Homily: June 3, 2025, Tuesday of the Seventh Week of Easter (The Hour)

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“Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and said, 'Father, the hour has come.'"

Fourteen years ago, before I was ordained a priest, my mommy was in the hospital for some time, and I stayed by her side every day. She was undergoing chemotherapy and radiation treatment for final-stage metastatic cancer. Suddenly one day, she asked me to get her a priest so she could do her confession and receive the anointing of the sick.

I was a little shaken by her request. Was she going to die?

Secretly, I called my siblings and informed them about her request for the sacraments, and they too wondered if she was getting ready to die.

That night, again I sat by her bedside, with a big worry on my face. My mommy noticed it and just before going to sleep, she gently but calmly assured me, “I’m not going to die tonight. You sleep well, and tell your siblings too.”

I never knew my facial expression could betray all my thoughts, worries, and what I did!

Mommy was right, she didn’t die that night. But a few months later, her time came, her final hour arrived, and she went home to the Lord peacefully.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus knows that His hour has come. As the Lord of life, He knows everything: His own death, His resurrection and every hour of His every life event.

But we do not know the hour of our life and death, not in advance. And thus, Jesus reminds us to always be ready, “Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour.” (Mt 25:13)

Jesus was ready when His hour came, He had accomplished the mission His Father gave Him. He declared to His Father, “I glorified you on earth by accomplishing the work that you gave me to do.”

Our life is short, very short in comparison to the length of human history, and even shorter in the light of eternity. But short as it may be, each of us has a purpose and mission in life. A purpose significant enough for God to have planned it and given it value in the building of His Kingdom.

The crucial question for us is: If we were to die today, would we be able to say to God with confidence, “I glorified you on earth by accomplishing the work you gave me to do”?

If yes, I am sure we would have peace. If no, would we then be ready to meet God face to face?

Therefore, stay awake, be ready, accomplish your mission, glorify God with your life, for you know neither the day nor the hour.” Amen.


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Homily: March 27, 2026, Saturday of the Fifth Week in Lent (Hardness of Heart)

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 “So from that day on they planned to kill him.” These are very strong and shocking words from today’s Gospel. During this season of Lent, we have been praying often in the responsorial psalm: “If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.” Every morning, priests and religious pray this line in the Divine Office. It is like a daily reminder, a warning—to keep our hearts open to God. But in today’s Gospel, we see the opposite. The Pharisees and the chief priests witnessed so many miracles of Jesus. And the final one—the raising of Lazarus after four days in the tomb—is something truly extraordinary. That one miracle alone should have led anyone to faith. But instead of believing, they decide to kill Him. Why? Because their hearts had become hard. They chose not to see. They chose not to listen. They chose not to believe. They closed their eyes to the truth and shut their ears to God’s voice. And this is where today’s Gospel speaks to us. Hardness of heart does not happen in o...
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Homily: March 23,2026, Monday of the Fifth Week in Lent (God's does not condemn)

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 “Now in the law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say? They said this to test him.” Today we heard two powerful stories - one from the Book of Daniel and another from the Gospel of John. In the first reading, Susanna was truly innocent but was falsely accused and about to be condemned for something she never did. She was used as a scapegoat to cover up for the sins of covetous men pretending to be righteous. In the Gospel reading, we see a slightly different situation. The woman caught in adultery was truly guilty of the sin. But similarly, she was used as a bait to trap Jesus, and Jesus cleverly diverted the tricks of those evil men pretending to be righteous. In both cases, God saved the victims. God is a defender of the innocent and savior of the vulnerable. In the Gospel, Jesus did not deny the woman’s sin, but he did not let that destroy her. He gave her a new beginning: “Go, and from now on do not sin anymore.” This is why Jesus says, “It is the will of...
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 “Since he has turned away from all the sins that he committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die.” In the spiritual tradition of the Church, we often talk about the four last things: death, judgment, heaven, hell. Death is certain for each one of us. We will all die one day.  Judgment is also certain. It is part of our encounter with God. He is the ultimate Judge. Then the final destination. It is not heaven and hell, it is heaven or hell. Each of us will have the freedom to choose. Do you think everyone will choose heaven? Many do not want hell, but that does not mean they want heaven. Choosing heaven means choosing God, choosing His will. This is where we all failed. Everyone has sinned. But in today’s first reading, the prophet Ezekiel gives all of us a great big hope: our past does not have the final word. The hope is that if a person turns away from sin, if they repent and choose what is right, they shall live - repent and believe in the Gospel! Many people, myself ...
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