Homilies

March 30, 2025 - 4th Week of Lent

Jos 5:9a, 10-12; II Cor 5:17-21; Lk 15:1-3, 11-32


Traditionally, the Fourth Sunday of Lent is called Rejoice Sunday. Anticipating Easter joy, today’s readings invite us to rejoice by being reconciled with God through repentance and the confession of our sins and by celebrating our coming home to be with our loving and forgiving God.


Today’s Gospel celebrates the joy of the prodigal son on his “homecoming” where he discovers his father’s forgiving and overflowing love. It is also the story of the joy of a loving and forgiving father who celebrates the return of his prodigal son by throwing a big party in his honor, a banquet celebrating the reconciliation of the son with his father, his family, his community, and his God. At the same time, in his self-righteous elder brother’s angry reaction to the prodigal’s return, Jesus invites us to avoid self-righteousness and self-justification by imitating the repentant younger brother. Let us admit the truth that we are an assembly of repentant, sinful people, who are now ready to receive God’s forgiveness, to experience Jesus’ Personal Presence in the Holy Eucharist as our loving and forgiving God and so to love and forgive each other making, generous and lasting peace


Holy Mass enhances our “pass over,” from a world of sin to a world of reconciliation. At every Mass, we come to our loving Heavenly Father’s house as prodigal children acknowledging that we have sinned (“I confess to Almighty God”). In the Offertory, we give ourselves back to the Father, and this is the moment of our surrendering our sinful lives to God our Father. At the consecration, we hear God’s invitation through Jesus: “… this is My Body, which will be given up for you… this is the chalice of My Blood … which will be poured out for you…” (=” All I have is yours”). In Holy Communion, we participate in the banquet of reconciliation, thus restoring our full relationship with God and our fellow human beings.


“How can I be lost if I’m with you?”

Grandpa and his granddaughter were out for a walk one day when Grandpa realized they had walked a whole lot farther than their normal walks. He asked his granddaughter, “Do you know where we are?” The girl said, “No!” “Do you know how to get home?” Again, the girl said, “No!” Then Grandpa asked, “If you don’t know where you are or how to get home, does that mean you’re lost?”  — The girl said, “No, Grandpa! How can I be lost if I’m with you?”


March 23, 2025 - Third Sunday of Lent

Ex 3:1-8a, 13-15; I Cor 10:1-6, 10-12; Lk 13:1-9

All three of today’s readings speak of God the Father’s mercy and compassion, even in disciplining His children by occasional punishment in the form of natural or manmade tragedies, while giving them second chances to repent of their sins and renew their lives, despite their repeated sins. God expects us to show our repentance and renewal of life, especially during Lent, by producing fruits of love, mercy, forgiveness, and selfless service, instead of remaining like a barren fig tree in Christ’s Church.

But God never gave up: God has promised never to give up on us. All of the Scriptures, Old and New Testaments together, are a record of how God never, never, never, never, never gives up.



  • Adam and Eve disobeyed the very First Rule. But God never gave up.
  • Abraham wandered, and Sarah laughed. But God never gave up.
  • Moses hid and shook with fear. But God never gave up.
  • Saul went insane. But God never gave up.
  • David plotted against Uriah. But God never gave up.
  • Ahaz sold out to Assyria. But God never gave up.
  • Israel fell into pieces. But God never gave up.
  • The Jewish people became exiles. But God never gave up.
  • John the Baptist was beheaded. But God never gave up.
  • Peter denied he even knew Jesus, and Judas betrayed Him for 30 pieces of silver. But God never gave up.
  • The disciples all ran away. But God never gave up.


Life Messages:

  1. We need to live lives of repentance: (a) We never know when we will meet a tragedy of our own. Let us turn to Christ, acknowledge our faults and failings, and receive from him mercy, forgiveness and the promise of eternal life. b) There is no better way to take these words of Jesus to heart than to go to sacramental confession, and there is no better time to go to confession than during Lent. (c) Repentance helps us in life and in death. It helps us to live as forgiven people and helps us to face death without fear.
  2. We need to be fruitful trees in God’s orchard. Lent is an ideal time “to dig around and manure” the tree of our life so that it may bring forth fruits of repentance, reconciliation, forgiveness, humble service, and sensitivity to the feelings of others.
  3. We need to make the best use of the “second chances” God gives us. Our merciful Father always gives us second chances. During Lent, too, we are given another chance to repent and return to our Heavenly Father’s love through the sacrament of reconciliation, the “Sacrament of the second chance.”


March 16, 2025 - 2nd Week of Lent

Gn 15:5-12, 17-18, Phil 3:17—4:1, Lk 9:28b-36

The common theme of today’s readings is transformation. The readings invite us to work with the Holy Spirit to transform our lives by renewing them during Lent so that they radiate the glory and grace of the transfigured Lord to all around us by our Spirit-filled lives.


Fr. Anthony de Mello tells the story of such a transformation in the prayer life of an old man.  “I was a revolutionary when I was young and all my prayer to God was: ‘Lord, give me the grace to change the world.’ As I approached middle age and realized that half of my life was gone without changing a single soul, I changed my prayer to: ‘Lord, give me the grace to change all those who come in contact with me; just my family and friends and I shall be satisfied.’  Now that I am old and my days are numbered, I have begun to see how foolish I have been.  My one prayer now is: ‘Lord, give me the grace to change myself.’  If I had prayed for this right from the start, I should not have wasted my life.”


The three transformations in our lives in our journey towards eternity: The first transformation in our lives begins at Baptism which washes away original sin, transforming us into children of God and heirs of heaven. The second transformation takes place through our victory over the trials and tribulations of life.  Every challenge, every difficulty, every moment of suffering is an opportunity for transformation and spiritual growth. The third transformation takes place at death.  Eternal life in Heaven, perhaps after a period of further transformation in Purgatory, is granted to those who have been found worthy.  A final, completing transformation or transfiguration will occur at the Second Coming when our glorified body is reunited with our soul.

The Transfiguration offers us a message of encouragement and hope: In moments of doubt and during our dark moments of despair and hopelessness, the thought of our transfiguration in Heaven will help us to reach out to God and to listen to His consoling words: “This is My beloved Son.”  Let us offer our Lenten sacrifices to our Lord, that through these practices of Lent and through the acceptance of our daily crosses we may grow closer to him in his suffering and may share in the carrying of his cross so that we may finally share the glory of his Transfiguration.