Mary, Mother of God

1st January 2015: Num. 6:22-7; Gal. 4:4-7; Lk. 2:16-21

Welcome my brothers and sisters to today's celebration of the Feast of Mary, the Mother of God.  I take this opportunity to wish you all a Happy New Year. I pray that the Lord Jesus fills your lives during the year 2015 with an abundance of blessings that will

Cycle B Christmas

Is 62:11-12; Titus 3:3-7; Lk 2:15-20

Years ago, there was a very wealthy man who, with his devoted young son shared a passion for art collecting. Together they travelled around the world, adding only the finest art treasures to their collection. Priceless works by Picasso, Van Gogh, Monet and many others adorned the walls of the family estate.

Cycle B 4th Sunday of Advent

2 Sam. 7:1-5, 8b-12, 14a, 16; Rom. 16:25-27; Lk. 1:26-38 

The Old Testament gives many accounts of humanly impossible things that God had done for his people. In order to liberate the Israelites from the bondage in Egypt, God had performed many miracles.  Moses turned the water of the river into blood (Exodus 7:17). Moses smites all the borders of Egypt with frogs (Exodus 8:2). Moses

Cycle B 3rd Sunday in Advent

Is. 61:1-2a, 10-11; 1 Thess. 5:16-24; Jn. 1:6-8, 19-28

Socrate’s close friend Chaerephon once consulted God at the Oracle of Delphi and asked, “Is there any person in the world who is smarter than Socrates?”

God answers: No man is wiser than Socrates.

Chaerephon happily informed Socrates of God’s answer.

Respect for Elders

Elders have to be respected all the time. We all agree with it. When we think of giving respect for elders, immediately think of respecting them like our parents. It is not enough to respect them like our parents because now a day some don’t respect their parents at all.

Cycle B 1st Sunday in Advent

Is. 63:16b-17; 64:1, 3-8; 1 Cor. 1:3-9; Mk. 13:31-37

Sergeant Charles B. Schlichter, 2nd Medical Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division, had been soldiering most of his life. In June, 1950 he was a surgical technician at Madigan General Hospital. When the news of the outbreak in Korea came over the air, Charles Schlichter had a premonition that 

Your Spiritual Life is Important

The spiritual life of ordinary people depends on priest’s spiritual life. Priest’s spiritual life is important. It is not enough that you are spiritual; it has to be expressed that people will see it. They always look at how a priest is praying, taking care of spiritual life etc. If they see

Cycle A Christ the King

Ez 34:11-12, 15-17; I Cor 15:20-26, 28; Mt 25:31-46

In the poem Ozymandias, the speaker recalls having met a traveler “from an antique land.” He told him a story about the ruins of a statue in the desert. Two vast legs of stone stand without a body, and near them a massive, crumbling stone head lies “half sunk” in the sand.

Cycle A 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Prov.31:10-13, 16-18, 20, 26, 28-31; 1 Thess. 5:1-6; Mt. 24:36, 25:14-30

Today’s Gospel passage has taken us once again into the famous parable of the Talents. A man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them; to one he gave five talents, to another two talents, to another one, to each according to his ability.

Cycle A 32nd Sunday in Ordinry Time

Wis 6:12-16; 1 Thes 4:13-18; Mt 25:1-13

Once a fox was roaming around in a forest looking for food. Suddenly, he saw a pig rubbing his tusks against the trunk of a tree.

The fox looked about carefully but couldn't see any danger for the pig anywhere.

Narrow Road

Education by parents means setting your children on narrow road! Show them how to stay on the road, so that they’ll get to the right place. Good education sets limits, and within these limits you let your children use their own talents and energy, and they grow up self-reliant. But beyond the

Cycle A 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time

Mal.1:14-2:2, 8-10; 1 Thess. 2:7-9, 13; Mt. 23:1-12

Two game Cocks were fighting fiercely to be king of the farmyard. One finally gained advantage and the other surrendered. The losing Cock slunk away and hid himself in a quiet corner, while the winner, flying up to a high wall, flapped his wings and crowed of his victory as loud as he could.

Fr. Sunil Sesedima's Homily

Click to watch video Homily

Fr. Isaac Antony's Homily

Click to watch video Homily

Cycle A 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time

EX 22:20-26; Thess 1:5-10; Mt 22:34-40

“The Sniper,” is a story about the Irish civil war, written by Liam O’Flaherty.

At nightfall in Dublin, heavy guns and small arms boomed and cracked intermittently near the River Liffey. From a rooftop near O’Connell Bridge, a Republican sniper with fanatical eyes observed the scene while eating a sandwich and swigging whiskey.

Cycle A 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Is. 45:1,4-6; Thes. 1:1-5; Mt. 22:15-21

Eliezer "Elie" Wiesel is a Romanian-born Jewish-American writer, professor, political activist, Nobel Laureate, and Holocaust survivor.

