Homily: January 7, 2024, Tuesday after Epiphany (Eat be Satisfied)

-

 "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 comes from the preparation and cooking, the people and company at the meal. The more love, the greater the satisfaction.

I remember once when a Hispanic family invited me for dinner. The mother was anxious about whether I would enjoy the food. She told me, “Father, I don’t know if you will like the food I prepared, but it is made with so much love.” I was so pleased even before I ate the food.

One of the messianic prophecies about Jesus was that He would feed the poor and they would be satisfied. Psalm 22, a messianic psalm, says in verse 26: “The poor will eat and be satisfied.”

When Jesus saw the crowds in today’s Gospel, He was moved with compassion, He saw their hunger - physically and spiritually. So He fed them well with both physical and spiritual food. He loved them and they were satisfied.

The first reading today affirmed "In this is love: not that we have loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as expiation for our sins."

God sent His Son to remove our hunger and our sins. His great love for us is contained in the Holy Eucharist. It is not a meal that helps us last the day, but a banquet that helps us last forever, prepared with infinite love.

St. Andre Bessette said, "If you ate only one meal a week would you survive? It is the same for your soul. Nourish it with the Blessed Sacrament."

As we receive the precious Body of Jesus in Holy Communion, let us appreciate deeply the love of Jesus truly contained in the Eucharist. And let us partake of this Holy Banquet every day and be satisfied. Amen!


Comments

Post a Comment

Read

Homily: January 5, 2024; Feast of the Epiphany of the Lord (Kneel and Bow)

-
 "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...
Read more

Homily: January 4, 2025, Feast of Elizabeth Ann Seton (Come and See)

-
 “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...
Read more

Homily: December 31,2024, The Seventh Day in the Octave of Christmas (Truth)

-
 "Because while the law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ." Once recently, I was with a group of Catholic friends, having a casual conversation and one topic that came up was about modern behavioral trends and attitudes, particularly referring to LGBTQ trends and gender identity. One friend among us spoke up strongly supporting the ideology of LGBTQ and questioning the natural law of God. Since it was a group setting, I was simply listening to the exchanges, but as the conversation progressed, I finally felt the need to speak up. Firmly, I said, “If you believe this, then you are saying the Holy Bible is wrong.” My friend kept quiet after that. I believe everything in the Bible is true and inspired by the Holy Spirit. I believe in God’s law. Thus, I do not agree with anything that opposes the Bible or compromises God’s law. A true believer in Jesus Christ accepts His teachings entirely. We cannot be half-baked believers or be selective in what...
Read more

Homilía: Marzo 24, 2022, Jueves de la III semana de Cuaresma.

-
 “El que no está conmigo, está contra mí; y el que no recoge conmigo, desparrama”.”. El mensaje de Jesús es muy claro. No podemos seguir a Jesús parcialmente. Si no lo estamos siguiendo de todo corazón, no somos sus seguidores. Hoy es el vigésimo día de Cuaresma, sin contar los domingos. Estamos a la mitad. ¿Recuerdas lo que decidiste hacer especial para estos 40 días de Cuaresma? ¿Lo estás cumpliendo? Mientras nos esforzamos por fortalecernos espiritualmente, los demonios se esfuerzan más para mantenernos deprimidos. Me pregunto quién está a la cabeza en esta mitad de camino. En mis años de infancia, solo los niños ricos de mi pueblo podían tener bicicletas. Cuando estaba en quinto grado, mi hermano mayor y yo decidimos recolectar flores silvestres de nuez moscada del bosque cercano para venderlas y poder comprar una bicicleta. Nos despertábamos muy temprano en la mañana y corríamos al bosque para buscar y recolectar tantas como fuera posible. Muchos niños de otros pueblos estaban...
Read more

Homily: December, 22,2024, Fourth Sunday in Advent (Mother- Peace)

