Ordinary Time 2024

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Friday, 4 October 2024 : 26th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Francis of Assisi (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we are all reminded of the greatness of God and how unfathomable and vast His majesty and power is, and at the same time, we are also reassured of His love and generosity in having reached out to us, considering us all as His own beloved children, having always desired to seek for us and reach out to us to help and guide us in our journey towards Him, that we may find Him and be reconciled and reunited with Him through His forgiveness and grace. We must not take God’s love for us for granted, as if we continue to disobey Him and rebel against Him, as the Lord Himself had made it clear that we will have to account for everything on the Day of Judgment, the time when we have to face the judgment for our eternal fate.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of Job in which the Lord told Job of everything that He had done, in all the wonders which He has performed throughout all Creation and time, and He showed Job how limited his human perceptions and understanding are, as compared to God’s infinite wisdom, truth and power. This must be understood in the context of how Job, who had faced a lot of sufferings and hardships due to the attacks of the evil one, while he remained fully faithful and firm in his conviction to follow the Lord, and not blaming Him for all of his misfortunes, but he did encounter moments of despair and hopelessness as he continued to be battered by those sufferings and at the same time also attacked and criticised by his own peers who alleged that Job must have committed sin before God to endure such sufferings.

Thus Job himself assumed that it must have been because of his mistakes, faults and blame that he had to suffer such tribulations, sufferings and hardships. This was where God rebuked him lightly with love and told Job that he must not assume such things, as truly, he was beloved by God, just like all of us here today. No one can be separated from the love of God, and we are reminded therefore not to easily give in to despair, to all the temptations to disobey the Lord and to abandon Him despite all the many hardships and obstacles we face. We truly must have faith in the Lord and believe that in Him alone there is hope and salvation. We must not think that there is something that God cannot solve or provide for us, and think that we are beyond redemption.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard then of the Lord’s laments, frustrations and rebuke against the cities of Galilee, those of Capernaum, Bethsaida, Chorazin and others where He had ministered in and performed His many miracles and wonders in. The Lord had done all of that, and yet many among the people, especially those Pharisees and teachers of the Law refused to believe in Him, continually doubting Him and hardening their hearts and minds, opposing His works and continuously questioning and spreading doubts about the authenticity and the veracity of His works, miracles and authority to teach. They did all these likely because they were jealous of the Lord’s great popularity and the great wisdom that He has shown in His teachings and words, while they disagreed with what He had taught and proclaimed.

Those people were blinded by their own pride, ego and arrogance which they had due to their sense of superiority from their supposed better knowledge and understanding of the Law of God, and which led them to think that they were better than any others in matters of the faith and the Law, and that was why, they refused to believe that anyone could have been present or available to point out their own errors and shortcomings. Thus, the Lord criticised and rebuked them for their lack of faith, and showed how others whom they deemed to be less worthy and condemned publicly as sinners, such as those afflicted with diseases and illness, possessed by evil spirits and demons, as well as the tax collectors and prostitutes, those were closer than they were on the way to the Lord and His salvation, as they were humble and willing to listen to God.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, we are therefore reminded today that each and every one of us as Christians must always strive to be faithful to God in all things, to be humble and willing to listen to Him, and not to be easily swayed by our desires and the temptations of pleasure all around us. We must not allow those worldly temptations and evils, attractions and attachments from deluding and misleading us down the wrong path in life. Instead, we have to remember the faith of our holy predecessors, like that of Job and many other faithful servants of God, and keep in mind God’s love for each one of us, which He has shown us most wonderfully through His own beloved and begotten Son, Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of the renowned St. Francis of Assisi, the founder of the Order of Friars Minor, also best known as the Franciscans after their founder. St. Francis of Assisi was born as Giovannj di Pietro di Bernardone, as John, son of Peter Bernardone, a rich textile merchant in Medieval era of what is now Italy. He was given the finest education and preparation early on in his life as his father expected the young St. Francis to succeed him in his textile and merchant business. However, God had different plan for this young man, as the young St. Francis encountered the Lord through the poor and the needy, and while he was not lacking anything material, and living the high life of a rich young man, blessed in all worldly matters, but he was not satisfied and truly happy.

