Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
The FIFA football world cup is on. Canada, Mexico, and the United States are cohosting this global event. As tourists from across the world come to these countries, often for the first time, it is interesting to read about their reactions to the country. I read that one of the things by which people are taken aback in the United States is the hospitality and friendliness of the American people. They expected to experience the xenophobic rhetoric that has been characteristic of the political establishment. But they have been pleasantly surprised. They feel encouraged by the hospitality they experience on the streets. This is my experience too. If we leave the political rhetoric aside, the average American is the most hospitable person in the world. And this is wonderful.
Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Historically, you and I know how the action of one person can cause either immense harm or bring about immense good. Hitler single handedly could have prevented World War ll. He did the opposite. Over sixty million people died in that war. On the contrary, there are also people who single handedly brought much good in the world. Gandhi non-violently brought independence to an entire subcontinent. Martin Luther King Jr. non-violently raised the banner of equality for an entire people. St. Francis of Assisi single handedly reformed an ailing Church. Perhaps in our families too there are people who either cause great destruction or bring immense peace.
The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ
2026 commemorates the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States. Anniversaries are important milestones. Anniversaries capture the past, the present, and the future. They tell us who we were, who we have become, and what the future may hold for us. But most of all, anniversaries help us to remember.
Twice in today’s first reading we are told, “Remember” and “Do not forget.” Moses said to the people, “Remember how for forty years now the LORD, your God, has directed all your journeying in the desert…” (Deut 8:2). And again, “Do not forget the LORD, your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt…” (Deut 8:11).
The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity
The word "Trinity" is not found in the Bible. However, there is enough data in the New Testament that gives us reason to believe that God is a Trinity of persons. For example, in today’s gospel John says, “God so loved the world that he sent his only Son….” (Jn 3:16). Jesus himself makes several pronouncements that suggests that God is more than one person. For example, in John 10:30, he says, “The Father and I are one.” Similarly, Jesus promised the Holy Spirit saying, “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always” (Jn 14:16). And then again, in today’s second reading there a more definite indication of the Trinity. Paul ends his letter to the Corinthians with the trinitarian greeting, “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you” (2 Cor 13:13).
Pentecost Sunday
As I read each of the scripture readings for Pentecost, my eyes began to well up. Let me explain. When I was a kid and later as a teenager in the 80s and 90s, I was very optimistic about the world.
The Ascension of the Lord
My decision to go the seminary at seventeen-and-a-half was no easy decision. Going to the seminary is unlike going to college. It is a renunciation. There is a radicalness to it. It rips you, as it were, from home and family. My family and I knew the implications. The day my parents and I left my home and hometown for Bangalore is still fresh in my mind. But even more vivid is the day my parents returned home without me. I remember the three of us at the railway station. Mom and dad had boarded the train, and I stood there alone on the railway platform. This was the first time I had stood alone. As the train slowly pulled away, dad stood at the door waving. I stood there watching the two most precious people in life disappearing into the distance till I saw could see them no more. At that moment, just as I turned around, I felt something deep inside. I was still incredibly sad, but I felt an inexplicable assurance. There was a presence I had not experienced before. I felt stronger and more confident than I had ever felt before. I wiped my tears and looked up. It was the first confirmation of my vocation to the priesthood. 42 years later, I stand here before you.
Sixth Sunday of Easter
“If you love me…” (Jn 14:15). Do you know how many love songs and ballads are about “If you Love me” or it is the song title? I asked Chat GPT. There is an unending list. There is the 1961 "If You Love Me (Really Love Me)" by Brenda Lee. There is the 1971 "If You Love Me" by Stevie Wonder. There is the 1974 “If You Love Me” by Olivia Newton-John. There is the 1977 “If You Love Me (Let Me Know) by Elvis Presley. There is the 1994 "If You Love Me" by Brownstone. There is the 1999 “If You Love Me” by Mint Condition. There is the 2025 “If You Love Me (Let Me Go)" by Colbie Caillat & Russell Dickerson and there is even the 2022 hip-hop tract “If You Love Me” by Mozzy.
Fifth Sunday of Easter
“I am the way and the truth and the life” (Jn 14”6) – this saying of Jesus has been interpreted and preached in various ways. For us Christians, the saying is a total assurance of our faith in Jesus Christ. On the other hand, it is a stumbling block for conversation with people from other religions. The truth of the matter is that Jesus himself did not make the statement to state the superiority of Christianity over other religions. If we understand the context in which Jesus made the statement and the Greek words for way, truth, and life, we realize that Jesus statement is rich expression of Jesus life and ministry. It is also an invitation to his disciples to follow “the way” of Jesus.
Third Sunday of Easter
I was to travel to India tomorrow. My eighty-eight-year-old mother is waiting to me. We have been talking about it for months. But then, the war has presented a total conundrum. My transit airport is Doha, Qatar. It is a hotspot in the war. Even though the ceasefire has brought some normalcy to the flights, the war is far from over. Any escalation can make my trip very risky. It is not merely about making it home. It is also about making it back for First Holy Communion Mass on May 16. After agonizing over all this for over a month, my family and I decided last Wednesday that it is best I do not travel. But I did not cancel my tickets. I almost did but I did. . But each day, amidst all the bad news, I was clinging to the faintest glimmer of hope. Finally, last night I rebooked my flight for June. I may not be going home tomorrow but I have not given up hope.
