Month: August 2024

by

Thursday, 8 August 2024 : 18th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Dominic, Priest (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 50 : 12-13, 14-15, 18-19

Create in me, o God, a pure heart; give me a new and steadfast spirit. Do not cast me out of Your presence nor take Your Holy Spirit from me.

Give me again the joy of Your salvation and sustain me with a willing spirit. Then I will show wrongdoers Your ways and sinners will return to You.

You take no pleasure in sacrifice; were I to give a burnt offering, You would not delight in it. O God, my sacrifice is a broken spirit; a contrite heart You will not despise.

by

Thursday, 8 August 2024 : 18th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Dominic, Priest (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Jeremiah 31 : 31-34

The time is coming – it is YHVH Who speaks – when I will forge a new Covenant with the people of Israel and the people of Judah. It will not be like the one I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand and led them out of Egypt. For they broke My Covenant although I was their Master, YHVH declares.

This is the Covenant I shall make with Israel after that time : I will put My Law within them and write it on their hearts; I will be their God and they will be My people. And they will not have to teach each other, neighbour or brother, saying : ‘Know YHVH,’ because they will all know Me, from the greatest to the lowliest, for I will forgive their wrongdoing and no longer remember their sin.

by

Wednesday, 7 August 2024 : 18th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Pope St. Sixtus II, Pope and Martyr, and Companions, Martyrs, and St. Cajetan, Priest (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs) or White (Priests)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day as we all listened to the words of the Scriptures, we are all reminded of the love of God which He generously ever poured down upon us, showing us His mercy, love and compassion, just as we have often been reminded of. At the same time, we are also reminded to seek the Lord and His mercy, His forgiveness and love, just as how the Syro-Phoenician woman had done in our Gospel passage today, that our sincere and strong desire to seek the Lord, to find His love, mercy and compassion shall liberate us from the bondage of our wickedness and sins, and deliver us into a renewed life blessed and strengthen by God and His grace. God has always loved and been kind to us, and He has also always been full of mercy and forgiveness for us, but we have to be cooperative with Him, allowing Him to come to us, to transform our lives for the better.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the prophet Jeremiah, in which God would restore His people, the Israelites once again, to be His blessed and beloved people, restored and empowered, saved and liberated from their troubles just as He had done for them many times previously. These words of the Lord which He spoke to His people, the remnants of the Israelites living in the kingdom of Judah, would indeed come true in the upcoming decades. And these came after the Lord has spoken of all the misfortunes, destructions and hardships that they all would have to encounter in their path, as they had disobeyed Him and disregarded His Law, His commandments and precepts, and thus, they would have to endure the consequences of their actions. This showed us all that God truly loves each and every one of His people, but He does not condone their actions.

As a loving Creator and Father to His people, as their Lord, Master and King, God has always cared for them all as He has constantly shown throughout history and as recorded in the Old Testament, but at the same time, as a just and holy God, as mentioned, He does not condone their sinfulness, wicked actions and deeds that are contrary to the way and the teachings which He had passed on to them. He does not want any one of them to be swayed into the wicked path in life, into the path of darkness from which there could be no escape or hope. That was why God chastised His people, punishing them and correcting them but with the ultimate intent of leading them all towards Himself and restoring them to the state of grace together with Him. God does not desire our destruction, as it was us who have willingly chosen to reject His salvation and grace.

