Month: May 2024

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Tuesday, 28 May 2024 : 8th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, we are all reminded of the words of the Sacred Scriptures today of the need for us all as Christians to be always committed to God at all times, so that by our every efforts and endeavours, in our every words, actions and deeds throughout our lives, we will always be faithful to God. We are all also called to be holy as our Lord is Holy, and to be exemplary in all that we do that despite the challenges we may be facing in life, we will always inspire one another and strengthen our fellow brothers and sisters to persevere through those many challenges that we may have to face amidst those difficult moments. We are reminded that as Christians we may have to bear through difficulties and sufferings in our journey just as the Lord Himself had suffered.

In our first reading today, we heard from the First Epistle of St. Peter in which St. Peter the Apostle continued with his exhortation to all the faithful people of God in the Church to remind them all of everything which God had done through His Son, Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Saviour, and the Holy Spirit that He had sent into the world, to strengthen all of His beloved people despite the trials and challenges that they might have to face. St. Peter also quoted the prophets of the days past, who had foretold of the coming of the Lord and His salvation in Christ, who did not know of the full details and truth, and yet longed to see the salvation and light of God. Those prophets themselves also faced a lot of hardships and struggles as we all will know well if we read through the Old Testament.

St. Peter was preparing the faithful for the trials and tribulations that they might have to face and endure amidst those challenging moments, when their faith would be tested by those who seek the destruction of the Church and the Christian faith. He was telling them all not to give up on their faith and to remain true to their commitment and dedication to God, so that in everything that they say and do, they would continue to obey the Lord, following His path and being true to their Christian faith despite the challenges and trials that they might have to suffer from. This would indeed come true as the Church would face lots of hardships, persecutions and trials from not only the Jewish authorities, but also the Roman government and other organisations and figures that refused to believe in the Lord and His truth.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard from the Gospel of St. Mark, in which a similar theme was raised to us, as the Lord Jesus spoke to His disciples about the matter of following Him and committing themselves to Him and His path. As He has called them all to be His followers and disciples and at that time, they had to leave behind their families and professions, everything that they do so that they can commit themselves wholly and completely to the Lord’s missions and works, He told them all that each and every one of their sacrifices and what they had done for the Lord’s sake and for the salvation of many are known to the Lord and will not be forgotten. The Lord wanted to reassure them all that no matter what sufferings and hardships that they might encounter in their journey and ministry, He would always be with them to the very end.

This is the same hope and light that we also look forward to in our own respective lives, brothers and sisters in Christ, that is the light and hope of God’s salvation and grace, the eternal life and true joy that we all shall experience with Him at the end of it all. We believe that the Lord is always with us, His beloved Church, His people and flock, all of whom He had called and gathered from all over throughout the whole world to be His disciples and followers. We may indeed encounter hardships, challenges and trials in our path, but we must not easily be dissuaded or coerced to give up our struggle and faith in God, because ultimately, whatever sufferings we face and encounter, all of these will not be the end, but our end will be the ultimate joy and glory we will have in the Lord.

That is why we should look upon the inspiration and examples shown to us by our holy predecessors, the many holy men and women who had gone before us, the saints and martyrs of the Church. Many among them had to experience these challenges and hardships which had caused them lots of pains and inconveniences, tears and struggles, and even most painful deaths and humiliations, but they faced it all with grace and submission to God. Like the Apostles before them, and as St. Peter had said, God Himself was with His people, patiently guiding and helping them in their respective journeys and ministries. He has given them all His strength and encouragement so that they might continue to strive and persevere through the difficult moments in their lives.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore continue to put our faith and trust in the Lord despite the difficulties and challenges that we may be facing now in our lives. Let us all remember that God Himself has sent to us His only begotten Son, Our Lord and Saviour Himself, to be with us and to suffer for our sake. He has suffered the most grievous and most painful death for our salvation, to journey together with all of us and to carry His Cross together with the crosses that we carry in our own respective lives. Let us all be ever grateful and appreciative of everything that He had done for our sake, for the salvation of our souls and the liberation from the power of sin and death. And let us all be generous in helping one another to endure these various sufferings and burdens that each one of us have to endure as well.

May the Lord our most loving God and Master continue to be with us in our every efforts and endeavours, in all of our journeys and works, in everything that we do for the sake of His greater glory and for the salvation of many souls, our fellow brothers and sisters. May He continue to strengthen us all that we may continue to be good and worthy role models in every moments of our lives, that we may truly be the worthy beacons of God’s light, truth and Good News to all the people. Amen.

