Homily: January 17, 2026, Saturday of the First Week in Ordinary Time (Discipleship)

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 Jesus said to him, “Follow me.” And without hesitation, Levi got up and followed Him.

There was no second thought, no delay, no negotiation. In that moment, Levi left behind his profession, his security, and all the benefits and privileges that came with it, and he became Matthew, the apostle.

Not only that, Matthew brought many of his friends to Jesus. 

Where there is true conversion, others are always drawn in.

This is how discipleship works. When someone genuinely encounters Christ, that encounter never remains private. Every true conversion becomes contagious. Those who grow closer to Jesus naturally begin to bring others to Him.

The same is true for us. Our discipleship is not a one-person journey. We live our faith within families, communities, and parishes. If we are truly walking with Christ, our lives will influence others, whether we realize it or not.

And this leads us to a serious truth.

Influence works both ways.

In the first reading, we hear about Saul, who was anointed king by God. But as the story unfolds, Saul becomes unfaithful. His personal failure does not remain personal, it affects the entire nation. One person’s infidelity to God had consequences far beyond himself.

The same is true today. The failure of a priest deeply affects a parish. The failure of a parent affects the entire family.

The failure of a Christian affects the community.

God has called each of us by name—not only into life, but into Christian life, into discipleship. Our response matters. Our faithfulness matters. Our choices matter.

Like Matthew, let us rise when Jesus calls us. Let us follow Him wholeheartedly. And let us remain faithful, so that our lives may lead others not away from Christ, but toward Him.

Amen.


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Homily, January 27, 2026, Tuesday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time (Ark of the covenant-Eucharist)

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 “David went to bring up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom into the City of David amid festivities.” The Ark of God, also known as the Ark of the Covenant, was deeply venerated and treasured by the people of Israel. It was not just a sacred object; to the people of Israel, it was the very presence of God, dwelling among His people. When the Philistines captured the Ark during their battle with Israel, they thought they had won a great victory, they thought they had Israel’s God on their side, under their control. But instead of receiving blessings, the Ark brought distress to their land. Plagues broke out. Tumors afflicted the people. Their idol, Dagon, fell and shattered before the Ark. Misfortune followed wherever the Ark was placed.  Finally, the Philistines realized that this presence of God was not meant for them, so they returned the Ark to Israel. When David brought back the Ark to Israel, the experience was completely different from the Philistines. There was ...
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Homily: February 1, 2025, Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time (SEEK)

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“Seek the LORD, all you humble of the earth… seek justice, seek humility.” Let me begin with a simple but important question: What are you seeking in your life right now? It does not matter how old you are. It does not matter what stage of life you are in. What do you seek? What do you wish to have? According to the Gospel of John, the very first question Jesus asked when He started His public ministry was exactly this: “What are you looking for?” It is a simple, yet important question. Jesus asked his first disciples, He is also asking us today. A job? A promotion, a home, a family, children, a spouse, good health? A new direction, a decision, an explanation? Our concerns are very real, very human. Yet today, through the prophet Zephaniah, God gently redirects our hearts: “Seek the LORD.” Not one thing among many — but the one thing that makes everything else fall into place. If you have God in your life, you have everything you need. If you do not, nothing else will ever fully satisf...
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Homily: February 2, 2026, Feast of the presentation of the Lord (Go in peace)

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“Now, Master, you may let your servant go in peace, according to your word, for my eyes have seen your salvation.” This Canticle of Simeon, is short, simple yet so deeply profound, beautifully capturing the very essence of the longing of our soul for salvation, such that it is used in the night prayer of the Liturgy of the Hours. Every night, the church retires with the Canticle of Simeon, as we lay to rest, confident and contended, ready to go in peace should the Lord calls, because through the eyes of Simeon, we have seen salvation.  Simeon had waited his whole life for the arrival of the Messiah, the fulfillment of the Lord’s promise of salvation. And when Mary and Joseph brought the Child Jesus into the Temple for presentation, Simeon could recognize Him as the Messiah through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. What more did he need in his life? To be able to see the Messiah, and hold him in his arms, feeling the full presence of God in human form, he had seen the promise of G...
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Homily: December 12, 2025, Feast of the Our Lady of Guadalupe

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 “Mary set out and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah.” Today we celebrate the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the Patroness of the Americas, the Mother who draws near to her children with tenderness and mercy. In the Gospel, we see Mary going in haste to the hill country to help Elizabeth. That was 2,000 years ago. Yet 500 years ago, Mary again traveled to a hill the hill of Tepeyac, to meet a poor, humble indigenous man, Juan Diego, and to entrust him with a mission that seemed completely impossible: “Build me a church here.” Juan Diego was a recent convert, just learning the faith. How could he possibly accomplish such a task? But this is how Mary works. She always chooses the lowly, the simple, the overlooked because she knows that when we say “yes” with humility, God does the rest. Her words to Juan Diego are among the most comforting Mary has ever spoken. Here are just a few: • “My son, I love you. I desire you to know who I am. I am the ever-Virgin Ma...
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Homily: January 31, 2026 Saturday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time (Trust)