God remembers the Covenant which He had made and established with His people, and through Jeremiah, He wanted to remind them with all of that, that while He abhorred their sins and wickedness, but He still wanted them all to return to Him and to repent from their many sins and evils before it was too late for them. That is why, it is also a very important reminder for all of us that we should not take God’s love, compassion and mercy for granted. God has always been very patient with us, but at the same time, we must realise that if we continue to resist Him and refuse His love and kindness, it may come to pass that it ends up too late for us to accept God’s favour, love and mercy, and when it is too late for us, it is by all those sins and wickedness that we shall be judged by, and we shall be condemned by all those wicked and evil attitudes which we have carried out in our lives.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Matthew, as mentioned earlier we heard of the interactions between the Lord Jesus and a Syro-Phoenician woman who had come to seek His help with regards to her very sick daughter. The Syro-Phoenician region was outside the lands where the Israelites lived in, and at that time, that region was also not where the descendants of the Israelites lived in, and therefore the Syro-Phoenician woman in the reckoning of the Jews would be considered as an outsider and a pagan. And for many among the Jews, the Syro-Phoenician like the other Gentiles were considered unworthy and unclean, and it was often taboo for a Jew like the Lord Jesus Himself to mingle and interact with the non-Jews like the Syro-Phoenician woman. Not only that, but the Jews at that time also had a rather exclusive and elitist view of themselves as God’s chosen people, and looking down on others who did not believe in God as they did.

Thus, when the Lord seemingly mocked the woman and was being rude in replying harshly to her by stating that He was only sent to the people of Israel and that the food should not be given to the dogs, it was a representation of the folly of the prejudices shown by the Israelites and their descendants against those others whom they had deemed to be inferior and less worthy than them as God’s disciples and followers. But the Lord showed His disciples and others, including all of us that even among the non-Israelites, there could be great and wonderful faith too. The Syro-Phoenician woman ignored the insults and kept on asking the Lord with great faith, even humbling herself, saying that even the dogs gained the scraps of food from the table. This is a representation of just how one with great faith shall be blessed by God, and God’s love is in truth, for everyone, and not just for any particular group of people. All of us, regardless of race, background or origin, have all been called and chosen by God to be His beloved people.

Today, the Church also celebrates the feast of two great saints and holy men of God, whose lives and dedications to God can serve as great role models and inspirations for each and every one of us in how we should live our own lives as Christians. Pope St. Sixtus II and St. Cajetan both had lived truly virtuous and worthy lives that have shown us all what it truly means to be true and genuine, faithful and committed Christians, as God’s holy and committed disciples and followers. They have lived their lives with great faith in their own unique ways, that even when they faced difficulties and challenges, they continued to persevere on in trusting in the Lord and in being faithful to Him. They did not let the hardships, oppositions and all the other obstacles they encountered to dissuade them from their efforts and good works for the sake of the Lord and for His people.

Pope St. Sixtus II was one of the important and influential leaders of the early Church, who has dedicated himself as the Pope and thus as leader of the whole Universal Church, to lead the faithful and the Church through turbulent and difficult times. He led the Church through a time of challenges and divisions, as there was a particularly divisive Novatian heresy that happened just prior to his pontificate, which caused divisions in the Roman Church, and also in relationships with the Church in Africa and in the Eastern parts of the Roman Empire. Pope St. Sixtus II dedicated himself to heal the rifts and divisions in the Church, while at the same time, he also led the Church through the difficult times of persecutions and oppressions by the Roman state. It was during one of these oppressions, during the reign of Emperor Valerian that Pope St. Sixtus II was martyred. He remained firm in his faith and commitment to God, to the very end.

Meanwhile, St. Cajetan was an Italian priest who lived and ministered to the Church and the people of God during the Renaissance period, at the time when there were lots of challenges facing the Christian faithful, both from the corruption within the clergy and laity alike, and when the moral and spiritual standards of the people of God were waning. St. Cajetan committed himself thoroughly to minister to the people of God, devoting himself to reach out to those who have been lost from the Lord, calling upon them to return to Him. He established a congregation named the Theatines, gathering those who wished to follow the Lord’s call and serve the people of God, particularly those who were poor and less privileged. Through his efforts and works, St. Cajetan impacted the lives of many and brought many ever closer to God and helped them to come to God’s salvation and grace.

