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

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 “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 the children of light.” (Luke 16:8)

The devil does not rest, so we too must not be complacent. We must be wise in the ways of light.

Three days ago, the Vatican released a new document titled ‘Mater Populi Fidelis’ – ‘Mother of the Faithful People of God’, a Doctrinal Note about certain Marian titles which highlight Mary’s cooperation in the work of salvation.  

This document clarifies that while Mary is deeply honored and plays a unique role in our salvation, Jesus alone is the Redeemer and Mediator of humanity. It urges Catholics to venerate Mary properly, while always keeping Christ as the center.

There are many who teach against our faith or spread confusion about these things. Thus, the words of St. Paul urged us, “you are able to admonish one another.”

We are to help and support one another, correct one another gently but firmly in the right direction, and accompany each other to grow deeper in truth and stronger in love.

Let us strive harder towards being full of goodness and filled with knowledge of God. Let us learn more, pray more, study more so we can help one another on this pilgrim journey of faith, advancing towards the purpose of our being created.

Come, Holy Spirit, help and inspire us!

Amen.


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Homily: December 21, 2025, Fourth Sunday of Advent (Joseph -Trust)

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“When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home.” God chose Joseph, a simple carpenter, to be the foster father of His beloved Son. A man from Nazareth, an insignificant town. A man with no power, no influence, no recorded words in Scripture. Yet Joseph stands at the very heart of the salvation story. What makes him so important is not what he said, but what God entrusted him with. There were kings and scholars, priests and leaders, wealthy and influential men. But God entrusted His Son not to them. He entrusted Him to Joseph. That tells us something profound about Joseph’s character. If God trusted him with Jesus, then Joseph must have been a man of deep integrity, quiet strength, steady faith, and faithful obedience. He did not question God’s decision, did not demand explanation to be convinced, nor sought recognition for his sacrifices. He listened. He trusted. He obeyed. And he acted without delay. This Fourth Sunday of Advent i...
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Homily: December 20, 2025, Saturday of the Third Week of Advent

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 “The Lord spoke to Ahaz: Ask for a sign from the Lord, your God.” Some people have special gifts, they are able to see signs of divine intervention or direction everywhere. Almost every day, they recognize God’s hand directly at work in their lives. I have friends who seem to be gifted in this area. They notice signs that I overlook and would dismiss as normal daily incidents, but only to realize later they were truly divine intervention. Recently, I read an autobiography. The author shared that on one occasion she was waiting a long time for a friend to join her for lunch, but who did not arrive. She later learned that her friend was killed in an accident. Overwhelmed with grief, she went to church to pray. An infant baptism was taking place, and she heard the newborn baby cry. At that moment, she felt God speaking to her, consoling her that though her friend’s life on earth had ended, at the same time, a new life was brought into Church, reborn through water and the Holy Spirit,...
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Homily: March 30, 2025, Fourth Sunday in Lent (Second Scrutiny of Elect, Year A readings )

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 “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” He answered and said, “Who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?” Today, we celebrate the second scrutiny of our 17 elect who are preparing to receive the Sacrament of Baptism. Dear elect, you are here today because God has chosen you, to have faith Jesus Christ. Who is He, that you may believe in Him? He is Son of God, the Father. We believe because we have the gift of faith. As I reflect on this moment, I can’t help but be in awe of God’s way of working. Look at ourselves. I’m from India, your catechist Priscilla is from Kenya, and among you are brothers and sisters from Burma, South Sudan, and Mexico. And yet, here we all are, at St. Ambrose, because God chose us, every one of us. By our own ability, or choice, or plan, we would not have created such a beautiful union of diversity, all at the same time, in the same place, for the same reason – to respond to God’s call for us to be His people of faith. Who would have known? In today’s first r...
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Homily: December14, 2025, Third Sunday of Advent

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 “Those whom the Lord has ransomed will return and enter Zion singing, crowned with everlasting joy; they will meet with joy and gladness, sorrow and mourning will flee.” The Israelites were still in exile, after many years. They did not know how long more before they could return to their own land. They did not know if they could ever return. Some had died, some had lost faith and chosen a different life, some continued to wait, though losing patience, because they were suffering while in exile, they had no freedom, no power, no status. Then Isaiah spoke these words of hope, that God will restore their land, their status, their freedom. Beyond just returning to the promised land, they were also waiting for God to send the Messiah, to restore them their original glory. But, like children on a long road trip, the big question is, “How long more? When will it be?” The Israelites could not see ahead, they did not know how long more they had to wait. For us, we know. This third Sunday ...
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Homily: September 15, 2025, Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows (Entrustment)

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 “Woman, behold, your son.” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother.” This arrangement, spoken from the Cross, may look like a simple and practical arrangement for the care of His surviving mother, but truly, it carries a deeper and profound truth. It is one of the ‘seven last words of Jesus’. Quite naturally and obviously, He entrusted the care of His beloved Mother to someone reliable and obedient. He gave her to John. And at the same time, He also entrusted the continued nurturing of John, His beloved disciple, to His Mother. Jesus had no earthly possessions which will wither and end to leave behind. What He left, as a lasting forever legacy to His disciples and as a gift of eternity to all believers to come, was the institution of the Holy Eucharist at the Last Supper. Now from the Cross, He is giving to the whole of humanity something personal: His own Mother,  whom He took His human flesh and blood from when she carried Him in her womb. Why John the beloved ap...
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Homily: December 28, 2024 Feast of the Holy Innocents (Suffering).