Second Sunday of Easter (or Sunday of Divine Mercy)
It was the 9am Easter day Mass at St. Helen. Perhaps many of you recall that I reflected on the resurrection of Jesus as the tenderness of God. Remember this when finish telling you the rest of the story.
The Resurrection of the Lord
There is a field of theology that is rarely mentioned but widely experienced - theodicy. Theodicy deals with reconciling God’s goodness with human suffering. The passion, suffering, and death of Jesus, for example. Where was God when Jesus cried, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me” from the cross? This was the question that was posed to us as seminarians by the professor in our first ever theodicy class. His answer still remains fresh in my memory. He said, “God was closest to his Son on the cross. Jesus may not have felt that way. But in his excruciating moments God held Jesus closest to God’s heart. After all, Jesus’ final words were, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.”
Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion
I am doing something intentionally these days to keep my memory sharp. First, I am learning a new language. But more importantly, I am resisting letting technology do things for me that I can do myself. For example, instead of letting the cellphone dial the number, I try to memorize the number and punch it in. Instead of letting the computer fill my username and password, I do it myself. Human memory is a great gift I am trying to reclaim my memory where technology has caused us to surrender it.
Fifth Sunday of Lent
Over the three weeks, we have heard three stories – that of the Samaritan woman, the man born blind, and the resurrection of Lazarus. These stories are intentionally chosen by the church. They accomplish two goals that John’s gospel is telling its readers – that Jesus is the Christ and that salvation lies in coming to believe in him.
Fourth Sunday of Lent
There are at least eight accounts of Jesus healing blind people in the gospels. This does not account for others who may have been healed when he healed a large number of people. But the story in today’s gospel in unique from all these. The blind man did not come to Jesus pleading for a miracle. This healing was a consequence of a theological question the disciples asked – “Who sinned, this man or his parents that he was born blind?” (Jn 9:2). Jesus’ answer, “Neither… it is so that the works of God might be made visible through him” (Jn 9:3), should not be read as Jesus being dismissive of the blind man’s burdens. Jesus not only restored his sight, but he also treated him with great respect. Despite this, the opening the eyes of the blind man is the subplot of the story.
Third Sunday of Lent
“If you knew the gift of God….” These were Jesus’ words to Samaritan woman. She had come to the well to draw water. Jesus’ first words to her were, “Give me a drink” (Jn 4:7). Her first words in response to him were, “How can you, a Jew, ask me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?” It is impossible that Jesus was not aware of the hostility between the Jews and the Samaritans. He chose the higher road as he responded, “If you knew the gift of God, and who is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him and he would have given you living water” (Jn 4:10).
Second Sunday of Lent
Jesus was making his final journey toward Jerusalem. Please don’t take this lightly. The gospel of Matthew describes Jesus’ ministry as a purposeful journey toward Jerusalem. Jesus was purposefully and decisively moving toward Jerusalem. Even though he did go to Jerusalem with his parents for the Passover, and he is found at the temple in Jerusalem for one of the temptations, most of Jesus’ ministry was in the Galilee area. It was not a purposeless wandering. Jesus’ entire ministry was an intentional, purposeful, and decisive movement toward Jerusalem. In Jerusalem, his life and God’s plan for salvation would move toward a decisive climax. In Jerusalem, he would also meet his end. The Transfiguration happened right before he entered Jerusalem for the last time.
First Sunday of Lent
I find the account of the temptation of Jesus in the desert both very intriguing and fascinating. Forty days and three temptations are packed into mere eleven verses. I wish there was more we could know. For example, what did he do for forty days and forty nights beside fast and pray. Were there more than three temptations? Did each temptation just come and go, or did they last for several days? For the second and third temptations, did he leave the desert for Jerusalem and later to a high mountain or was he led there in his mind?
Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time
In the last few Sundays, the first and second readings may have been from different parts of scripture, but the gospel reading has had a seamless progression. We have been reading from Matthew’s Sermon on the Mountain. We began with Jesus going up the mountain. While the crowd stayed at the foot of the mountain, some came up to Jesus. Those who went up to him were called disciples. To them, Jesus proclaimed the Beatitudes. Last Sunday, Jesus said to these very disciples, “You are the salt of the earth,” and “You are the light of the world” (Mt 5:13-14). Today, we hear about how we become the people in the Beatitudes; how we can be the salt of the earth and light for the world. Jesus does this by laying out an ethic for his disciples. Commandments and how we understand them play a big part in this.
Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time
I had just been newly ordained. I was twenty-eight. I had a meeting scheduled with my religious superior for a new assignment. It was a bright sunny day in Bangalore, India. It was morning peak hour traffic as I set out on my brand-new Hero Honda Splendor – a popular motor bike in those days. Midway through my commute, I saw a man lying face down on the road, with his rag picking bag still on his back. Rag pickers pick up recycling materials from public trash bins to make a living. It is a huge industry in India. Everything inside me told me to stop and help this man as the rest of world drove by. After all, I was a priest. I cannot explain to you or even to myself, why I did not stop. It was so uncharacteristic of me. After twelve years of seminary training, after having said Mass that very morning, despite carrying a desire to change the world, I did not stop when it mattered. It is thirty-two years since that day. It haunts me even today. I wish I could go back and make it right. I cannot.
Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
The nation is in turmoil. There is division, there is anger, there are protests, there are counter-protests, there is violence, there are deaths. Where do we go from here? How do we return to respect, civility and trust? What can lead us to a just and peaceful society? Perhaps, today’s scripture readings have the answer.