people seek wisdom, sometimes for unwise reasons, often in the wrong places, and in the wrong ways. Wisdom is unlike knowledge and intellect, it is not something we can gain through studying or hard work, it does not come automatically with age or experience; it is ultimately a gift from the Holy Spirit. In Proverbs 2:6, it says ‘For the Lord gives wisdom…” I am very blessed to have met many wise people who in ...
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Homily: March 14, 2023, Tuesday of the Third week in Ordinary time.

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 In the first reading we heard “But with contrite heart and humble spirit let us be received”. And our Gospel text today ends with these words “unless each of you forgives your brother from your heart”. It is very clear what God wants of us in our relationship with Him and in our relationship with one another. It is all about the heart. Worship God with a contrite heart, forgiving brother from our heart. So being a disciple of Christ is an inside job. From times of old, beginning with the Israelites, the tradition of pleasing God with burnt offerings, sacrifices, incense, first fruits and so on continues to our time. Our liturgy expresses our worship in similar rituals. And in this Lenten season, we are also encouraged to make sacrifices, fast, pray and give alms. All these are good and helpful in cultivating a spiritual discipline of self-denial and putting God in the focus, but if we do it without a sincere, contrite heart, would it really please God? Our God is a God who looks i...
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