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"Rise, take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you." Just three days ago, we celebrated Christmas - a joyful commemoration of the day God came to live among us in our world, it is a when divine light entered human darkness, it is a day for rejoicing. The Christmas season continues for the Church up until the feast of the Baptism of the Lord. However, if we read and reflect on the details of Christ’s birth and events surrounding this season of joy, we see poverty, simplicity and suffering. Just before our Lord was born into this world, His earthly parents went through hardship just to find a place to rest, He was then welcomed into physical and material poverty, the day after His birth, we celebrated the death of the first martyr, St. Stephen, followed by the feast of St. John the Evangelist who suffered persecution and isolation till a ripe old age. And now today, we observe the feast of the Holy Innocents — a sorrowful event when hundreds of...
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Homily: October 12, 2024, Saturday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time (United)

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“For you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Over the past few days, we have been reading from the letters of St. Paul to the Galatians. Today’s reading we see him pleading with the community to be united in Christ.  What is happening to the Galatian community? Didn’t we read in Acts of the Apostles, “All the believers were one in heart and mind”? That was how the early Christians lived during the Pentecostal event despite strong persecution. But the Galatians were living differently. It seemed that their society then, like ours today, was greatly divided, separated by ethnicity, social status, gender discrimination, and differences in culture and tradition. St. Paul emphasized and reminded them that they are ‘all one in Christ Jesus’. What about our society? Recent surveys show that more than 80% of Americans feel that the country is more divided than united. Although we are a Christian nation, we are polarized in our political stands, religious views and many other life issues. At St. ...
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Homily: December 2, 2025, Tuesday of the First Week of Advent (Knowledge)

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“There shall be no harm or ruin on all my holy mountain;  for the earth shall be filled with knowledge of the LORD,  as water covers the sea.” How beautiful this promise is, the entire earth filled with the knowledge of the Lord as water covers the sea. Imagine a world where every heart, every home, every nation is filled with the knowledge of God. What a different world that would be. Knowledge is one of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. But this knowledge does not simply mean information it means truly knowing God: knowing His heart, His will, His love, His commandments. This is the very purpose of human life. The Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1721 teaches: God placed us in the world to know Him, to love Him, and to serve Him, and so to come to Paradise. And notice the order: Know> Love> Serve. We cannot love someone we do not know, and we cannot serve someone we do not love. So how do we know God? The Psalm tells us:  “Be still and know that I am God” (Psal...
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Homily: December, 22,2024, Fourth Sunday in Advent (Mother- Peace)

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 "His greatness shall reach to the ends of the earth; he shall be peace." The prophecy of Micah proclaimed 700 years before the birth of Jesus, had already foretold the extent and essence of our Lord’s greatness – it shall reach to the ends of the earth, and He shall be peace. Now 2,700 years later, Christianity has indeed spread to every corner of the world and for everyone who truly knows and follows Christ, will experience His peace. Here we are, celebrating the Fourth Sunday of Advent, just days away from Christmas, are you at peace? Almost every society throughout the world is celebrating Christmas, albeit with commercial overtones, but is there peace around the world? During this holiday season, in the confessionals and from conversations, I hear the same issues brought up - stress, worries, anxieties about the preparations, the family gatherings, the expectations. Shopping, cleaning the house, buying and wrapping gifts, writing cards, getting new clothes - all these ta...
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Homily: February 16, 2023, Thursday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time

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 “Get behind me satan.” Jesus’ words to St. Peter, the first pope, are so powerful. Last week, a man came for reconciliation, and he gave me this beautiful chain with a cross which has the Holy face of Jesus on one side. The other side of the cross has these words: ‘ Vade Retro Satana’ in Latin, which means ‘Get behind me, satan’. These are powerful words used in exorcism. Satan is evil and cunning, he tempted Adam and Eve by cleverly rationalising for them how it seemed logical to disobey God. In the same way, Peter was suggesting to Jesus to avoid the way of suffering and death, which seemed logical but was ultimately against God’s plan. If we look around us, we see the same thing happening in our world. Satan continues to tempt us with the good life, using technology to increase pleasure, enhance comfort and convenience, to make life easy and avoid anything that could involve hardship, even for the good and betterment of the world. He tempts women to destroy life of the unborn ...
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