Lent 2022

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Wednesday, 13 April 2022 : Wednesday of Holy Week (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, in our Scripture passages today we heard of the sufferings that the Lord would receive at the hands of His oppressors, as well as everything that would happen to Him in the moment of His Passion, His suffering and death. He would be abandoned by His disciples, betrayed by one of His closest collaborators, and He would have to endure the punishments and sufferings for mistakes, crimes and sins that He Himself did not commit.

Through Christ, our Lord and Saviour, God has willed to redeem us all from our sins, and through Him, He has called us out of the darkness, bringing His light of hope and truth into our midst, as He revealed His perfect and ever-enduring love and kindness, His compassion and mercy through Christ, the manifestation of His love in the flesh. God has become Man so that through this act of supreme love, He can be reconciled with us, and that we may find our way back to Him, and will not perish but have eternal life, as He has always intended for us.

Yet, in order to do that, He had to suffer, and suffer most grievously because the consequence and punishment for sin is rightly death. We have disobeyed and abandoned the Lord and Master of all life, the Source of our life and the One from Whom we gained our existence, and therefore, we deserve death and destruction. We should all have been condemned to hell and the eternity of sufferings, as what the devil and his fellow fallen angels had been sentenced to.

But God loved us all above everything else. For He created us out of love, making us all in His own image, as the most perfect and beloved of all of His creations. He gave us life because He loved us all and wanted us all to enjoy forever with Him the goodness and the bounty of His wonderful works, with the Gardens of Eden, the paradise that existed at the beginning of time supposedly where we should have been, if not for our downfall into sin.

Through sin we have been defiled and therefore separated from God, and yet, God did not condemn us, destroy us or annihilate us when He could perfectly and easily have done so. Instead, He still loved us all very much, and His love for us all surpassed the disgust and the anger He has against our sinfulness. He despised not us, the sinners, but our sins and wickedness. His love for us endures and even grows stronger, as He continued to watch over us and wanted to be reconciled with us.

God has loved us so much that He gave us all His one and only begotten Son, that through Him we may not perish, but have eternal life. He has reached out to us through His Son, Who willingly endured that betrayal and rejection, all the insults and humiliations, the worst of all pains and sufferings imaginable, as He shouldered His Cross and endured countless blows and wounds to His Body. That is why today we heard all of these from the Scriptures as a reminder for us of how much beloved we are by God that He has willingly done all these for our sake, to go through all the worst sufferings for us.

Today we also heard how Judas Iscariot betrayed the Lord for the mere price of thirty silver coins, which contextually was the price of a slave. Therefore, God allowed Himself to be treated like a slave, to be punished for us, so that like what He had once done to the Israelites in leading them out of their slavery in Egypt, He may also lead all of us out of our slavery to sin. Judas Iscariot showed us how our greed and desire can be our great undoing and lead us down the path towards ruin. We can end up doing things that we regret, just as Judas was swayed by Satan and overwhelmed by his desire for money and lack of faith to betray his own Lord and Master.

Then, this Holy Week as we draw closer to the beginning of Easter Triduum tomorrow, have we prepared ourselves worthily in our hearts, minds and indeed in our whole entire beings? Have we prepared ourselves so that we may physically, spiritually and mentally celebrate the upcoming greatest events and mysteries surrounding our Lord’s Passion, His suffering and death, His Resurrection by which all of us have received the guarantee of eternal life and true happiness? We are all called to put our faith in Him and spend this time to reflect on our own lives. Have we lived our lives in accordance with God’s ways or not?

May the Lord continue to guide us and help us, so that in everything we do, we will always be exemplary in all things, and be good role models and examples for our fellow men and women. Let us all make good use of our time and the opportunities given to us so that we may be ever better disciples and followers of Our Lord. Let us all not be like Judas Iscariot who easily gave in to temptations and betrayed the Lord for money. May all of us be ever closer to God and be ever more reflective of His love and truth in our lives and actions, now and always. Amen.

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Wednesday, 13 April 2022 : Wednesday of Holy Week (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Matthew 26 : 14-25

Then one of the Twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, “How much will you give me if I hand Him over to you?” They promised to give him thirty pieces of silver, and from then on, he kept looking for the best way to hand Jesus over to them.

On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and said to Him, “Where do You want us to prepare the Passover meal for you?” Jesus answered, “Go into the city, to the house of a certain man, and tell him, ‘The Master says : My hour is near, and I will celebrate the Passover with My disciples in your house.'”

