Day: July 4, 2013

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Thursday, 4 July 2013 : 13th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Elizabeth of Portugal (Gospel Reading)

Matthew 9 : 1-8

Jesus got back into the boat, crossed the lake again, and came to His hometown. Here they brought a paralysed man to Him, lying on a bed. Jesus saw their faith and said to the paralytic, “Courage, My son! Your sins are forgiven.”

Then some teachers of the Law said within themselves, “This Man insults God.” Jesus was aware of what they were thinking, and said, “Why have you such evil thoughts? Which is easier to say : ‘Your sins are forgiven’ or ‘Stand up, and walk’? You must know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.”

He then said to the paralysed man, “Stand up! Take your stretcher and go home.” The man got up and went home. When the crowds saw this, they were filled with awe, and praised God for giving such power to human beings.

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Thursday, 4 July 2013 : 13th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Elizabeth of Portugal (Psalm)

Psalm 114 : 1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9

Alleluia! I am pleased that the Lord has heard my voice in supplication, that He has not been deaf to me, the day I called on Him.

When the cords of death entangled me, the snares of the grave laid hold of me, when affliction got the better of me, I called upon the Name of the Lord : “O Lord, save my life!”

Gracious and righteous is the Lord; full of compassion is our God. The Lord protects the simple : He saved me when I was humbled.

He has freed my soul from death, my eyes from weeping, my feet from stumbling; I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living.

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Thursday, 4 July 2013 : 13th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Elizabeth of Portugal (First Reading)

Genesis 22 : 1-19

Some time later God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he answered, “Here I am.” Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I shall point out to you.”

Abraham rose early next morning and saddled his donkey and took with him two of his young men and his son Isaac. He chopped wood for the burnt offering and set out for the place to which God had directed him. On the third day, Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance, and he said to the young men, “Stay here with the donkey. The boy and I will go over there to worship and then we will come back to you.”0

Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son. He carried in his hand the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, Isaac spoke to Abraham, his father, “Father!” And Abraham replied, “Yes, my son?” Isaac said, “The fire and the wood are here, but where is the lamb for the sacrifice?” Abraham replied, “God Himself will provide the lamb for the sacrifice.”

They went on, the two of them together, until they came to the place to which God had directed them. When Abraham had built the altar and set the wood on it, he bound his son Isaac and laid him on the wood placed on the altar. He then stretched out his hand to seize the knife and slay his son. But the angel of YHVH called to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!”

And he said, “Here I am.” “Do not lay your hand on the boy; do not harm him, for now I know that you fear God, and you have not held back from Me your only son.”

Abraham looked around and saw behind him a ram caught by its horns in a bush. He offered it as a burnt offering in place of his son. Abraham named the place, ‘The Lord will provide.’ And the saying has lasted to this day.

And the angel of YHVH called from heaven a second time, “By myself I have sworn, it is YHVH who speaks, because you have done this and not held back your son, your only son, I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the lands of their enemies. All the nations of the earth will be blessed through your descendants because you have obeyed Me.”

So Abraham returned to his servants, and they set off together for Beersheba and it was there that Abraham stayed.

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Wednesday, 3 July 2013 : Feast of St. Thomas, Apostle (Scripture Reflection)

Brothers and sisters in Christ, all of us should be happy, indeed, because we have faith in the Lord, even though we do not see Him physically walking with us in this world. Yes, He is with us, all the days of our life, even without us knowing about it. But how faithful are we to the Lord? We live in a world today that is obsessed with things visual and physical, and it is increasingly difficult for many to find God as something tangible in their lives.

St. Thomas did not believe at first because he was not at the meeting when Jesus appeared to His disciples, and the doubt and fear in his heart, which has grown ever since the tragic death of Christ on the cross, prevented him from believing in the Risen Lord, our God and Saviour. Indeed, for a rational man, and a man thinking about the natural order, it is simply impossible and unbelievable that someone could have risen from the dead, much less to appear physically to the living.

And yet, that is the truth that is our faith. Our faith has its core and foundation in our belief in the Christ suffering, Christ crucified, and ultimately, the most important of all, the Risen Christ, the conquering Lord of life and death, and no one has authority over Him, not even death. It is His triumph over death that is the centrepiece of our faith.

