Fr. Nivin's Homily Blog

 "By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance; he went out, not knowing where he was to go." When I first read this passage, I became curious about the person and life of Abraham. Who is he? Why was he so faithful to a God whom he had never seen? I opened my Bible and read Genesis 12, titled ‘The call of Abraham’. It was how the history of salvation began. Abram’s life, before he was renamed Abraham, was stable and comfortable. He probably had all that he needed and could just relax and enjoy his life into old age. But when he heard the call of God to leave his comfortable home, he trusted, packed up and left. The amazing fact is that he did not even know where he was to go. Thereafter, his life was full of challenges, yet he remained faithful to God. He heard God’s voice deep within his heart, lived with full confidence in God, trusting in His constant presence in his life. Faith is just that - a consistent and fir...

 “Then I said, As is written of me in the scroll, Behold, I come to do your will, O God.” When I was little and growing up on the farm, I didn’t know much about the world beyond my village and parish. I had imaginations about my future, but my dreams were simple and centered around my little village. I wanted to be a farmer, a successful one, to earn lots of money from my bountiful crops, I will buy more land, build a nice house, own a car, get married and live happily ever after. Yes, it was a fairy tale dream. It made me happy and hopeful every time I imagined this perfect life of my future. But one day, all my dreams were broken. God has another plan for me, He called, and I said yes. So no land, no farm, no house, no married life. But I believe this vocation will lead me to a happily-ever-after life after all. My vocation has taken me far away from the village and country where I thought I would live for the whole of my life. I’ve worked in and visited over 23 countries, taken ...

 “Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.” Jesus is a man of “today”. Throughout the Gospels, we hear Him emphasize the significance of the present moment: • “Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.” • “Today salvation has come to this house.” • “Today you will be with me in paradise.” Even in the prayer He taught us, He said, “Give us this day (today) our daily bread.” In Luke’s Gospel for this Sunday, Jesus is just beginning His public ministry and has not performed miracles of healing the blind and deaf etc, but He boldly declares that the Scripture passage which prophesied how things would be when the Messiah arrives is fulfilled in their presence, thus He is almost making an announcement that He is the Messiah, that He is the fulfillment of the prophesy. Indeed, our Messiah comes not to be crowned a worldly king, but to lower Himself down to heal and help us. And He is present and actively reaching out to us in our ‘todays’, every da...

 Jesus said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” Why did Jesus ask the man to do that? Dear Children, now I, Fr. Nivin, tell you the same, please stretch out your hands. Both hands. Wonderful! Ok, you can put your hands down now. Was it difficult for you to stretch out your hands? Not at all. How easy it is for us to stretch our hands, because our hands are working fine. But in the Gospel we read about a man with a withered hand. Do you know what it means to have a withered hand? It is a dying hand, the muscles and nerves are dead, so the hand is left with just skin and bones. It is totally useless, and the person can no longer control or move it at all.  It would be impossible for the man with the withered hand to stretch out his hand like we did. So why did Jesus ask him to do that?  Wasn’t Jesus asking him to do something he was unable to do? Indeed. But by asking the man to do something he was unable to do, Jesus could then show what God was able to do. That man can n...

 “In the days when he was in the flesh, he offered prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence." In my younger days when I was preparing for my First Holy Communion, I learned something about prayer which struck deeply in my understanding: “Prayer is a loving conversation with God.” Just as everyone of us converse with others differently, according to our personalities, cultures and the types of relationship, each of us would also pray and converse differently with God. How do you pray and converse with God? One of my sisters prays by following all novena prayers and litanies. There isn’t any novena or litany she hasn’t prayed before. And she often asks me questions about prayers I’ve never even heard of! She also has a big collection of prayer books. Once, she asked me about my prayers, and I showed her the breviary, which contains the Liturgy of the Hours which we priests use for da...

"For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has similarly been tested in every way, yet without sin." When someone is diagnosed with a major illness, they often turn to others who have gone through a similar experience. They seek advice about doctors, treatments, and coping strategies. Why? Because those who have been through the same struggles can empathize and possibly share insights about the situation, better than someone who has not been through it. They know the pain, the challenges, and the fears, the journey. Of course, not everyone’s experience will be the same, but the reference can be useful. I remember when my mummy was diagnosed with cancer, we asked many people who had cancer before which helped us understand some things about the condition.  In today’s first reading, we hear about Jesus, our High Priest, who sympathizes with our weaknesses and knows what we go through in life, because He has gone through it all...

"For it was fitting that he, for whom and through whom all things exist, in bringing many children to glory, should make the leader to their salvation perfect through suffering." God is infinite, omnipotent, all-powerful. He has countless ways to save humanity and bring us back to glory. Yet, He chose the path of suffering. Why? Theologians have offered many profound explanations, but to be honest, I haven’t seen an answer that fully satisfies this mystery. However, simply by looking at the lives of the saints, I see glimpses of God’s wisdom and understand a bit more the mystery of grace amidst and through suffering. One of my favorite saints is St. Josephine Bakhita, the Sudanese saint. She was born in 1869, a daughter of the tribal chief, and her early childhood was comfortable, free and happy. But at the young age of 7, she was kidnapped by Muslim traders and lost forever, the carefree life she was born into. This little girl, who also lost the name given by her parents, w...

