Month: January 2024

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Friday, 19 January 2024 : 2nd Week of Ordinary Time, Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

1 Samuel 24 : 3-21

So Saul took three thousand picked men from all Israel and went in search of David and his men to the east of the Wild Goat crags. When he came to the sheepfolds along the way, he entered a cave to relieve himself.

Now David and his men were far back in the cave. David’s men said to him, “This is the day which YHVH spoke of : ‘Look I will deliver your enemy into your hands and you will do with him as you see fit.’” So David moved up and stealthily cut off an end of Saul’s robe. But afterward, David regretted having cut off an end of Saul’s robe, and he said to his men, “Let me not lay my hands on my master, for he is YHVH’s anointed.”

With these words, David restrained his men and did not allow them to attack Saul. Saul then left the cave and went on his way. Then David himself stepped out of the cave and called after Saul, “My master, the king!” When Saul looked back, David knelt and then bowed to the ground in homage and asked him, “Why do you listen to those who say that I want to harm you?”

“Look, today you have seen that YHVH delivered you into my hands in the cave. I was told to kill you but I held myself back and said : ‘I will not lift my hands against my master who is YHVH’s anointed.’ My father, look at this end of your robe which I am holding! I cut off the end of your robe but did not kill you.”

“Now you may know that I mean you no harm or treason. I have done you no wrong and yet you are hunting me down to kill me. May YHVH be judge between you and me; and may He exact justice from you in my case. But I shall do you no harm. As the saying goes, ‘From the wicked comes wickedness’; as for me, my hand shall not harm you.”

“But who is it you are after, o king of Israel? Are you pursuing a dead dog? A flea? May YHVH be Judge between you and me. May He see and uphold my cause and deliver me from your hands.”

After David had spoken these words, Saul asked, “Is that your voice, my son David?” He wept aloud and said to David, “You are right and I am wrong, for you have repaid with kindness the harm I have inflicted on you. This day you have shown your righteousness to me by not taking my life when YHVH put me into your hands. For if a man finds his enemy, will he let him go unharmed?”

“May YHVH reward you for what you have done for me today. Now I know for certain that you shall reign and the kingdom of Israel will be firm in your hand.”

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Thursday, 18 January 2024 : 2nd Week of Ordinary Time, Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we all heard from the Scriptures of what it truly means for us to be Christians, in following God and doing God’s will, and we are also reminded that we must be vigilant against the many temptations of the world, which could lead us astray and away from the path towards God and His salvation. If we are not careful and allow those corruptions to mislead us down the wrong path, then we will end up disobeying God and committing sins and wickedness in the sight of God and our fellow brothers and sisters. This is why as Christians all of us must always focus our attention first and foremost on the Lord, and commit ourselves and each and every moments of our lives to follow Him wholeheartedly.

In our first reading today, we heard the continuation of the story from the Book of the prophet Samuel in which we have heard for the past week and more of the time of the first kings of Israel, starting from Saul, whom God had first chosen to be the ruler and king over His people, and yet, that same king Saul disobeyed the Lord as he likely gave in to the temptations of worldly glory, power and ambitions. The Lord therefore gave the kingdom of Israel to be under the charge of another person, David, who would be more faithful, obedient and worthy than Saul. And therefore today in that first reading passage we heard of the jealousy of Saul when he heard of all the exploits and works of David, favoured and blessed by God in all that he had done.

Thus, Saul allowed himself yet again to be tempted by the temptations of worldly glory and evil, and all the wickedness that he had committed, gave in to the temptation of greed and jealousy, and hence, plotting murder and death for the young David. Thankfully, Jonathan, one of Saul’s own sons, was a good friend of David, and he helped David out of the predicament when he knew of what his father had plotted against David in his anger and jealousy. And as we heard, Jonathan attempted to talk Saul out of committing such a heinous and wicked deed, reasoning and arguing with him why he should not do so, and managed to get Saul to swear an oath not to harm or kill David. Nonetheless, later on, when Saul was tempted by the devil, he would still attempt to harm David.

