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

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 “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 tell them with confidence, “Whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these.”

And that is exactly what happened. After Pentecost, these ordinary disciples went out with extraordinary faith. They preached the Gospel far and wide. They crossed boundaries, cultures, and eventually continents. They established Christian communities and gave their lives for Christ. What began as a small mustard seed of faith became something that transformed the world.

We see the same thing throughout the history of the Church. Think of St. Francis of Assisi, St. Francis Xavier, Mother Teresa, and so many other saints. They were not born accomplishing great things. They simply trusted God, took one step in faith, and allowed God to work through them.

Sometimes we may think, “What can I possibly do? I am only one person. My faith is not very strong.” But Jesus reminds us today: Do not underestimate what God can do with a small amount of genuine faith.

A mustard seed in our hands is very small. But a mustard seed placed in God's hands can grow.

So today, perhaps our prayer can be very simple: “Lord, increase my faith. Help me to trust You more deeply. Take the little faith I have, make it grow, and use my life to proclaim You and to extend Your Kingdom here on earth.”

Amen.


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

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

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

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

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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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Homily: August 1, 2026 Friday of the Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Unjustly accused)

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

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 “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...
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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: July 28, 2026, Tuesday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time (Compassion)

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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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