Month: August 2017

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Saturday, 2 September 2017 : 21st Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Saturday Mass of Our Lady)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we heard from the Gospel the parable of the silver talents, in which our Lord Jesus related the story to the people and to His disciples, telling them of what they need to do if they are to remain faithful as His disciples. They cannot be idle or be lukewarm in our faith, and He showed this through the example of the silver talents entrusted by the master to the servants.

The master represents the Lord our God, Who has given each and every one of us with different abilities and gifts, in each of our own capacities, so that we may use them in what He has willed us to do, and to utilise these gifts and abilities He has granted us, all the blessings He has bestowed upon us, for our common good. However, this is something which many of us tend to overlook, and which the Lord wants us to remember through the Scriptures we heard today.

There were three servants who were given different silver talents depending on their abilities, as one was given five silver talents, another was given two silver talents, and one was given one silver talent to be taken care of while the master was away on his official business. Yet the one who has one silver talent hid his silver talent piece away when the two other servants invested their silver talents and gained profit as a result.

When the master came back to his place, and asked for an account from each of his servants, he praised the diligence and astuteness of the two servants who have invested their silver talents and gained great profits from what they have been given, and they were entrusted with even more of the master’s wealth, who knew that those servants could be depended on because of their performance.

Yet, the one who hid his silver talent and did nothing to it, was punished because he failed to do as what his master had said, that is to use the silver talent and invest it so that it would not just remain a silver talent, but instead giving great returns and profits, that when the master himself returned, he would have been able to gain more from what he has entrusted to the servant.

In the same manner, therefore, God will punish us if we have failed to do whatever it is that He had commanded us to do, and in today’s Gospel, He reminded us that He had granted us those many gifts and blessings, each according to our abilities and capacities. If we keep all these things to ourselves without using them, we will be just like the servant who was lazy and did not invest his silver talent.

And then, we should also not say that because God does not bless us with many things in this life, or that because we think that we do not have any special abilities, gifts or anything that we can give, share or use for the benefit of all. If we pay attention to the parable, we notice how the master gave each of the servants different amount of silver talents, each according to the servants’ abilities. Surely God has done the same with us as well. He knows what He has given us, and whatever little we have, even those we can use as well, for the common benefit of all.

Therefore, brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all make the pledge from now on, to be generous in our giving, to those who have less than us, in material and most importantly in our love. Let us share what we have received with one another, that God’s blessings in us may multiply and grow greater, just as the silver talents invested by the good servants bore profits.

May the Lord bless our endeavours, and may He be with us throughout our journey in life, that we will ever bear fruits and be filled with goodness in all of our actions. May He empower us to live in His presence with faith, joy and hope at all times. Amen.

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Saturday, 2 September 2017 : 21st Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Saturday Mass of Our Lady)

Matthew 25 : 14-30

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “Imagine someone who, before going abroad, summoned his servants to entrust his property to them. He gave five talents of silver to one servant, two talents to another servant, and one talent to a third, to each, according to his ability; and he went away.”

“He who received five talents went at once to do business with the talents, and gained another five. The one who received two talents did the same, and gained another two. But the one who received one talent dug a hole in the ground, and hid his master’s money.”

“After a long time, the master of those servants returned and asked for a reckoning. The one who had received five talents came with another five talents, saying, ‘Lord, you entrusted me with five talents, but see, I have gained five more.’ The master answered, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant, since you have been faithful in a few things, I will entrust you in charge of many things. Come and share the joy of your master.'”

“Then the one who had received two talents came and said, ‘Lord, you entrusted me with two talents; with them I have gained two more.’ The master said, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant, since you have been faithful in little things, I will entrust you in charge of many things. Come and share the joy of your master.'”

“Finally, the one who had received one talent came and said, ‘Master, I know that you are a hard man. You reap what you have not sown, and gather what you have not scattered. I was afraid, so I hid your money in the ground. Here, take what is yours!’ But his master replied, ‘Wicked and worthless servant, you know that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered. You should have deposited my money in the bank, and given it back to me with interest on my return.'”

“Therefore, take the talent from him, and give it to the one who has ten. For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who are unproductive, even what they have will be taken from them. As for that useless servant, thrown him out into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

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Saturday, 2 September 2017 : 21st Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Saturday Mass of Our Lady)

Psalm 97 : 1, 7-8, 9

Sing to YHVH a new song, for He has done wonders; His right hand, His holy arm, has won victory for Him.

Let the sea resound and everything in it, the world and all its people. Let rivers clap their hands, hills and mountains sing with joy.

Before YHVH, for He comes to rule the earth. He will judge the world with justice, and the peoples, with fairness.

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Saturday, 2 September 2017 : 21st Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Saturday Mass of Our Lady)

1 Thessalonians 4 : 9-11

Regarding mutual love, you do not need anyone to write to you, because God, Himself, taught you how to love one another. You already practice it with all the brothers and sisters of Macedonia, but I invite you to do more.