If Christ is just a man, and that He died on the cross, then that death would have been a waste, because then He would have ended His ministry in this world short. But the Lord is fully divine just as He is fully human. He is both the Lord our God, Lord of all the universe, and a humble, lowly man at the same time. His death and then His resurrection had opened a new door of hope for mankind. For Christ is the only bridge that bridged the infinite chasm that lie before us and God.

The Lord risen from the dead shows us that death does not have the final say on us. Throughout history, people have been searching for ways to prevent them from dying, and also to extend their life in this world, but they have failed to do so, because ever since the first mankind, death has always claimed all men without exception. Death is the fate and punishment that awaits all of us for breaking our covenant with the Lord, by our disobedience and sinful ways.

God who loves us did not give up on us, but gave us a new hope through Christ, the only hope for salvation. It is only through Christ that we can reach back towards the Lord our God. That is why our faith in Him as our Lord and Saviour is essential for all of us. But this world has been corrupted by evil, and as you noticed, the increasing influence of science and secularisation.

Science itself is not evil, and is indeed good, but it is the underlying principle of science, that championed reason and rationality above all things, and coupled with the great reduction in the influence of God and His Church to many, that brought much harm both to the world and to the Church, and of course, to the people of God.

Secularisation came because mankind began to discover many wonderful discoveries they claim for their own, and they began to question whether God is really present in their lives, and whether He is truly real. Mankind began to look for things that are real and tangible, and something that they can visually see and touch, just as the principles of science, which stated that something had to be proven by tests and reason so that it is the real deal. Because God seemed to be distant and intangible, mankind began to question their faith and walk away from the Lord, just as what happened to St. Thomas, who doubted that the Lord had risen from the dead, because he did not witness His appearing to the disciples.

That is why, it is important for all of us to remain faithful to the Lord. Faith is not just by being able to visually see something and then we believe, but faith involve more than just our vision and our sense of feel and touch, but it involves our hearts and soul. Deep in our hearts, all of us know that the Lord is there. He is real and tangible, through our actions, through our words, when we base them on His teachings. For is it not that God is Love? Yes, exactly as He had commanded us to love, through love, God is made manifest to the world, through the apostles, and through us.

God wants us to love Him, just as He had loved us, to the point of sacrificing Himself on the cross, that through the shedding of His Body and His Blood, we may be cleansed from the filth of sin, and be reunited with Him, in the everlasting bliss of eternal life. This Year of the Faith is a very good opportunity for all of us to renew our commitment to the Lord, so that we will be once again close to Him. St. Thomas’ example is an example of how we should indeed love the Lord even without us seeing Him. What we need is to feel Him through our hearts, through our love, that reflects the nature of God, who is Love.

Therefore, brothers and sisters in Christ, let us renew our resolve to the Lord, that we will be ever more faithful to Him, and ever more loving to Him and to all His children, our brethren. Let us all fall on our knees and worship Him who had given up His life for us so that we may live, and let our faith be an example for all the world to see, that we belong to our God, a God who loves us, cares for us, and is faithful to us, even when we ourselves had been unfaithful and rebellious.

May God grant us the gift of faith, and strengthen the faith in our heart, that the Lord will be ever close to us, in our heart, that we will always be in His grace, forever and ever. Amen.

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Wednesday, 3 July 2013 : Feast of St. Thomas, Apostle (Gospel Reading)

John 20 : 24-29

Thomas, the Twin, one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he replied, “Until I have seen in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in His side, I will not believe.”

Eight days later, the disciples were inside again and Thomas was with them. Despite the locked doors, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you!” Then He said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see My hands; stretch out your hand, and put it into My side. Do not be an unbeliever! Believe!”

Thomas then said, “You are my Lord and my God.” Jesus replied, “You believe because you see Me, don’t you? Happy are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”

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Wednesday, 3 July 2013 : Feast of St. Thomas, Apostle (Psalm)

Psalm 116 : 1, 2

Alleluia! Praise the Lord, all you nations; all you peoples, praise Him.