Therefore, brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all remind ourselves that we all should have strong and genuine faith in the Lord, devoting our time and effort to follow Him wholeheartedly. Let us all continue to follow in the good examples and in the footsteps of our holy predecessors, like that of Pope St. Sixtus II and St. Cajetan. Let us all continue to walk in the path which the Lord has shown us, and continue to show our love for God and for our fellow brethren, in all and every one of our actions, words and deeds in life, now and always. May God be with us all, and may He empower us in faith, now and always. Amen.

by

Wednesday, 7 August 2024 : 18th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Pope St. Sixtus II, Pope and Martyr, and Companions, Martyrs, and St. Cajetan, Priest (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs) or White (Priests)

Matthew 15 : 21-28

At that time, leaving that area, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. A Canaanite woman from the area, came and cried out, “Lord, Son of David, have pity on me! My daughter is tormented by a demon.”

But Jesus did not answer her, not even a word. So His disciples approached Him and said, “Send her away! See how she is shouting after us.” Then Jesus said to her, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the nation of Israel.”

But the woman was already kneeling before Jesus, and said, “Sir, help me!” Jesus answered, “It is not right to take the bread from the children and throw it to puppies.”

The woman replied, “That is true, Sir, but even puppies eat the crumbs which fall from their master’s table.” Then Jesus said, “Woman, how great is your faith! Let it be as you wish.” And her daughter was healed at that moment.

by

Wednesday, 7 August 2024 : 18th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Pope St. Sixtus II, Pope and Martyr, and Companions, Martyrs, and St. Cajetan, Priest (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs) or White (Priests)

Jeremiah 31 : 10, 11-12ab, 13

Hear the word of YHVH, o nations, proclaim it on distant coastlands : He Who scattered Israel will gather them and guard them as a shepherd guard his flock.

For YHVH has ransomed Jacob and redeemed him from the hand of his conqueror. They shall come shouting for joy, while ascending Zion; they will come streaming to YHVH’s blessings.

Maidens will make merry and dance, young men and old as well. I will turn their mourning into gladness, I will give them comfort and joy for sorrow.

by

Wednesday, 7 August 2024 : 18th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Pope St. Sixtus II, Pope and Martyr, and Companions, Martyrs, and St. Cajetan, Priest (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs) or White (Priests)

Jeremiah 31 : 1-7

YHVH declares that when that time comes He will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they will be His people. Thus says YHVH : The people who survived the sword have found grace in the desert. As Israel was seeking for his rest YHVH appeared from afar saying, I have loved you with a love everlasting, so I have kept for you My mercy. I will restore you again, and you shall be rebuilt, o virgin Israel!”

“You will take up your tambourines and go out dancing joyfully. You will plant vineyards again on the hills of Samaria, and the farmers who plant them will enjoy their fruit. There shall be a day when watchmen will call out on the hills of Ephraim, “Come, let us go to Zion, to YHVH our God!”

For YHVH says this, “Shout with joy for Jacob; rejoice for the greatest of nations. Proclaim your praise and say : ‘YHVH has saved His people, the remnant of Israel!’”

by

Tuesday, 6 August 2024 : Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this day we mark the great and most glorious Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord, marking the moment when Lord Jesus revealed a glimpse of His true identity and glory as the Divine Son of God, the Holy One incarnate in the flesh to the three of His disciples at Mount Tabor. On this day we recall that most wonderful moment when Our Lord revealed His salvation through His Son, showing us all how God has fulfilled all the promises which He had made with us all, His beloved people, so that through His Son, His love has been manifested in the flesh and became approachable and tangible for us. And at the same time we have also been shown what we are all expected to be like, to be transfigured ourselves from our current worldly lives into new lives truly blessed and filled by the grace of God.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of Daniel in which the Lord showed the prophet Daniel a great heavenly vision that was a prefigurement of the coming of the Saviour into this world, and at the same time, revealed to the people of God some of the truth of the identity of this Saviour Whom God had promised and would send to be with His people. He showed them that God would send His Son into our midst to lead us all into the ultimate triumph and victory, liberated and delivered from all the darkness around us, gathering each and every one of us to return back to His heavenly Father, to be the One through Whom all of us are assured of God’s salvation and grace, fulfilling all of His promises and reassurances to us.

Daniel saw the vision of One of a Great Age, a figure that represents God the Father, the Creator of all of us as the One seated in Heaven, ruling over all of Creation. Back then, no one would have known anything about the identity of the Lord, Who in truth exists in Three Divine Persons, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The Son of Man shown in Daniel’s heavenly vision clearly prefigured the coming of Christ, the Son of God Incarnate and His role in the story of our salvation. After all, to whom would God grant all dominion, power and authority, such a great responsibility, the kingship and power, that everyone in all of creation ought to serve this Son of Man? It is clearly none among us all mankind, for we are all equal to each other, and neither the Angels nor any other beings that God had created. He must therefore be God Himself, in His aspect as the Son and Word of God, united to the Father, the Creator, and the Holy Spirit.

Thus, it was indeed a prefigurement of the One Whom God would send into this world, One Who is co-eternal, consubstantial, that is of the same nature and substance as Himself, the Divine Son of God, the Word by which God had created this world, Who would enter into this world, incarnate in the flesh through the acceptance of His mother Mary, who accepted the mission entrusted to her by the Archangel Gabriel, to bear the Son of God Himself within her. That is how He came to be known as the Son of Man as well, because through this Incarnation, He has taken up flesh of man, the complete and full nature of our humanity, and become the Son of Man, the Son of Mary, His beloved Mother. But all these were yet to be fully known and understood by the people of Daniel’s time and afterwards, up to the time of the Lord Himself.

Thus, in our Gospel passage today, as mentioned earlier, we heard of the story of the moment when the Lord was transfigured before His three disciples at Mount Tabor, when He revealed His true Divine glory and nature which had been hidden behind His human nature and appearance. He revealed to the three disciples that He was not just merely a Man, or any ordinary human beings or a Prophet. For He is no less than the Almighty God Himself in the flesh, having His full Divine nature manifested together with His human nature, in the one Person of Jesus Christ, the One Whom the three disciples called Lord, Teacher and Master. It was there at Mount Tabor that the Lord manifested Himself and revealed Who He really was to the world, through His three disciples, appearing before them with His Divinity bared freely to be seen.

We heard how the Lord appeared before St. Peter, St. James and St. John together with Moses and Elijah, which was actually an important symbolism and was meant to reveal not just the Lord’s Divine nature, but also the fact that He was indeed the One Whom God has sent into the world, the One He has promised to us to deliver us from the destruction caused by our sins and wickedness. The Lord showed that He is indeed the culmination of the Law and the Prophets of God, with Moses representing God’s Law and Elijah representing God’s many prophets and messengers. That both of them appeared to the Lord at Mount Tabor showed that the Lord Jesus was indeed the Messiah or Saviour that has been prophesied through the prophets, and that He would also uphold and reveal the full truth and meaning of God’s Law. He is the One through Whom God would make all things right once again.

Now, at that moment we also heard how St. Peter told the Lord that they ought to build three tents, one for Himself, one for Moses and one for Elijah. This was then met by a rebuke from the Father, Who spoke to them through the clouds, telling them all to listen to and to obey His Son, His Chosen and Beloved One. Then the heavenly vision and the figure of the Transfigured Lord disappeared, and the Lord with His disciples went down Mount Tabor, and afterwards, they would go on to Judah and Jerusalem, where the Lord would face His sufferings or Passion, bearing up the Cross for the salvation of all the whole mankind and the whole world. This is what is meant by obedience, just as the Lord Jesus had the choice to remain on that mountain, on the place and moment of His glorious Divinity, His majesty and power. He chose to obey His Father’s will, emptying Himself of His glory and power, and assuming the humble condition as a slave, to suffer and die for all of us.

