Liturgical Colour : Green
Luke 8 : 1-3
At that time, Jesus walked through towns and countryside, preaching and giving the Good News of the kingdom of God. The Twelve followed Him, and also some women, who had been healed of evil spirits and diseases : Mary called Magdalene, who had been freed of seven demons; Joanna, wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward; Suzanna; and others, who provided for them out of their own funds.
Liturgical Colour : Green
Psalm 16 : 1, 6-7, 8b and 15
Hear a just cause, o Lord, listen to my complaint. Give heed to my prayer for there is no deceit on my lips.
I call on You, You will answer me, o God; incline Your ear and hear my word. For You do wonders for Your faithful, You save those fleeing from the enemy as they seek refuge at Your right hand.
Keep me as the apple of Your eye; under the shadow of Your wings hide me. As for me, righteous in Your sight, I shall see Your face and, awakening, gaze my fill on Your likeness.
Liturgical Colour : Green
1 Corinthians 15 : 12-20
Well, then, if Christ is preached as risen from the dead, how can some of you say, that there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is empty, and our belief comes to nothing. And we become false witnesses of God, attesting that He raised Christ, whereas He could not raise Him, if indeed, the dead are not raised.
If the dead are not raised, neither has Christ been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith gives you nothing, and you are still in sin. Also, those who fall asleep, in Christ, are lost. If it is only for this life, that we hope in Christ, we are the most unfortunate of all people. But no, Christ has been raised from the dead, and He comes before all those who have fallen asleep.
Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Bishops or Holy Virgins)
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day each and every one of us are reminded of the faith and the teachings which we have received from God, and to which we have been called, just as St. Paul in his Epistle to the Corinthians in our first reading reminded us, that we need to cling closely to the Good News and the truth which God has revealed to us through His Apostles, their successors and the Church. And what is this truth and Good News, brothers and sisters? It is what we have heard in our Gospel passage today, the essence of our Christian faith in how the Lord treated the sinful woman, a prostitute who came to the feast hosted by the Pharisees for the Lord. When the Pharisee host saw this he was evidently hoping for a chance to catch the Lord off His guard by this opportune moment, as the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law and large segments of the Jewish society then looked down on prostitutes whom they considered as sinners and unworthy.
Therefore, as the sinful woman came to the Lord, they would perhaps hope that the Lord would either cast out the woman and condemn her, therefore affirming their own position and practices of the faith, by showing that even the Lord Jesus was on their side supporting their way of interpreting the Law, or else, by allowing her to touch Him without resistance, the Pharisees could then discredit the Lord and condemn Him for allowing a sinner to taint Him among other things. But what the Lord did to the woman, just as what the woman also did to Him were surely beyond belief of all those who witnessed the occasion. The woman took a very expensive jar of alabaster with best perfumes inside, and used the perfume to anoint the feet of the Lord with great love, and she humbled herself, most likely kneeling down low in doing so, and then dried the feet of the Lord with her own hair, the crown of her beauty and her pride.
In doing so, the sinful woman lowered herself and humbled herself such before God, with tears and sorrow, repenting for her sins with great sincerity. She must have heard of the Lord’s coming, and His fame and works, which preceded Him, must have stirred the woman, who wanted to be forgiven from her sins and faults. And that was how the woman came to the Lord and humbled herself before Him, begging for His mercy and forgiveness. And God gave her the forgiveness for the sincere repentance she had shown. The Lord then also immediately pointed out to the Pharisees who were baffled by what the woman had done and by what the Lord had told her, that the Lord is loving and forgiving, generous with His mercy and compassionate forgiveness. He used the parable of a creditor who had two people owing him money at the same time to explain this, and highlighted how the forgiveness of those debts made the indebted ones felt so thankful and appreciative of the forgiveness.
Thus, the woman, who was sinful and had done many wicked things earlier on, would naturally be more grateful for the mercy shown to her, rather than the Pharisees for example, who did not appreciate this mercy and love of God. And the Lord made this to point out that, after all, every one of us are sinners, regardless whether we are great sinners or whether we have only sinned a lot less against God, and sin is still sin to be forgiven. Unless the sinner seeks the Lord’s forgiveness with an open heart and with the genuine desire for repentance, the sinner will not be forgiven. And as the example showed has clearly been presented to us, for each and every one of us to be forgiven, we need to get rid from ourselves pride and arrogance, hubris and ego, and be open to God’s mercy and forgiveness, to seek Him with a remorseful and repentant heart.
