Fr. Nivin's Homily Blog

The rich man in Jesus’s parable asked himself, “What shall I do, for I do not have space to store my harvest?” Isn’t that a good problem to have? To have so much in abundance, more than what he can keep or need. How would you advise this rich man? Maybe some of you might suggest to him, “Give the extra to someone who has nothing.” On Friday, I harvested a handful of nice eggplants from my garden. I was very happy with the produce, and I had the same question as the rich man: what should I do with them? But my harvest was not much, not enough to cook and share with my brother priests in the house and I don’t have time this weekend to cook it. I definitely did not want to store it. Finally, I gave it to a friend. She was happy and I was very simply pleased. Even though it was a small harvest of eggplants, I had to think and make a good decision about it. Can you imagine someone with a huge harvest like the rich man or someone with a lot of possessions and property and money…they must be ...

 “Whenever the object of clay which he was making turned out badly in his hand, he tried again, making of the clay another object of whatever sort he pleased.” Through prophet Jeremiah’s words, God is telling us He is the potter, we are the clay, and He is not finished making us yet. Whenever we turn out badly, He will remake us. This reminds me of an old song by Joel Hemphill titled ‘He’s still working on me’. It is one of my favorites, because the lyrics of the song are so encouraging and assuring. Let me read it out for you: He's still working on me make me what I ought to be took him just a week to make the moon and stars, the sun and the earth and Jupiter and Mars How loving and patient He must be He's still working on me.  There really ought to be a sign upon my heart ‘Don't judge him yet, there's an unfinished part’ But I'll be better just according to His plan Fashioned by the Master's loving hands. In the mirror of His word Reflections that I see Makes ...

 Grandma warned little John, “Be a good boy. At the end of the world, all disobedient and bad people will be cast into fiery hell where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.” John listened intently and asked with a worried look, “Grandma, you always quarrel with others, and you don’t have any teeth, how will you grind your teeth when you go to hell?” Grandma was annoyed and said “Teeth will be provided in hell!” In today’s Gospel, we heard that “(Jesus’) disciples approached him and said; explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field”. His disciples asked and so He explained. It is so clearly explained that I don’t have to preach about it. What I want to focus on is the inquisitive and learning attitude of the disciples. This is what we should do daily. To read the word of God and whenever we fail to understand, we should approach Jesus and ask Him to explain it to us. He will not just give us answers but He will show us how to understand the world and its problems. He...

 “The mother of the sons of Zebedee approached Jesus with her sons and did him homage, wishing to ask him for something.” Wow, what a mother. Actively taking charge of and deciding her sons’ future. I think Mrs. Zebedee was an Indian. Because typical Indian mothers tend to control their children’s life decisions, and typical Indians use social connections to get ahead. In India, if you know someone who has power, authority or influence, you can get recommendations to jobs, schools, offices etc. If you only did well in your exams even with excellent results, you may not necessarily get admission into the college or university of your choice if you did not have someone prominent, like a politician, to recommend you.  Similarly, if you want to start a business, you will need someone with great influence to recommend you, along with the basic official documentation and application. So, it is not what you know, but whom you know, that will help you achieve success in life. That’s w...

 We heard from the first reading: “Suppose there were fifty innocent people in the city; would you wipe out the place rather than spare it for the sake of the fifty innocent people within it?” Abraham was bargaining with God, to save Sodom. Then we heard the example Jesus used in the gospel: “I tell you if he does not get up to give the visitor because of their friendship, he will get up to give him whatever he needs because of his persistence.” That friend was persistent in begging for what he needed. What can we understand from these readings? How many of you buy stuff from Facebook? I do. I would search Facebook sellers for what I need and if I see something suitable, I will make an offer. When I first began FB shopping, I would counter-offer starting at just a slightly lower price. So, if the item was $50, I would ask for $40. When the seller agreed to it easily, I wondered if I could have gotten it for $20! Over time, I became smarter. I would counter-offer starting from the l...

