Homily: June 24, 2025, Solemnity of the Birth of John the Baptist

-

 “What, then, will this child be?”

One of the greatest joys of my ministry as a priest is baptizing and welcoming new Catholics, whether adults, youth, young children or babies. At St. Ambrose, I have witnessed an overwhelming number of baptisms compared to funerals. Last year, we had over 70 baptisms, only 8 funerals. Thanks be to God!

In my last four years here, I have had the privilege of baptizing at least 150 babies. Every baptism is a celebration of new life in Christ, a rebirth, a new creation.

And very often, shortly after a child is born, families would invite me either to the hospital, or once they get home, to pray for, to bless or simply to be present with them as they rejoice in the arrival of their newborn. The birth of a child is a profound sign of a greater force at work. 

As I gaze at these beautiful little bundles of new life, like the people at the birth of John the Baptist, I too wonder: What will this child be? How will God work through this life?

When I was born, nobody would have guessed that my vocation would be priesthood. Even as I was growing up, all they could see in me was trouble. But God knows. He has a purpose and a plan for me. For you also.

In today’s first reading, we hear two powerful declarations: “I will make you a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth,” and “You are my servant, Israel, through whom I show my glory.”

These words reveal our purpose and religious calling, they are the foundation of our own Christian mission: to be light in a world of darkness, to reflect God’s glory in all that we say and do.

In whatever vocation we are called to, in whatever life situation we are in, the mission does not change. We are the light of Christ, called to shine wherever we are placed, to light up the world in whichever corner we are rooted.

To fulfil our God-given mission, we need to remain faithful, like John the Baptist. Like the saints, we too are called to a life of holiness. This is what we are called to be, from the day of our birth, and this is what we will be, by the end of our time.

And for every newborn in our communities, every newly baptized Catholic in our parish, we pray the same, that they may grow in wisdom and grace, may they be kept from sin and despair, may they be faithful to the mission entrusted to them by Christ, to be a light for the nations, a servant through which God’s glory will shine.

Amen.


Comments

Post a Comment

Read

Homily: April 18, 2026, Saturday of the Second Week of Easter (Be not Afraid )

-
 “It is I. Do not be afraid.” One of my nephews and I used to do WhatsApp video calls. You know how those apps have masks and funny filters. One day I put on a scary mask, he threw the phone aside, and ran away. He got frightened. Later I called him and said , “It’s your uncle. Don’t worry.” After that we made an agreement—no more masks/ filters during our calls. Now he is fine! In today’s Gospel, the disciples see Jesus walking on the water, but they do not recognize Him. They think they are seeing a ghost, and they are terrified. Then Jesus speaks: “It is I. Do not be afraid.” The moment they hear His voice, fear begins to leave them. His words help them recognize Him. His voice brings peace. That is the power of the word of God. We see the opposite in Gethsemane. When the soldiers came to arrest Jesus, they asked, “Are you Jesus the Nazorean?” Jesus answered: “I AM.” And the Gospel says they drew back and fell to the ground. The same Lord. The same voice. The same divine power. ...
Read more

Homily: April 19, 2026, Third Sunday of Easter (God Walk with us )

-
 “Jesus himself drew near and walked with them, but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him.” When I was a child, I walked a lot. Because few families owned a car, including my family and there was hardly any public transportation in my village. So, everybody walked. One of my earliest memories in life was walking with my grandfather. He brought me along wherever he went. We walked along the narrow village roads, through farms and plantations. Sometimes I would walk slowly by his side. Sometimes I would run ahead a few steps, then pause to wait for him, and then I would run ahead again. I still enjoy going on walks, with nowhere specific to go to, just strolling around leisurely, sometimes with my nieces and nephews, with friends, or alone, just to enjoy the scenery and fresh air. It is always especially pleasant to walk with someone you love, respect or are comfortable with. In today’s Gospel, we see a life-changing walk. On the day of the Resurrection, two disciples of Jes...
Read more

Homily: April 20, 2026, Monday of the Third week of Easter (Friendship with Jesus)

-
 “Amen, amen, I say to you, you are looking for me not because you saw signs but because you ate the loaves and were filled.” I have many personal friends whom I do not contact regularly anymore, mostly because of our busy schedules, time zone difference, and simply how quickly time passes. But when I need something from there, when I need their help, I would not hesitate to call them. And they would oblige and not reject me. They too, would reach out to me only when they need my help, and I would not deny them my assistance either. I do feel guilty quite often, however. I do think I should have called them more often, to check in with them and show concern, not just when I needed help. My friends are guilty of the same. In today’s Gospel, people were looking for Jesus, and He knew their motivation, because they knew He could provide for their needs, He could feed them and satisfy their hunger for food. Sadly, they did not know He could give them much more than mere food, they simp...
Read more

Homily: April 15, 2026 Wednesday of the Second Week of Easter (Angels)

-
Holy Family School Mass Homily:   “During the night, the angel of the Lord opened the doors of the prison.” Did you hear that line in today’s first reading? The Sadducees put the apostles in jail. But during the night, an angel of the Lord came, opened the prison doors, and set them free. That is amazing, right? Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have an angel like that? But here is the good news: You already do! Each one of you has a guardian angel. God has given every one of us an angel to protect us, guide us, and help us reach heaven. Some saints were very close to their guardian angels. St. Isidore, a farmer in Spain, loved God very much. There are stories that angels helped him with his work when he was busy praying. St. Padre Pio often spoke with his guardian angel and even asked his angel to help others. St. Gemma Galgani also experienced her guardian angel, who guided her and even corrected her when she did something wrong! Even in the life of Jesus, when He was praying in t...
Read more

Homily: October 26, 2025, Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time.