We are truly so fortunate to have such a loving and merciful God, and we often do not appreciate this opportunity presented to us, spurning the chances that God has given to us, in His generosity and kindness, and therefore, we should embrace this love and mercy wholeheartedly and not wait until it is too late for us. And today we should follow the good examples of the saints whose feast we celebrate today, namely St. Robert Bellarmine and St. Hildegard of Bingen. St. Robert Bellarmine was a Jesuit priest, and later an Archbishop and Cardinal who had been very influential in the era of Counter-Reformation, when the Church and Christendom were bitterly divided and afflicted by divisions due to the many heretical thoughts and radical ideas from the numerous Protestant reformers and others who did not obey the teachings of the Church, and sought to follow their own standards and ways instead of following the true teachings of the Church as they should have done.
St. Robert Bellarmine spent a lot of time as an educator in teaching theology and other Church ideals and teachings, to many of his students in various educational institutes, including his mentorship of many members of the clergy and bishops. He was then involved in the reforms of the Church as someone who helped to implement the decrees and decisions of the Ecumenical Council of Trent in rooting out corrupt and wicked practices done by the clergy and the laity alike in the Church. He opposed the then common practice of having bishops frequently not residing within their respective dioceses, among other irregularities and corruptions in the Church. His personal piety and dedication to God inspired many long after his passing.
Meanwhile, St. Hildegard of Bingen was someone who had always been attracted to monastic life and a life of dedication to God from her early years, and she eventually professed to be a religious nun, living her life in hermitage and isolation from the world. She spent a lot of time in prayer, receiving various visions that made her to be a renowned mystic, and she wrote rather extensively about her experiences. That was her gift and talents given to her by God, just as St. Robert Bellarmine was given the gift of intellect and passion for reform, as well as the opportunities to do so. And as we discussed earlier, each one of them made good use of those talents and opportunities, doing great works for the Lord and positively affecting their fellow brothers and sisters, and also the Universal Church.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, having been inspired by the great examples of St. Robert Bellarmine and St. Hildegard of Bingen, and also by the great faith of the sinful woman who had humbled herself such before the Lord and everyone, let us all therefore do our part to live our own lives humbly and courageously in doing God’s will at all times, aspiring always to accomplish our respective mission and calling in life, to make good use of the gifts, talents, abilities and opportunities that the Lord has provided us. Let us all serve Him faithfully and be good role models, inspirations and examples for one another, doing all that we can to glorify Him by our lives, now and always. Amen.
Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Bishops or Holy Virgins)
Luke 7 : 36-50
At that time, one of the Pharisees asked Jesus to share his meal, so He went to the Pharisee’s home, and as usual reclined at the table to eat. And it happened that, a woman of this town, who was known as a sinner, heard that He was in the Pharisee’s house. She brought an alabaster jar of perfume, and stood behind Him, at His feet, weeping. She wet His feet with tears; she dried them with her hair; she kissed His feet and poured the perfume on them.
The Pharisee who had invited Jesus was watching, and thought, “If this Man were a Prophet, He would know what sort of person is touching Him; is this woman not a sinner?” Then Jesus spoke to the Pharisee and said, “Simon, I have something to ask you.” He answered, “Speak, Master.”
And Jesus said, “Two people were in debt to the same creditor. One owed him five hundred silver coins, and the other fifty. As they were unable to pay him back, he graciously cancelled the debts of both. Now, which of them will love him more?”
Simon answered, “The one, I suppose, who was forgiven more.” And Jesus said, “You are right.” And turning toward the woman, He said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? You gave Me no water for My feet when I entered your house; but she dried them with her hair. You did not welcome Me with a kiss; but she has not stopped kissing My feet since she came in. You provided no oil for My head; but she has poured perfume on My feet. This is why, I tell you, her sins, her many sins, are forgiven, because of her great love. But the one who is forgiven little, has little love.”
Then Jesus said to the woman, “Your sins are forgiven.” The others reclining with Him at the table began to wonder, “Now this Man claims to forgive sins!” But Jesus again spoke to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace!”
Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Bishops or Holy Virgins)
Psalm 117 : 1-2, 16ab and 17, 28
Alleluia! Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, His loving kindness endures forever. Let Israel say, “His loving kindness endures forever.”
The right hand of the Lord is lifted high, the right hand of the Lord strikes mightily! I shall not die, but live to proclaim what the Lord has done.