 “Here are my mother and my brothers”. Imagine Jesus saying these same words to all of us here. He is looking at every one of us and sees His family, we have the same Father, we belong together. The basic duty of children is to obey parents. We are the children of God, and so we should obey our Father the same way Jesus does, and that is to fulfil God’s will in our lives. Saying ‘yes’ to God’s will is not easy. The Blessed Virgin Mary is the best example. She is the perfect mother of Jesus, because she does God’s will in everything, even the most difficult and most painful mission.  Being a Jewish girl, what God asked of her at the annunciation could put her life in danger, but she said yes. And finally seeing the cruel death of her son, she did not resist nor hinder nor lament, but accepted it with faith. From the womb to the tomb of Jesus’ life, she did the will of God. From Jesus’ resurrection to her own assumption, she did the will of God. She did not always understand the...

“She came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon.” Queen Sheba went from Ethiopia to Jerusalem to see and hear for herself the famous King Solomon. Do you know how long did it take Queen Sheba to travel to Jerusalem in those times? She probably took three months to get there, and with a large group of servants, guards and advisors, taking with them not just the essentials for their daily needs but also loads of valuable gifts to present to the King. Would you be so well prepared and travel with so much conviction far away to see and hear someone great? We do see many people putting aside school, work and spend lots of money, even travelling far, to attend concerts, watch ball games and see their idols. Some of these events are often marketed as the ‘event of your life’ and not to be missed. Do we see the same interest and excitement for faith events?  Oh yes! Many people attended the Christ Our Life Conferences. They were all eager to hear the gifted speakers and ...

 "Marta, Marta, muchas cosas te preocupan y te inquietan, siendo así que una sola es necesaria. María escogió la mejor parte". ¿Qué es esa única cosa que se necesita? Este consejo de Jesús es muy importante para cada uno de nosotros. Reflexionemos sobre las lecturas de hoy para entenderlo mejor. En la primera lectura, Abraham vio a tres hombres que estaban cerca de su tienda; inmediatamente se ofreció a servirles y les dio una buena cena, antes de que siguieran su camino. En la lectura del Evangelio, cuando Jesús entró en el pueblo, Marta y María lo recibieron. Marta se ocupó de preparar una buena cena para Jesús. Mientras que María, se sentó a sus pies a escucharle hablar. Marta se sentía agobiada y ansiosa. Necesitaba la ayuda de María para dar una buena comida a su invitado. Entonces Jesús dijo: "una sola es necesaria. María escogió la mejor parte...". Efectivamente, María eligió algo maravilloso. Sentarse con Jesús y escucharle hablar. Eso es lo que nos gustaría...

 "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing.” What is that one thing needed? This advice from Jesus is very important, and relevant to every one of us here. Let us reflect on today’s readings to understand better. In the first reading, Abraham saw three men who were standing near his tent; he immediately offered to serve them and gave them a good dinner, before they continued their journey. In the Gospel reading, when Jesus entered the village, Martha and Mary welcomed Him. Martha got busy to prepare a good dinner for Jesus. While Mary, sat down at His feet listening to Him speak. Martha felt burdened and anxious. She needed Mary’s help to provide a sumptuous meal for her guest. Then Jesus said, “There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part…” Indeed, Mary chose something wonderful. To sit with Jesus and listen to Him talk. That is what we would love to do when we have time, right? But what is wrong with Marth...

 “Although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned, you have revealed them to the childlike.”  What does it mean to be childlike? One of my sisters has three children, a 5-year-old son, a three-year-old girl and a 4-month-old baby girl. One day, her older children were playing with her husband. He was lying on his tummy while they were having so much fun jumping on his butt and sliding off the blanket. My sister then jokingly told the children, “If you keep jumping, daddy’s butt will be gone!” The three-year-old girl suddenly lifted up the blanket and reported, “Daddy’s butt is still here!” How simple. How un-inhibited. How innocent. That’s how children are. They do not think too much, they do not complicate life with unnecessary thoughts and concerns. They respond spontaneously and purely. They wonder but not doubt. They may be ignorant but they trust. They may not know so much but they believe. They may not be capable of big things but they are wise in lit...