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Tuesday, 28 May 2024 : 8th Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Mark 10 : 28-31

At that time, Peter spoke up and said, “We have given up everything to follow You.” Jesus answered, “Truly, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters, or father or mother, or children, or lands, for My sake and for the Gospel, who will not receive his reward.”

“I say to you : even in the midst of persecution, he will receive a hundred times as many houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and lands in the present time, and in the world to come eternal life. Do pay attention : many who are now first will be last, and the last, first.”

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Tuesday, 28 May 2024 : 8th Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 97 : 1, 2-3ab, 3cd-4

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

YHVH has shown His salvation, revealing His justice to the nations. He has not forgotten His love, nor His faithfulness to Israel.

The farthest ends of the earth all have seen God’s saving power. All you, lands, make a joyful noise to YHVH, break into song and sing praise.

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Tuesday, 28 May 2024 : 8th Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

1 Peter 1 : 10-16

This was the salvation for which the prophets so eagerly looked when, in days past, they foretold the favour of God, with regard to you. But they could only investigate when the Spirit of Christ present within them, pointed out the time and the circumstances, of this – the sufferings of Christ, and the glories which would follow.

It was revealed to them, that they were working, not for themselves, but for you. Thus, in these days, after the Holy Spirit has been sent from heaven, the Gospel’s preachers have taught you these mysteries, which even the Angels long to see.

So, then, let your spirit be ready. Be alert, with confident trust, in the grace you will receive, when Jesus Christ appears. Like obedient children, do not return to your former life, given over to ignorance and passions. Imitate the One Who called you. As He is holy, so you, too, be holy, in all your conduct, since Scripture says : Be holy for I am holy.

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Monday, 27 May 2024 : 8th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Augustine of Canterbury, Bishop (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Bishops)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day as we listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are all reminded that to be true and genuine Christians, often times we may have to face hardships, challenges and trials, all of which may be part of our path and journey in life. We have also been reminded of the need for all of us to follow and obey God’s Law and commandments, all the things which He had revealed and given to us to be our guide and help in our journey towards Him, as a means to help us to keep a most worthy and virtuous life, that by our every words, actions and deeds, everyone will know that we are indeed Christians, those whom God had called and chosen to be His own. This is what God had entrusted to us, and what God has also expected for us to do in each and every one of our lives.

In our first reading today, we heard from the first Epistle of St. Peter in which St. Peter the Apostle spoke of the great joy that all of the faithful ought to experience and commemorate because of everything that the Lord Himself had done for them, in sending His own Son to be our Saviour, to lift us all up from our sorry state in this world, to uplift us from all of our sufferings and to assure us of the everlasting life that will be ours if we put our faith and trust in Him, and if we continue to uphold the faith which we all should have in Him and in all the things He has done for us. At the same time, St. Peter also reminded the faithful and hence all of us that there will likely be sufferings and challenges facing us, just as there will be joy for us in being the followers and disciples of the Lord.

This is a reminder for all of us that we must always do whatever we can so that our lives and our whole existence will always be focused and centred on the Lord, our God in all things. We must not allow the many temptations and coercions present all around us from tempting and pulling us away from the path towards God and His salvation. We must also not easily lose our faith in Him, especially whenever we are facing hardships and difficulties in the midst of following God and His commandments. There may be time when all the challenges and hardships facing us may tempt us to give in to the pressures of the world all around us, but we should always be strong and we should inspire one another to remain faithful to God.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, we heard something similar to what we have heard from the Epistle of St. Peter earlier on. In this occasion, we first heard of the encounter between the Lord Jesus and a rich man who wanted to follow Him, and when the Lord asked him about having fulfilled and obeyed the commandments of God, the rich man could not commit himself to leave everything that he had behind, all the riches and the properties, all the goods and material wealth that he had possessed and follow the Lord. The Lord then used this example to show His disciples that becoming His disciples and followers is not something that may be as easy as they thought.

The Lord mentioned that it was indeed hard for those who have riches to enter into the kingdom of God. However, we must understand that the Lord was not actually against those who are rich and have more material possessions. Instead, the issue was actually more with those who are so attached to the worldly possessions, glory and pleasures that they are unable to let them go. All these wealth, possessions and worldly things are not in themselves evil, as they can both be used for good and evil things. But it is when we allow our desires and attachments to those worldly matters and pleasures to overcome us and to lead us astray that it becomes a problem, and it is this attachment and desires that the Lord is warning us against.

