Month: March 2024

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Wednesday, 13 March 2024 : 4th Week of Lent, Eleventh Anniversary of the Pontificate of Pope Francis (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

John 5 : 17-30

At that time, Jesus replied to the Jews, “My Father goes on working and so do I.” And the Jews tried all the harder to kill Him, for Jesus not only broke the Sabbath observance, but also made Himself equal with God, calling God His own Father.

Jesus said to them, “Truly, I assure you, the Son cannot do anything by Himself, but only what He sees the Father do. And whatever He does, the Son also does. The Father loves the Son and shows Him everything He does; and He will show Him even greater things than these, so that you will be amazed.”

“As the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so the Son gives life to whom He wills. In the same way the Father judges no one, for He has entrusted all judgment to the Son, and He wants all to honour the Son as they honour the Father. Whoever ignores the Son, ignores as well the Father Who sent Him.”

“Truly, I say to you, anyone who hears My word and believes Him Who sent Me, has eternal life; and there is no judgment for him, because he has passed from death to life. Truly, the hour is coming and has indeed come, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and, on hearing it, will live. For the Father has life in Himself, and He has given to the Son also to have life in Himself. And He has empowered Him as well to carry out Judgment, for He is Son of Man.”

“Do not be surprised at this : the hour is coming when all those lying in tombs will hear My voice and come out; those who have done good shall rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned. I can do nothing of Myself, and I need to hear Another One to judge; and My judgment is just, because I seek not My own will, but the will of Him Who sent Me.”

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Wednesday, 13 March 2024 : 4th Week of Lent, Eleventh Anniversary of the Pontificate of Pope Francis (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Psalm 144 : 8-9, 13cd-14, 17-18

Compassionate and gracious is the Lord, slow to anger and abounding in love. The Lord is good to everyone; His mercy embraces all His creation.

The Lord is true to His promises and lets His mercy show in all He does. The Lord lifts up those who are falling and raises those who are beaten down.

Righteous is the Lord in all His ways, His mercy shows in all His deeds. He is near those who call on Him, who call trustfully upon His Name.

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Wednesday, 13 March 2024 : 4th Week of Lent, Eleventh Anniversary of the Pontificate of Pope Francis (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Isaiah 49 : 8-15

This is what YHVH says : “At a favourable time I have answered you, on the day of salvation I have been your help; I have formed you and made you to be My covenant with the people. You will restore the land, and allot its abandoned farms. You will say to the captives : Come out; and to those in darkness : Show yourselves.”

“They will feed along the road; they will find pasture on barren hills. They will neither hunger nor thirst, nor will the scorching wind or the sun beat upon them; for He Who has mercy on them will guide them and lead them to springs of water. I will turn all My mountains into roads and raise up My highways. See, they come from afar, some from the north and west, others from the land of Sinim.”

Sing, o heavens and rejoice, o earth; break forth into song, o mountains : for YHVH has comforted His people and taken pity on those who are afflicted. But Zion said : “YHVH has forsaken me, my Lord has forgotten me.” Can a woman forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child of her womb? Yet though she forget, I will never forget you.

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Tuesday, 12 March 2024 : 4th Week of Lent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, in what we have heard in our Scripture readings today, we are all reminded of God’s ever present love, compassion and mercy towards each and every one of us. God has called us all to holiness and to leave behind our many wickedness and sins, so that we may be reconciled with Him, just as He has always been so generous in loving us and extending His mercy and compassion towards us. What matters it therefore for us to embrace God’s love and mercy, which He has extended to us through His Son, Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. God has given us all His Son as a clear sign and perfect example of His love for us, and through this perfect Love He has manifested for us, He has gathered us all to Himself.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the prophet Ezekiel, in which the famous vision of Ezekiel of Heaven and its Temple was highlighted to us. In that vision, the prophet Ezekiel saw God’s Heavenly Temple in all of its glory, seeing the Son of Man bringing him around the place and measuring its dimensions. He witnessed the Holy Presence of God residing in that Temple and how a great stream came forth from the House of God to give life to whichever places and sites that it touched. The great river of life coming out from the Temple of God, that gave life to all things and purified the foul-smelling water, is a representation of Christ, Whose Body is the Church of God, and through His actions, His suffering and death, salvation came to all of us, through the gift of Baptism, that all of us may enter into a new life and existence in God.

