Homily: June 23, 2025, Monday of the Twelfth week in Ordinary time (Measure)

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“The measure with which you measure will be measured out to you.”

Some of us may feel that most times we give goodness but receive trouble. We give friendship but receive enmity. We give love but receive rejection. Life does not seem fair, does it?

But let’s be honest, sometimes we do receive much better than what we give, even undeserving and unworthy. So, it probably evens out at the end, to our advantage. Especially when we work it out with God.

Our first reading is from Genesis chapter 12, when the story of salvation began. The eleven chapters before this are considered pre-history, there was no revelation from God yet. And then came Abram. He heard a voice, felt it was a divine calling, and he trusted it. It was a call that went beyond his understanding and control, yet he obeyed and followed.

Now named Abraham, he gave his word to trust and obey God, whom he had never known before. What was the measure he received in return?

Nearly 4,000 years later, his story continues to be told and taught, his name is great and known throughout the generations and nations, and his faith has been a blessing to the world. All these are God’s promises to him which have all been fulfilled. This is the measure he received, and it has not finished.

God is never outdone in generosity and grace.

You and I are invited to share in that same faith of trust and obedience as Abraham. To trust, we will win blessings. To obey and we will be promised fulfillment. The measure with which God measures out, in response to the little we give to Him, will never be outweighed.

Today, let us ask for the intercession of Abraham, the father of our faith, so that we too may have unshakable trust in God, that He may use the little we give and turn it into greatness and abundance.

God is good.

Amen.


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Homily: January 11, 2026, Feast of the Baptism of the Lord (Beloved)

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 The one begotten by God He protects, and the Evil One cannot touch him. Through our baptism, each one of us was claimed by God. We were called by name, welcomed into the Church, and sealed with the presence of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. From that moment on, we belong to God. Because of this, the Evil One has no power over a baptized Christian. He cannot simply take control of us. He can tempt, distract, confuse, and deceive, but he cannot touch us unless we freely give him permission. In my 9 years of priesthood, I have been asked only a few times to assist with cases related to exorcism. In each situation, careful discernment was required. Most cases involved mental health struggles or minor disturbances, not true possession. The Church is always very cautious. An exorcist asks many questions, not only to understand what is happening, but also to see how a door may have been opened. Very often, when something serious is involved, there has been a violation of the F...
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 “Take care not to perform righteous deeds in order that people may see them.” We live in a world of performance, we work to be seen and heard, to be recognized and applauded. With the explosive growth and popularity of social media, modesty has nearly disappeared. Many have taken to exposing every aspect of their personal lives, it is now so convenient and easy to share, like, and repost every little thing for the world to see. It is not a bad thing to share openly and freely with friends, especially the good moments, the joyful events, the memorable occasions. And within the Church, it is helpful to keep the community connected and informed, to broadcast and share all the good that is done, so that we can together praise and thank God for His blessings. Ahhh, here is the problem... Do we do good so that we can praise God, or do we do good so that others can praise us? Do we sometimes work hard to show that we are the most active, generous, or popular church in town? Are we offend...
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 “It is I who deal death and give life.” This is our response to the first reading today. God gave a warning to the king of Tyre, about his impending death. The king had accumulated so much wealth and power that he considered himself supreme and like a god. He felt so highly of himself that he forgot he was only a human and could never escape death. Only God could deal death and give life. Only by recognizing our own frailty can we see God’s supremacy over our life and death. A few months ago, one of my first cousins passed away at the age of 49 after battling multiple myeloma. She was survived by her loving husband and two children. Among the cousins who are still relatively young, she was the first to pass on. We were shocked and saddened by her passing. A few days later, I had a group call with my siblings, and we were talking about it. One of my sisters asked, “Who will be the first one among us to pass away?” I immediately replied, “I’m not ready.” My oldest sister then said, ...
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