The Lord wants us all to know that we must always prioritise Him in all things, to live our lives always in His path and doing whatever it is that He has taught us to do. Each and every one of us as His beloved and holy people should always strive to keep ourselves free from sins, from all wickedness and from the excessive attachments and desires of the world. Instead, we should always be full of genuine love, care and concern for our fellow brothers and sisters around us, showing God’s love in all of our words, actions and deeds that we may truly love Him first and foremost, and then show the same love to all the others, our fellow brothers and sisters. Those of us who have been blessed with more, we should share our bountiful blessings with those who have less or none. The more we have been entrusted with, the more then we have been called to share.criticising all the rich people and all those who did have lots of wealth and possessions.

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Augustine of Canterbury, a great missionary and servant of God who was also the first Archbishop of Canterbury that played a great role in the reestablishment of the Church structures, hierarchy and institutions in the then Anglo-Saxon period England. St. Augustine of Canterbury was born in what is today Italy during the late sixth century, and he was the prior of a monastery in the vicinity of Rome before he embarked on a missionary journey to Britain under the command from Pope St. Gregory the Great, who sent him and other missionaries to various parts of the world to evangelise and to spread the Good News of the Lord to more and more people all throughout the known world.

St. Augustine of Canterbury landed in Britain and began his ministry among the Anglo-Saxons in the region of Kent in southern England. The Christian faith had been established earlier on in Britain prior to the arrival of St. Augustine of Canterbury and his mission, but due to the invasion of the Anglo-Saxons in the two centuries before the coming of St. Augustine of Canterbury, the pagan Anglo-Saxons had undone much of the works which the earlier Christians had laid. St. Augustine of Canterbury initially faced quite a significant set of hardships and challenges in his mission, as while he managed to gain great successes with the conversion of many among the pagan Anglo-Saxons, including the King of Kent himself, but he faced opposition from the other more resistant pagans and from the native British bishops who refused to submit to his authority.

Nonetheless, St. Augustine of Canterbury laboured hard and spent a lot of effort in establishing the firm foundation of the Church in England, establishing the Church institutions and continuing the works of evangelisation through which many more people would come to embrace the Christian faith, as well as preparing for the successor that would continue his works after he had gone from this world. St. Augustine has always worked very hard to do even beyond his calling and ministry, in persevering to do God’s will even amidst the hardest challenges and trials. He is our great role model and inspiration, for all of us to follow in his footsteps in doing our best, sharing our love and faith with one another, in living our lives most worthily and righteously in God’s path at all times.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the examples of St. Augustine of Canterbury, his commitment and dedication to the mission entrusted to him by the Lord and the Pope, and everything that he had done for the propagation of the Christian faith, let us all continue to be good role models and inspirations for one another, and be the faithful and worthy bearers of God’s truth and Good News at all times. May the Lord continue to help us to persevere amidst all the challenges and trials that we may have to face in our journey. May God bless our every endeavours and may He strengthen one of us in our various vocations and missions in life, that we may be holy and missionary, courageous and evangelising as St. Augustine of Canterbury had done. Amen.

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Monday, 27 May 2024 : 8th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Augustine of Canterbury, Bishop (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Bishops)

Mark 10 : 17-27

At that time, just as Jesus was setting out on His journey again, a man ran up, knelt before Him and asked, “Good Master, what must I do to have eternal life?”

Jesus answered, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments : Do not kill, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not bear false witness, do not cheat, honour your father and mother.” The man replied, “I have obeyed all these commandments since my childhood.”

Then Jesus looked steadily at him and loved him and He said, “For you, one thing is lacking. Go, sell what you have and give the money to the poor, and you will have riches in heaven. Then come and follow Me.” On hearing these words, his face fell and he went away sorrowful, for he was a man of great wealth.

Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, “How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God” The disciples were shocked at these words, but Jesus insisted, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”

They were more astonished than ever and wondered, “Who, then, can be saved?” Jesus looked steadily at them and said, “For human beings it is impossible, but not for God; all things are possible with God.”

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Monday, 27 May 2024 : 8th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Augustine of Canterbury, Bishop (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Bishops)

Psalm 110 : 1-2, 5-6, 9 and 10c

Alleluia! I thank YHVH with all my heart in the council of the just, in the assembly. The works of YHVH are great and pondered by all who delight in them.

Always mindful of His Covenant, He provides food for those who fear Him. He shows His people the power of His arm by giving them the lands of other nations.

He has sent His people deliverance and made with them a Covenant forever. His holy Name is to be revered! To Him belongs everlasting praise.

