Homily: September 11, 2026, Friday of the Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time (Slave to all)

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 “No disciple is superior to the teacher; but when fully trained, every disciple will be like his teacher.”

These words of Jesus give us a beautiful description of Christian discipleship. The word Christian means someone who belongs to Christ, someone who follows Christ. And the goal of discipleship is not simply to know more about Jesus, but gradually to become like Jesus.

The Twelve walked with Jesus, listened to him, watched him, and learned from him. And eventually, their lives began to resemble the life of their Master. Jesus himself told them, “Learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart.”

Perhaps humility was one of the hardest lessons for the disciples to learn—and it remains one of the hardest lessons for us.

In today’s first reading, St. Paul says something remarkable: “Although I am free in regard to all, I have made myself a slave to all so as to win over as many as possible.”

Paul was free, but he willingly surrendered his freedom. He put aside his pride, his preferences, and even his own comfort for the sake of the Gospel. Why? Because he wanted to win others for Christ.

And Paul learned this from his Teacher.

In his Letter to the Philippians, Paul writes about Jesus: “He emptied himself, taking the form of a slave.” This is how Christ saved the world—not through power, pride, or self-importance, but by emptying himself. He humbled himself. He served. He gave himself completely, even to death on the Cross.

And so the question for us today is very simple: How much am I willing to empty myself?

Can I let go of my ego? Can I let go of my need to be right, to be recognized, to have things my way? Can I sacrifice my comfort and preferences for the sake of another person and for the sake of the Gospel?

If we want to bring people to Christ, there is no other way. We cannot bring people to the humble Christ through pride. We cannot preach the servant Christ while refusing to serve. Amen 


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Homily: September 5, 2026, Saturday of the Twenty Second week in Ordinary Time (Be a saint)

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“When ridiculed, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; when slandered, we respond gently.” In today’s first reading, St. Paul tells us about the hardships and patient endurance that marked his ministry. Before his conversion, Paul had what the world might consider a better and more comfortable life. He was well educated, a zealous Pharisee, respected among his own people, and a man with authority. But after encountering Jesus, everything changed. He gave up his former way of life to follow Christ. And what did he receive in return? Persecution, rejection, suffering, imprisonment, and many hardships.  Today the Church celebrates the memorial of St. Teresa of Calcutta. In some ways, her story reminds us of St. Paul. She came to India as a young religious sister with the Loreto Sisters. She became a teacher and eventually the headmistress of a school. She loved her religious life and her work. But then something changed. While traveling by train from Calcutta to Darjeeling, she experi...
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Homily: September 4, 2026, Friday of the Twenty second Week in Ordinary Time (Do not Judge)

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 “Therefore, do not make any judgment before the appointed time, until the Lord comes.” It is very difficult to live without judging others. Knowingly or unknowingly, we often judge people based on what we see, especially those who are different from us. But we are all different. Our life situations are different, our ideas are different, and the ways we were raised are different. There is a beautiful saying often attributed to Philo of Alexandria: “Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a great battle.” How true that is. We often do not know what another person is carrying in his or her heart. Jesus also tells us, “Do not judge, and you will not be judged.” So how do we overcome a judgmental attitude? One way is by becoming more empathetic. Instead of immediately judging someone, we can try to know the person, listen to their story, and understand why they may think or act differently from us. St. Paul reminds us today that the final judgment belongs to God. God knows what is ...
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Homily: August 15, 2026, Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Sin-death)

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 “For since death came through man, the resurrection of the dead came also through man.” Sin and death are connected, but Christ has come to break that connection and give us life. In his Letter to the Romans, St. Paul says, “The wages of sin is death.” Sin separates us from God, and God is the source of life.  God created Adam and Eve for life and friendship with him. But through their disobedience, sin entered the world, and with sin came death.  But when God prepared the world for the coming of his Son, he gave Mary a unique grace. From the first moment of her conception, she was preserved from original sin.  We can see Mary as the new Eve. Eve was created without sin, but she disobeyed God. Mary, by God's grace, responded differently. When the angel came to her, she said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” Eve's disobedience was connected with humanity's fall. Mary's obedience opened the door for Christ, the Savi...
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Homily: June 16, 2026, Monday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time (Mercy)

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 “Since he has humbled himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his time.” Yesterday we heard the disturbing story of Naboth and the terrible injustice committed against him by King Ahab and Queen Jezebel. Their actions were cruel, wrong and sinful. They deserved judgement and punishment, especially Jezebel, who orchestrated the whole scheme. Yet today we see something remarkable. When Ahab humbled himself, fasted, and repented, God relented. He delayed the punishment that had been announced. What does this show us about God? It shows us that God’s mercy is greater than our sins. For thirteen years, Pope Francis reminded the Church of this beautiful truth: God's very name is mercy. God is just, but He is also infinitely merciful. He never ceases to seek out the sinner and offer the way back to Him. We see this throughout the events in Sacred Scripture. When Adam and Eve sinned, God pronounced the consequences of their sin. Yet immediately afterward, we read that “the LORD Go...
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Homily: September 10, 2026, Thursday of the Twenty-Third week in Ordinary Time (Ordination Anniversary)

