22nd sunday-C

22nd Sunday-C 

Experiencing Exaltation. 

Last weekend, I was at one of the parishes in the city and as I was preaching about how to enter through the narrow doo, I said that in order to enter through the narrow door, one must make himself ‘small’. Then I said in my case, I don’t need to do anything because I am already small. Then a lady fainted. I think it happens only in the city. 

Dear Friends in Christ Jesus, 

God Almighty sacrificed His only Son to give us life. Christ who was born poor, lived poor and died on the cross was not only human, He was also divine. He is the only son of God. He humbled Himself and thus God exalted Him above all else. Today more than billion people are experiencing His wonders and miracles every day and it's all because of His humility. 

1. As we reflect on the coming of Christ our Lord as human and living among us, the first thing will happen to us is exaltation. Christ humbled Himself so that we could be exalted. It’s the time to experience exaltation. There are so many believers today, in the name of humility, hide themselves from the presence of crowd and they don’t even have the will power to talk about Christ and His presence among us. The non-believes are so certain of what they say and do but only believers are so uncertain of what they believe. Jesus humbled himself for us and let us experience heaven on earth, let us humble before Him and experience exaltation. 

2. Once Isaac Newton said, “I am like a boy playing on the seashore collecting pebbles and seashells while the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me”. God whom we call Father created everything out of nothing. All the living and non-living and seen and unseen were created only by Him.  

As we look around all the beauty in the world, the sun and the moon, the stars and the ocean, we feel so much expansion in us. It’s because our Father created all and He created us too, but He created us in His own image and likeness and He gave the courage to call God our Father, so let us be with Christ and experience exaltation and be proud to be good followers of Christ. Only a good follower can know the value of humility and Humility means knowing the richness of our Father and spread the good news to all. Humility is not thinking less of yourself. It’s only thinking yourself less.  

In today’s gospel, Jesus is directly talking to the pharisees who seek place of honor and want to be recognized in the presence of others. He is talking about the pharisees who invite only influential and prominent people to their celebration.  

On the other hand, He asks us to consider everyone important. It is because everyone is important in the sight of God and everyone is made in the image and likeness of God. 

Those who humble themselves in the presence of God and others will definitely be exalted and that exaltation will bring them more happiness, joy and prosperity. So, let us recognize ourselves in the presence of God and experience exaltation. God bless. Amen. 

21-C

21st Sunday...Enter through the narrow gate 

Good evening/morning everyone... 

Friends in Christ Jesus, Our Lord Jesus Christ the only Son of God is the beginning and the end. He is the way, the truth and the life. It’s only because of Him, we live, move and have our being. At the very name of Jesus, every knee should bow in heaven, on earth and under the earth and even pronouncing His very name, we receive life...life that will never end. 

In today’s gospel, someone asks Christ saying, “Lord, Will only a few be saved?” 

Though people went away from divine love and forgiveness, God never left them alone. He loved them so much and He didn’t want any of His Children be left behind and that’s why, He sent His prophets, kings, holy men and women. God loves you all with His unconditional love and forgives you with His unlimited forgiveness. And at last, He sent His only son, our Lord Jesus Christ to bring us all to one-fold, to heaven. 

Then in today’s gospel, someone asks Christ, “Lord, will only a few be saved?” 

Christ the Lord healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, made the lamb walk and even raised the dead to life.  He did all the miracles and wonders and wanted everyone enter the kingdom of god. And anyone who believes in Him experiences wonder and miracles every day. Yes, every day, every minute of the day, millions and millions of miracles happen in the name of Christ our Lord. 

Then in today’s gospel, someone comes and asks Christ, “Lord, Will only a few be saved?” 

Christ our Lord is always after that one sheep that is lost. He says in the gospels that He came to save the lost saying, “It’s not the healthy who need the doctor but the sick do. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners” 

Then someone comes to Christ and says, “Lord, will only a few be saved?” 

Then Christ the Lord says, “Strive to enter through the narrow gate”. 

He asks us to make ourselves small. 

How can you make yourself small? 

1. When Christ our Lord called the people to follow Him. They immediately left everything behind and followed Him. They put their complete trust in the Lord knowing He is the way the truth and the life. Yes, when we go through some challenges and difficulties and as we put our complete trust in Him and making ourselves vulnerable is the way to enter through the narrow door. 

2. Though your own family members and friends criticize you and put you down for what you believe and practice, if you have courage to keep your faith is called enter through the narrow door. 

3. Provided all your children and grandchildren and family members struggle to practice their faith, if you keep loving them, that is called enter through the narrow door. 

Thus,you make yourself small and ready to enter into the kingdom of God. As you enter, please don’t forget to help others in need of the kingdom. God bless. 

Wedding Anniversary

A special Wedding anniversary Mass for 

Nice and Gloria 

Good evening everyone, I am happy to welcome you all for today’s special Mass. We are here today to thank God Almighty for all the great things that Nic and Gloria are enjoying in their lives. We are here today to thank God for His only Son Christ Jesus who made this covenant possible for Nic and Gloria and we thank God almighty for the Holy Spirit who continues to shower upon Nic and Gloria His countless gifts each and every day. 