He began experiencing spiritual events and also conversion experience, and in one well-known occasion, the young St. Francis encountered the Lord at the ruined church of San Damiano, where he heard the Lord’s voice, telling him to repair His Church that is falling into ruins. St. Francis took it as the Lord asking him literally to restore the church at San Damiano that was in ruins where he was at, and he took some of his father’s textiles and merchandise, selling them to fund the restoration of the church. The priest in charge of the church refused the money as it was obtained from ill-gotten gains by stealing, which upset St. Francis, who threw the coins on the floor. And when St. Francis’ father found out about it and confronted him on several occasions, leading to a settlement before the Bishop of Assisi, St. Francis very publicly renounced both his father and his inheritance, symbolically stripping himself of all of his clothes which he returned to his father.

Thereafter, St. Francis of Assisi went to live with some others, begging for money and living a life of communal care, which eventually became the beginning of the Franciscan order. They lived a holy and pious life, ministering to the people around them, proclaiming God’s words through everyone, and not just through words, but even more importantly, through real and genuine actions. St. Francis inspired many others through his examples, and very soon his Franciscan order grew and gained the attention even from the local bishops and the Pope himself. Through all these works and many others I cannot mention, St. Francis of Assisi has indeed shown us what it truly means to be a committed Christian, to be truly focused on the Lord and wholeheartedly committed to Him, while resisting the temptations of worldly pleasures and vices. To the end of his life, St. Francis of Assisi continued to contribute to the good works and ministry of the Church, reaching out towards and touching the lives of many.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we have heard from the life of St. Francis of Assisi, let us all therefore reflect well and carefully upon our own lives as Christians, as God’s holy and beloved people. Let us all remember that we should always put the Lord as the first and most important One in each and every one of our lives, as our focus and the emphasis of our lives in everything that we say and do. Like Job who has trusted in the Lord in all things despite the challenges and struggles that he faced, and that of St. Francis of Assisi, who gave up on everything, on status and material wealth to follow the Lord, let us all therefore do the same in our own lives as well, to do God’s will in all things and at all times and opportunities.

May the Lord, our most loving and compassionate God continue to watch over us, strengthen us in our faith and help us in our journey towards Him, so that we all, having been inspired by the great examples of His saints, may continue to grow in holiness and love for Him, and that we ourselves may be good role models and examples for everyone around us, now and always. Amen.

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Friday, 4 October 2024 : 26th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Francis of Assisi (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Luke 10 : 13-16

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “Alas for you, Chorazin! Alas for you, Bethsaida! So many miracles have been worked in you! If the same miracles had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would already be sitting in ashes and wearing the sackcloth of repentance.”

“Surely for Tyre and Sidon it will be better on the Day of Judgment than for you. And what of you, city of Capernaum? Will you be lifted up to heaven? You will be thrown down to the place of the dead. Whoever listens to you listens to Me, and whoever rejects you rejects Me; and he who rejects Me, rejects the One Who sent Me.”

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Friday, 4 October 2024 : 26th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Francis of Assisi (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 138 : 1-3, 7-8, 9-10, 13-14ab

O YHVH, You know me : You have scrutinised me. You know when I sit and when I rise; beforehand, You discern my thoughts. You observe my activities and times of rest; You are familiar with all my ways.

Where else could I go from Your Spirit? Where could I flee from Your presence? You are there, if I ascend the heavens; You are there, if I descend to the depths.

If I ride on the wings of the dawn, and settle on the far side of the sea, even there, Your hand shall guide me, and Your right hand shall hold me safely.

It was You Who formed my inmost part and knit me together in my mother’s womb. I thank You for these wonders You have done, and my heart praises You.