The Gospel passage today then spoke of the moment when the Lord Jesus continued carrying out His ministry, and even in the wilderness, many people from all over the place, from the whole nearby region and even beyond, coming towards Him, from the regions of Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, Transjordan, and from the region of Tyre and Sidon, as mentioned that they had all heard of all the works and deeds of the Lord, Who showed great signs and miracles. And many of the people came to the Lord seeking for healing and help, and they all were bringing more and more towards Him, making the Lord truly very famous and renowned at the time. Yet, we heard how the Lord told the people not to reveal what He had done for them.

This reminds all of us again that we must not allow our pride, ego and worldly desires from leading us astray because we crave and seek for the satisfaction of worldly ambitions, pleasures and fulfilment. The Lord was truly very popular and He had a large following, and He could very well have used that for His advantage and purpose just like how many others of His contemporaries and those who came before Him, claiming to be the Messiah, had done. The people could very well have made Him to be their King, and He could have gained the people’s support for that purpose. Yet, this was not what He had done, and He told the people sternly not to proclaim everything that He has done. He did all those things not for worldly glory and power, but instead to fulfil His Father’s will to save all the mankind.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, from what we have heard from the Scripture passages today, we are all reminded that we should not allow worldly temptations, desires, ambitions and greed from undermining our faith and righteousness in God. Like Saul, if we allow ourselves to be swayed by those things, we may end up being dragged down the path of evil and wickedness, into sin and damnation. This is why we must always keep in mind that our lives should always be filled with the desire to be righteous and to follow and obey God in all the things we say and do. We should not let sin to lead us down the path to ruin and destruction, and we should always be strong and steadfast in leading lives that are exemplary and inspirational, that through us and our faith, many more may be strengthened in faith as well.

Let us all be humble in life and reject the path of sin and evil. Let us all resist all the trap and false promises of earthly wonders, of temporary pleasures and comforts found all around us, and instead let us return our focus once again towards the Lord, our loving God and Master. Let all of us be called and inspired to be the worthy and faithful beacons of God’s Light and truth, His Good News and love for all. Let our every words, actions and deeds, our every interactions with those around us, and our every way of life be truly Christ-like, and let us be committed to whatever vocation and missions which the Lord has entrusted to us all in our respective lives. Let our whole lives be truly filled with the light of Christ, in all things and in our every good efforts and endeavours.

May the Lord continue to guide and bless us, and may He bless our every good efforts, works and endeavours, so that through all of them, we may continue to do His will and be ever more committed to this path of righteousness and justice which He has led us through, following the examples that He Himself had set, and those of the holy saints and other great men and women, our holy predecessors. Amen.

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Thursday, 18 January 2024 : 2nd Week of Ordinary Time, Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Mark 3 : 7-12

At that time, Jesus and His disciples withdrew to the lakeside, and a large crowd from Galilee followed Him. A great number of people also came from Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, Transjordan, and from the region of Tyre and Sidon, for they had heard of all that He was doing.

Because of the crowd, Jesus told His disciples to have a boat ready for Him, to prevent the people from crushing Him. He healed so many, that all who had diseases kept pressing toward Him to touch Him. Even the people who had evil spirits, whenever they saw Him, they would fall down before Him and cry out, “You are the Son of God.” But He warned them sternly not to tell anyone Who He was.

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Thursday, 18 January 2024 : 2nd Week of Ordinary Time, Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 55 : 2-3, 9-10ab, 10c-11, 12-13

O God, show Your mercy to me, for my foes are in hot pursuit; they press their attack on me all the time. My accusers pursue me all day long; many attack me.

You have a record of my laments; my tears are stored in Your wineskin. Are they not written on Your scroll? My enemies turn back when I call on You for help.

Now I know, that God is for me. In God, Whose word I praise.

In God I trust, without fear. What can mortals do against me? I am bound to You by vows, o God; I shall offer my thanksgiving.