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“Truly you have formed my inmost being; you knit me in my mother’s womb.” We prayed these beautiful words in today’s Responsorial Psalm. Psalm 139 has always been one of my favorite psalms, especially these words: “You formed my inmost being; you knit me in my mother’s womb.” They remind us that our life is not an accident. Every human life is a precious gift from God. Each one of us is known, loved, and wonderfully formed by God even before we are born. These words have a very personal meaning for me today as I prepare to celebrate the tenth anniversary of my priestly ordination tomorrow. My parents waited seven years after their marriage before they were blessed with a child. During those years, they experienced the pain of four miscarriages. Eventually, God blessed them with seven children, and I am number five. I remember my parents at every Holy Mass I celebrate because, through them, God gave me the gift of life. They allowed God to “knit me” in my mother’s womb, and then, throug...
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Homily: September 2, 2026 Wednesday of the Twenty Second Week in Ordinary Time (Belong to Jesus)

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Holy Family School Mass Homily   Whenever someone says, “I belong to Paul,” and another, “I belong to Apollos,” are you not merely men? How many of you are fans of Ronaldo? Any Messi fans here? What about Neymar? We all have people we admire. Maybe it is a great soccer player, a singer, or someone else we look up to. Maybe some of you even have a favorite teacher here at school! It is good to admire good people. It is good to have people we can look up to and learn from. But we also have to remember that no human person is perfect. In today’s reading, St. Paul had some “fans” too. Paul had preached to the people first, and later another great preacher named Apollos came. Soon people started choosing sides. Some were saying, “I belong to Paul,” while others were saying, “I belong to Apollos.” But Paul basically tells them, “Don’t make this about me!” Why? Because Paul did not want people simply to be his fans. He wanted them to be followers of Jesus Christ. And that is true for...
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Homily: July 18, 2026, Tuesday of the Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Remember death)

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 “It is I who deal death and give life.” These words from our Responsorial Psalm today are actually not taken from the Book of Psalms. They come from the Book of Deuteronomy, chapter 32. They remind us of a fundamental truth of our faith: God is the author of life. Our life comes from God, belongs to God, and ultimately returns to God. This phrase beautifully connects our first reading and the Gospel today. In the first reading, the prophet Ezekiel speaks against the prince of Tyre, a man who had become proud because of his success, wealth, wisdom, and accomplishments. And so the prophet reminds him of one simple reality: you are only a man, and you will die. There are certain realities in life that quickly reveal our limitations. An illness can make a powerful and independent person suddenly dependent on others. None of us can say, “I am too important to die,” or “I have accomplished enough that death cannot touch me.” Sirach 7:36 says  “In whatever you do, remember your last...
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Homily: October 18, 2025, Feast of St. Luke the Evangelist (Right - Companion)

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“Behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves. Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals; and greet no one along the way.” This line from today’s Gospel captures the mission Jesus gave to His seventy-two disciples. He sent them out two by two, trusting completely in divine providence. Tradition tells us that St. Luke, whose feast we celebrate today, was among these seventy-two. Jesus’ instruction was clear: they were to depend entirely on God. No extra money, no supplies, no comfort just faith and obedience. It sounds difficult, but throughout history, we’ve seen countless saints who lived this way: St. Francis of Assisi, St. Mother Teresa, and many others who relied fully on God’s providence and never lacked what they truly needed. In the first reading, St. Paul writes to Timothy and mentions St. Luke. He laments that many of his companions abandoned him, but says with great affection, “Only Luke is with me.” Luke stayed faithful to Paul even when others walked away. Luke was not on...
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Homily: May 11, 2026 Monday of the Sixth Week of Easter

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 “When the Advocate comes whom I will send you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, he will testify to me.” There is an often-used phrase in the Alpha program: “Alpha is designed to fail if the Holy Spirit does not show up.” This implies that since Alpha has not failed despite itself and continues to grow from 1977, the Holy Spirit is at work in the program. I think that is true not only for Alpha but for the Church and the whole Christian life. Church would have been totally destroyed, and the Christian life would have been completely crushed with so much internal struggle and trouble, external persecution and attacks, if we are without the Holy Spirit. Without the Holy Spirit, the Church would not survive, life would have ended, humanity would no longer exist. Yesterday, here in our parish, 25 young people received the sacrament of Confirmation. They confirmed their faith and received the fullness of the Holy Spirit in their lives. The first reading ...
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Homily: May 6, 2024, Monday of the sixth week of Easter (Lydia)

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 “One of them, a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth, from the city of Thyatira, a worshiper of God, listened, and the Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what Paul was saying.” The Easter readings are truly remarkable. We witness how the Holy Spirit did amazing works through the acts of the apostles. The apostles simply went about sharing about the life of Jesus and spreading the good news. They were unperturbed by rejections or persecutions, and their persistence and bold proclamations won more hearts than objections. And we also see how the Holy Spirit converts not always in the same way but through many ways according to the charisms of the preachers as well as the unique situations of the listeners.  On Pentecost day, we saw a massive conversion of three thousand people all in one day through one event. Today we encounter the story of a single conversion: that of Lydia, a woman from Thyatira. We are told she was a dealer in purple cloth, that meant she had d...
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