-
 “The one who serves God willingly is heard; his petition reaches the heavens. The prayer of the lowly pierces the clouds; it does not rest till it reaches its goal.” Last week’s readings touched on the theme of prayer, this theme continues in our readings this Sunday. Throughout the week, I often see people coming quietly into our church to pray during different times of the day. Some light candles, some kneel before the statue of Our Lady of the World, and some just sit before the tabernacle in silence. A few come from nearby offices during their break from work to spend a few minutes with Jesus or with Mary. There are also those who are homeless, some are patients or their visitors from the hospitals. Different states of life, different prayer intentions, yet all come with faith in God. This is truly a house of prayer. All are welcome. As proclaimed in the first reading, God has no favorites. Rich or poor, young or old, well or sick, strong or weak, God welcomes all and hears al...
Read more

Homily: March 24, 2026, Tuesday of the Fifth Week in Lent (Old-New )

-
 “Why have you brought us up from Egypt to die in this desert…? We are disgusted with this wretched food!” When you read the story of Exodus to this point, do you feel frustrated with the Israelites? Don’t you think they should be deeply grateful to God? For years, they have been praying and crying to God to save them from slavery. Then God sent Moses and they saw with their own eyes the many miracles and wonders God performed to bring them all out of Egypt safely. The ten plagues, the passover, the parting of the Red Sea as they walked on dry ground to freedom. They experienced God’s power firsthand and saw what generations before and after them have not seen. They know God is real. Now they did not have to be flogged and beaten, they did not have to work in harsh conditions, they did not have to live in fear, they didn’t even have to grow their own food. God provided every day. And yet, they complained, they blamed God and Moses, they even called manna, the food God gave them fro...
Read more

Homily: April 17, 2026, Friday of the second week of Easter (Gamliel)

-
 “Fellow children of Israel, be careful what you are about to do to these men.” These are the words of Gamaliel in today’s first reading. Gamaliel was a Pharisee, a highly respected teacher of the law. People listened to him because his words carried wisdom and authority. He was also the teacher of Saul who later became Paul the Apostle. In today’s reading, we see that his logic was simple but profound: “For if this endeavor or this activity is of human origin, it will destroy itself. But if it comes from God, you will not be able to destroy them; you may even find yourselves fighting against God.” And so too, his advice was simple but wise: Be careful. Think. Do not act in haste. I often wonder, “Where was Gamaliel when Jesus was being condemned?” If he was present at the Sanhedrin, could Jesus be spared the death sentence like the Apostles? In any case, from today’s reading, we can conclude that Gamaliel was indeed a man of justice, a man of prudence, a man of wisdom, and a man o...
Read more

Homily: June 18, 2023, Sunday of the Eleventh Sunday in ordinary time (God's Love)

-
 "At the sight of the crowds, Jesus' heart was moved with pity because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd." I especially admire Pope Benedict XVI. I can relate to his personality in many ways. He was an introvert and shy, so am I. And he liked bier, so do I. He was one of the greatest theologians of our time. Through the encyclicals, which are papal letters to all the bishops of the church, Popes share their wisdom and insights on world issues and the faith to guide the church forward. When Pope Benedict was installed, many theologians and the world waited eagerly for his first encyclical, wondering which global issue of the time he would address. Instead, his first encyclical dwelt on a very basic yet profound topic, "Deus Caritas est", that means "God is love". It was what the church needed, to go back to who God really is and focus on the very basis and essence of our existence. No world issue can be resolved without kno...
Read more

Homily April 29, Memorial of Saint Catherine of Siena, Virgin and Doctor of the Church

-
 “And all day long, both at the temple and in their homes, they did not stop teaching and proclaiming the Christ, Jesus”. Even after being flogged, all day long, the disciples continued teaching and preaching everywhere… Amazing, isn’t it?  These past few days, we have been reading from Acts of the Apostles. We see how the Jewish leaders and high priest tried to stop the apostles from preaching in the name of Jesus. But they failed. The Pharisee Gamaliel rightly said, “if it comes from God, you will not be able to destroy them; you may even find yourselves fighting against God.” How true. The church is from God. The disciples did not stop teaching and proclaiming. They even rejoiced at being flogged for what they were doing. They were on fire for Jesus. They were so eager and excited to tell everyone about Jesus. What about us? If there is a new restaurant serving delicious food or a store is having a great end-of-summer sale, we would hear many people talking about it. Some w...
Read more

Homily: November 7, 2025, Friday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time (Knowledge)

-
 “You yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, and able to admonish one another.” ‘Full of goodness and filled with knowledge’. What powerfully positive words from St. Paul. One of my greatest blessings is being born into a traditional Catholic family and raised by God-fearing parents. From an early age I learned about Jesus, memorized prayers, and was familiar with church matters and traditions. But do I fully know God? No, not even at this stage of my faith life. My soul knows Him intimately, but my human knowledge and intellect still have a lot to learn. My knowledge of Christ and Christianity remains incomplete. Some who join the Catholic Church later may know more about God, more about the faith, than many of us who have been in the Church all our lives. That is why we must continue to grow in our knowledge of God, understanding of Church, and deepen our practice of faith. Jesus said, “For the children of this world are more prudent in their generation than ...
Read more