The disciples did as Jesus had ordered, and prepared the Passover meal. When it was evening, Jesus sat at table with the Twelve. While they were eating, Jesus said, “Truly I say to you : one of you will betray Me.” They were deeply distressed, and they asked Him, one after the other, “You do not mean me, do You, Lord?”

He answered, “The one who dips his bread with Me will betray Me. The Son of Man is going as the Scripture says He will. But alas for that one who betrays the Son of Man : better for him not to have been born.” Judas, who was betraying Him, also asked, “You do not mean me, Master, do You?” Jesus replied, “You have said it.”

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Wednesday, 13 April 2022 : Wednesday of Holy Week (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Psalm 68 : 8-10, 21-22, 31 and 33-34

Since I am held in contempt for Your sake, and shame has covered My face. I have become a stranger to My kindred, an alien to My mother’s sons. Zeal for Your house consumes Me as fire and those who insult You insult Me as well.

I looked for sympathy and there was none, for comforters and there was no one. They gave me poison for food and vinegar to drink.

I will praise the Name of God in song; I will glorify Him with thanksgiving. Let the lowly witness this and be glad. You who seek God, may your hearts be revived. For the Lord hears the needy and does not despise those in captivity.

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Wednesday, 13 April 2022 : Wednesday of Holy Week (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Isaiah 50 : 4-9a

The Lord YHVH has taught Me so I speak as His disciple and I know how to sustain the weary. Morning after morning He wakes Me up to hear, to listen like a disciple. The Lord YHVH has opened My ear. I have not rebelled, nor have I withdrawn.

I offered My back to those who strike Me, My cheeks to those who pulled My beard; neither did I shield My face from blows, spittle and disgrace. I have not despaired, for the Lord YHVH comes to My help. So, like a flint I set My face, knowing that I will not be disgraced.

He Who avenges Me is near. Who then will accuse Me? Let us confront each other. Who is now My accuser? Let him approach. If the Lord YHVH is my Help, who will condemn Me?

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Tuesday, 12 April 2022 : Tuesday of Holy Week (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we listened to the words of the Lord speaking to us regarding the works of the Lord in redeeming His beloved ones. All of us have been reminded of everything that the Lord had done for our sake, by the sending of His one and only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to this world to be our Lord and Saviour. Through Christ we have received the assurance of eternal life and true happiness, and as we draw ever closer to the pinnacle of the Holy Week at the Easter Triduum, we are all called to draw close to God and live our lives more worthily of Him from now on.

In our first reading today, from the book of the prophet Isaiah we heard of the words of the Lord speaking to His people, again on the prophecy of the Messiah or the Saviour from God that Isaiah was well-known for. The Lord reminded His people that He would come into their midst and provide for them all that they needed, and that He would gather them back once again into His embrace and presence, and they will never be separated from Him again, for through Christ, His Son, He has shown us the path to light and eternal life.

Isaiah spoke clearly about Christ and His coming into this world, and how He would gather all of God’s people back to Him, and what Isaiah also spoke of was how this same Saviour would have to suffer rejection, humiliation and persecution from those who refused to believe in Him and remained stubborn in their ways. The Lord would nonetheless labour and work hard to achieve all of that because He truly loved all of us without reservations. He wants us to be reunited to Him and not be lost forever to Him.

That is why, brothers and sisters in Christ, He willingly accepted His Passion, knowing everything that would happen to Him. He knew that He had to endure the worst of sufferings, the worst of humiliations, having to endure harsh words and castigations, opposition and the worst of treatment, to be treated as less than a human being, and marked as a criminal for the crimes that He did not commit, and to be betrayed by one of His own closest disciples, Judas Iscariot the traitor.

In our Gospel passage today, that was what we heard, as we listened to how the Lord revealed what He would have to endure, and revealing the betrayal of Judas Iscariot, who at that time had already possessed the intention to betray the Lord and already had Satan inside him, tempting him and pushing him to betray his Lord and Master. Judas Iscariot gave in to his temptations and desires, and having selfishly pocketed the monies from his own group’s treasury which was under his charge, it would not probably be difficult for him to be tempted to betray the Lord for the sum of money provided by the chief priests and elders.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we enter deeper into the mysteries of the Holy Week, all of us should spend some time to reflect on our actions throughout life all these while. Have we been living our lives in opposition to God’s will and truth? Have we lived in opposition to God and His consistent patience in always reaching out to us? Have we been like prodigal children who have often refused to listen to our parents? God has always been kind to us and yet we have always spurned and rejected His generous offer of love.

