Fr. Nivin's Homily Blog

 “Study the generations long past and understand; has anyone hoped in the Lord and been disappointed?”  I have read this passage many times before, but it struck me differently this time. The message of hope resonates so deeply with me since this year is the Jubilee Year of Hope.  Romans 5:5: “Hope does not disappoint us.” We are pilgrims of hope, our pilgrimage is a journey of hope, and we are assured that when we place our hope in the Lord, we will not be disappointed. Have you ever been disappointed? Probably yes. And that could be because we were hoping the Lord will meet our expectations. We placed our desires in your own ambitions, and hoped the Lord would satisfy us and please us, He probably did or didn’t. Well, that is not the hope of faith we are talking about here. The answer becomes clear when we study the generations that came before us. If I think about my own parents and grandparents, they lived devout and pious lives. Their only hope was in the Lord and Hi...

 “Everything is possible to one who has faith.” There’s a story about a small town which endured a severe drought for many years. The whole town had not seen a drop of rain in years. Finally, in desperation, the townspeople asked their priest to lead a day of prayer for rain. On the appointed day, everyone gathered in the town square to pray. Hundreds of people came, but only one man brought an umbrella. We pray and we plead with God, but do we have faith in our prayer? Or do we not have faith in God? Jesus lamented in today’s Gospel text, “O faithless generation, how long will I be with you? How long will I endure you?”  We can feel Jesus’ frustration, disappointment, and sadness. His disciples could not cast out a demonic spirit because they lacked faith, they lacked prayer, they were not connected with God. “He said to them, “This kind can only come out through prayer.”” So, the disciples did not pray, they did not call on the Lord’s name, they acted independently. In the G...

 “To you who hear I say, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.” (Luke 6:27-28) Love and hate are two very powerful human emotions that can heal or kill. Love can heal deep wounds and great divisions, while hatred can drive one to destroy lives and shatter peace. With love we can forgive, through hate we create fear. In the first reading, we see David and Abishai entering the camp of Saul’s 3,000 strong army, crept into where the king was sleeping soundly. David had good reason to hate Saul and the perfect opportunity to kill him, but he chose not to. David chose to love and honor God who anointed Saul.  26 years ago, Graham Staines, an Australian Christian missionary who took care of lepers in North India, was burnt alive by extremists, along with his two young sons. The attackers were fueled by hatred. Yet, just days after the deadly attack, Graham’s widow, Gladys Staines, publicly forgave the murderers, ...

 “And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock, I will build my Church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.”  Our Lord founded the Church and handed over its growth and development into the future, to Peter. Note that the disciple is Simon, but the pope is Peter. Thus, this appointment to build the church, an appointment so solid like a rock, will be so strong and firm that not even hell could ever overcome it. Simon Peter was not perfect; he had his human weaknesses. It is written that he had cowardly denied Jesus three times, and at one point, Jesus even rebuked him, “Get behind me, Satan” (Matthew 16:23). Christian Tradition also tells that during the time of persecution in Rome, he had tried to escape and flee from Rome. The story continued that on his way along the road outside the city, he met our Lord Jesus where he asked, “Quo vadis, Domine?” - “Where are you going Lord?” To which our Lord replied, “Romam eo iterum crucifigī” – “I a...

 Jesus enjoined them, “Watch out, guard against the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.” What is ‘the leaven of the Pharisees’ and ‘the leaven of Herod’? In this passage, Jesus must have been trying to teach His disciples something very important, but they were all thinking about food, specifically about bread, such that they didn’t understand what He was teaching. Who can blame them? Like all of us, they too had practical concerns, they were worried about the lack of food on the journey. But Jesus was trying to warn them of something more worrying, something which will not just keep them hungry, but will also destroy life. Recently, during my vacation with my sister, I listened to a Bible podcast she was following. Coincidentally, that episode was discussing the significance of the unleavened bread in the Old Testament. Why did God command the Israelites in Egypt to eat unleavened bread for their Passover feast? 1. Because they had to eat in haste, to finish their m...

