Liturgical Colour : White
Psalm 127 : 1-2, 3, 4-5
Blessed are you who fear the Lord and walk in His ways. You will eat the fruit of your toil; you will be blessed and favoured.
Your wife, like a vine, will bear fruits in your home; your children, like olive shoots will stand around your table.
Such are the blessings bestowed upon the man who fears the Lord. May the Lord bless you from Zion. May you see Jerusalem prosperous all the days of your life.
Liturgical Colour : White
2 Thessalonians 3 : 6-10, 16-18
We command you, beloved, to stay away from believers who are living in idleness, contrary to the traditions we passed on to you. You know, how you ought to follow our example : we worked while we were with you. Day and night, we laboured and toiled so as not to be a burden to any of you.
We had the right to act otherwise, but we wanted to give you an example. Besides, while we were with you, we said clearly : if anyone is not willing to work, neither should that one eat.
May the Lord of peace give you His peace at all times and in every way. May the Lord be with you all. I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. This is my signature in all my letters. This is how I write. May the grace of Christ Jesus our Lord be with you.
Liturgical Colour : White
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we heard the clear message from the Scripture passages reminding each and every one of us that we must always be humble in all things, and we must not let the temptations of our human pride, ego, ambition, greed and all the things that often afflict us, be stumbling blocks that prevent us from reaching towards the Lord and His salvation. We should always remind ourselves that all the glory and riches of this world are ultimately fleeting in nature, and there is nothing that is in this world which will truly satisfy us, no matter what. This world itself will not last forever, and therefore, as Christians, as God’s holy and beloved people, we should always strive to do what is right and just according to His will, and to what He has taught us to do. We should always commit ourselves to the Lord, and put Him at the centre of our lives and existence.
In our first reading, we heard from the Book of the prophet Ezekiel, in which the Lord spoke of His judgments against the great city of Tyre, which by the time of Ezekiel had been the great mother-city of the Phoenician and their vast colonial territories. The city of Tyre was located just off the mainland of what is Lebanon today, and is a great island city and fortress which was very rich and powerful, with its many trade connections and riches just as detailed in our first reading today. Its many connections to the various Phoenician colonies and cities, as well as other important trading cities and realms further strengthened its position and power as a great and rich city, powerful and mighty in all of its dealings and actions.
However, all those things tend to lead its people and leaders astray, filling them up with pride, ambition, ego and hubris by their greatness, power and glory, all the things that can lead anyone into their downfall. No matter how great or powerful anyone or anything in this world is, in the end, none of this power and glory will last forever. For Tyre itself, the Lord prophesied its downfall and destruction, through Ezekiel, which would indeed happen about two centuries or so after the Lord Himself spoke it. During the reign of Alexander the Great, Great King of Macedon and his conquest of the Persian Empire, the city of Tyre refused to surrender, thinking that it was impregnable and secure behind its walls and navy, but eventually, Tyre was conquered and destroyed, and while it would be rebuilt, it would never be as glorious as it once was. This proved again the fleeting nature of worldly power and glory.
In our Gospel passage today, we heard from the Gospel of St. Matthew where the Lord followed up from the moment when a young man asked Him about how he could attain eternal life. The Lord answered after the young man told Him that he had obeyed all the laws and commandments of God, that he should sell his possessions and material wealth, and then distributing them to the poor, and follow Him wholeheartedly. The young man left Him in sorrow, and this was the impetus for what the Lord mentioned at the start of the Gospel of how difficult it is for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom of God. As I mentioned in yesterday’s reflection, the Lord was not asking us to sell everything that we have, or to literally abandon everything that we have in this world.
Rather, what He wants us to know is that we must not allow all these worldly things and distractions to tempt us away from the path of God’s righteousness. We must not allow all these worldly glory, fame, possessions and material wealth to lead us into obsession and attachment, which led to us losing our sight and focus on what we should be doing in our lives, that is to follow the Lord and to serve Him wholeheartedly in all things. They are means for us to put them into good use so that we may use them for the benefit of everyone around us, to help the less fortunate and all those who are not as blessed as we all are. The more we have been blessed, the more generous we should be in sharing and giving our many gifts and blessings to one another.
Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Bernard, also known as St. Bernard the Abbot and St. Bernard of Clairvaux. He was a great man of God, a dedicated monk and abbot, the founder of the Cistercian Order, formed from the reformation of the Benedictine order. He was also the co-founder of the renowned Knights Templar, and his many other contributions have been well-known throughout history, and are great inspirations for us all to follow, in how we ourselves live our lives as Christians. He was born into a family of high nobility in Burgundy, a region that is part of today’s France. Since his early youth, he has always had a strong devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, and he later on would promote his devotion to Mary throughout all of his works and missions.
St. Bernard has always wanted to become a priest, and later on, eventually he inspired many other men who followed his inspiration to join a monastic life, setting up the community of reformed Benedictines, which would eventually become the foundation of the Cistercian Order, and becoming the Abbot of Clairvaux, for which he was most well-known for. He soon had many following, and many people flocked to join his monastery, and support his endeavour, including his own father and brothers. He took part in many important events throughout the Church, supporting the Pope and others in embarking on the vigorous reforms of the Church and the Christian faith, improving the spirituality and discipline of the faithful, both those among the clergy and the laity alike.
Then, he was also remembered for his many works in opposing heresies and rooting out corrupt practices in the Church, taking part in Church councils and working on my writings, letters and documents which made his efforts and works truly influential at the time, as well as long after his passing and era. He had to face difficulties and challenges from the heretics and all those who opposed his reforms and efforts, but all these did not dampen his spirit and desire to follow the Lord faithfully and to do whatever he could to serve Him. He continued to labour hard in service to God and His people, as well as spreading the devotion to Mary, the Holy Mother of God in all of his works and missions throughout all of Christendom until the end of his life.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, from the great life and examples showed to us by St. Bernard of Clairvaux, his dedication and efforts to serve the Lord, and through what we have been discussing from our Scripture passages, we should strive to live our lives worthily at all times, putting Him as the focus and centre of all of our lives and not the many distractions and temptations of worldly matters, wealth, possessions and all the other things that often distract us from the path towards God and His salvation. Let us all reorientate our lives so that we may focus them once more towards the Lord and reject the excesses of the world around us. May God be with us always and may He empower us to be ever more faithful and committed in following Him, now and always. Amen.
Liturgical Colour : White
Matthew 19 : 23-30
At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “Truly I say to you : it will be hard for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. Yes, believe Me : it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of the needle than for the one who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven.”
On hearing this, the disciples were astonished and said, “Who, then, can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and answered, “For human beings it is impossible, but for God all things are possible.” Then Peter spoke up and said, “You see, we have given up everything to follow You. What, then, will there be for us?”
Jesus answered, “You, who have followed Me, listen to My words : on the Day of Renewal, when the Son of Man sits on His throne in glory, you, also, will sit, on twelve thrones, to judge the twelve tribes of Israel. As for those who have left houses, brothers, sisters, father, mother, children or property for My Name’s sake, they will receive a hundredfold, and be given eternal life. Many who are now first, will be last, and many who are now last, will be first.”
Liturgical Colour : White
Deuteronomy 32 : 26-27ab, 27cd-28, 30, 35cd-36ab
I said I would scatter them afar and blot out their memory among humankind, but I feared the enemy’s boasting, lest the adversary misunderstand.
And say : ‘We have triumphed, the Lord has not brought this about.’ They are a senseless and undiscerning nation. Had they wisdom, they would have known.
For how could one or two men put to flight a thousand or ten thousand, unless their Rock had abandoned them, unless their Lord had given them up?
Their day of calamity is at hand, and swiftly their doom will come. The Lord will give justice to His people and have mercy on His servants.
Liturgical Colour : White
Ezekiel 28 : 1-10
The word of YHVH came to me in these terms, “Son of man, say to the prince of Tyre : You are very proud and self-satisfied : ‘I am a god, I sit like a god in the heart of the sea.’ Yet you are man and not a god; would you hold yourself as wise as God? You consider yourself wiser than Daniel; no secret is hidden from you. Your wisdom and know-how have earned you a fortune, gold and silver flowed to your treasury.”
“Clever in trade, you became wealthy and, as your fortune increased, your heart became prouder. But now, YHVH has spoken to you, to the one who is like God : I am bringing foreigners against you, the most feared of all the nations. Their sword will challenge your wisdom and debase your refined culture. They will bring you down to the pit and you will die in the depths of the sea.”
“Will you be able to say ‘I am a god’ when your murderers are killing you? You are a man and not a god. You will die the death of the uncircumcised and perish at the hands of aliens, for I have spoken – word of YHVH.”
Liturgical Colour : White
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, as we listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures we have received today, we are all again reminded as ever of God’s ever bountiful and generous love and mercy, which He has always extended to us all without exception. Each and every one of us are truly precious to God and He has loved us all patiently and wonderfully despite our frequent disobedience and stubborn attitudes, in refusing to listen to Him and in choosing to follow the path of the evil one instead of His path. God has always been kind, loving and merciful towards us, but ultimately, the choice is ours whether we want to embrace God’s mercy and forgiveness, or whether we continue to walk down the path towards ruin and damnation, as sin will lead us surely to those.
In our first reading today, we heard the continuation of the discourse from the Book of the prophet Jeremiah in which God spoke to His people in the kingdom of Judah, to whom Jeremiah had been sent to be minister and guide. Prophet Jeremiah had faced a lot of difficulties, challenges and hardships throughout his years of ministry and work among the people of Judah, as he had to face the stubborn attitude of all those who refused to believe in God and His truth. Yet, the Lord continued to support and strengthen Jeremiah in his ministry, and continued to send His words of reassurance and love for His people in the midst of all the warnings and premonitions He had told them all, of the consequences of their wickedness and sins.
God was essentially telling His people and reminding them that while they had to be responsible for the wickedness and evil deeds that they had committed, and while they had to realise that their sins and wickedness could tear them away from God’s love and kindness, His mercy and love, but if they remember God’s love and the great and loving mercy and compassion that the Lord has for them, and if they repent from their sinful ways, there would be path for them to enter into God’s glorious inheritance and receive the bountiful blessings that He has prepared for all of them. God does not desire the destruction and doom of any of those whom He loves, and He truly loves each and every one of us, brothers and sisters. Through the example of a potter moulding his pottery that the prophet Jeremiah mentioned, we are reminded that we should allow the Lord to mould us all and our lives so that our lives henceforth may truly be pleasing to God.
Then, in our Gospel passage today from the Gospel of St. Matthew, in continuation of the parables that the Lord used to describe and proclaim the Kingdom of Heaven or the Kingdom of God, He described it as we heard in today’s passage using the example of a great fishing net that gathered all kinds of fish, big and small, and where the Angels of God sort out the good from the bad ones. These are reminders for us all that first of all, the Kingdom of God is open to everyone, to all of God’s children because God truly loves each and every one of us without exception. God wants all of us to come to Him, and He has extended this generously and freely to us. However, just as we have been reminded as well, how the bad and flawed fish are rejected and destroyed, we must remember that God calls us all to follow Him into the path of righteousness and virtue.
This means that just as how God described Himself like a Potter in the reading from the Book of the prophet Jeremiah, thus, all of us must also allow the Lord to transform us according to His will. We must not be stubborn and hardened in our hearts and minds anymore, but we must be willing to listen to God speaking in the depth of our hearts, as He constantly reached out to us and calling us to embrace His love and compassionate mercy. We should heed His call and appreciate all the efforts that He had put into caring for us and our needs, in patiently guiding us down the right path in life. We should not take this love we have been blessed with for granted, as we have been reminded that at the end of time, at the moment of reckoning, we will have to account for everything we do, be it good or wicked deeds. We do not want the situation when it is too late for us to repent and return to God especially when He has given us so many opportunities to do so.
