Homily: April 14, 2026 Tuesday of the Second Week of Easter (Simple Faith)

-

 “If I tell you about earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you about heavenly things?”

This first conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus happens early in John’s Gospel, but by then, Nicodemus would have already heard about Jesus and knew about some of the miracles He worked.

Nicodemus knew there was something different about Jesus, something beyond the ordinary, something possibly divine. Thus, he said, “No one can do these signs unless God is with him.”

Nicodemus was knowledgeable, and like the rest of the Jewish people, he was waiting for the Messiah. Yet he struggled to believe in Jesus.

Jesus often spoke to ordinary people using simple every day images – planting seeds, vineyards, shepherding, fishing – events which were familiar to the people of that time.

But when Jesus spoke to Nicodemus who was a learned man, He went deeper. He spoke about being born again, about the Spirit, about heavenly realities.

And Nicodemus struggled. Why?

Because even though he knew Scripture, even though he understood the traditions, he could not understand this: simple faith.

He knew so much about God that he could not simplify faith. He could not imagine the Messiah coming as a commoner. He could not visualize salvation happening in human ways.

Similarly, faith becomes challenging for people who are educated and intellectual - even for the clergy. We priests may know the Scriptures. We may know theology. We may know the traditions. But we may still lack faith.

Like Nicodemus, we need to have a personal encounter with Jesus. To have a deep conversation with Jesus, so that we can have a deep conversion of heart. To understand simple faith.

Faith is not just knowing about God.

Faith is trusting God.

Trust comes from encounter. Trust leads to surrender. To surrender like a child – totally open and receptive, trusting and believing, without doubt, without fear. That is faith.

Thus, Jesus told Nicodemus: You must be born again.

To begin again, as a child.

To start with nothing, so as to gain everything.

Only then will we believe in the earthly things Jesus warns us about, and the heavenly things He promises us.

May everyone of us encounter Jesus today.

Amen. 


Comments

Post a Comment

Read

Homily: August 3, 2026, Monday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time (Fear not)

-
 At once Jesus spoke to them, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.” We are all familiar with what St. Paul said: "We Walk by faith, not by sight." My question is: do we have enough faith to walk, not on ground, but on water? In today’s Gospel, we see Peter doing something no one else dared to do. He had faith, enough for Him to step out of the boat into the raging waters. He had faith, enough for him to walk on the rough waves towards Jesus. But the moment he looked at the wind and the waves slapping around him, fear replaced faith. He had faith, but not enough for him to focus on Jesus and ignore the storm for long. Thus, he began to sink. I remember in my childhood days, all the boys in my village would come to our family farm to swim in the pond. We didn’t have life jackets, no swimming instructors and no safety equipment. We didn’t even have swimming lessons, we just watched how the older boys did it and imitated them, our desire to swim like them was motivation for ...
Read more

Homily: August 2, 2026, Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (God Satisfies)

-
 "When Jesus heard of the death of John the Baptist, he withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by himself." Most of us know what it is like to lose someone we love. Death leaves a deep void in our hearts. Even if we are surrounded by family and friends, we can still feel lonely. Yet it is such times when we need time to be alone, to remember, to grieve, to make sense, and to move on. That is exactly what we see in today's Gospel. In his divinity, Jesus knew that John the Baptist's martyrdom was part of the Father's plan. But in his humanity, Jesus, like any of us, experienced loss and sorrow. Although biblically there is no mention that Jesus and John grew up together, there was already an intimate encounter when both were in the wombs of their mothers. During the visitation of the blessed virgin Mary to her cousin Elizabeth, baby John in-womb ‘leapt for joy’ when Elizabeth heard the sound of Mary’s coming, carrying baby Jesus in her womb. To me, this shows there ...
Read more

Homily: August 8, 2026, Saturday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time (Small Faith)

-
 “The rash man has no integrity; but the just man, because of his faith, shall live.” That is a beautiful statement from the prophet Habakkuk: the just man, because of his faith, shall live. In other words, to truly live, we need faith. And the good news is that we do not need an extraordinary amount of faith to begin. Jesus tells us that if we have faith even the size of a mustard seed, amazing things can happen. A mustard seed is very small, but when it is planted, it grows. Faith is the same way. God does not ask us to begin with perfect faith. He asks us to trust Him with the little faith we have and allow Him to make it grow. Jesus wanted His disciples to grow in faith, faith in Him, faith in the gifts God had given them, and faith in His promises. At the beginning, the disciples were often afraid and uncertain. They doubted. They misunderstood Jesus. Sometimes they even failed Him. But Jesus never gave up on them. He continued to strengthen their faith. Eventually, He could t...
Read more

Homily: August 7, 2026, Friday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time (Forgiveness/Punishement)

-
 "Till everyone who sees you runs from you, saying, 'Nineveh is destroyed; who can pity her? Where can one find any to console her?'" These are striking words from the Book of the Prophet Nahum we read today. Most of us are familiar with the story of Nineveh as told in the Book of Jonah. When Jonah finally went to preach at Nineveh, the people repented sincerely. From the king down to the common people, they fasted, prayed, and turned away from their sins. Seeing their repentance, God, who is rich in mercy, withheld the punishment He had announced. Fast forward a hundred years later, that’s when the Book of Nahum was written. The same Nineveh by then had forgotten the mercy it had received a few generations earlier. It had over the century, became the capital of the Assyrian Empire, a nation known for its cruelty. The Assyrians attacked and conquered many nations, including the Israelites, and treated them with brutality. History tells us of their violence, especially...
Read more

