Homily: January 28, 2025, Tuesday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time (Do your will)

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 “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 on roles and responsibilities far beyond what I thought I was capable of, and been stretched in ways beyond what I thought was possible for me. My life has been so much beyond what I could have imagined. It is not the simple life I had planned, but it is a full life.

I do still wonder and think about the simple farmer’s life I used to dream about so often.

I once read in Fulton Sheen’s book ‘Treasure in Clay’, he wrote:

"Each priest is crucified on the vertical beam of the God-given vocation and on the horizontal beam of the simple longing of the flesh and a world that so often beckons to conformity with it.”

This resonates deeply within me, but it’s true not just for priests - I think it is applicable to all of us.

We all have our own plans for our lives. But God also has plans for us and often, His plans are very different from our own. However, I believe His plans are perfect for us because unlike our own plans which are focused only on the current life, His plans are always focused on leading us to eternal life.

“Not my will, but Thy will be done.”

Let these words from today’s reading be our daily spiritual mantra: "Behold, I come to do your will, O God.”

Amen.


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Homily: August 10, 2025, Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.

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Homily: August 6, 2025, Feast of the Tranasfiguration of the Lord

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(Holy Family School Mass)   “While he was praying, his face changed in appearance and his clothing became dazzling white.” Today we celebrate the Feast of the Transfiguration of Jesus. Transfiguration means a complete change of appearance into a most beautiful, glorious, spiritual state. Jesus’ transfiguration shows us that although He has taken on human nature, He is also at the same time truly God. Do you remember who were the three disciples who went with Jesus up the mountain when He was transfigured?  That’s right. Peter, James, and John. And how do you think they felt when they saw Jesus shining with glory? Oh yes, they were afraid, because they had never seen anyone shining so brightly before, it does not happen to human people. But then later they felt great too! That’s why Peter said, “Lord, it is good for us to be here!” He even wanted to build three tents for Jesus, Moses and Elijah. In those days, people do live in tents, not for camping. So Peter thought they...
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