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Thursday, 18 January 2024 : 2nd Week of Ordinary Time, Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

1 Samuel 18 : 6-9 and 1 Samuel 19 : 1-7

When they arrived after David had slain the Philistine, the women came out from the cities of Israel to meet king Saul singing and dancing with timbrels and musical instruments. They were merrily singing this song : “Saul has slain his thousands, and David, his tens of thousands.”

Saul was very displeased with this song and said, “They have given tens of thousands to David but to me only thousands! By now he has everything but the kingdom!” From then on, Saul became very distrustful of David.

Saul told his son Jonathan and his servants of his intention to kill David. But Jonathan, who liked David very much, said to David, “My father Saul wants to kill you. Be on your guard tomorrow morning and hide yourself in a secret place. I will go out and keep my father company in the countryside where you are and I will speak to him about you. If I find out something, I will let you know.”

Jonathan spoke well of David to his father Saul and said, “Let not the king sin against his servant David for he has not sinned against you. On the contrary, what he has done has benefitted you. He risked his life in killing the Philistine and YHVH brought about a great victory for Israel. You yourself saw this and greatly rejoiced. Why then sin against innocent blood and kill David without cause?”

Saul heeded Jonathan’s plea and swore, “As YHVH lives, he shall not be put to death.” So Jonathan called David and told him all these things. He then brought him to Saul and David was back in Saul’s service as before.

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Wednesday, 17 January 2024 : 2nd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Anthony, Abbot (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, we are reminded of the Lord’s love, guidance and providence for all of us, in how He cared for us all in our darkest and most difficult moments, and how through Him we shall truly be delivered from the challenges and trials facing us. Through what we have heard today, we are reminded to keep our focus on the Lord at all times, and to place our faith and trust in Him, just as David as we heard about him in our first reading today had done, and just as how the man paralysed on his hand was healed by the Lord because of his faith and trust in Him. Each and every one of us as Christians are reminded of the great graces and love of God that we all have truly been so fortunate in receiving, and why we must really be thankful for all of that.

In our first reading today, we heard about the famous story of how David, the one chosen by God to be king over all of His beloved people Israel, triumphed and won against the great and mighty champion of the Philistines, Israel’s bitter enemy, who was represented by the giant and powerful warrior Goliath. The story of David and Goliath had been well-known throughout time and history, and I am sure we are all familiar with how David, who was much smaller than Goliath, managed to overcome the much larger and more powerful Goliath, through not the force and power of arms, but through God’s guidance, and through the wisdom and knowledge that He had given to him, in protecting him from harm and in providing everything for him and the Israelites to triumph against their adversities.

David placed his faith and trust in God while Goliath the Philistine put his trust in his personal might and physical prowess, in his weapons and armour, and the latter ridiculed David for his small stature, lack of armour and proper battle gear. David chose to put his trust in God rather than any worldly means and human power because in the end, even the greatest of human might and designs could fail in the midst of trials and dangers. And in his pride, arrogance and haughtiness, Goliath thought he could ridicule David and crush him, even to the point of toying around with him and blaspheming against God. This became his undoing as David, guided by God’s strength, wisdom and power, managed to defeat Goliath, silencing his arrogance and blasphemy once and for all.

The Lord had indeed intervened and helped His servant David, as well as His beloved people Israel, in their hour of greatest need. He showed His love and faithfulness, His steadfast strength and guidance to those who have entrusted themselves to Him. By defeating Goliath, David showed us all that in God we can truly find true satisfaction and hope, strength and comfort, because through Him we shall gain greatly in the path towards eternal life and true glory, salvation and liberation from the forces of all those arrayed against us. Each and every one of us should also have faith and trust in the Lord, in following Him and the path that He has shown and revealed to us so that by our lives, lived in obedience to God’s guidance and ways, will come ever closer to His love and grace.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard of the Lord Who healed a man with a paralysed hand, which happened on the day of the Sabbath, which earned Him a rather stern criticism and opposition from among the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law who were assembled there. Not only that, but those same Pharisees and the teachers of the Law even planned and plotted to accuse the Lord of wrongdoing and breaking the Law, trying to test if He would indeed heal the paralysed man there before them on the Sabbath day. For the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, the Sabbath laws and practices were very important, and they truly enforced them very strictly, not allowing even any kinds of actions and works to be done, no matter what the circumstances were.

