Homilies

Beatitudes Building the Kingdom of God on Earth  Zephaniah 2:3; 3:12-13; 1 Corinthians 1:26-31; Matthew 5:1-12a In an age of democracy, three elements are indispensable for the building of the human polity: 1) party-politics, 2) manifestos, and 3) capitalism. Individuals join different political parties on the basis of their philosophies and conviction; worse case scenario, politicians join the winning party or the political party that guarantees thievery as part of its unwritten laws. From these political parties emerge beautiful and hopeful manifestos, even though delivering on those manifestos is a different question. Finally, the deification of money or capital is key to democracy. Beautiful slogans,Read More →

“Come, follow me . . .” Isaiah 8:23–9:3; 1 Corinthians 1:10–13, 17; Matthew 4:12–23 One thing is absolutely certain: God’s call to discipleship has no age limit, no social restriction, and no expiration date. In the first reading, the prophet Isaiah speaks of a people who walked in darkness but have now seen a great light. God does not wait for perfection before calling; He enters history precisely where darkness, fear, and uncertainty reign. Samuel was called as a young child, still learning how to recognize the voice of God. In today’s Gospel, grown men—workers, fishermen, providers, parents—are called in the midst of their dailyRead More →

What Is Your SMELL? Isaiah 49:3, 5–6; 1 Corinthians 1:1–3; John 1:29–34   Maybe not so much for human beings, but smell plays a vital role in the animal kingdom. It marks boundaries and territories and helps establish group identity. Little did I know that “smell” is also important for human beings—and today, I realize that it is vital for Christianity.   As a young minor seminarian, I once went for morning Mass with another seminarian at a sisters’ convent chapel. As soon as we stepped into the convent, it took barely a few seconds before the seminarian with me asked the sisters whether hisRead More →

 What Is Your SMELL? Isaiah 49:3, 5–6; 1 Corinthians 1:1–3; John 1:29–34   Maybe not so much for human beings, but smell plays a vital role in the animal kingdom. It marks boundaries and territories and helps establish group identity. Little did I know that “smell” is also important for human beings—and today, I realize that it is vital for Christianity.   As a young minor seminarian, I once went for morning Mass with another seminarian at a sisters’ convent chapel. As soon as we stepped into the convent, it took barely a few seconds before the seminarian with me asked the sisters whether hisRead More →

SUBSTITUTION SUNDAY: ARE YOU A GOOD SUBSTITUTE? Isaiah 42:1–4, 6–7 · Acts 10:34–38 · Matthew 3:13–17 In many sports played around the world, there are substitutes — players who are ready to replace others on the pitch or arena. This practice reflects the wisdom of not putting all one’s eggs in a single basket. Coaches have learned from experience that things do go wrong: injuries occur, accidents happen, red cards are shown, players get tired, and timeouts become necessary. At such moments, substitutes step in. Quite often, these substitute players go on to make a decisive difference — scoring the winning goal, making the homeRead More →

Epiphany: Universalism as God’s Immigration Policy Isaiah 60:1-6; Ephesians 3:2-3a, 5-6; Matthew 2:1-12 Epiphany Sunday places us on a perilous journey of identity discovery through studies (science) and risky adventures of faith (and reason). The recognition of our collective citizenship of the whole world comes after a genuine conversion. Ask a convert what it means to abandon former ways, and you will hear a battle cry and an endless struggle with enemies within who pretended never to have existed! The choice to stand on the side of God, truth, and justice activates hidden enemies and unleashes wars and strives! Let us fight to throw openRead More →

Look Backward, But Forward Also: Count Your Blessings and Be Thankful Numbers 6:22–27; Galatians 4:4–7; Luke 2:16–21 One of the spiritual disciplines we often forget is the simplest and yet the most demanding: to count our blessings and to give thanks. We are very skilled at counting our problems, measuring our fears, and naming what is lacking. But today’s readings, on this first day of 2026, invite us to reverse that habit and to learn again the holy art of gratitude. Our first reading invites us to recogise that blessing comes before asking; it is a prevenient grace. God does not ask the people toRead More →

Holy Family: Jesus the Migrant-Refugee in a Marital Refugee Camp Sirach 3:2–6, 12–14 ; Colossians 3:12–21; Matthew 2:13–15, 19–23 We are schooled to think that migration means crossing rivers, seas, deserts, and borders; that migration means leaving one land for another in search of life – greener pastures. We often associate such migrants with refugee status. The life of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph changes this narrow conception of migration and refugee status. Today, however, one of the most demanding and misunderstood migrations is no longer geographic. It is marital. Marriage has become our new migration. To marry is to leave—just as surely as Abraham leftRead More →

“The Word became Flesh”: We’re gods! Isaiah 52:7–10 · Hebrews 1:1–6 · John 1:1–18 Brothers and sisters in Christ, we do not need to be persuaded that our world is troubled. The signs are everywhere—conflict and displacement, fear and loneliness, broken trust, economic uncertainty, and a quiet fatigue of the soul. It is into this world—not an ideal one—that Jesus comes. Christmas is God’s refusal to abandon humanity. It is God’s decision to enter history, to pitch His tent among us, to share our fragility, and to illumine our darkness from within. This is why Christmas is not sentimentality. It is courage. It is hopeRead More →