Let us all spend the time this Holy Week to rediscover our love for God, and do our best to embrace His compassionate love and mercy. Let us no longer harden our hearts or allow the devil to mislead us down the path of rebellion and sin. Let us turn away from the wicked ways of this world and all that had kept us from fully embracing God and His love. This Holy Week we are again and again being reminded of everything that God had done for our sake, because He truly loved us so dearly, that He was willing to shoulder His Cross, to take upon Himself the burdens of our sins.

May all of us distance ourselves from the wickedness of our world and strive to be better and more faithful disciples and followers of God in all of our lives, in all of our actions. May we be good role models and inspirations for each other in how we conduct ourselves. Let our Holy Week observances and actions help us to deepen our relationship with God and follow Him from now on with ever greater zeal and dedication. Have a blessed and most enriching Holy Week, brothers and sisters in Christ! Amen.

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Tuesday, 12 April 2022 : Tuesday of Holy Week (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

John 13 : 21-33, 36-38

At that time, after He said a discourse to His disciples after He washed their feet, Jesus was distressed in Spirit, and said plainly, “Truly, one of you will betray Me.” The disciples then looked at one another, wondering whom He meant. One of the disciples, the one Jesus loved, was reclining near Jesus; so Simon Peter signalled him to ask Jesus whom He meant.

And the disciple, who was reclining near Jesus, asked Him, “Lord, who is it?” Jesus answered, “I shall dip a piece of bread in the dish, and he to whom I give it, is the one.” So Jesus dipped the bread and gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon. And as Judas took the piece of bread, Satan entered into him. Jesus then said to him, “What you are going to do, do quickly.”

None of the others, reclining at the table, understood why Jesus said this to Judas. As Judas had the common purse, they may have thought that Jesus was telling him, “Buy what we need for the feast,” or “Give something to the poor.” Judas left as soon as he had eaten the bread. It was night.

When Judas had gone out, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in Him. God will glorify Him, and He will glorify Him very soon. My children, I am with you for only a little while; you will look for Me, but as I already told the Jews, so now I tell you : where I am going you cannot come.”

Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, where are You going?” Jesus answered, “Where I am going you cannot follow Me now, but afterwards you will.” Peter said, “Lord, why can I not follow You now? I am ready to give my life for You.”

“To give your life for Me?” Jesus asked Peter, “Truly I tell you, the cock will not crow, before you have denied Me three times.”

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Tuesday, 12 April 2022 : Tuesday of Holy Week (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Psalm 70 : 1-2, 3-4a, 5-6ab, 15ab and 17

In You, o Lord, I seek refuge; let me not be disgraced. In Your justice help me and deliver me, turn Your ear to me and save me!

Be my Rock of refuge, a Stronghold to give me safety, for You are my Rock and my Fortress. Rescue me, o my God, from the hand of the wicked.

For You, o Lord, have been my Hope, my Trust, o God, from my youth. I have relied on You from birth : from my mother’s womb You brought me forth.

My lips will proclaim Your intervention and tell of Your salvation all day, little though it is what I can understand. You have taught me from my youth and until now I proclaim Your marvels.

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Tuesday, 12 April 2022 : Tuesday of Holy Week (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Isaiah 49 : 1-6

Listen to me, o islands, pay attention, peoples from distant lands. YHVH called me from my mother’s womb; He pronounced my name before I was born. He made my mouth like a sharpened sword. He hid me in the shadow of His hand. He made me into a polished arrow set apart in His quiver.

He said to me, “You are Israel, my servant, through you I will be known.” “I have laboured in vain,” I thought, “and spent my strength for nothing.” Yet what is due me was in the hand of YHVH, and my reward was with my God. I am important in the sight of YHVH, and my God is my Strength.

And now YHVH has spoken, He Who formed me in the womb to be His servant, to bring Jacob back to Him, to gather Israel to Him. He said : “It is not enough that you be My servant, to restore the tribes of Jacob, to bring back the remnant of Israel. I will make you the light of the nations, that My salvation will reach to the ends of the earth.”

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Monday, 11 April 2022 : Monday of Holy Week (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to our Scripture passages detailing to us more about the actions that the Lord had taken for the sake of our salvation, as He entered into His Passion, the culmination of His ministry in this world. The Lord has come into our midst to bring unto us the liberation and the promises that He has made to us since the very beginning. He has never abandoned us even in our most rebellious and delinquent moments. We will never be disappointed or found wanting should we put our faith and trust in God. In the end, we all shall triumph together with Him and we shall be victorious in our struggle with evil and sin, with death and the battle against damnation.