How great is His love for us! His faithfulness lasts forever.

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Wednesday, 3 July 2013 : Feast of St. Thomas, Apostle (First Reading)

Ephesians 2 : 19-22

Now you are no longer strangers or guests, but fellow citizens of the holy people : you are of the household of God. You are the house whose foundations are the apostles and prophets, and whose cornerstone is Christ Jesus.

In Him the whole structure is joined together and rises to be a Holy Temple in the Lord. In Him you too are being built to become the spiritual sanctuary of God.

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Tuesday, 2 July 2013 : 13th Week of Ordinary Time (Scripture Reflection)

Brothers and sisters in Christ, today we are called to put our complete trust in Christ our Lord, for in Him lies all the authority over all the universe, and not even the wind, the seas, and the storm can overcome Him. Indeed, not even death could overcome Him! The evil one tried to derail the plan of salvation by inciting the people and the priests to condemn Him to death, death on the cross. A sign of humiliation, yes, but that sign of humiliation was changed to a sign of victory and glory, the triumphant Christ winning over all evil, once and for all.

The scene in the Gospel reading today inspires the logo that we have for our celebration of the Year of the Faith, in which is depicted a ship sailing in the rough seas and waves, and a triumphant cross stands on that ship. In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus calmed the storm and the sea after He rebuked them with His authority. He has the power and authority over all things, without exceptions, and He also rebuked His disciples for their fear. In their fear, they distrusted the power and authority of the Lord, and that was where fear originated and entered into their hearts.

Our Church today is like that ship, floating and sailing in the midst of a sea full of storms and thunder, a sea full of dangerous hazards and oppositions, just as our Church faced plethora of problems and issues that continue to assault it unabated, especially in the past few years. Had the Church not had Christ, it would have collapsed long ago, and therefore brought about damnation for many, a damnation in hell.

Christ, who rebuked the wind and the sea is that central figure on the ship of faith, is that Christ had become a steadfast and strong anchor, which kept the boat from capsizing in the midst of that turbulant seas. If we keep our faith in Him strong, He will then also help to keep us under His protection, that we, as a Church and an individual child of God, will not fall into damnation.

Remain faithful, brothers and sisters in Christ, and pray for one another, help one another, that all of us, who belongs to the Lord, but somehow were brought apart by the currents of the world, that all of us will survive the temptations of the world and evil, who always tries to separate us from our Lord. Temptations are everywhere, and in this increasingly affluent world, it is getting more and more difficult to resist these temptations, temptations of pleasure, temptations of wealth, and many others.

That was one of the things that made Lot’s wife to disobey the commands of the angel of the Lord to not look back at the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah as they escaped the catastrophe towards the city of Zoar, towards safety. That was because Lot’s wife was likely not able to come to terms with having to leave all the pleasures of life and wealth that she and her family had to left behind in their hurried escape from Sodom.

She disobeyed the commands of the Lord through the angel, and received her just reward, that is punishment, to become a pillar of salt. It is not that God is harsh or anything of the sort, but He is just to everyone, that to those who obey His laws and those who practised His teachings on love through Jesus, He will give their due rewards, and to those who had not obeyed His laws and openly disregarded His will, they will certainly receive their due rewards as well, that is condemnation.

Therefore, brothers and sisters in Christ, we have a simple choice between two, the devil and world pleasures, which corrupt our hearts and minds, and cloud our perceptions and judgments, making our faith in God to tremble and weaken, or to choose a more difficult path, that is the path of the Lord, to choose God, who is our anchor and our strength, and who has authority over all things in the universe.

Salvation or damnation, it is indeed entirely our choice. Do we want the ship, that is our Church, and indeed that is our being, to be stable, with the Lord as the anchor and guide, or do we want the ship to be unstable and sinking, if we do not put our trust in God? Let us use this excellent opportunity in the Year of the Faith to renew our commitment to our God, and to renew our faith in Him, and show Him the extent of our love and dedication for Him. May God bless us all and strengthen our faith day by day, that we do not fall into sin anymore. Amen.