"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...

 "He must increase; I must decrease." From this very simple statement, we can very clearly see the attitude of John the Baptist towards his mission - humility. John was a fearless man, he was not at all afraid of the Jewish authorities and preached courageously what he believed he was sent to do, he stood resolutely for truth and justice, not at all bothered about the cost or consequence. Nothing could stop him from speaking the truth. Yet, this aggressive preacher from the wilderness was humble, modest and meek when he acknowledges the presence of the Messiah. He recognized that his work, his purpose, his existence was done and must give way to the Lord. Tradition tells us that John the Baptist lived an ascetic life before his public ministry — a life of pure simplicity and total detachment, right down to the food he ate. Such a life demands complete abandonment of self and dedication to the mission. He lived with only one purpose – to accomplish the mission he was born for ...

Holy family school Homily Did you listen carefully to today’s first reading and the Gospel? There are two phrases that really struck me. From the Gospel, Jesus says, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid!” And from the first reading: "There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear…" Let me ask you: is there anyone here who has no fear, who does not fear anything at all? Do you think I have any fears? Oh yes, I do! I do not fear death, illness, wild animals, reptiles, or insects. But I am fearful of dark places and confined spaces. I do not fear crowds of people, but believe it or not, I fear preaching! Yes, every time I walk up to the ambo to preach, my heart starts beating heavily. Thankfully, I’m getting better at managing that fear. While I do not fear death for myself, I am afraid of losing my loved ones. When I was in 4th grade, one of my best friends lost his dad suddenly. From that time, I started fearing that I might lose my own parents too. Eventually,...

 "They all ate and were satisfied." We all need to eat, but we are not always satisfied. As a pastor, I often visit families and meet up with people, and having food always helps to break the ice and ease the conversation. Thankfully, one of my pastoral strengths is that I enjoy food, all kinds of food! In this parish, I’ve been blessed with invitations to many homes, and I get to enjoy a variety of cuisine. There is Sudanese goat and fried fish, Burmese rice porridge and beef, Eritrean injera and chicken stew called Dorowat, Laotian sticky rice and fish soups, and of course, American, Italian, and Irish dishes. I enjoy all these different foods, but what really satisfies me are the conversations, the life stories, the small talks with the hosts, the communities that surround these meals.  Imagine if I were to eat all these delicious foods alone every day, I would be fed but I would not be filled. What makes a meal truly satisfying is not just the food — it is the love that c...

 "We receive from him whatever we ask, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him." At one point in my life, I was enjoying listening to prosperity gospel preachers like Joel Osteen. What they preached was not theologically profound nor sound, but their messages were so uplifting and impactful. They made having faith in God look very attractive and materially rewarding. “Believe in Jesus and you will be saved, you will be rich, you will be successful, you will be powerful! Pray for anything and God will give you everything!” Such wonderful promises sure sound good. But is it the truth of our faith? As I matured in life and in faith, I realized that such messages lack authenticity and do not at all align with Jesus’ teachings. Looking simply at the way Jesus Himself lived while on earth would show up the contradictions and reveal the lies. So, does God give us whatever we ask? The condition stated in today’s reading is that if we keep His commandments and do what...

 "They were overjoyed at seeing the star, and on entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother. They prostrated themselves and did him homage." The 12 days of Christmas bring us to the feast of the Epiphany, the revelation of our Lord to all the nations. The Christmas season will continue until next week, leading to the feast of the Baptism of the Lord. What struck me most is the image of the Magi, who were non-Jewish foreigners, prostrating before the infant Jesus. From both Scripture and tradition, we know the Magi were extraordinary people. They were likely scholars, wise men, astrologers, perhaps even kings or high-ranking officials from distant lands. They traveled hundreds of miles, driven by their search for a special newborn king, led by a most unusual, brilliant star. And here they are, finally finding Him - not in a palace, not even in a grand mansion but in a simple, humble house. His parents were visibly not of royal lineage, and His circumstances ga...

 “He said to them, 'Come, and you will see.' So they went and saw where he was staying.” “Come and See” is often an invitation to take an personal exploration and not just hear about something from others.  Many religious congregations use similar programs for those who are discerning a vocation to the priesthood or religious life, because often it is better to have an experience than simply reading or hearing about it before making a decision with regards the consecrated life. I participated in one such program before. At that time, I had absolutely no interest in joining the priesthood. I went because one of my best friends had asked me to accompany him to that three-day event. And guess what? Later that same year, I entered the seminary. The disciples in today’s Gospel wanted to know where Jesus was staying, instead of telling them, Jesus invited them to ‘Come and you will see.” Whatever it was that they saw, it was convincing enough for them to want to stay with Him, to fo...