Fr. Nivin's Homily Blog

 He said to him, "Follow me." And leaving everything behind, he got up and followed him.  Have you watched the TV series about Jesus, The Chosen? Which is your favorite character? I personally love the character of Matthew. With poetic imagination, they beautifully presented this scene when Jesus called out to Matthew and how he responded spontaneously to the call. I remember watching Jesus walk past Matthew’s tax collection booth, and they both locked eyes, just before Jesus called out to him. It was exciting to see the way Matthew looking shocked at first and then disregarding even the Roman guard’s attempts to stop him, Matthew just went out of his booth and left his high-paying job forever, without looking back. It almost seems as if Matthew had been waiting, and waiting for someone to reach out to him, someone to invite him, call him and give him a good reason to change his life. As a tax collector, Matthew was trapped between two worlds. His own Jewish people rejected h...

 "Appear not before the LORD empty-handed, for all that you offer is in fulfillment of the precepts."  One of our parish volunteers who gives rides to refugee families to bring them for Sunday Mass shared an incident with me. One day, she arrived at a house to pick up a family as usual, but they were reluctant to go to church. When she asked them why, the children responded, “We have no money to put in the collection basket.” Oh, my heart ached to hear that. The church needs money, but God does not. Yet the refugee families in our parish, who have barely enough for themselves, would refuse to come before the Lord empty-handed. They are so eager to give. Our parish is special, our Sunday collections always receive hundreds of one-dollar bills. I presume these are small offerings given with great love. Just like the poor widow who gave two small coins, she won Jesus’ praise for giving her all. Our Lord does not count the dollars, He weighs the sincerity. The first reading tells...

Did you listen attentively to the Gospel reading? Yes? Let me test you… What did Jesus say? Did He say, “Whoever eats my bread and drinks my wine?”  No! He said, “Whoever eats my FLESH and drinks my BLOOD remains in me and I in him.” Yes, when you receive Holy Communion, you are receiving the real flesh and blood of Jesus. I am sure Fr. Roy, your catechists, parents and the whole parish community have prepared you well for this day, so you know what you are receiving today. But what I want to focus on now is the last part where Jesus says, ‘remains in me and I in him’. 29 years ago in 1996, I received my First Holy Communion. I was eight years old, but I still remember that day vividly. I remember the preparations, my First Reconciliation, and the excitement I felt when I lined up to receive Jesus for the very first time. I remember seeing the priest dipping the Precious Body into the Precious Blood, and then that precious moment – Jesus’ body and blood rested on my tongue. So swee...