Auschwitz, Buchenwald, and Treblinka are just a few of the names which evoke nightmares of the Holocaust. The suffering and death at these and other concentration camps

Cycle A 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Is. 25:6-10; Phil. 4:10-14, 19-20; Mt. 22:1-14

Once a king had invited his guests for a feast, but he did not tell them the exact date and time. He told them that they must wash, and anoint, and clothe themselves that they might be ready when the summons came. The wise prepared themselves at once, and took their places waiting at the palace door, for they believed that in a palace a feast could be prepared so quickly that

Va VaYesunadha by Kerala Capuchins

please click watch video

Cycle A 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Is. 5:1-7; Phil. 4:6-9; Mt. 21:33-43

Every detail of the parable of the vineyard and the wicked tenants was familiar to the hearers. The vineyards were surrounded with a thick-set thorn hedge, designed to keep out both the wild boars and thieves. Every vineyard had its own wine press, and a watch tower.

Cycle A 26th Sunday in the Ordinary Time

Ezek. 18:25-8; Phil. 2:1-11; Mt. 21:28-32

Zen stories are wonderful stories with deep insight. There is Zen story about the master Bankei. His talks were attended not only by Zen students but by persons of all ranks and sects. Once a self-centred Nichiren priest came to the temple, determined to debate with Bankei. 

Cycle A 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Is. 55:6-9; Phil. 1:20-24, 27; Mt. 20:1-16

The people who gained greatness embarked on their career at various stages in their life. A late bloomer is a person whose talents or capabilities are not visible to others until later than usual. Many writers have published their first major work late in life. Mary Wesley might be

Security

We all like to be secure. To feel secure we always try to find others who can make us secure. But why not we try to make others secure.

Cycle A 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Sir. 27:30-28:7; Rom. 14:7-9; Mt. 18:21-35

On December 27, 1983, in Rome's Rebibbia prison, two men shook hands. A victim and a would be assassin. That is the historical moments that  Pope John Paul II spent with his  would-be assassin, Mehmet Ali Agca. On May 13, 1981, Mehmet Ali Agca shot Pope John Paul II, as the pope rode in an open car across St. Peter's Square. Four bullets from the  gun of Ali Agca pierced into the stomach

Cycle A 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Ezek. 33:7-9; Rom. 13:8-10; Mt. 18:15-20

There is a story adapted from Tales from Rumi.

Four Men entered a mosque and each busied himself in salah, humbly prostrating before Allah. Each one said the "Allahu Akbar" after first having made his intention, and began to pray with humility. Meanwhile the Mu'adhdhin came in and gave the call to salah.

Fear

A righteous man will never fear.
Adam was without fear until he did wrong.
Fear comes only when I do something wrong.
Do every good thing with love but not with fear.

Cycle A 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Jer. 20:7-9; Rom 12:1-2; Mt. 16:21-28

One of the very important events in the history of struggle for Indian independence was the Historical Salt March. During the British Colonialism in India the British Salt Tax rule was imposed, making it illegal to sell or produce salt. Gandhiji saw it as an injustice to the people of India. Gandhiji decided to protest against it. He decided to lead 78 people through 240 mile journey from his Ashram to the

Cycle A 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time

Is. 22:15, 19-23; Rom. 11:33-36; Mt. 16:13-20

We are all familiar with the term identity crisis. It is a modern phenomenon that man tries to find his own identity. Many today ask the question who they are?

In today’s Gospel Jesus confronts his disciples with a very difficult question. The opinion of people about him, and their personal opinion about him. It is of the most dramatic interest to see where Jesus chose to ask this question. There was no district that had so much religious association

Cycle A 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Is. 56:1, 6-7; Rom. 11:13-15, 29-32; Mt. 15:21-28

Today's Reading from the Gospel of Matthew, [Mt. 15:21-28] the account of Jesus and the Canaanite woman, is one of the rare encounters of Jesus with Gentiles. Most likely this woman  heard of the great miracles that Jesus was performing towards the Jewish people. Hence she took it upon herself

Cycle A 19th Sunday in Oedinary Time

1 Kgs. 19:9, 11-13; Rom. 9:1-5; Mt. 14:22-33

It is our common experience that when we face certain unexpected problems, our first reaction is, “Lord save me.”

Some 850 years before Jesus was born there appeared in the Kingdom of Israel an extraordinary man, Elijah. As a punishment for the sins of the king and his people, the prophet announced a terrible drought. It lasted for three and a half years causing famine everywhere.

Cycle A 18th Sunday in the Ordinary Time

Is 55:1-3; Rom 8:35, 37-39; Mt 14:13-21

When Jesus heard about the assassination of John the Baptist, He withdrew to a lonely place. He must have been emotionally disturbed and wanted to be alone. But when he arrived a crowd had already been waiting for Him. He was moved with compassion to the depths of his being. Jesus had come to find peace, quiet and loneliness; instead he found a vast crowd waiting to be comforted. Jesus showed

Cycle A 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time

1 Kgs. 3:5-12; Rom. 8:28-30; Mt. 13:44-52

In the 16th and 17th centuries, Europeans believed that somewhere in the New World there was a place of immense wealth known as El Dorado. Their searches for this treasure wasted countless lives. The origins of El Dorado lie deep in South America. And like all enduring legends, the tale of El Dorado

Prayer Request

We need the prayers of others who are more spiritual than us. But when we request their prayers, they will only pray to God to hear our prayers. This means we need to pray and only then our prayers will be heard and showers of blessings will reach us from God.

Pope Francis's news in June 2014

Click here to read

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6OcmN1rdL5bZy1TSHN6VW94MXc/edit?usp=sharing