You are my God, and I give You thanks. You are my God, and I give You praise.
Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Bishops or Holy Virgins)
1 Corinthians 15 : 1-11
Let me remind you, brothers and sisters, of the Good News that I preached to you and which you received and on which you stand firm. By that Gospel you are saved, provided that you hold to it as I preached it. Otherwise, you will have believed in vain.
In the first place, I have passed on to you what I myself received that Christ died for our sins, as Scripture says; that He was buried; that He was raised on the third day, according to the Scriptures; that He appeared to Cephas and then to the Twelve. Afterwards He appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters together; most of them are still alive, although some have already gone to rest.
Then He appeared to James and after that to all the Apostles. And last of all, He appeared to the most despicable of them, this is to me. For I am the last of the Apostles, and I do not even deserve to be called an Apostle, because I persecuted the Church of God. Nevertheless, by the grace of God, I am what I am, and His grace toward me has not been without fruit. Far from it, I have toiled more than all of them, although, not I, rather the grace of God, in me.
Now, whether it was I or they, this, we preach, and this, you have believed.
Liturgical Colour : Red
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day as we listened to the words of the Scripture we are all reminded that as Christians, it is our primary objective in life to love, and not just any kind of love, but love in a selfless way, to love God with all of our might and strength, and to give of ourselves with love to one another, and not to be selfish and haughty, but rather place ourselves in the way of God’s love. This is why we are all reminded that as Christians it is very important for all of us to apply what we believe in our Christian faith and teachings in our daily living, in the manner of how we love those whom God has placed in our lives for us to love, our most beloved and precious ones, as well as those who need our love, care and attention. This includes even all those strangers who passed by our lives and who can benefit from the love that we genuinely show them.
In our first reading today, we heard St. Paul in his Epistle to the Church and the faithful in Corinth reminding all of them of the importance of love to all of them, and how love is at the core of the Christian tenet, virtues and teaching. He highlighted how without love, then no matter whatever gifts and talents, graces and abilities we have received, then everything is meaningless. And the Apostle also highlighted that true love is pure, and is truly wonderful, and that love is never selfish and is about caring and truly being attentive and concerned about the needs of others. St. Paul essentially exhorted all the faithful to follow the examples of the Lord and His Apostles in love, in being generous in giving and in the sharing of that love, rather than following the selfish ways of the world.
It is by our love that we will be recognised as Christians, as God’s own beloved ones and people, as His followers and those who have lived according to His Law and His ways. That is what is alluded in our Gospel passage today when we heard the Lord speaking about how the people failed to recognise Him and St. John the Baptist. He elaborated how the people looked down and were judgmental against St. John the Baptist because of his appearance, and the same people also judged against the Lord because He interacted and reached out to sinners. All of these were caused by their lack of love, their inability to appreciate God’s love and all that He has done for the sake of us all mankind. They were too engrossed and preoccupied in themselves that they have ended up being blinded to the truth and the love of God. That is precisely why, despite their intelligence and great power, but without love, all these were of no use, as these referred to many among the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law who criticised St. John the Baptist and the Lord, being considered the most well-educated and influential among the Jews.
It was those who did not hold on to their pride and ego, their preconceived notion of superiority that came to believe the Lord wholeheartedly and genuinely, for they perceived God’s love in the way that those who had allowed their pride and desires to get the better of them could not. They saw the Lord and all that He had done for the sake of His people, and came to believe in Him not just through words but also through His loving actions. That is why, it is similar for us as well. If we truly want to make others to believe in God, then we must first apply what we profess to believe in our own daily actions and lives, or else, we are no more than hypocrites and all those who do not truly love the Lord, but instead, we love ourselves and our ego more than our love for Him and those whom He has entrusted to us to love.
Meanwhile, the Lord often rebuked the Pharisees and also warned those who listened to Him, not to follow the examples of the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law who did not follow the Law in the manner that they should have. He told them to listen to these teachers of the faith, but not to follow their examples, as their actions and deeds, their behaviours were done in order to satisfy their own personal desires and greed, and hence, they were misguided and in turn, could misguide others in their journey towards God. Brothers and sisters in Christ, once again, today’s set of Scripture readings remind us that the Lord has called us to be His faithful witnesses in all things and in all occasions, and the best way for us to do that, is to be His witnesses of love, that is by showing love in each and every one of our daily lives’ actions, being genuine in our love and tender care for each other, in the concern we show towards others who are suffering and less fortunate than us.