Consider how important it is, to live quietly, without bothering others, to mind your own business, and work with your hands, as we have charged you.

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Friday, 1 September 2017 : 21st Week of Ordinary Time, World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we are reminded yet again, to be prepared for the coming of the Lord, just as we have been reminded in the Scripture passage yesterday, which told us about the faithful and the lazy servants, whose were found by their master to be faithful and lazy in their works, and they were rewarded accordingly, one receiving great praises and glory, while the other one was punished severely.

Then in the Gospel passage today, all of us heard another parable by the Lord Jesus, Who told the people the parable of the five wise women and five foolish women, as yet another reminder that each and every one of us as Christians must be prepared and must be vigilant at all times, through our actions, that we continue to be mindful of this as we proceed through our lives in our actions and deeds, in how we relate with one another.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, the parable showed us how we mankind can respond to God’s calling to us. As Christians, all of us in particular need to know that we need to be vigilant because we will never know when it is that the Lord will come again, as He has promised. Otherwise we will be like the five foolish women who did not prepare and plan well in advance for any possibilities, and when the bridegroom comes at a surprising time, they were caught unprepared.

As I have asked it yesterday, now I think it is just the right opportunity for me to ask it again from each one of us. How do we want to lead our lives, and what is it that we want to be in the end? To be like the five foolish women who were unprepared for the coming of the bridegroom, or would we rather be like the five wise women who were prepared for all possibilities and prepared everything well in advance?

Brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day, we are given this choice, to do what we should do in order to walk in the path of the Lord, that we will be able to welcome the Lord when He comes again, and when He sees us, He Who knows everything will find us worthy of His grace and love, and we will receive from Him what He has promised all of us, the gift of eternal life.

We have been entrusted this world for our care, and as we live our lives in this world, God entrusted us to be caretakers for one another, both for our fellow men and for the rest of creation. This is in time with what we pray for today, as together as one Church, we have today, the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, remembering that as Christians, we have the obligations to care for all that God had entrusted to us.

This is how we are being prepared, by being righteous, hardworking and committed stewards of creation, and as those who are called by God, all of us should responsibly discharge our duties, by being loving and forgiving, in our relationship with one another, and by being responsible in our relationship with the nature and all that God had created for us.

What does that mean? That means, besides being good to one another we must also be friendly to this world that we live in, in all the beauty and all the animals and plants God had created for us, that we must take great care that we do not abuse them, or bring destruction upon them due to our selfishness and lack of responsibility. Yesterday we just heard the Lord speaking to us about the faithful and loyal servant, who did all that were asked of him, and that is what we should be as well.

We should not condone the acts of those who destroy the environment, for their own selfish gains, and neither should we walk in the same path. We should be responsible in how we obtain what we need in life, in our procurement of food and other things we need for the sustenance of life. We should not be greedy for more than what the Lord has blessed us, and we should not be overcome with the desire for money and wealth, that we destroy what God had given us, just to satisfy our selfish needs and wants.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, therefore, today, let us all pray together, as the whole Church, that there will be more and more people who will be called by God, to walk His path and to be prepared thoroughly for His coming, by the good care they have shown for His creation, their responsible life and behaviour, so that they become good stewards of this world, and God will deem them all, all of us here, worthy of Him when He comes.

Let us pray that each of us will be moved to devote our time and energy to volunteer and help out in the many efforts that the Church had begun in ensuring the stability and sustenance of our world around us, and at the same time, not forgetting all those who are hungry and suffering, that we may be generous to give what we can spare, and also our time and effort to help them.

May the Lord be with us all, and may He guide us throughout this journey, that we may be ever more dedicated in living our lives faithfully and filled with the love and care for our fellow men and for the whole world. Let us follow the examples of the five wise women, and in our wisdom, let us be prepared for God at all times. Amen.

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Friday, 1 September 2017 : 21st Week of Ordinary Time, World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Matthew 25 : 1-13

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “This story throws light on what will happen in the kingdom of heaven : Ten bridesmaids went out with their lamps to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were sensible. The careless bridesmaids took their lamps as they were, and did not take extra oil. But those who were sensible, took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom delayed, they all grew drowsy and fell asleep.”

“But at midnight, a cry rang out, ‘The bridegroom is here, come on and meet him!’ All the maidens woke up at once, and trimmed their lamps. Then the foolish ones said to the sensible ones, ‘Give us some oil, for our lamps are going out.’ The sensible ones answered, ‘There may not be enough for us and for you. You had better go to those who sell, and buy some for yourselves.'”

“When the bridegroom came, the foolish maidens were out buying oil, but those who were ready went with him into the wedding feast, and the doors were shut. Later the other bridesmaids arrived and called out, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ But he answered, ‘Truly I do not know you.'”

“So stay awake, for you do not know the day nor the hour.”

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Friday, 1 September 2017 : 21st Week of Ordinary Time, World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 96 : 1 and 2b, 5-6, 10, 11-12

YHVH reigns; let the earth rejoice; let the distant islands be glad. Justice and right, are His throne.