That was where the Lord pointed out the folly of their ideals and ways, with the words, ‘What does the Law allow us to do on the Sabbath? To do good or to do harm? To save life or to kill?’ in order to highlight that God never intended for the Law of the Sabbath to be so restrictive and problematic for everyone that it ended up placing lots of restrictions, hardships and inconveniences for people to come closer to the Lord, which is what the Law was actually about. The Law of God was meant to bring God’s people, that is all of us, ever closer to Him, and to help us all to refocus our attention on Him once again. That Sabbath rule and laws were meant to help the people to spend some time with their Lord and Master, that they should not be tempted by endless pursuits of worldly glory and comfort, attachments and desires.

However, over time, this Law became misunderstood and misrepresented, and taken to the extremes with the way how the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law interpreted those rules and practices, that led to them rigidly trying to enforce the letter of the Law but without understanding and appreciating the true intention and purpose of the Law. What was meant to bring the people of God closer to Him, became a source of hardships and divisions, and became an obsession for those who were obsessed with the ways and the implementations of their version of the Law of God. This was why just like David and Goliath earlier in our first reading today, we are reminded that the path of those who sought worldly justification and emphasis was wrong, as those Pharisees and teachers of the Law spent a lot of time and effort in obsessing over their laws and customs, and how they are observed and practiced, that they have overlooked and forgotten about God.

Today, the Church also celebrates the feast of St. Anthony the Abbot, also known as St. Anthony of Egypt or St. Anthony the Great, who was renowned and famous for his great faith in God, his piety and dedication, holiness and actions. He was a great monk who was born to a wealthy family, but quickly found his calling as he felt the call to the ascetic and solitary lifestyle, leaving behind all forms of worldly greed and ambitions, and retreated into the desert, where he spent the rest of his life in a prayerful life, focused on the Lord. He was therefore also known as the ‘Father of Monasticism’ as his practices, while not the first among Christians then, was the beginning of the surge in the ascetic lifestyle, leading many to follow in his footsteps, in becoming closer to God and abandoning the temptations of worldly glory. St. Anthony was known for his great piety, and for the attacks that the devil made on him, which he resisted and endured with great faith. For his whole life, St. Anthony continued to lead a most worthy life, and become great inspiration for many others.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore renew our faith in the Lord, and let us all turn towards Him with renewed heart and commitment, with the desire to follow and serve Him like what David, the king of Israel had done, and just as how St. Anthony the Abbot has shown us by his abandonment of worldly glory and ambitions. Let us always put our faith and trust in God, and not in any earthly means and ways, in any worldly glory and power, and we must not allow our ego, greed and desire from dragging us into the path towards of our downfall and destruction. Let us all do our best that we may be good and worthy examples of our Christian faith, and do our part in proclaiming the Good News and truth of Christ to the world, by our obedience to the Law of God, through proper and meaningful understanding, appreciation and internalisation of what we have been taught and shown to do by the Lord Himself. May the Lord be with us all in our efforts and journey, and may He bless us all in everything we say and do, now and always. Amen.

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Wednesday, 17 January 2024 : 2nd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Anthony, Abbot (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Mark 3 : 1-6

At that time, again, Jesus entered the synagogue. A man, who had a paralysed hand, was there; and some people watched Jesus : would He heal the man on the Sabbath? If He did, they could accuse Him.”

Jesus said to the man with the paralysed hand, “Stand here, in the centre.” Then He asked them, “What does the Law allow us to do on the Sabbath? To do good or to do harm? To save life or to kill?” But they were silent. Then Jesus looked around at them with anger and deep sadness at their hardness of heart. And He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.”