This Lenten season, all of us are reminded to reflect more on our lives and actions, and consider carefully our path forward so that we may better know how we can progress in our lives to come ever closer to God. As we draw now ever closer to the beginning of the Holy Week, we are constantly and progressively being reminded more and more of everything that God had done for us, for the sake of our salvation and liberation. God has given us the means to new life and freedom from the tyranny of sin and evil, by sending down His Son, to lead us all through the darkness and guide us into the Light of His salvation, like how He led the Israelites through the Red Sea in the past, out of the land of their slavery in Egypt and into freedom, to the land promised to them. Thus, God has also led us all into our intended destination, that is eternal life with Him.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard of the miraculous healing done by the Lord Jesus on a paralysed man who had been lying in wait for a long time at the Pool of Bethzatha, as no one was willing to help him to reach the water of the pool when the Angel of God came to touch it, which according to tradition brought healing to whoever that managed to touch the water first. The Lord Jesus saw that poor man lying down by the poolside, and showed His love and compassion, healing the man from his condition and restoring him to good health. In a parallel to the story of the vision of Ezekiel from the Old Testament, we heard of God’s healing that had come upon the one who had faith in Him, believing in His love and mercy. While no one helped the man for a whole period of thirty-eight years, the fact that he remained there must also be caused by his unwavering faith and trust in the Lord.

This brought us to remember that as Christians, that is God’s beloved people, we must always have faith in the Lord, believing that God is with us, guiding us and journeying with us. He never leaves us alone, and He has always been by our side, providing for us and giving us the necessary strength and encouragement to follow Him with faith. While sufferings, challenges and difficulties may indeed come in our path, disturbing and making our way towards God difficult, but we must not lose heart, as the Lord Himself has reassured us of His continued guidance, help and presence in our midst. We have nothing to fear and we should continue to put our trust in God, regardless of the many challenges, trials and hardships that we may have to face in our lives.

All of us should come towards the Lord, seeking His help, kindness, guidance and help. Through His strength and providence, God will help us to remain firmly committed to His path, and strengthen us so that we may be strong in our endurance and persistence despite the many challenges present all around us. Despite the difficulties and trials we may have to face, but if we truly believe in the Lord and walk in His path, in the end, He will reward us all for our commitment and willingness to stay with Him and in living our lives worthily as Christians, in being good and worthy examples for our fellow brothers and sisters, for everyone all around us. Through our good actions and deeds, we should be the light and beacon for others to follow, to guide them on the path back towards God.

In this season and time of Lent, we should be more attuned with ourselves and with God. In this world where we often faced a lot of temptations, distractions and challenges, we should always keep in mind that God’s love for us and His Presence in our midst can help and strengthen us to face all those difficulties and challenges which we cannot resolve on our own alone. This is why we must keep our focus, attention and emphasis on following the Lord, in centering ourselves on Him. We should continue to be good role models and inspirations for our fellow brothers and sisters, to everyone whom we encounter in each and every moments of our lives. It is by our faithful Lenten actions and observances that we can be better disciples and followers of Christ.

May the Lord continue to guide and bless us in this journey of faith through life, and may He empower each and every one of us so that hopefully through our dedicated and faithful Lenten observances, by deepening ourselves in a life of prayer, in our fasting and abstinence to control our worldly desires and all the temptations in life, and by our ever more generous almsgiving, may all of us continue to draw ever closer to God and to His truth. May He bless our every good efforts, works and endeavours, and strengthen us in all things, now and forevermore. Amen.

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Tuesday, 12 March 2024 : 4th Week of Lent (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

John 5 : 1-16

At that time, there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now, by the Sheep Gate in Jerusalem, there is a pool (called Bethzatha in Hebrew) surrounded by five galleries. In these galleries lay a multitude of sick people : blind, lame and paralysed.

(All were waiting for the water to move, for at times an Angel of the Lord would descend into the pool and stir up the water; and the first person to enter the pool, after this movement of the water, would be healed of whatever disease that he had.)

There was a man who had been sick for thirty-eight years. Jesus saw him, and because He knew how long this man had been lying there, He said to him, “Do you want to be healed?” And the sick man answered, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is disturbed; so while I am still on my way, another steps down before me.”

Jesus then said to him, “Stand up, take your mat and walk!” And at once the man was healed, and he took up his mat and walked. Now that day happened to be the Sabbath. So the Jews said to the man who had just been healed, “It is the Sabbath, and the Law does not allow you to carry your mat.” He answered them, “The One Who healed me said to me, “Take up your mat and walk!”