"Where is your brother Abel?" We are now in the fourth chapter of Genesis. Before this, we read about the first sin of mankind – disobedience - when Adam and Eve did what they were told not to do. They lived in a perfect world and had dominance over everything, but they were discontented and were tempted by greed. Sin did not stop there; it was passed on to the next generation. In this chapter, we see Cain committing a grave sin - he killed his brother Abel. He was discontented with God’s favor on Abel and was tempted by pride. As we continue through Genesis, we see sin perpetuating and spreading through humanity. The Lord had warned Cain that “sin is a demon lurking at the door: his urge is toward you, yet you can be his master.” Eve, Adam, Cain and every one of us are tempted by sin, yet we can be its master. The moment we let it enter our heart, and leave it unchecked, it will deepen its hold on us and enslave us. Jesus says, “Everyone who sins is a slave of sin.” (John 8:...

 “In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.” Today's responsorial psalm is deeply moving if we take the time to meditate on the words and meaning. God is our refuge, our hiding place, our safe haven. When I was little, every time my siblings and I made our mommy angry, we would always run into my grandpa’s room to escape from mommy. Because grandpa would always protect us, and mommy would not beat us in his presence. He was our best protection, our safest shield from punishment. But of course, when mommy cools down, grandpa would advise us to apologize to her and remind us not to upset her again. Our God is like that. He is the One who can protect us from all danger to our souls and shield us from evil. But we must run to Him. In the first reading, we hear about the moment when Adam and Eve sinned. For the first time in their life, they experienced shame, guilt, darkness, failure, sadness, and brokenness. Instead of taking refuge in God, they tried to hide from Him in shame. ...

 God blessed them, saying: "Be fertile and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it." What do you think? Does God’s command to multiple and fill the earth with humans and more humans logical? Is the world’s resources sufficient for all to consume and enjoy? Honestly, I take pride that I come from India, it is the most populous country in the world. Its current population is four times the USA. The Western world has, in the past, often ridiculed India for its massive and growing population, considering such population a burden and its continued growth a crisis. International organizations have invested heavily in promoting products and schemes to help reduce India’s population. Government clinics and hospitals have pressured women to exercise birth control. Among indigenous and poor communities, sterilizations were often performed without the women’s consent. The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has even spent millions to promote such practices, primarily targeting poorer ...

 "God Saw How Good It Was." I love to read the story of creation, to visualize how it all started, the see our origin, the source of our being. God, in His infinite love, created the world to express His goodness, and made humanity the crown of His creation, to reflect His perfection. His expression was good. His reflection was good. Everything He created was good because each of His creation had a purpose for existence, a place in the world, a special relationship with Him. There was unique beauty in each, and harmony as a whole. His grace was in everything. He could see it. It was truly good. We know that as the story continued, the beauty and perfection were shattered soon after, by the sin of man, God’s masterpiece of all His created beings. Superficially, we see that God’s creation was destroyed. However, if we look around the world today, we can still see glimpses of the original goodness. A newborn baby. A full bloom flower. A bright rising sun. We can see how good it ...

 "But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me has not been ineffective." St. Paul, the great apostle of Christ, speaks these words with profound humility, giving all credit and glory to God for the great work he is doing. His humility also expressed his full obedience which allowed God’s grace to work effectively through him. Yet if we look at St. Paul’s life, especially after he took up the apostolic ministry for Christ, it was full of hardships and sufferings. His life took a drastic turn from a powerful persecutor of Christians to a passionate preacher for Christ after Christ called him. He endured terrible persecutions and merciless torture thereafter. Through this painful fire in the furnace, God molded him into His most effective instrument of mercy and love, not only during his lifetime but for generations ahead. The church today is the beneficiary of God’s grace through St. Paul’s labor. Do you also encounter struggles and challenges in your work for G...