-
 "His greatness shall reach to the ends of the earth; he shall be peace." The prophecy of Micah proclaimed 700 years before the birth of Jesus, had already foretold the extent and essence of our Lord’s greatness – it shall reach to the ends of the earth, and He shall be peace. Now 2,700 years later, Christianity has indeed spread to every corner of the world and for everyone who truly knows and follows Christ, will experience His peace. Here we are, celebrating the Fourth Sunday of Advent, just days away from Christmas, are you at peace? Almost every society throughout the world is celebrating Christmas, albeit with commercial overtones, but is there peace around the world? During this holiday season, in the confessionals and from conversations, I hear the same issues brought up - stress, worries, anxieties about the preparations, the family gatherings, the expectations. Shopping, cleaning the house, buying and wrapping gifts, writing cards, getting new clothes - all these ta...
Read more

Homily: September 27, 2022, Tuesday of the Twenty-sixth Week in Ordinary Time (Memorial of of St. Vincent de Paul)

-
“Job opened his mouth and cursed his day. Job spoke out and said: Perish the day on which I was born, the night when they said, “The child is a boy!”  Job was so upset that he wished he was never born! I can fully understand how Job felt. He had been faithful, he had lived right but he had lost everything in his life, including his own health. He had nothing left. He had every reason to curse, to complaint. Recently I visited a mom whose son took his own life. She was lamenting and crying her heart out to God. She cursed her life, complained to God and questioned Him why He allowed this tragedy to happen. In my own troubled moments when nothing is going right, I too wonder, “Why did God create me?” Why send me to this world to go through hardship then bring me back again? He could have just kept me in heaven. When everything go wrong, won’t we also think that life is meaningless? Even though I don’t have the perfect explanation, I find my consolation in the cross of Christ, looking...
Read more

Homily: August 20, 2022, Saturday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time

-
“The angel led me to the gate which faces the east, and there I saw the glory of the God of Israel coming from the east”.  These words in the first reading remind of the Orthodox and Oriental Churches. When they construct their churches, they would set their church altars to face the east, so that, when the priests celebrate Mass, they will be looking towards that direction. In India, especially in Kerala where I came from, all our church altars face the east. The concept is based on the expectation that Christ would come again, arriving from the east, and the priest is leading the community to the heavenly Jerusalem.  Interestingly, the Hindu temples also face eastwards.  And do you know, the houses in my village are built with the kitchens facing the east also. Why? It has nothing related to the coming of Christ. It has to do with the sunrise. The mothers of the households start cooking when they wake up, and the kitchens are open concept, so the rising sun will provide...
Read more

Christmas Homily 2021,

-
 For readings: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/122521-night.cfm “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” A very blessed Christmas to all of you again. This is my third Christmas in USA, in Iowa. But my first with this parish. It’s a very special feeling, celebrating Christmas here and now. When Bishop Joensen first told me about my transfer to this parish as Rector, I was very hesitant to accept because I am very young as priest, very new in this land and very inexperienced in parish management. The call was too huge for me. I tried to say no, appoint someone more capable than I. But I think Bishop pretended he didn’t understand my accent. Honestly, I was really anxious and not ready for such a big change so soon. In obedience, I finally said ‘yes’, like Mary did when angel Gabriel announced to her about God’s plan. Maybe that was how Mary felt too. She was so young, inexperienced and not married. To be the mother of the Me...
Read more

Homily: December 28, 2024 Feast of the Holy Innocents (Suffering).

-
"Rise, take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you." Just three days ago, we celebrated Christmas - a joyful commemoration of the day God came to live among us in our world, it is a when divine light entered human darkness, it is a day for rejoicing. The Christmas season continues for the Church up until the feast of the Baptism of the Lord. However, if we read and reflect on the details of Christ’s birth and events surrounding this season of joy, we see poverty, simplicity and suffering. Just before our Lord was born into this world, His earthly parents went through hardship just to find a place to rest, He was then welcomed into physical and material poverty, the day after His birth, we celebrated the death of the first martyr, St. Stephen, followed by the feast of St. John the Evangelist who suffered persecution and isolation till a ripe old age. And now today, we observe the feast of the Holy Innocents — a sorrowful event when hundreds of...
Read more