 “Will you be exalted to heaven?” How many of us are sure that we will be exalted to heaven if we had died today? Yesterday while driving along road, I checked that the traffic was clear and was about to turn left into a small lane, when another car appeared from nowhere and sped past right in front of my car so fast. I didn’t have time to react but thank God, I was turning very slowly and managed to stop just in time with shock. When I realised what happened, I knew I would have been hit if I had just turned a bit faster. From the speed of that car, I am sure I would have died instantly. Fear ran through me. I am not afraid to die, but I am afraid to die now. I am not ready, not prepared to meet the Lord, not worthy to be exalted to heaven yet. And I would like to skip purgatory if possible. Are you also afraid to die unprepared? In the first reading, King David was afraid of the kings of Aram and Israel. But God had His plans. It was not time for David to die yet. So, through pro...

 “Do not think that I have come to bring peace upon the earth. I have come to bring not peace but the sword.” Did Jesus really say these words? We know Jesus is the Prince of Peace, but here He says He is not bringing peace. We know Jesus to be meek and mild like a lamb, willing to die for the world, but here He says He is bringing the sword. What is Jesus telling us here? In letter to the Hebrews, it is written that Jesus’ word is a two-edged sword, it cuts both ways. In attacking the false beliefs of the world, it cuts. And in presenting and defending the Truth of God, it cuts too. Jesus is the Word incarnate. He is the Truth. He preached the word of God and defended the Truth, and He was persecuted by the world. God’s Word challenged the ways of the world by bringing light to its sins. Its false peace was shaken. God’s Truth awakened the consciences of the people and brought about remorse and a sense of guilt in those who listened to the Truth. Their temporal peace was broken. S...

 “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so, ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest”. This is a commonly used passage when the church calls for prayers for vocations, especially the vocation to the priesthood and religious life. But priests and religious are not the only labourers in God’s salvific plan. Every baptised catholic has the same call to save souls but in different vocations: married or single, lay or religious. Truly, few labourers do not refer to priests only, but few are those who follow God’s will. So, when we pray for vocations, we should not pray for our young people to specifically respond to the priesthood or religious life, but we should pray that they would listen clearly to God’s voice, know His plans for them and accomplish His will with courage. When I was younger, I wanted to become a very good and wealthy farmer, a labourer in the cardamom fields. I had my dreams. But God’s plan was different. I could have followed my...

 “Pónganse en camino; yo los envío como corderos en medio de lobos. No lleven ni dinero, ni morral, ni sandalias”. Jesús está enviando a sus discípulos a proclamar la buena nueva de la salvación a todos. Sin embargo, su instrucción suena como si los estuviera enviando a morir, a una misión peligrosa. En lugar de avisarles que traigan todas las necesidades y recursos para ser autosuficientes e independientes, les está diciendo que sean indefensos y vulnerables. ¿Pueden manejar? Jesús es el cordero de Dios. Su misión es dar Su vida por Sus ovejas. Él es totalmente dependiente sólo de Dios. Él no necesita nada más de este mundo para cumplir Su misión. Y ahora Él está enseñando a Sus discípulos a hacer lo mismo. Él nos está diciendo que hagamos lo mismo. ¿Podemos manejarlo? Parece difícil, ¿no? Tengo un muy buen amigo, Doctor Samuel Thomas. El es un ministro pentecostal también presidente de una organización internacional llamada Hope Givers que da esperanza de un futuro mejor a los ni...

 “Behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves. Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals”. Jesus is sending his disciples out to proclaim the good news of salvation to all. Yet, his instruction sounds like he is sending them out to die, into a dangerous mission. Instead of advising them to bring all the necessities and resources to be self-sufficient and independent, He is telling them to be helpless and vulnerable. Can they manage it? Jesus is the lamb of God. His mission is to give His life for His sheep. He is totally dependent on God alone. He needs nothing else from this world to accomplish His mission. And now He is teaching His disciples to do the same. He is telling us to do the same. Can we manage it? Seems difficult, isn’t it? I have a very good friend Dr. Samuel Thomas. He is a Pentecostal minister. He is the president of Hopegivers International, giving hope of a better future to orphaned, abandoned and underprivileged children.  In India, founded by his father,...