They asked him, “Who is the One Who said to you : Take up your mat and walk?” But the sick man had no idea who it was Who had cured him, for Jesus had slipped away among the crowd that filled the place. Afterwards Jesus met him in the Temple court and told him, “Now you are well; do not sin again, lest something worse happen to you.”

And the man went back and told the Jews that it was Jesus Who had healed him. So the Jews persecuted Jesus because He performs healings like that on the Sabbath.

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Tuesday, 12 March 2024 : 4th Week of Lent (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Psalm 45 : 2-3, 5-6, 8-9ab

God is our strength and protection, an ever-present help in affliction. We will not fear, therefore, though the earth be shaken and the mountains plunge into the seas.

There is a river whose streams bring joy to the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. God is within, the city cannot quake, for God’s help is upon it at the break of day.

For with us is the Lord of hosts, the God of Jacob, our refuge. Come, see the works of the Lord – the marvellous things He has done in the world.

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Tuesday, 12 March 2024 : 4th Week of Lent (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Ezekiel 47 : 1-9, 12

The man brought me back to the entrance of the Temple and I saw water coming out from the threshold of the Temple and flowing eastwards. The Temple faced the east and the water flowed from the south side of the Temple, from the south side of the altar. He then brought me out through the north gate and led me around the outside to the outer gate facing the east and there I saw the stream coming from the south side.

The man had a measuring cord in his hand. As he went towards the east he measured off a thousand cubits and led me across the water which was up to my ankles. He measured off another thousand cubits and made me cross the water which came to my knees. He measured off another thousand cubits and we crossed the water which was up to my waist. When he had again measured a thousand cubits, I could not cross the torrent for it had swollen to a depth which was impossible to cross without swimming.

The man then said to me, “Son of man, did you see?” He led me on further and then brought me back to the bank of the river. There I saw a number of trees on both sides of the river. He said to me, “This water goes to the east, down to the Arabah, and when it flows into the sea of foul-smelling water, the water will become wholesome.”

“Wherever the river flows, swarms of creatures will live in it; fish will be plentiful and the sea water will become fresh. Wherever it flows, life will abound. Near the river on both banks there will be all kinds of fruit trees with foliage that will not wither and fruit that will never fail; each month they will bear a fresh crop because the water comes from the Temple. The fruit will be good to eat and the leaves will be used for healing.”

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Monday, 11 March 2024 : 4th Week of Lent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listen to the words of the Scriptures, we are all reminded that each and every one of us should always focus our attention on the Lord our God, and believe in Him, putting our trust and faith in Him, in all the things which He has said and promised to us. God has revealed to us the assurances of His love and grace, and everything which He has promised us, and we should follow Him in all of our ways and in every moments of our existence. We are reminded that it is in God alone that we truly have hope and assurance of salvation and eternal life, and there is no way forward if we seek to follow other alternative paths that the world has offered to us.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the prophet Isaiah in which the Lord told all of His people of the reassurances of the coming of the good times when they would no longer suffer and when they would once again be filled with God’s grace and blessings. This message came at a time when the people of God had suffered a lot of sufferings, humiliations and difficulties, all because they had disobeyed against Him and refused to follow His Law and commandments. This resulted in the consequences and punishments that they had to endure, as God’s grace and guidance were withdrawn from them, and they had to contend with many obstacles and challenges from their neighbours and enemies. They experienced the results of their own folly in rejecting the generous love of their Lord and Master in exchange for worldly goods and riches.

In that same passage, we heard also another, even greater promise and reassurance from God of the new heavens and the new earth. Linking to what we have also heard from the Book of Revelations of St. John the Apostle, this was actually a premonition of the end times, of the moment when God would remake all things, and renew the whole of Creation, when He would judge the Heavens and the earth, and take into account all of those living and the dead, everyone who have ever lived. This moment of reckoning was a hope to all those who have kept their faith alive in God, and who have suffered because of this faith, as the Lord promised to all of them that as long as they have been faithful to Him and full of trust in Him, then in the end, He shall lead them all to the new heavens and earth, to a life of perfection and bliss, when they shall not experience any more sufferings and sorrows.