Today, the Church celebrates the feast of two great and holy men, whose faith and lives can and should indeed give us the inspiration and courage to carry out our lives and actions in accordance with God and His path. Pope St. Cornelius was the leader of the Universal Church during the time of great persecutions against the Christians throughout the Roman Empire, and also during a time when the Church was torn apart by great disagreement and schisms, particularly by those who disagreed with the practice of readmitting those who had lapsed in their Christian faith, or practiced pagan ways in order to protect themselves and avoid the harsh persecutions common at that time. Those who refused to allow those lapsed Christians who repented to rejoin the Church were known as the Novatianists after their most prominent leader, whom they elected as a rival Pope or Antipope.
That leader, Novatian, rejected the election of Pope St. Cornelius as the leader of the Church succeeding the martyred Pope St. Fabian because to the former, the latter was too lenient in allowing the lapsed Christians to rejoin the Church as according to the Novatianists, once a Christian has lapsed in the faith, then they can no longer be forgiven or be readmitted in their lives, in a rather self-righteous and almost Pharisaical kind of attitude, without understanding and appreciating how the Lord Himself would have reached out to those lapsed Christians and those who had been lost, like the ones who during the time of the Lord’s ministry were deemed as unworthy and sinful, like the tax collectors, prostitutes and those who suffered from ailments and demonic possessions. In the same manner therefore, Pope St. Cornelius and his compatriot, St. Cyprian of Carthage, another renowned leader of the Church, sought to champion this true ideal of the Church.
Essentially, as what we all still believe to this day, all of us believe that the Church is not just a museum for the ones who are holy, but is also a hospital for sinners. The Church is the Lord’s manifest outreach to the whole world, to all of the children of mankind, that each and every one of them may come to know the Lord, and be part of the one Body of Christ, called and chosen from the world to walk once again righteously in the path that God has shown them. The Church should not close its doors to those who truly and genuinely repented, and have been willing to carry out the penance for their sins, if the sinners desired to return to the Lord and to seek His mercy. After all, that is what the Lord Himself entrusted to His Church through St. Peter, as He entrusted to him the keys of the kingdom of Heaven, the power to bind or loosen those on earth that they may also be either bound or loosened in Heaven.
Pope St. Cornelius and St. Cyprian both courageously led the Church and resisted against all the efforts of those who sought to exclude the lapsed Christians from returning to the Lord, and their great efforts and works eventually prevailed, as the support for the Novatian heretics floundered and the Church kept its open arms and doors, ever ready to welcome those sinners who come seeking God’s forgiveness and grace. This is therefore also a reminder to all of us that we should not allow ourselves to be swayed by the sense of pride and self-righteousness, which may end up causing us to behave in the same Pharisaical and prideful way as those Novatianists, but instead, we should always be caring and concerned about our fellow brothers and sisters, many of whom are in need of our help and assistance in their struggles to live lives worthy of the Lord.
Let us all therefore today resolve to live our lives ever more worthily of the Lord, by doing what He has willed and commanded us to do, obeying Him as best as we are able to, in every moments and opportunities. Let us all remind one another of God’s ever gracious and generous love for us, His mercy and compassion which have always been generously given to us, at all times. Let us also help one another to walk with ever greater dedication in the path of our Christian faith, and be great role models, examples and inspirations to one another, now and always, in truly loving one another most generously and genuinely at all times. May God bless each one of us in our every good efforts and endeavours. Amen.
Liturgical Colour : Red
Luke 7 : 31-35
At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “What comparison can I use for the people? What are they like? They are like children sitting in the marketplace, about whom their companions complain, ‘We piped you a tune and you would not dance; we sang funeral songs and you would not cry.'”
“Remember John : he did not eat bread or drink wine, and you said, ‘He has an evil spirit.’ Next, came the Son of Man, eating and drinking; and you say, ‘Look, a glutton for food and wine, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ But the children of Wisdom always recognise her work.”
Liturgical Colour : Red
Psalm 32 : 2-3, 4-5, 12 and 22
Give thanks to YHVH on the harp and lyre, making melody and chanting praises. Amid loud shouts of joy, sing to Him a new song and play the ten-stringed harp.
For upright is YHVH’s word and worthy of trust is His work. YHVH loves justice and righteousness; the earth is full of His kindness.
Blessed is the nation whose God is YHVH – the people He has chosen for His inheritance. O YHVH, let Your love rest upon us, even as our hope rests in You.
petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang 