Day: June 17, 2023

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Wednesday, 21 June 2023 : 11th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Aloysius Gonzaga, Religious (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Matthew 6 : 1-6, 16-18

At that time, “Be careful not to make a show of your good deeds before people. If you do so, you do not gain anything from your Father in heaven. When you give something to the poor, do not have it trumpeted before you, as do those who want to be noticed in the synagogues and in the streets, in order to be praised by people. I assure you, they have their reward.”

“If you give something to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your gift remains really secret. Your Father, Who sees what is kept secret, will reward you. When you pray, do not be like those who want to be noticed. They love to stand and pray in the synagogues or on street corners, in order to be seen by everyone. I assure you, they have their reward.”

“When you pray, go into your room, close the door, and pray to your Father Who is with you in secret; and your Father Who sees what is kept secret will reward you. When you fast, do not put on a miserable face, as do the hypocrites. They put on a gloomy face, so that people can see they are fasting. I tell you this : they have been paid in full already.”

“When you fast, wash your face and make yourself look cheerful, because you are not fasting for appearances or for people, but for your Father, Who sees beyond appearances. And your Father, Who sees what is kept secret, will reward you.”

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Wednesday, 21 June 2023 : 11th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Aloysius Gonzaga, Religious (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 111 : 1-2, 3-4, 9

Alleluia! Blessed is the one who fears YHVH, who greatly delights in His commands. His children will be powerful on earth; the upright’s offspring will be blessed.

Wealth and riches are for his family; there, his integrity will remain. He is for the righteous a light in darkness; he is kind, merciful and upright.

He gives generously to the poor; his merits will last forever; and his head will be raised in honour.

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Wednesday, 21 June 2023 : 11th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Aloysius Gonzaga, Religious (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

2 Corinthians 9 : 6-11

Remember : the one who sows meagerly will reap meagerly, and there shall be generous harvests for the one who sows generously. Each of you should give as you decided personally, and not reluctantly, as if obliged. God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to fill you with every good thing, so that you have enough of everything, at all times, and may give abundantly for any good work.

Scripture says : He distributed, he gave to the poor, his good works last forever. God, Who provides the sower with seed, will also provide him with the bread he eats. He will multiply the seed for you and also increase the interest on your good works. Become rich in every way, and give abundantly. What you give will become, through us, a thanksgiving to God.

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Tuesday, 20 June 2023 : 11th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, all of us are reminded of the need for all of us as Christians to be always filled with love and concern, empathy and compassion for our fellow brethren all around us. We must always be exemplary in how we live our lives, as God’s followers and disciples, so that in everything we say and do, we will always be the worthy bearers of His truth and Good News, and in our every words, actions and deeds, in our every interactions with one another, we will always be truly faithful in all things, and not just merely paying lip service to the Lord. All of us have to be genuinely committed to the Lord and be wholeheartedly dedicated to Him, showing our faith at every moment, in every possible things.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Church and the faithful in the city of Corinth, the words of the Apostle St. Paul exhorting the people of God in Corinth to be inspired by the great examples set by their fellow brethren in the region of Macedonia, which St. Paul had also ministered in, in how the faithful there had persevered and endured even though they had faced quite a few obstacles and hardships, persecutions and trials. They helped and encouraged one another, and remained firmly faithful to the Lord despite the hardships that they had to endure all those while. Therefore, their obedience to God and perseverance, their commitment to God was shared by St. Paul, who hoped that other Christians elsewhere, be it in Corinth or in other places, may also share the same commitment and faith in God.

St. Paul highlighted how each and every members of the faithful in Macedonia had lived their lives well as those whom the Lord had called and chosen, in their support for each other and in their love for God as well as in their love for their fellow brothers and sisters. In essence, they were following the very examples set by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, their Lord and Saviour, Who had come into our midst, enduring persecution, rejection and ridicule, stubbornness and even betrayal by those who were closest to Him. The Lord had done so because of His obedience to His Father’s will, His love for all of us, His beloved ones. He had endured the worst of treatments, sufferings and humiliations so that by His endurance and commitment, He might save us all from our impending destruction.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, we then heard from our Gospel passage today, in which the Lord Jesus Christ highlighted again what He Himself had done and would do for the sake of His loved ones. He told His disciples, that to follow Him and His Father, all of us must be truly filled with Love, pure love that is unconditional and not seeking for returns, a pure love that is genuine and truly rich in compassion. The Lord used the example of how the Lord cared and showed His love on both the upright and the wicked alike, and He did not deny those who have even repeatedly disobeyed and sinned against Him, the grace of having forgiveness and mercy to be shown to them. For as long as they still have the time left, the Lord’s love, mercy and forgiveness will still be given to them should they seek for Him with sincere heart.

The Lord reminded all of us that as Christians, we have to love everyone, as best as we are able to, and we should not be transactional or discriminatory in how we love others around us. Yes, definitely there will be those whom we love more than others, but we should also strive to love all those who have not loved us back, and even treat well those who might have cause us hurt and harm. We should not be the ones who seek vengeance and harm to others as well, because, in doing so, we are only going to perpetuate the cycle of hatred and anger, the cycle of pain and sufferings. We should do our best to break that cycle, and instead, be the ones to live a life truly worthy of God, by loving one another as best as we can.

That was what the faithful people of God in Macedonia had been doing as well, in how they continued to show love and compassion, care for others and all, even when they had faced great hardships and challenges in their lives, being persecuted and oppressed by those who hated and despised them. They did not allow their hurt and pain to turn into hatred and anger, or violence and other forms of evils and wickedness. Instead, they showed all of us, that it is indeed possible for us to follow the Lord’s examples in His most generous and wonderful love for each and every one of us, which He has shown us through none other than the Lord Jesus Himself, Who has given His life for our sake, so that by His suffering and death, all of us may be saved.

The Lord has loved us and cared for us, even when we have not obeyed Him, and when we have constantly disobeyed and rebelled against Him. Yet, the Lord continued to show us His love and compassion most generously, caring for us in the best way that He could, offering us His mercy and salvation, if only we open our hearts and minds to welcome Him, allowing him to enter into our hearts and minds, that He may work His acts of healing and compassion in us, turning us all from the people and children of darkness and sin, into a people of the Light, filled once again with His love and grace. All of us have been called by the Lord to follow Him, and commit ourselves once again to the path that He has shown us.

May the Lord, our most loving God and Father, continue to guide and strengthen us at all times. May He empower each and every one of us so that we may always walk in His path most faithfully, and dedicate ourselves with renewed conviction and strength. Let us all be good role models and inspirations to one another, in living our lives most faithfully at all times, focusing our whole lives and existences to God, Who should be the very reason and the very focus of our lives. May God bless us always, in all of our good works and endeavours, now and always. Amen.