This is an affirmation of everything which the Lord has always told and promised to His people, that He would always be with them, guiding and protecting them, providing and strengthening them throughout all of their journey and ways. He wants each and every one of them eventually to return to Him, to be fully reconciled and reunited to Him, to be once again in His Holy Presence, casting aside their sins and wickedness, to be forgiven from all those evil deeds and actions. God has always been patient in guiding and correcting the mistakes and faults of His beloved ones, and He has called on all of them, and hence, all of us to come once again towards Him, that we may reject our sinful and wicked ways, becoming once again truly worthy of the Lord in all things, in our every actions, words and deeds.

In our Gospel passage today, we then heard of the great miracle which the Lord performed in Galilee when He healed the sick son of an official in Capernaum. We heard how a lot of people came flocking to the Lord because He has performed great miracles and signs before them, and they all believed because they had seen and witnessed those miracles. Yet, the official believed in the Lord when He told him that his son would be well again, even without witnessing the miracle done in person. The official believed and trusted in the Lord, and as a result, through what we have heard, the son was healed exactly at the very moment that the Lord told the official that his son would be well. The Lord made an important point here for all the people and also for all of us, that we must truly believe in God and has faith in Him.

There were those among the people at that time who have seen and witnessed many of the miracles, signs and wonders of the Lord, performed before their own eyes, and having also listened to the words, teachings and truths spoken by the Lord, and yet, they refused and failed to believe. Some among them even rejected the Lord, doubting His authority and authenticity, and others still even accused Him falsely of colluding with the forces of demons and evil spirits, like how the Lord was accused of collusion with the prince of demons, Beelzebul. This shows us all that seeing alone is not enough for one to truly be able to have faith in God. If the hearts and minds are not open and receptive to God’s truth and love, then no matter what the Lord had said and done, they would not come to have faith in God.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore reflect upon these things we have received and been reminded with by the Lord. Let us all deepen our relationship with God and grow in our understanding and appreciation of God’s love, kindness and grace, so that we may grow ever stronger in our relationship with Him, and in our commitment to His cause and path. Each and every one of us have been given many opportunities and chances to decide on what to do in our lives, in the paths that we have chosen, and in this season and time of Lent in particular, we have been shown this most opportune moment to turn away from the evil sins and wickedness, and embrace God’s mercy and love, compassion and forgiveness once again, as prodigal sons and daughters coming to seek our Father’s generous love and forgiveness.

May the Lord, our most loving Creator, Father and Master continue to love us all always, and may He continue to encourage and strengthen us in our every resolve and efforts so that in all the things we say and do, in our every moments in life, we may always strive to be worthy of Him, and continue to walk ever more righteously and faithfully in His path. May God bless our every good efforts, endeavours and works, now and always. Amen.

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Monday, 11 March 2024 : 4th Week of Lent (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

John 4 : 43-54

At that time, when the two days Jesus spent with the Samaritans were over, He left for Galilee. Jesus Himself said that no prophet is recognised in his own country. Yet the Galileans welcomed Him when He arrived, because of all the things which He had done in Jerusalem during the Festival, and which they had seen. For they, too, had gone to the feast.

Jesus went back to Cana of Galilee, where He had changed the water into wine. At Capernaum there was an official, whose son was ill, and when he heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went and asked Him to come and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. Jesus said, “Unless you see signs and wonders, you will not believe!” The official said, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” And Jesus replied, “Go, your son lives!”

The man had faith in the word that Jesus spoke to him, and went his way. As he was approaching his house, his servants met Him, and gave him the good news, “Your son has recovered!” So he asked them at what hour the child began to recover, and they said to him, “The fever left him yesterday, at about one o’clock in the afternoon.”

And the father realised that was the time when Jesus had told him, “Your son lives!” And he became a believer, he and all his family. Jesus performed this second miraculous sign when He returned from Judea to Galilee.

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Monday, 11 March 2024 : 4th Week of Lent (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Psalm 29 : 2 and 4, 5-6, 11-12a and 13b

I extol You, o Lord, for You have rescued me; my enemies will not gloat over me. O Lord, You have brought me up from the grave, You gave me life when I was going to the pit.

Sing to the Lord, o you His saints, give thanks and praise to His holy Name. For His anger lasts but a little while, and His kindness all through life. Weeping may tarry for the night, but rejoicing comes with the dawn.

Hear, o Lord, and have mercy on me; o Lord, be my Protector. But now, You have turned my mourning into rejoicing; O Lord, my God, forever will I give You thanks.