Now let us take a moment to prepare ourselves to celebrate the sacred mystery of Christ our Lord calling to mind, our sins, short-coming, pain and suffering asking divine assistance and Christ our Lord’s forgiveness, mercy and compassion. 

Good evening everyone, 

Once what happened was a man was celebrating his 50th wedding anniversary, the whole church was so happy. The priest called the man to the front and everyone clapped hands for him. Then, he said, “It’s a wonderful thing to celebrate your fiftieth anniversary. And by the way, what are you planning to do for your fiftieth wedding anniversary?” The man said, “when we celebrated our 25th anniversary, my wife wanted to go to Italy to visit her family and I took her” That’s amazing said the priest and everyone clapped hands for him. Now for your fiftieth anniversary, what are you planning? The man said, “I am going to Italy to bring her back”. 

I suppose if Gloria wants to go to Italy, Nic might consider. 

Marriage is not a human institution to fail. It’s a divine one. Because God created humankind in His own image, in the image of God, He created them; male and female, He created them. Therefore, man leaves his father and his mother and joins his wife, then thus they become one flesh. 

In Marriage, they are blessed to exercise the love, kindness, compassion and forgiveness of God almighty. Of course, where there are two people, there is going to be disagreement, argument and some conflicts and so on but Nic and Gloria are looking as a couple who never have argument, disagreement or nothing. They look so sweet and wonderful.  

It seems that the only two words that Nic uses to Gloria are.... “Yes, Honey”. He is a lucky man. 

Even two people have an argument and disagreement, Christ our Lord says where two or three in His name, there, He is. Yes, as you keep Christ at the center of your Marriage, your family would be a holy family. Keep Christ and the rest will automatically follow. 

Nothing is impossible with our loving God. As you offer everything to God, you will see great things happening to you both. Now let us thank God for Nic and Gloria and ask God to continue to bless them with His unconditional love. Amen. 

20th sunday- C

TWENTIETH SUNDAY-C 

Dear friends in Christ Jesus, we are happy to welcome you all for today’s Holy Mass. Our special welcome to all our parishioners, summer parishioners, visitors and everyone here today. 

Two weeks ago, my mom celebrated her birthday and I wished her and said, “Mom, shall I sing for you?” She said, “Life is short. Please don’t”. And I said, “Last year, I sang for you and you seemed to enjoy that”. She said, “Son, after you sang, for three weeks, I had chest pain”. 

Once a man went to the psychologist and said, “Doctor, I think I am a goat”. What? You are a goat. That’s not good at all. For how long you have been thinking this way?” The man said, “Ever since I was a kid”. 

Dear friends in Christ Jesus, our Lord Jesus Christ the only Son of God was sent by the Father to bring us all life, life that will never end.  

He came to establish the kingdom of God, which is love, forgiveness, kindness and compassion. He came to bring the fire of love that consumed the enmity, hatred, division and so on. 

In today’s gospel, Christ our Lord says that He came to bring fire. When we think about fire, we right away come to know the power of it. It has the power to create as well to destroy. There are two kinds of fire namely given fire such as the Sun and human made fire such as the fire that we make. Yes, given fire or person made fire, they create lives or destroy them. 

Once a man called the fire department and said, “By the way, I have a beautiful front yard landscaped. I have a nice flower bed, a beautiful fishpond with a fountain and a new rose garden”.  The fire fighter said, “That sounds good and what does that have to do with the fire service?”  

The man said, “The house next door is on fire and I don’t want you to trample my front yard”. 

The book of Genesis says that God said, “Let there be light”. And there was light. God saw that the light was good, and God then separated the light from the darkness and called the light, day and the darkness, night. In the New Testament, Christ our Lord the giver of light says, “I am the light of the world and anyone who follows me, will never see darkness but, will have the light of life. When John the Baptist saw Christ our Lord coming toward him, he said of Him, “Behold the lamb of God and I baptize you with only water but the one who is coming after me, will baptize you with fire and the Holy Spirit. 

In today’s gospel, Christ our Lord says, “I came to bring fire to the earth and how I wish it were kindled already” 

Yes, Christ our Lord came to give us the fire of hope and love namely the Holy Spirit. He came to us so that we would receive life to the fullest and we would know the secret of happiness and joy. 

Even after His glorious Resurrection, Christ our Lord appeared to His apostles and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit the fire of love”. On the day of Pentecost, the fire of the Spirit came on the believers.  

Jesus says that He came to bring fire and division. He came to dive father from his son and mother from her daughter. He came to bring division. Christ our Lord is talking about the division that would happen because of His unconditional love and forgiveness. As we talk about Christ’s unconditional love and forgiveness and His way of non-violence and acceptance, will go away from us. Amen.