In our first reading today, we heard of the account from the Book of the prophet Isaiah in which the Lord spoke through Isaiah the prophecy of the Messiah or Saviour that God has promised. He spoke of how the Messiah would come to bring all of His people back to Him, to proclaim the Good News of the salvation of God, ushering the blessed time of new life with God. The beloved people of God would no longer be separated from Him, and He will gather all of them into His Presence, reconciling each and every one of us to Himself, through none other than the very same Saviour, Jesus Christ, the One Whom Isaiah had spoken about.

In our Gospel passage today, we then heard of the account of the moment when the Lord Jesus, just shortly before His suffering and death, had His feet anointed by Mary, likely referring to Mary Magdalene, who used a precious and expensive jar of perfume to anoint the Lord’s feet and then wipe His feet clean with her tears and her hair. As the Lord Himself mentioned, this act was very symbolic of everything that He was to go through in order to secure for us the assurance of eternal life, that He has to go through death in order to save us all, and the anointing was reminiscent of what the dead bodies experienced, as they were usually anointed with perfumes and precious spices before they were to be buried.

We also heard how Judas Iscariot, the same one who would betray the Lord, immediately criticised Mary and her actions, saying that what she had done and spent in anointing the Lord with such expensive perfume could have been better used when sold and then the proceeds given to the poor. However, as we all heard in the same passage, the apparently noble facade of Judas Iscariot hid the true most malicious intent of the man, who had always dishonestly taken from the common fund of the Lord and His disciples, for his own personal benefits, and worse still, as we heard today, he acted as the ultimate hypocrite in saying such words.

The Lord certainly knew all that Judas had done, and He also immediately rebuked him for his words, and instead explained that what Mary did was indeed right, in preparing Him and His Body for the upcoming suffering and death that He would endure. Essentially, the Lord praised Mary for her humility and faith, that she would humble herself so, humbling herself before everyone and wiping the Lord’s feet with her hair, the crown of her beauty, symbolising her submission to God and her abandonment of worldly glory and desires in pursuit of the Lord and His truth. Contrast this with the prideful and haughty attitude of Judas Iscariot, who though sinner, must have thought of himself as being better and morally more upright than Mary.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, reflecting on all that we have heard from the Scripture passages today, we are all reminded that we are all sinners who have been so fortunate to be beloved by God so wonderfully that He has given each and every one of us the sure path out of the darkness through His Son, Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Saviour. The Lord has come into our midst and He has dwelled among us, that He may bring to us the fullness of His love, and that He may bring us back to His embrace. And though we are sinners, He loves us much greater than He despises our sins, and should we be like Mary, in humbling ourselves and seeking to love and serve the Lord once again, we shall be justified, be pardoned from our sins, and be fully reconciled with Him.

Now, as we proceed through this holiest time of the Holy Week, let us all reflect carefully on our lives and actions. Let us all ponder in what way we can better live our lives that we may walk ever more courageously and with dedication in the path that the Lord has shown to us. All of us have been called and invited to return to the Lord with faith, and we recall all that the Lord, our most loving God and Saviour, by Whose suffering, death and resurrection we have been made whole again, and given once again the new hope and sure assurance of eternal life of true happiness with Him. All of us should have deserved death and eternal damnation for our sins, and yet, God in His infinite mercy and compassion wants us to repent from those sins and to return to Him.

Let us all therefore make great use of the time and opportunities that have been given to us so we may not fall into the path of sin and damnation, but instead, enter into the Lord’s presence worthy and justified by our faith. Let us have a most fruitful Holy Week and be filled with renewed conviction from now on to live our lives in the path of the Lord and be courageous and committed disciples, not imitating the examples of Judas Iscariot, but rather the piety and humility as shown by Mary as we heard in our Gospel passage today. May God be with us always, now and forevermore. Amen.

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Monday, 11 April 2022 : Monday of Holy Week (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

John 12 : 1-11

At that time, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where He had raised Lazarus, the dead man, to life. Now they gave a dinner for Him, and while Martha waited on them, Lazarus sat at the table with Jesus.

Then Mary took a pound of costly perfume, made from genuine spikenard and anointed the feet of Jesus, wiping them with her hair. And the whole house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.

Judas Iscariot – the disciple who was to betray Jesus – remarked, “This perfume could have been sold for three hundred silver coins, and the money given to the poor.” Judas, indeed, had no concern for the poor; he was a thief, and as he held the common purse, he used to help himself to the funds.

But Jesus spoke up, “Leave her alone. Was she not keeping it for the day of My burial? (The poor you always have with you, but you will not always have Me.)” Many Jews heard that Jesus was there and they came, not only because of Jesus, but also to see Lazarus whom He had raised from the dead.

So the chief priests thought about killing Lazarus as well, for many of the Jews were drifting away because of him, and believing in Jesus.