Today therefore, as we rejoice and celebrate in this great moment of the revelation of Our Lord’s glory and majesty, we are therefore called to follow in the examples set by the Lord Himself, and follow Him as we all should do in each and every one of our respective lives. We should walk in His footsteps, remembering the great love, kindness and compassion which God has shown us all throughout the way, all these while. And at the same time, we all should continue to remember that through His glorious Transfiguration, the Lord wants to show us all that we are all called to seek this same transfiguration of our existence and lives in this world. For by sharing in our human nature and becoming the Son of Man, God has united Himself through His humanity with all of us, and through His Transfiguration, the Lord showed us all what we all are ourselves going to be like after we have transcended from this human and worldly existence to the new and everlasting life beyond death.

All of us are called to return to the Lord and be fully reconciled and reunited with Him, to assume once again our blessed and graceful existence and appearance, which God had created us all with, to be perfect and wonderful once again, free from all defects and wickedness due to our sins, full of grace and love, just as how God created us all in the very beginning. Let us all therefore strive to live our lives to the fullest, serving God at all times and glorifying Him by our very lives, in each and every moments. Let our lives shine with the fullness of God’s light, truth, hope and love, and be the beacons of His light and truth, as a glimpse of our own transfigured selves, and encourage one another, our fellow brothers and sisters, so that each and every one of us will remain firm and true in our path towards God and His salvation. May the Lord, our most gloriously Transfigured Lord continue to bless and guide us all in His path, and strengthen us in faith, now and always. Amen.

by

Tuesday, 6 August 2024 : Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Luke 9 : 28b-36

At that time, six days after Jesus predicted His own death, He took with Him Peter and James and his brother John, and led them up a high mountain, where they were alone. Jesus’ appearance was changed before them : His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became bright as light. Just then Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Jesus.

Peter spoke and said to Jesus, “Master, it is good that we are here. If You wish, I will make three tents : one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” Peter was still speaking, when a bright cloud covered them with its shadow, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is My Son, the Beloved, My Chosen One. Listen to Him.”

On hearing the voice, the disciples fell to the ground, full of fear. But Jesus came, touched them and said, “Stand up, do not be afraid.” When they raised their eyes, they no longer saw anyone except Jesus. And as they came down the mountain, Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone what they had just seen, until the Son of Man be raised from the dead.

by

Tuesday, 6 August 2024 : Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 96 : 1-2, 5-6, 9

YHVH reigns; let the earth rejoice; let the distant islands be glad. Clouds and darkness surround Him; justice and right, are His throne.

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

For You are the Master of the universe, exalted far above all gods.

by

Tuesday, 6 August 2024 : Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Daniel 7 : 9-10, 13-14

I looked and saw the following : Some thrones were set in place and One of Great Age took His seat. His robe was white, as snow, His hair, white as washed wool. His throne was flames of fire with wheels of blazing fire. A river of fire sprang forth and flowed before Him. Thousands upon thousands served Him and a countless multitude stood before Him.

Those in the tribunal took their seats and opened the book. I continued watching the nocturnal vision : One like a Son of Man came on the clouds of heaven. He faced the One of Great Age and was brought into His presence. Dominion, honour and kingship were given Him, and all the peoples and nations of every language served Him. His dominion is eternal and shall never pass away; His kingdom will never be destroyed.

Alternative reading (Second Reading if this Feast is celebrated as a Solemnity)

2 Peter 1 : 16-19

Indeed, what we taught you about the power, and the return of Christ Jesus our Lord, was not drawn from myths or formulated theories. We, ourselves, were eyewitnesses of His majesty, when He received glory and honour from God, the Father, when, from the magnificent glory, this most extraordinary word came upon Him : “This is My beloved Son, this is My Chosen One.”

We, ourselves, heard this voice from heaven, when we were with Him on the holy mountain. Therefore, we believe most firmly in the message of the prophets, which you should consider rightly, as a lamp shining in a dark place, until the break of day, when the Morning Star shines in your hearts.