Homily: July 31, 2026, Friday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time (Rejection)

-
 “Where did this man get all this?” And they took offense at him. The people who listened to Jesus were astonished at His wisdom, they knew that such words had to come from God but instead of praising God for it, they took offense at Jesus for preaching it. Their narrow mindedness refused to accept that a carpenter’s son could deliver God’s speech. They rejected His wisdom, and they rejected Him. In reality, they had rejected God. Their pridefulness and severe lack of faith prevented them from acknowledging what God was doing in their midst. God came amongst them, to be with them, but they did not want God to come to them that way. They had their own idea of how God should be presented to them and had their own expectations of how the Messiah should speak and act. The same happened to Jeremiah. He preached and warned the people about the consequences of the their sins, but instead of paying attention and recognizing their faults, they questioned and condemned him, “You must be put ...
Read more

Homily: June 6, 2023, Tuesday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time (Love& Honor).

-
 An evil report he shall not fear; his heart is firm, trusting in the LORD. His heart is steadfast; he shall not fear till he looks down upon his foes. This is our responsorial psalm today, in response to the first reading we heard about Tobit and his wife, arguing over a goat which he thought was stolen. Tobit was a righteous man, faithful to God all the days of his life. The Israelites were living in exile under oppression and Tobit became blind and dependent on his wife's work. His kinsmen grieved at his condition, but Tobit did not lose his faith in God. He also did not lose his integrity and moral values. He did not forget his obligation to be steadfast in God’s laws. At every wedding, we witness bridal couples making their vows to each other and promising to be faithful to each other ‘in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, to love and honor each other all the days of their life’. What a beautiful way to seal love for the other! What a courageous way to assure co...
Read more

Homily: August 10, 2022, Feast of Saint Lawrence, Deacon and Martyr

-
 “The Father will honor whoever serves me”. I have shared before, that I was the favorite grandchild of my paternal grandfather. He had 10 children and 50 grandchildren. Among all, he loved me the most because he believed I have a perfect green thumb. He was a man who valued planting and farming. Whenever he got a seed or seedling, he would ask me to plant it for him. He believed that whatever I sowed, would reap abundant fruits. And grandpa would bless me specially, even on his last days, he gave only me his final blessings. I never thought much about the simple farming life but had dreamed about being a rich and successful farmer. Although that dream did not come true, I have never stopped planting and gardening. Both the first reading and gospel passage today are about planting: seeds, sowing, reaping, harvesting and producing fruit. During the time of Jesus, one of the major occupations of people were farming. Many of us here are from farming families too. To till the land is a...
Read more

Homily: 50th Wedding Anniversary: Renato and Imelda March 18-2026.

-
 “In a time of favor I answer you, on the day of salvation I help you; and I have kept you and given you as a covenant to the people.” Dear Renato and Imelda, It is truly a joy and an honor for me to celebrate this Mass with you today as you mark 50 years of marriage. What a beautiful milestone fifty years of love, sacrifice, faith, and perseverance. As you know, during the season of Lent, the Church does not allow special readings for occasions like this. We keep the readings of the day. But I truly believe that today’s reading from the prophet Isaiah is perfectly chosen by God for you. God says: “I have kept you and given you as a covenant to the people.” Renato and Imelda, God has given both of you as a covenant—not only to each other, but to your family, your children, your grandchildren, your relatives, and your friends. Your marriage has been a visible sign of God’s faithfulness. Through your life together, God has blessed many: • the life of your children, • the love tha...
Read more

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

-
 “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” These words were spoken by God was not meant to be a private revelation. It was heard by everyone present on that day, all who witnessed Jesus being baptized by John.  These words were blessings from God, springing forth from His heart. Before Jesus preached a single sermon, before He healed anyone, before He suffered persecution and death, His Father in heaven proclaimed the Truth over Him: This is my beloved Son. Jesus lived His entire life grounded in that truth. He never struggled with His identity. He never doubted His mission on Earth. He knows who He is and why He has come. His purpose is to do the will of the Father, to reveal to the whole world who God is, to show to all generations how God loves and thus save all of humanity. Let us look again at where Jesus was baptized, the River Jordan. Its waters flows from near Mount Hermon, in between Lebanon and Syria, runs through fertile land, carrying nourishment for t...
Read more

Homily: August 16, 2022, Tuesday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time. (Begining)

-
 “We have given up everything and followed you. What will there be for us?” The disciples gave up their business, family, social life, friends and freedom to follow Jesus when He called them. They felt that they had given up a lot, and so they were expecting something in return. Something greater. They were expecting a profit, a positive return to their ‘investment’, a reward worthy of their sacrifice. Is that how we think also?  Some of us have given up a lot just to be Catholic, some of us make sacrifices just to come to church, some of our young people feel they have to give up a lot of fun in life just to be right with God. I am sure some of you here gave up your lunch break and rest from work just to come for Mass. I too give up a lot to be priest, to serve, to minister, to be a good witness. Honestly, do we really think that what we have given for the sake of faith, Jesus and church is so great? Are we anxious like the disciples, worrying if we will get a fair reward fro...
Read more