He stretched it out, and his hand was healed. As soon as the Pharisees left, they met with Herod’s supporters, looking for a way to destroy Jesus.

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Wednesday, 17 January 2024 : 2nd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Anthony, Abbot (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 143 : 1, 2, 9-10

Blessed be YHVH, my Rock, Who trains my hands for war and my fingers for battle.

My loving God, my Fortress; my Protector and Deliverer, my Shield; Where I take refuge; Who conquers nations and subjects them to my rule.

I will sing a new song to You, o God; I will make music on the ten-stringed harp, for You, Who give victory to kings and deliver David, Your servant.

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Wednesday, 17 January 2024 : 2nd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Anthony, Abbot (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

1 Samuel 17 : 32-33, 37, 40-51

David said to Saul, “Let no one be discouraged on account of this Philistine, for your servant will engage him in battle.” Saul told David, “You cannot fight with this Philistine for you are still young, whereas this man has been a warrior from his youth.”

David continued, “YHVH, Who delivered me from the paws of lions and bears, will deliver me from the hands of the Philistine.” Saul then told David, “Go, and may YHVH be with you!”

David took his staff, picked up five smooth stones from the brook and dropped them inside his shepherd’s bag. And with his sling in hand, he drew near to the Philistine. The Philistine moved forward, closing in on David, his shield-bearer in front of him. When he saw that David was only a lad, (he was of fresh complexion and handsome) he despised him and said, “Am I a dog that you should approach me with a stick?”

Cursing David by his gods, he continued, “Come, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the sky and the beasts of the field!” David answered the Philistine, “You have come against me with sword, spear and javelin, but I come against you with YHVH, the God of the armies of Israel whom you have defied. YHVH will deliver you this day into my hands and I will strike you down and cut off your head.”

“I will give the corpses of the Philistine army today to the birds of the sky and the wild beasts of the earth, and all the earth shall know that there is a God of Israel. All the people gathered here shall know that YHVH saves not by sword or spear; the battle belongs to YHVH, and He will deliver you into our hands.”

No sooner had the Philistine moved to attack him, than David rushed to the battleground. Putting his hand into his bag, he took out a stone, slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead; it penetrated his forehead and he fell on his face to the ground. David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, felling him without using a sword.

He rushed forward, stood over him, took the Philistine’s sword and slew him by cutting off his head. When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they scattered in all directions.

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Tuesday, 16 January 2024 : 2nd 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 Sacred Scriptures, we are all reminded of the calling of David whom God had chosen to be the new king over His beloved and chosen people, Israel. We heard how the prophet Samuel was sent to David’s family for him to be chosen and then anointed as the new king of Israel. We heard the Lord’s words telling Samuel why He has chosen David to be the new king of Israel in replacing Saul, who has disobeyed Him. Then, we have also heard from our Gospel passage today of the account of the moment when the Pharisees questioned and likely even criticised the Lord because His disciples had been picking the grains of the field on the day of the Sabbath, which according to the very strict interpretation of the Law by the same Pharisees, was forbidden and against the Law.

In our first reading today, as mentioned, we heard from the Book of the prophet Samuel of the moment when God told Samuel to seek the one chosen by Him to replace Saul as the King and ruler over the people of Israel. At that time, God’s favour had left Saul because of his disobedience and refusal to obey God’s Law which led the people of God into the path of sin, and hence, God chose another person who would be more worthy in his heart and mind than Saul in carrying out His commandments and Law, and in doing His will, namely that of David, the youngest son of Jesse, of Bethlehem in Judah. David was chosen not because of his stature and might, his influence and power, or his intellect and greatness, or his family connections and lineage, but rather, because in him, God saw a true love and dedication which few others have.

We heard how Samuel went to the house of Jesse and told the man of the tribe of Judah to show his children as one of them had been chosen by God to be His anointed one, and hence king over His people. And we heard how at first, Samuel thought that the eldest son of Jesse, who had eight sons, namely that of Eliab, must have been the chosen one of God because of his age, stature and appearance. Yet, God told Samuel that He did not choose by appearances, and the same happened for all of the seven elder sons of Jesse. It was David, the youngest of Jesse’s sons, who was still relatively young and lesser in stature that God had chosen to be His new ruler and king over all of His people. This can be contrasted to Saul who was chosen earlier on as king, for Saul was truly tall and was head and shoulders over all the others.