The mountains melt like wax before YHVH, the Lord of all the earth. The heavens proclaim His justice, all peoples see His glory.

You who love YHVH, hate evil, for He preserves the lives of His faithful; He delivers them from their foes.

He sheds light upon the upright, and gladness upon the just. Rejoice in YHVH, you, who are blameless; and give praise to His holy Name.

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Friday, 1 September 2017 : 21st Week of Ordinary Time, World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

1 Thessalonians 4 : 1-8

For the rest, brothers, we ask you, in the Name of Jesus, the Lord, and we urge you, to live in a way that pleases God, just as you have learnt from us. This you do, but try to do still more. You know the instructions we gave you on behalf of the Lord Jesus : the will of God for you is to become holy and not to have unlawful sex.

Let each of you behave towards his wife as a holy and respectful husband, rather than being led by lust, as are pagans, who do not know God. In this matter, let no one offend or wrong a brother. The Lord will do justice in all these things, as we have warned and shown you.

God has called us to live, not in impurity but in holiness, and those who do not heed this instruction disobey, not a human, but God, Himself, Who gives you His Holy Spirit.

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Thursday, 31 August 2017 : 21st Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day the Word of God in the Scriptures speak to us the need to be ever vigilant, day and night, from time to time, that we will not be caught unaware and unprepared, should the Lord come again in His own time, as He had promised. This we heard ourselves from the parable which Jesus our Lord spoke to the people, the parable of the faithful and the bad servants.

In that parable, Jesus spoke first of a faithful and devoted servant to whom his master entrusted his household, his servants and his entire properties while he was away from his residence, essentially becoming his steward and the caretaker of his many possessions. And the faithful servant did all that his master had ordered him to do, fulfilling all that was required of him, and when his master came back, the servant was richly rewarded.

And then, we also heard about another servant, who was also entrusted with the possessions and the household of his master when he was away. Yet this servant was different from the previous one, as this servant was lazy, and he misused the authority given to him by his master, abusing the other servants and by shirking his duties and abandoning his responsibilities, thinking that he could get away with all that, as his master was away.

The reality only came to strike at that lazy servant when the master suddenly came back without warning and found the lazy servant to be idling at his work and even abusing the servants. The servant was punished and earned what he deserved, and all these are reminders for us all that these things will come to us as well if we are not vigilant in how we live our lives daily.

What does this mean, brothers and sisters in Christ? It means that each one of us have been entrusted by God with this life we have, just as the master of the house entrusted his properties and household to the servants. And how well we do in this life, we will then be judged by the Lord, Who is our Lord and Master. He will know of what we have done in our lives, as well as what we have not done.

Now, the question is that, who is it that we want to be, brothers and sisters in Christ? Do we want to be like the faithful servant, whom the master found to be faithful and good in his work, even though those labours and works might be hard, and yet, provided him with bountiful returns and rewards? Or would we rather be like the lazy servant, who had done nothing and wasted his time?

That brings us then to the need to question ourselves, what have done as a Christian and as a member of the Church of God? We cannot be lukewarm in our faith, and that means, we cannot be ignorant of what we need to do, that is to love God with all of our heart, with all of our mind and our strength, indeed, with our whole being. And that means for us to spend time with Him and to be true to our faith to Him in all the things we say and do.

We may think that it is something that is easy to be done, but in reality, it can be quite difficult. There are plenty of temptations and pressures around us tempting us to do otherwise. And we must also not forget that as Christians, we are also called to love our fellow brethren just as much as we love ourselves and just as how we loved God. Are we ready and able to give our love to our brethren, unconditionally and generously?

Therefore, brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all reflect on these questions and indeed think through of what each and every one of us are able to do in order to be good servants of God, walking faithfully in His ways, that in the end, when God comes again, and when it is time for us to render our accounts of our own lives, we will be able to receive worthily the graces and blessings which God had promised all of us.

May the Lord be with all of us, and may He bless us at all times, that He will always guide us on this journey of faith, that we may draw ever closer to Him with each passing day. Amen.

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Thursday, 31 August 2017 : 21st Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Matthew 24 : 42-51

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “Stay awake then, for you do not know on what day your Lord will come. Obviously, if the owner of the house knew at what time the thief was coming, he would certainly stay up and not allow his house to be broken into. So be alert, for the Son of Man will come at the hour you least expect.”

“Imagine a faithful and prudent servant, whom his master has put in charge of his household, to give them food at the proper time. Fortunate, indeed, is that servant, whom his master will find at work when he comes. Truly I say to you, his lord will entrust him with everything he has.”

“Not so with the bad servant, who thinks, ‘My master is delayed.’ And he begins to ill-treat his fellow servants, while eating and drinking with drunkards. But his master will come on the day he does not know, and at the hour he least expects. He will punish that servant severely; and place him with the hypocrites. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”