Today, the Church also celebrates the Feast of St. Alphonsus Liguori, who is known well today as the founder of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, also known as the Redemptorists. He was born in what is today the southern part of Italy near the city of Naples to a noble but impoverished family. As he had physical and visual defects that prevented any careers in the military, he was prepared to a career in the civil and legal profession as a lawyer. He became a successful lawyer but later on heard a calling from God to be His servant, especially so after he lost an important legal case. He began preparing to be a priest, and had some initial tussle with his father who disagreed with his decision. Eventually he was ordained as a priest and began a wonderful work and mission as a servant of God spanning no less than six decades.
St. Alphonsus Liguori reached out to many of the people in the various places that he ministered in, becoming well known and loved for his simple yet powerful homilies which touched the hearts and minds of many among the people, encouraging many of them to be active in living their Christian faith, with many following in his footsteps and participating in his popular Evening Chapels program run by the young people. And eventually, as mentioned, he founded the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, the Redemptorists, gathering those who have been called by God to preach and minister to the people of God especially those who have been living in ignorance of God and His ways, corrupted and misguided by sin, and to all those who are poor and disadvantaged in the community.
And even when later on he was appointed as bishop, as the Bishop of Sant’ Agata de Goti, he devoted himself to his flock and diocese, caring for the people of God and devoting himself to the reform of the Church and his diocese, rooting out corruptions and excesses that had afflicted many of the members of the clergy that had brought upon scandal on the Church. St. Alphonsus Liguori continued to dedicate himself to the last moments of his life, and after he retired from his works as bishop, he continued to minister through prayer and righteous life, which inspired many others to follow his examples, as shown by the rapid growth of the Redemptorists, which flourished to this very day, with many answering God’s call to proclaim His mercy and compassion, His redemption and love to the people of all the nations.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we have heard from today’s Scripture passages and the life and examples of St. Alphonsus Liguori, let us all therefore strive to be ever more faithful and committed to God in all things. Let us all first be reminded of God’s ever wonderful love and compassion for us, and then let us all follow in the footsteps of St. Alphonsus Liguori in always doing our very best to show God’s love and truth in the midst of our communities, by living our whole lives worthily and faithfully as Christians, in being good role models and examples to our fellow brothers and sisters around us. May the Lord, our ever loving and merciful God continue to bless us with His love and grace, and may He continue to empower us all to live ever more worthily in His Presence, now and always. Amen.
Liturgical Colour : White
Matthew 13 : 47-53
At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a big fishing net, let down into the sea, in which every kind of fish has been caught. When the net is full, it is dragged ashore. Then they sit down and gather the good fish into buckets, but throw the bad away. That is how it will be at the end of time; the Angels will go out to separate the wicked from the just, and to throw the wicked into the blazing furnace, where they will weep and gnash their teeth.”
Jesus asked, “Have you understood all these things?” “Yes,” they answered. So He said to them, “Therefore, every teacher of the Law who becomes a disciple of the kingdom of heaven, is like a householder, who can produce from his store things both new and old.”
When Jesus had finished these parables, He left that place.
Liturgical Colour : White
Psalm 145 : 1-2, 3-4, 5-6ab
Alleluia! Praise YHVH, my soul! I will sing to YHVH all my life; I will sing praise to God while I live.
Do not put your trust in princes, in a great one, who cannot save. Not sooner his spirit has left, that he goes back to the earth; on that very day, any plan comes to nothing.
Blessed are they whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in YHVH their God, Maker of heaven and earth, the sea and all they contain.
Liturgical Colour : White
Jeremiah 18 : 1-6
This is the word of YHVH that came to Jeremiah : “Go down to the potter’s house and there you will hear what I have to say.”
So I went to the potter’s house and found him working at the wheel. But the pot he was working on was spoilt in his hands, so he reworked it all over again into another pot that suits his desire.
Meanwhile YHVH sent me His word, “People of Israel, can I not do with you what this potter does? As clay in the potter’s hand so are you in My hands.”
petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang 