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

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 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 us to take the risks.

We would start out in the small creek on our farm before moving to the larger pond. The older boys would either swim alongside us the younger ones, or keep a close watch on the side, always ready to pull us out if they saw any of us struggle.

We trusted them. We knew that if we got into trouble, they would rescue us. We had faith, enough for us to jump in and just do it. Thus, we picked up swimming really fast.

Peter stepped out of the boat with that same kind of trust. He believed he could do it because Jesus was there. He knew Jesus would ensure he would not drown. His faith was enough for him to take that big step when nobody would.

Then he lost focus, he lost faith, and fear took over. The moment Peter cried out, "Lord, save me!" Jesus immediately reached out. Jesus did not abandon him.

The storms in our lives are real. Work, money, health, relationships, all of us would have some of these issues. But if we focus only on the storms, discouragement and fear will overwhelm us. If we trust Jesus, and go towards Him, we can walk over our troubles, and if we sink, He will reach out to us.

The good news of today's Gospel is not that Peter had perfect faith. The good news is that Jesus will never let Peter sink. And Jesus will reach out to us in the midst of our storms and say: "Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid."

May we have faith, enough to trust Jesus more than our fears, to walk courageously over our troubles towards Jesus, knowing that when we fall, He will pull us up.

Amen.


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Homily: July 26, 2026, Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary time (God Speaks)

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 “Let my eyes stream with tears day and night, without rest, over the great destruction which overwhelms the virgin daughter of my people.” We heard these words from the prophet Jeremiah in today’s first reading. Jeremiah is known as the weeping prophet because while sending messages of the Lord to warn his people, he also wept for them. He lived during a difficult time of drought, famine, and great uncertainty, and as a prophet, he foresaw the coming Babylonian exile. Jeremiah knew that because of the sins of the people, great suffering was coming down upon the whole nation. Even with that knowledge, he did not escape for his own safety and condemn them from a distance. He stayed on, suffered with them, lamented and prayed for them. In today’s Gospel, Jesus speaks about the good seed and the weeds growing together. The good seeds are the children of the Kingdom of God, the weeds are the children of the evil one. Good and evil exist side by side in the world, not in harmony, but in...
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 The first reading begins with these shocking words: “This man deserves death.” Those words sound very familiar because they echo what would later happen to Jesus. He, too, was condemned by the religious leaders. Unable to carry out the execution themselves, they handed Him over to the Romans to be crucified. Jeremiah was fortunate that influential people spoke on his behalf and saved his life. Jesus' situation was different. Although people like Nicodemus tried to defend Him, they could not prevent His execution. He willingly accepted the cross to accomplish our salvation. In today's Gospel, we see another innocent man, John the Baptist, suffering a tragic and unjust death. He spoke the truth without fear, and for that truth he gave his life. Jeremiah, John the Baptist, and Jesus all remind us that proclaiming God's truth often comes at a great cost. Sadly, history continues to repeat itself. Even today, innocent people suffer injustice, persecution, and violence. Many are...
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 In today's Gospel, Jesus says, "But the seed sown on rich soil is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold." Every human life is created by God with great love, and He has given each of us a purpose to accomplish in this life. The fruits we produce through our lives are not accidental; they are part of God's loving plan for us. We fulfill our purpose when we are aligned to God's will. His plan for us may not seem significant in the eyes of the world, but every life is precious for God. Since each of us is unique, the purpose God has entrusted to each of us is also unique. The saints are those who listened to God, lived according to His will, and bore beautiful fruits through their faithfulness. Today, the Church celebrates the feast of a wonderful saint who is still relatively unknown in the West—St. Charbel Makhlouf. St. Charbel lived in nineteenth-century Lebanon during a difficult time un...
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 “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...
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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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 “But rejoice to the extent that you share in the sufferings of Christ, so that when his glory is revealed you may also rejoice exultantly.” Has this ever happened to you before? When everything went wrong. There are days when I made good plans, I did my best, but my plans were overturned, my efforts came out wrong, then problems and troubles arose one after another. Those days were really frustrating, I even question Him why He didn’t come to help me and where He was when I was suffering. In those moments, my prayers became complaints. Now looking back, those may have been the very moments when God was allowing me to unite my small suffering with Jesus on the cross. I should be rejoicing, instead of complaining, for having the privilege to share in the sufferings of Christ. But that is not easy. Naturally, no one welcomes suffering. Yet no one can avoid suffering. And as Christians, every little pain, hardship, difficulty or failure, can be the pebble forming our path to holiness ...
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Homily: March 6, 2026, Friday of the second monday in Lent (Cruelty- Salvation )

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 “They then sat down to their meal.” This scene from today’s first reading really hit me. Joseph’s brothers had just stripped him of his robe, thrown him into an empty cistern, and abandoned him, knowing well that would kill him. And what did they do after that cruel deed? Scripture says: they sat down to eat their meal. It is shocking. Their brother is suffering nearby, crying for help, yet they felt nothing, they calmly continued their day, with a meal, like nothing unusual happened. That behavior made an already cruel act more evil. When I read this passage, it reminded me of a scene from the movie ‘The Passion of the Christ’. In that film, Jesus spent the night in a dungeon in the house of the high priest. He was captured, trapped, waiting for death. The detail of this scene is not found in the Bible, but was vividly described by Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich from her mystical visions. And truly, there is a dungeon behind what is believed to be Caiaphas’s house in Jerusalem, ...
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