This contrast between Saul and David, in how the former would have indeed been physically and apparently ideal for kingship and leadership, and yet, it was this same Saul who led the people of God into sin, as he disobeyed the Lord and disrespected Him, choosing to follow his own decisions and did not show humility to God unlike that of David later on. David himself was not perfect as king, as Scriptures showed that he did make mistakes and wrong choices as king, and yet, he showed humility before God, as well as the realisation and understanding that he had sinned against God. While Saul was very proud and arrogant, and did not humble himself before God, continuing to walk down the path of sin, David was humble and willing to seek the Lord’s forgiveness, turning himself back once again on the path of righteousness and virtue.

Essentially, what we have seen is the contrast between the ones who have chosen to follow their own path, their greed and desire, as compared to those who placed their trust and faith in the Lord. If we allow worldly temptations and ambitions to distract us and to mislead us down the wrong path, then like that of king Saul and many others who had fallen into sin, we too may end up in the path towards our downfall because of our inability to resist the temptations of our greed, desire and ego, and of the various worldly attachments and pleasures out there, all of which are the ways how Satan and all those seeking our destruction sought to bring about our downfall and end. We must remind ourselves not to be tempted and to remain strong in our faith in the Lord, at all times.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, as mentioned, we heard about the Lord and His disciples being criticised and questioned by the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law who were likely following and shadowing them, as those disciples were picking upon the grains of the crops in the field, which was forbidden and taboo according to the way the Law of God was practiced and interpreted by the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law. Those people who had been entrusted with the guardianship over the Law and commandments of God strictly perceived the Law and customs, which were expanded and modified over the centuries, such that by the time of the Lord and His ministry, the original purpose and intention of the Law had become forgotten and altered.

Therefore, the Lord rebuked those Pharisees and the teachers of the Law for their folly and their rigidity, by quoting the examples from the same King David, the one whom the prophet Samuel had anointed and whom God had chosen to be the king over all of His people, the Israelites. The much revered and honoured king David himself did not obey the Law of God to the letter when he and his men were on the move, at that time, during days of conflict between him and king Saul. They were all hungry and without food, and High Priest Abiathar allowed him and his men to eat from the bread of offering which were reserved only for the priests. Had the Law been followed to the letter without understanding its true intent and meaning, then king David and his men would have starved to death, there and then.

The Lord Jesus highlighted the fact and truth that the Law of God was meant to show all of us mankind how we should all love the Lord our God with all of our hearts and minds, with all of our might and strength. But it was never meant to make our lives miserable and difficult, or to make the Law, its customs, details, precepts and rituals to rule over us and to make us forget of the true and most important purpose of the Law, that is to bring our focus back towards the Lord, our most loving God and Father, our Creator and Master. We must not allow our own prejudices and worldly attachments, desires and all those things from leading us down the slippery slope towards our downfall and damnation through sin.

We must not be like those Pharisees and the teachers of the Law who thought that they were better than anyone else, superior and more worthy, and yet, failed to realise and understand the true meaning and purpose of God’s Law, on top of making it difficult and challenging for those who are actually in greatest need of God’s help, love and mercy, by making it so difficult and a great chore indeed in following and obeying God’s Law. Let us all instead do our best so that our lives may truly be attuned to the Lord, and be willing to listen to Him humbly like David, who truly loved the Lord and dedicated himself and his life to serve Him.

May all of us be like David and all of our holy predecessors, in how we live our lives in each and every moments, that through us, more and more may come to know the Lord and believe in Him, and this is how we, as Christians, evangelise and spread the Good News of God to the whole world. May God bless our every good works, efforts and endeavours, for His greater glory, now and always. Amen.