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 “Jesus was in the stern, asleep on a cushion. They woke Him and said, ‘Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?’” I am a little jealous of Jesus here. How can someone sleep like that? For a few years my next- room neighbor who was a hospital chaplain at unity point methodist hospital. On nights when he was on call, his pager would go off suddenly, and every time it did, I would wake up too. Even the slightest noise disturbed my sleep. And here is Jesus, in the middle of a violent storm, in a small boat, with waves crashing and water splashing everywhere and He is asleep. Jesus must be exhausted. He was busy. He carried a great mission. And yet nothing seems to disturb His peace. The One who taught us “Do not be afraid” is now teaching us how not to be afraid. His calm sleep is not indifference; it is trust, complete trust in the Father. Life, too, brings storms. Storms of illness, family struggles, financial stress, grief, fear, and uncertainty.  And in those moments, ...
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Homily: Janaury 30, 2026, Friday of the Third week in Ordinary Time (Be vigilant)

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“David, however, remained in Jerusalem. One evening David rose from his siesta and strolled about on the roof of the palace.” Have you ever watched a particular movie many times, and having known how the movie ends, you still go through the same emotions as if it were the first time? Well, I have. There are a few movies which I have watched many times. I know the story well, I know exactly how it will end, and yet I still wish the story would end differently especially in emotional scenes.  That is what I experience whenever I read the scenes of today’s first reading. For the past couple of weeks, we have been journeying with David through the high moments of his life, his anointing, his courage and faithfulness, his kindness to Saul and his rise to kingship.  Then today, the story took on a regretful twist. Suddenly, our hero falls, not into one sin, but multiple. It just got worse as he tried to cover up his first.. How? Why? David did not go out to battle as he should have....
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Homily: February 3, 2026, Tuesday of the Fourth Week In Ordinary Time (Hope-Eternal life)

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 “The king was shaken, and went up to the room over the city gate to weep.” Separation by death of a loved one is painful. But for a parent to grieve the loss of a child, it is deep anguish. The pain reaches deep into the core of the being. King David wept. The tears did not flow from his eyes, but from the depth of his very soul. No matter how strong, the king broke down and was completely helpless at the death of his own beloved son. No matter how powerful, this king could not bring back the life of his son. In the Gospel today, we meet another grieving parent. Jairus, who had just lost his beloved daughter. But there is one major difference. Jairus was not helpless, he had Jesus to turn to. And Jesus has the power to bring back life. A friend once shared her experience with her neighbor who lost a family member. Wanting to comfort the family, she visited them and enquired with the children, “Do you know what happens after death?” The children replied simply, “We become dirt.” Th...
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Homily: January 23, 2026, Friday of the second week in Ordinary Time (Forgiveness)

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 “Saul then said to David: ‘You are in the right rather than I; you have treated me generously, while I have done you harm.’” I may not remember everything from my theology classes, but one thing from the study of Christology that fascinated me and stayed with me, was the person of David. Not just as an impressive king in the Old Testament but as a prominent faithful servant who prefigured Jesus.  The similarities are striking. David and Jesus were both born in Bethlehem. They were both from the same tribe and lineage. David was a shepherd; Jesus is the Good Shepherd. David wept in the Garden of Olives after being betrayed by his own son, Absalom. Jesus wept in the Garden of Gethsemane after being betrayed by Judas. David was a king anointed by God; Jesus is the King of kings sent by God. But more than all these parallels, what touches me most is this: both David and Jesus loved and forgave their enemies. David was impressive but far from perfect. When sin overtook him, he com...
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Homily: Janaury 28, 2028, Catholic School Week Celebration Mass

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 “But those sown on rich soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit thirty and sixty and a hundredfold.” I am sorry that Bishop Joensen cannot be here to celebrate this Mass for you. He ran into me while he was searching for someone to take this Mass, so here I am. While I am no worthy replacement, I do feel honored to preside at this Mass for you, administrators, teachers, and staff of our Catholic schools. I would like to first thank all of you for your great work in forming faithful disciples for Christ and nurturing good citizens for this country and for the world. Your work matters, and the world surely needs more educators and collaborators like you. We appreciate you and are truly grateful for all that you do. I am from India. I have one brother and five sisters. My parents passed on some years ago. We lived in a farming village and I grew up helping on the farm every day. My parents were never really worried about my brother’s or my studies, because fo...
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Homily: August 30, 2025, Saturday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time (Work Hard)

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 “Aspire to live a tranquil life, to mind your own affairs, and to work with your own hands, as we instructed you.”  This is exactly what I desire for my own life, a tranquil, serene, peaceful life. And I believe many of us long for the same too. St. Paul repeatedly encourages the Christian community to live in peace, to engage in meaningful work, and to live in harmony with one another, respecting a healthy privacy and space for others. One common misunderstanding among the early Christians was about the Second Coming of Christ. Many believed that Christ’s return was imminent, so close that it would happen within their lifetime. Because of this anticipation, some thought that working to upkeep livelihood or planning for their children’s future were pointless. And in some sense, it is practical. If you knew that everything you are working for would soon be useless, that your life would be totally transformed and all your property would be valueless, would you still work? Work ...
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