Homilies (Page 29)

You are Important to God: Turning Insult into Blessing Isaiah 56:1, 6-7; Romans 11:13-15, 29-32; Matthew 15:21-28 You are important to God. Do not believe the contrary! Just imagine what God has done down memory lane. He went down to Egypt to deliver an enslaved people to make them his own people. That was when the Egyptians considered themselves “almighty”, God lifted Israel from beneath them. When the Israelites considered themselves exceptional, God raised the Babylonians to exile them, to prove that they were nothing without God. The lesson from all these experiences is that God is God of all peoples. Our first reading puts it this way:Read More →

My God is Alive, Cast Away your Fears! 1 Kings 19:9a, 11-13a; Romans 9:1-5; Matthew 14:22-33 “The only thing to fear is fear itself,” sets the tone for the message of this Sunday. Today, we are paralyzed by fears at many fronts: lingering Covid-19, looming economic meltdown, persistent injustices and orchestrated rhetoric of war between China and the United States. In this atmosphere, we need reassurances that all will be well; we need a voice that says “you’ll weather the storm, because I’ve got your back”. That is exactly what God is doing in our readings today, helping us to find reasons to cast awayRead More →

Salvation: God’s Free-Food Isaiah 55:1-3; Romans 8:35, 37-39; Matthew 14:13-21 To have our Scripture readings suggesting free-food today is a welcome news, given the untold pain, poverty and sorrows Covid-19 has visited on nations, families and individuals. For example, our gospel decrees free-food for the crowds that came to Jesus; when Jesus noticed they were hungry,  he commanded—“give them something to eat!” In like manner, God invites his children, in our first reading, to “buy and eat without money”. You and I do know, though, that going to pick up food items or articles of clothing in malls or shopping complexes, without paying for them, willRead More →

“Peace”—Your Vocation and Mine! 1 Kings 3:5, 7-12; Romans 8:28-30; Matthew 13:44-52 Is God still useful and relevant in the 21st Century? Is scientific advancement compatible with faith and wisdom? The other day, President Putin of Russia openly admitted that European leaders are ashamed to admit the Christian roots of their respective countries. If that is the case, it goes without saying that those leaders will not accept Christian wisdom and principles. In the academia, it is no longer acceptable in most quarters to profess any religious affiliations or views, it makes one primitive and out of sync with the new age of science andRead More →

Mercy is God’s Name: Let us Reciprocate His Mercy Wisdom 12:13, 16-19; Romans 8:26-27; Matthew 13:24-43 There was a fiery preacher who was preaching on today’s gospel, and the theme of his homily was “Hell Fire!” As he emphasized on the fact that sinners will burn in “Hell,” he explained the ordeals of Hell: “you see,” he said, “there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth for those who go to Hell”. Right in front of him, in the front pew, an old lady burst out laughing. The preacher stopped momentarily and asked the old lady the cause of her laughter. She responded, pointing atRead More →

Faithful God, I Hope in Your Miracle!  Isaiah 55:10-11; Romans 8:18-23; Matthew 13:1-23 “Miracle” is different from the “power of positive thinking”. All your labors and wishing for good amount to positive thinking, when you already have the wherewithal—intelligence—to be successful and hard work for break throughs. This is not the miracle we are talking about. You need God on the driver’s seat for this miracle to happen, especially the compassion of God that proves the simultaneity of God’s love and mercy. It is like a credit card: you have no money, yet you spend money—somebody’s money; even your credit card debt qualifies you toRead More →

No Morality, No Peace: Becoming Architects of Peace Zechariah 9:9-10; Romans 8:9, 11-13; Matthew 11:25-30 Whether as “the absence of war” or “wholeness,” peace/shalom is a rare commodity around the world. Our usual route for attaining peace, our peace architectural complexes—military and technology—stand as monuments for everything besides peace, because they have never delivered on peace. The size of our national army portends war more than peace, and the measure of our technological advancement is its potency to dominate others. Simply check how much is budgeted for poverty alleviation and how many have ever been brought out of poverty, in order to understand how theRead More →

Carrying our Cross makes God meet us Halfway 2 Kings 4:8-11, 14-16a; Romans 6:3-4, 8-11; Matthew 10:37-42 Anyone touched by God sees something good in everyone else. The touch of God makes us to desire whatever that is good for others as well. We feel deeply within us the pains of others, and we take steps to alleviate the sufferings and inconveniences of others. This is a common knowledge in our communities and families. We teach our children to say “thank you” for gifts received, we encourage them to be generous, respectful and humble. Why? because we want them to realize that whatever they possessRead More →

When FEAR is the Problem, MARTYRDOM is the Solution Jeremiah 20:10-13; Romans 5:12-15; Matthew 10:28-33 If we think that we have made progress, we need to think again about the meaning of progress.  If progress means having nature under our control, we may consider the spikes in natural disasters around the globe and the menace of viruses gone amok. If we contemplate technology, its human cost and casualty are staggering. As far as FEAR is concerned, human progress has scored ZERO! The story of Jeremiah, in our first reading, confirms that fear, especially the fear of death, is very present among us. Covid-19 revealed itRead More →