 “Courage, child, your sins are forgiven.” Before healing the paralyzed man from his physical illness, Jesus first healed him of his spiritual burden. Jesus forgave his sins. Physical, psychological, emotional, even social illnesses are linked to our spiritual well-being. Illnesses are a consequence of sin. During our third Wednesdays’ healing services, the ministers of healing always direct the sick people to the sacrament of reconciliation first because they believe forgiveness of the soul is necessary before healing of the body. But are all our sicknesses due to our own sinfulness? Many saintly people suffer illnesses, and we can be sure those are not consequences of their own sins. Many great saints suffered serious illnesses too. One beautiful example is St. Teresa of Lisieux.  She suffered much during her short life and she offered all her sufferings for the conversion of sinners. Her suffering was salvific, just like our Saviour. Jesus suffered and died not for His own ...

 He said to them, “Why are you terrified, O you of little faith?” There was a violent storm and the boat was going to sink. Naturally, anyone would be terrified. Why did Jesus continue to sleep when they were all in danger? Was it unreasonable of them to wake Him? Why did Jesus rebuke them? Well, Jesus rebuked them not because they interrupted his sleep but because of their lack of faith. They were calling, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!” They were so sure they would die. They called out in fear. They have seen so many miracles from Jesus, yet they did not have any confidence having Him in the boat with them. Should they not wake Him at all then? I have a very good friend from Sri Lanka. During our seminary days together, I remember he struggled a lot with his studies, especially in the first year.  He was trying so hard but was feeling helpless and hopeless. One day, his spiritual director told him, “Jesus is sleeping in your boat, you have to call out to Him. He will wake...

From the first reading, we heard this opening line: The Lord said to Elijah: “You shall anoint Elisha, son of Shaphat of Abelmeholah, as prophet to succeed you.” Then: Elijah went over to him and threw his cloak over him. Finally, the reading ends with this: Then Elisha left and followed Elijah as his attendant. Wow. We see a radical conversion here, fast and effective. Elijah threw a cloak over Elisha, and his life changed in a big way, from being a farmer to being a prophet. And Elijah’s mission was accomplished, as God directed him to. Do you remember how and when you were converted into the faith? Here’s something I read from Reader’s Digest. A priest, a minister, and a rabbi were comparing whose method of conversion was best. They decided to challenge each other to convert a bear according to their own ways. Each of them went about to find a big brown bear and put their conversion powers to the test. After that, they got together to share their results. The priest told, “When I fo...

 “The king of Assyria took Samaria, and deported the children of Israel to Assyria”. The northern kingdom, Israel, had been captured. Israel turned against God’s law, forgot all that He had done fore them and worshipped idols. That resulted, living in exile, homeless and with great suffering. That was one of the darkest episodes in the history of Israel. The chosen people of God were scattered from the exile and never returned home to the promised land given to Abraham and his descendents. Only the southern kingdom, the tribe of Judah, returned after their exile to Babylon. Why was God merciless? Why did He punish His people? We understand God to be loving, compassionate and merciful. So, does God punish us when we do wrong? Does He turn a blind eye to our sorrows and sufferings? The good news is God never punishes. We chose to punish ourselves, by choosing sin, choosing wrong, choosing evil. Each cause has an effect, every sin has its consequence, its effect according to the gravi...

The first reading from Proverbs writes, “When the Lord established the heavens I was there…” When God created the world, He was not alone. We are now midway through the liturgical year. The Church celebrates Holy Trinity Sunday. Unlike other feasts and solemnities which commemorate the saints and important events of our church, today we celebrate God Himself, the central mystery of our faith. Who is God? What is God? It is impossible to describe and explain God fully. He is beyond the understanding of human intellect, far greater than anything we can ever imagine. But we can try to figure out some things about this big God, who reveals Himself to us in many ways. In Hebrews 1, it says, “In times past, God spoke in partial and various ways to our ancestors through the prophets; in these last days, he spoke to us through a son…” St. John says, “No one has ever seen God. The only son who is the same as God and is at the father’s side, he has made him known.” In the Gospel, Jesus tells His...

