Fourth Sunday of Lent
Each day, we are writing page of a book, which at end of our lives could be called, “The Chronicles of (Your Name).” I have wondered this week what my chronicle will read like. What will yours read like?
Third Sunday of Lent
Scripture Readings (Year A Reading for Sunday Scrutinies for Catechumens)
This homily is based on Year A Readings for Mass with Catechumens who celebrate the Scrutinies
I have only one niece. And she loves being my ‘only’ niece. She is now married and has two children. When she was about three years old I would often ask her how much she loved me. When she was mad with me, she would hold her two little fingers just a little apart and show me that’s how little she loved me. Most of the time she would open her arms and say, “This much.” One time, I asked her, “Only that much?” She stretched a little more and said, “This much.” This went on for about four or five times until she could not stretch more without hurting. Of course, I just picked her up and covered her with as much love as possible. That is one time in my life when love – pure, simple, and innocent yet overpowering, overwhelming and indescribable totally overcame me.
First Sunday of Lent
To the modern mind, stories like the story of Noah in today’s first reading present more questions than answers. How could God destroy all of creation? After all, it was God’s creation! Is God not a compassionate God? If sin had become so pervasive and oppressive, could God have not sent Jesus then?
Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Think about it! We are the fortunate survivors of a pandemic that killed about 7 million people! You remember the COVID quarantine? It affected every aspect of human life – social, economic, religious, family, and educational. Now just imagine a quarantine that would last a lifetime! Perhaps, that gives us an insight into the fate of lepers in the Old Testament and Jesus’ time.
The Epiphany of the Lord
I took this picture of the sunrise on December 21, winter solstice of 2023. The brilliant glowing light of the sun gradually dispelled the darkness of that longest night of the year. Some claim that the choice of December 25 as Christmas Day has to do with the winter solstice. The gradual increase of daylight beginning with the winter solstice is symbolic of the coming of Christ. It connects us with the first reading from Isaiah:
“Your light has come, the glory of the Lord shines upon you.
See, darkness covers the earth, and thick clouds cover the peoples;
but upon you the LORD shines, and over you appears his glory” (Is 60:1-3).
On the Feast of the Epiphany, I invite you to reflect with me on the Epiphany of Jesus, the Light.
Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph
The Feast of the Holy Family is an inspiring feast. Who does not want a wonderful, loving, good, holy, and wholesome family? The Holy Family represents every longing of human families. But, we must be cautious. Comparing the Holy Family with our families can also lead to unrealistic expectations and unhelpful conclusions. After all, two people in the Holy Family were without sin. This is certainly not the intention of the celebration of the Feast of the Holy Family.
Fourth Sunday of Advent
In today’s readings we hear about two epic characters in the Bible separated by a thousand years of history – David and Mary. Both were dearly beloved to God. They were both chosen unexpectedly (David, the youngest son of Jesse was anointed while he was tending sheep and Mary, well, we do not know). They were both chosen for tasks that seemed beyond their abilities (the shepherd boy would be king of Israel and Mary would become the mother of the Son of God). David would become the most honoured king Israel ever knew and Mary would give birth to the promised the King of the universe. God’s promise to David that his kingdom would last forever is in fact fulfilled through Mary. Jesus, her son would inaugurate the Kingdom of God. A thousand years apart, David and Mary are connected by the same prophecy.
Third Sunday of Advent
Today is the third Sunday of Advent. It is also called Gaudete Sunday or Rejoice Sunday. In the ancient times, Advent was fourty days, just like Lent. So midway between these two holy seasons, the church paused to draw the people’s focus from the stringent penances to either the nativity or the resurrection of the Lord. Even when Advent time was made shorter, midway through Advent, the Church invites us to pause and take time to reflect on the reason for our Advent preparations – the coming of our Redeemer. Yes, Jesus is near! The Lord is close! Our redemption is at hand! He is the cause of our joy!
Second Sunday of Advent
It was Christmas Eve, and an overwhelmed mother was preparing the living room for Santa. Her children watched in excitement as she left a glass of warm milk and her freshly baked cookies on the coffee table. But she accidently dropped a cookie on the carpet. “Five seconds rule,” she said to her kids and put the cookie back on the plate. Her seven-year-old said, “Mom, Santa can’t have that cookie!” She protested, “I just vacuumed the whole room and the carpet is clean. Santa won’t know anyway.” Her son said, “So… Santa only knows what I do?”
First Sunday of Advent
The last few years have felt like a marathon. Between becoming pastor of a growing number of parishes and delicate situations with family back in India, it has felt like an unending marathon. There has been no time for vacations or the sometimes to take a breath. Especially since last July, I have barely been able to take two or three days off. I was feeling the exhaustion. I was losing the energy. I was afraid of getting burned out. For the first time in many, I did not even host Thanksgiving. I had to do something. And I did. I requested a clearing my calendar and took the week and weekend of Thanksgiving off. It was the best thing I did. Would I say I am totally rejuvenated? To be honest, barely. However, the time off has helped me connect with my inner self again. I slept a lot. I caught up with my John of the Cross. I took time to pray. I picked up my guitar again. I feel that I took a long, deep breath.
Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time
The parable of the talents (Mt 25:14-30), is an intriguing parable on many levels. Liturgically, of course, we are hearing it today because the end of the liturgical year is approaching. Once again, like last weekend with the parable of the ten maidens, if we do not understand the parable in the context of the delay of the Parousia, it can be misunderstood. The point of the parable is not how to invest money or to make profit, but that one should not get careless and lose sight of eternity as we await the second coming of Christ.
Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time
At every baptism, after the child is draped in white garment, the celebrant lights the baptismal candle from the Paschal candle, and hands it to the child with these words, “Receive the light of Christ.” And then the celebrant says to the parents and godparents: “Parents and godparents, this light is entrusted to you to be kept burning brightly. This child of yours has been enlightened by Christ. He (she) is to walk always as a child of the light. May he (she) keep the flame of faith alive in his (her) heart. When the Lord comes, may he (she) go out to meet him with all the saints in the heavenly kingdom.” These words are a direct reference to parable of the ten wise and foolish maidens in today’s gospel reading (Mt 25:1-13). The symbolism of the lighted candle is simply this - that our baptism, at which we receive the new life of Christ, is an invitation to live that new life, wisely and not foolishly, with faith rather than faithlessly, in anticipation of Christ’s coming rather than aimlessly. Our baptism is a commitment to intentional living.
Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time
It is not the easiest of times to be a Catholic priest. On the one hand, there is a tremendous shortage of priests. But the bigger issue is credibility. It’s not that individual priests are not loved, respected, and trusted by people but I am talking about the profession as a whole. Especially in the post child-abuse crisis church, the credibility of the Catholic hierarchy has taken a big hit. I am sure the issue is more complex, but perhaps, there is some link between the credibility of the hierarchy and the shortage of priests.
Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time
“Which commandment in the law is the greatest?” (Mt 22:36). That is the question. You see, the Torah presented 613 laws to people. But this presented some unique issues for the observant Jew. How could anyone keep track of these laws on a daily basis? Are some laws more important than others?
My homily today answers these questions, especially, Jesus' answer to the scholar of the law in today's gospel reading, and draws some practical implications.
Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time
You’ve probably heard the fable of the cow and the pig. The pig was unpopular whereas the cow was beloved. This puzzled the pig. One day the pig went to the cow and said, “People speak warmly of your gentle nature and your sorrowful eyes. They think you are generous because each day you give them milk and cream. But what about me? I give them everything I have. I give them ham and bacon. I provide bristles for bushes. They even pickle my feet. Yet no one likes me. Why is that?” The cow replied, “Think about it! Is it possible that people love me because I give while I am still living, while you give after you are dead?” The pig thought for a moment and said, “Your kind of giving is called sacrifice. My kind of giving is called total commitment.”
Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time
We have heard parables after parables over the last few weeks. Parables often use rich imagery to communicate the lesson of the story. Whereas for the last three Sundays we heard the imagery of a vineyard, the imagery shifts to that of a feast, even better, a wedding feast. Let me say a few things about the parable of the wedding feast before I propose some practical implications.
Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
Two developments of universal significance took place this past week in the Catholic Church. First, a Synod with cardinals, bishops, and for the first time, lay people including women with voting privileges, opened in Rome. The Synod is still in progress. Second, Pope Francis published his latest encyclical, Laudato Deum, a sequel to his encyclical on the Creation, Laudato Si. Both these developments can be integrally connected to today’s scripture readings that have “the vineyard” as their primary theme.
Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Over the last two Sunday’s and today, we have had three parables – the parable of the unforgiving debtor, the parable of the workers in the vineyard, and today, the parable of the two sons. Today, I would like to reflect on these three parables together. I am doing so because they offer life-changing perspectives on Christian living.
Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time
The parable of the ‘Workers in the Vineyard’ could not have come at a more relevant time. There are two ongoing nationwide strikes, and both have to do with workers, wages, benefits, justice, and the common good. When we experience an injustice, we seek justice. It is the right thing to do. It is right to seek justice not only on a social level, but we Catholics also believe that justice is a divine virtue. We know God to be just.
Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Besides “As I have loved you, so must you love one another” (Jn 13:34), no other teaching of Jesus is more definitive for Christianity than his teaching on forgiveness. Jesus’ parable of the unforgiving servant in today’s gospel reading ends with, “So will my heavenly Father do to you, unless each of you forgives your brother from your heart” (Mt 18:35). There are no ‘ifs’ and 'buts' attached to Jesus’ command to forgive. It is simple, straightforward, uncompromising, and unrelenting. This makes Christianity challenging for the holiest of Christians.