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Monday, 27 May 2024 : 8th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Augustine of Canterbury, Bishop (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Bishops)

1 Peter 1 : 3-9

Let us praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for His great mercy. In raising Jesus Christ from the dead He has given us new life and a living hope. The inheritance that does not corrupt nor goes bad nor passes away was reserved to you in heavens, since God’s power shall keep you faithful until salvation is revealed in the last days.

There is cause for joy, then, even though you may, for a time, have to suffer many trials. Thus will your faith be tested, like gold in a furnace. Gold, however, passes away but faith, worth so much more, will bring you in the end praise, glory and honour when Jesus Christ appears.

You have not yet seen Him and yet you love Him; even without seeing Him, you believe in Him and experience a heavenly joy beyond all words, for you are reaching the goal of your faith : the salvation of your souls.

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Sunday, 26 May 2024 : Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday we celebrate the occasion of the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, or also known as Trinity Sunday. On this Sunday we commemorate and focus our attention on this important tenet in our Christian faith, one that is truly Christian in nature, and one of the core tenets and beliefs of our faith in God. This is because unlike any other monotheistic beliefs, there is none other that beliefs in the Holy Trinity of One God in Three Divine Persons as we have believed in, the belief in the Triune God Who is One and only One, and yet manifesting Himself in Three Divine Persons of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, distinct and yet indivisible and perfectly united to each other as One.

This is our Christian faith, our Trinitarian beliefs and our faith in the One Lord Who in His Person of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit have each interacted with us, and shown us all His love and truth, His compassion and grace. But what is the Holy Trinity all about? Do we truly know and understand what it means for us to believe in the One Lord in Three Divine Persons? There are many people both within and outside the Church who misunderstood what the Holy Trinity is all about, and there are not few of those who think that we worship not one but three Gods. This is definitely false, and it does not help that there are quite a lot of falsehoods and inaccurate representations of the Holy Trinity that are believed by those outside the Church, misrepresentations of the Holy Trinity that perpetuated this misunderstandings, that even quite a number within the Church also followed and believed in.

What is the Holy Trinity? As mentioned, as Christians we believe in the One and only True God, Creator and Master of all the Universe, which has Three Divine Persons or Aspects just as we profess every time we say the Creed. The Nicene Creed begins with, ‘I believe in One God’, which states clearly this belief in the Oneness of God, and then continues with ‘The Father Almighty, Maker of Heaven and Earth’, and then ‘I believe in One Lord Jesus Christ, the only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages… consubstantial with the Father’ which highlights that there has always been only One Lord and God, and the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit are all part of this One God, with Jesus Christ, the Son of God being ‘begotten’ and not ‘created’. The Son and the Holy Spirit are part of this Holy Trinity together with the Father, from before the beginning of time.

The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are all co-equal and co-eternal, having existed before the beginning of time, for eternity. And unlike what some heresies and false teachings propagated, we all believe that the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are all equal to each other, and the Son and/or the Holy Spirit are not subordinated to any of the other members of the Holy Trinity. Then, at the same time, the Holy Trinity is incomplete without any of its members, and this highlights the fact mentioned earlier that the Three Divine Persons of the Holy Trinity are both distinct and indivisible at the same time. Each and every members of the Holy Trinity are present at the moment of Creation and throughout all history. The Father willed the Creation and the Universe into being, through the Son, the Word of God, by His words, ‘Let there be…’, and the Holy Spirit being the Spirit of Creation and Life present in all of Creation, making all things coming to be.

At the moment of the Incarnation, the Holy Spirit was also present, with the Father’s will again making the impossible to be possible, that the Son of God, the Divine Word, became incarnate in the flesh, taking up our human form and existence, our nature to be the Son of Man, in the Person of Jesus Christ our Lord, by the power of the Holy Spirit that made it all happen, in the holy womb of Mary, the Holy Mother of God. The Holy Trinity has been mentioned in the many parts of the Scriptures, and throughout the history of the world, and at the supreme moment of our salvation when the Lord died on the Cross, the Holy Trinity is again present, as the Son of God, lay dying on His Cross, gave up His Spirit, the Holy Spirit, back to God the Father, with the words, ‘Father, into Your hands, I commend My Spirit.’ Truly, the Lord in His Most Holy Trinity, has been always present in our midst, all these time, just as through His Son, He has made Himself visible, approachable and tangible to us.