 Jesus said to his disciples: “I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter into the kingdom of God.” How were the scribes and Pharisees righteous? For them, being righteous meant to be obedient to the law and the prophets, to the letter. They followed the law literally. In other words, they were legalistic. They were righteous, externally. How then can anyone surpass their righteousness? They were exact and accurate in everything the law prescribed. Can anyone do more than them, more than the law required and go the extra mile? What does Jesus mean? What is the purpose of the law? St. Paul had the answer. In his letter to the Ephesians, he wrote, “…to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge…” Yes, we are to seek love above knowledge. St. Paul continued, “…so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” And this is the purpose of the law, that we may be full of God, that means full of love. So, the only way ...

 “You are salt of the earth.” When couples are in love, they call each other ‘sweetheart’, ‘honey’ and maybe ‘sugar’? Because they add sweetness to each other’s life. And most religious leaders would expect their followers to be powerful, mighty and unbeatable. But here, Jesus calls His beloved disciples ‘salt’. Such a humble reference. What does Jesus want His disciples to do differently? One. Humble yet purposeful. Salt is common yet very useful in every home, rich or poor. His disciples would reach out and preach the good news to every home, every family in the world. Two. Taste enhancing. The right amount of salt makes food tasty. Without it, food tastes bland. Just a sprinkle of it will bring out the full flavor. His disciples would help everyone realise their purpose, to bring about the full consciousness of their true calling as children of God. Three. Purifies. Traditionally, Holy water is blessed by adding a pinch of salt because salt purifies and wards off evil. Jesus’ di...

 According to St. John’s gospel, Jesus’ last words before He died is: “It is finished.”  What is finished? I did my Theology and post graduate studies in Rome, at the seminary Pontificio Collegio Internazionale Maria Mater Ecclesiae, the name means ‘Mary, Mother of the Church’. Outside the chapel, there was a beautiful mosaic image of the Blessed Virgin Mary. For six years I walked in and out of that place daily, I must have seen it more than two thousand times, yet all through those years, I had never stopped to appreciate that image or to reflect deeper about it. I was oblivious to Mary’s presence in my life. But now as I look back, I can see how she has always been there for me. Mother Mary must have been looking at me as I walked in and out of the college struggling through my studies and difficulties, waiting to comfort me. I was not aware, but she was watching out for me, all the time. Mary, Mother of the church, like all good and loving mothers, has always been in our l...

 Can I ask all of you to repeat after me: “Jesus Christ is Lord!” Once again, “Jesus Christ is Lord!” That’s great, thank you! That shows that we all have the Holy Spirit alive in us. Because we just heard in the second reading that ‘No one can say “Jesus is Lord” except by the Holy Spirit.’ If you didn’t have the Holy Spirit in you, you would not have repeated these words with me. I am happy. It seems like a simple thing, right? But my dear friends, do not take this for granted. A few years ago, I heard a testimony by Jesse Romero. He was working in federal prison. As part of his ministry, he used to get the prisoners to recite “Jesus is Lord”.  Once, he asked a group of prisoners to do the same. Among them was a satanic worshipper who was doing time for serial killing. And he could not utter those few simple words, no matter how hard he tried. He just could not say it. Jesus is the Lord. Sounds simple but truly, it is spirit-led. To say ‘Jesus is Lord’ implies that Jesus is ...

 “And I consecrate myself for them, so that they also may be consecrated”. This is Jesus’ prayer for His disciples, and His prayer for us who believe in Him. What does it mean to be consecrated? It means to be set aside for holiness, to be anointed for God’s purpose, to be devoted totally to God. Jesus consecrated Himself for the disciples and for us. And by that, we too may be consecrated to God, to be set aside for God’s purpose of salvation, mercy and love. In the book of Genesis chapter 28, Jacob anointed a stone with oil, dedicated that place to God and named it Bethel. Thus, Bethel became part of salvation history. Samuel anointed David and the little shepherd boy became the king of Israel. Jesus consecrated His disciples, anointed them with the Holy Spirit and these simple fishermen became powerful fishers of men. Consecration empowers and transforms. It gives new purpose, new identity, new mission to the consecrated. Once, I attended a Cistercian ordination rite. The newly ...