The most tangible proof of the Holy Trinity itself is the words of the Lord, Who said that ‘I and the Father are One.’ and in another occasion with, ‘May they all be one, just as We are One.’, referring to the Oneness and the Unity of the Holy Trinity in the One God, and the relationship between the Father and the Son, and then also the Holy Spirit, which the Lord Jesus in more than one occasion send upon the disciples, with the words, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’ And the Lord Himself told the disciples and all of His Church as we heard in our Gospel passage, the Great Commission that He has entrusted to each and every one of us, that is to go forth to all the peoples and all the nations so that everyone from all the nations may receive the Good News of God, believe in Him and be baptised in the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. All these are the reasons why although throughout time and history, there were those who denied the Holy Trinity, and yet the belief in the Triune God remains strong to this very day.

Now, after we have discussed the nature of the Holy Trinity and our belief in the Triune God, we also need to ask ourselves, why the Lord then created us all? In our first reading this Sunday, we heard from the Book of Deuteronomy in which Moses spoke to the people of Israel during the time of the Exodus about their great privilege to have been called and chosen as the holy people of God, as the ones whom God had first made to be His own people, to be loved and cared for by Him. Why did God then create all of us if He is already perfect and all good? First of all, we must understand that the Holy Trinity of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit is united by the perfect bond of love, which overflows from the Holy Trinity to all of us. God is Love, and He is so full of love that He wants to share this love with each and every one of us. We were created so that we may share in God’s love.

That was why we heard from the Book of Deuteronomy, of Moses reminding the people of just how much God had loved them, taken care of them and provided for them despite of their many disobedience and rebellious attitudes. God is so full of love that He has done all that were necessary to bring them out of their slavery and bondage in Egypt, and providing them with the means to survive the long journey in the desert, protecting them all from harm and from their enemies. And while they were also chastised and punished by the Lord for their disobedience and rebellion, but God did so with the intention to help His people to find their way back towards Him, and for them all to realise that their attitudes and actions were causing them to be sundered and separated from His wonderful love, grace and kindness.

In our second reading today, we heard from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Church and the faithful people of God in Rome in which he spoke of how every one of them have become and have indeed been made to be the children of God, as through His Spirit and by His Son sharing in our human nature and existence, all of us have received this adoption, by becoming members and parts of the Body of Christ, the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church that just as Christ Our Lord called God the Father as His Heavenly Father, thus we are all also able to call the Lord our God as our Father as well. This is what all of us have received from the Lord Himself, showing us just how loving and compassionate He is, and how fortunate all of us indeed are, to have been beloved in such a way.

What we all now need to do as Christians is that we need to first of all remember this core tenet of our faith in the Most Holy Trinity, our Lord and God, Creator and Master of all the Universe, Who is One, but having Three Divine Persons in the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. We have to appreciate and understand the significance of this Trinitarian Doctrine so that we may help many others both within and outside the Church to know what it is that we all as Christians truly believe in the Lord, in one God Who manifested Himself in the Three Divine Persons, co-equal and co-eternal, distinct and yet indivisible from one another. We must also give thanks to Him Who has loved us so much that this overflowing love from the perfect bond in the Holy Trinity has been outpoured on us from the very beginning.

Then, reflecting upon the unity within the Most Holy Trinity, let us also remember our own community of believers as Christians, who are all members of the same Body of Christ, the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. If Our Lord Himself is perfectly united in the indivisible bond of love in the Most Holy Trinity, then we ourselves cannot and should not be divided against each other. Unfortunately and sadly, such divisions are quite common both in the past and present, as there were various schisms and heresies that led to the splintering of the unity of the Body of Christ, the One Church of God. This is why on this Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, we must renew our faith in the Lord and strive to advance and champion unity among all the believers in Christ, our Lord.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore as Christians, as those who believe in the One Lord in Three Divine Persons, the Most Holy Trinity and Triune God, continue to live our lives most worthily, so that by our most exemplary lives, we may truly be the bearers of Our Lord’s truth and Good News, and be the worthy bearers of His love and compassion, His ways and examples into this world. O Most Holy God, forever worthy of praise, honour and worship, Our Lord and God in the Most Holy Trinity of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, have mercy on us all sinners and be with Your Church, so that in all that we do and in our every good efforts and endeavours, may You continue to bless and guide us all in our path, in serving You at all times. Amen.

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Sunday, 26 May 2024 : Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Matthew 28 : 16-20

At that time, as for the eleven disciples, they went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw Jesus, they bowed before Him, although some doubted.

Then Jesus approached them and said, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Go, therefore, and make disciples from all nations. Baptise them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teach them to observe all that I have commanded you. I am with you always even to the end of the world.”