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Friday, 4 October 2024 : 26th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Francis of Assisi (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Job 38 : 1, 12-21 and Job 40 : 3-5

Then YHVH answered Job out of the storm : “Have you ever commanded the morning, or shown the dawn its place, that it might grasp the earth by its edges and shake the wicked out of it, when it takes a clay colour and changes its tint like a garment; when the wicked are denied their own light, and their proud arm is shattered?”

“Have you journeyed to where the sea begins or walked in its deepest recesses? Have the gates of death been shown to you? Have you seen the gates of Shadow? Have you an idea of the breadth of the earth? Tell Me, if you know all this. Where is the way to the home of light, and where does darkness dwell? Can you take them to their own regions, and set them on their homeward paths? You know, for you were born before them, and great is the number of your years!”

Job said : “How can I reply, unworthy as I am! All I can do is put my hand over my mouth. I have spoken once, now I will not answer; oh, yes, twice, but I will do no further.”

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Thursday, 3 October 2024 : 26th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, all of us are reminded of the need for each and every one of us to put our trust in God and to follow Him faithfully and wholeheartedly. We should also realise that each and every one of us as Christians, as God’s holy and beloved people have been entrusted with various gifts, talents and opportunities, as well as the various missions and works that He has given to us that we may make good use of everything that He has blessed us with to carry out His will and to touch the lives and hearts of many people, and to lead more and more towards the Lord and His salvation.

In our first reading today, we heard the continuation from the Book of Job in which the interactions between Job and his friends were presented to us. For context, Job was a faithful servant of God who lived in the distant past, and he was a very rich man, but Satan came to tempt him and brought destruction to many of his possessions and riches, and any other people would have given in to despair, but Job did not lose faith in God, and he remained firm in his convictions to follow the Lord and to obey Him, not blaming the Lord for his predicaments and sufferings, blaming himself instead for his predicaments and sufferings. He did not curse God or abandoning his Lord and Master even when he had to encounter great challenges, including having his own body and health being attacked by the devil.

He remained steadfast in faith even when his so-called friends attacked him and told him that it must have been because of his sins and evils that he had fallen to such a state, as we heard part of their debates and discussions here. While at moments he did experience despair and occurrences of desolation, but ultimately he held on fast to his faith and trust in God, and God blessed Job greatly in the end, restoring all of His blessings and graces back to him, granting him double and more of what he used to have before he encountered all the misfortunes and attacks from the evil one. Job’s example is one of the reminders for us to continue to hold on fast to our faith in the Lord, and not to easily give up even when we face challenges and trials in life.

In our Gospel passage today, we then heard of the account of the Lord from the Gospel of St. Luke when He sent out His disciples in pairs to go forth to the various places that He Himself would be visiting and ministering in. He told them all that He wanted them to do in those places, preparing His path and ministry, to reach out to all those whom God had wanted to encounter, and to prepare everyone to receive the fullness of His truth, His love and Good News. He instructed them all only to bring what is essential and not to bring too much with them, to bring only what is necessary for them to sustain the barest minimum, while depending on the good graces and love from others, especially from those whom they visited, and ultimately, to trust in God’s Providence.

This is because if they prepared a lot for their missions and did a lot of preparations and brought a lot of resources with them, they would often end up thinking that it was by their own readiness, preparations and efforts that they had attained successes and glory for their endeavours and works. And this would eventually lead to them becoming proud and conceited, thinking that they did not need God at all to succeed in whatever they were doing, and their missions and works would end up turning from one that is God-centric to one that is man-centric and self-centred, and this is what the Lord does not want us all, His disciples and followers, to end up doing in our respective lives and missions, in whatever we do throughout our every day moments and works, our efforts and endeavours.

He also reminded the disciples and hence all of us that they would truly have to face challenges, difficulties and trials in their path, and that they might have to endure through rejection, oppression, persecution and various other obstacles, all of which are caused by the opposition of the world and all the forces of evil against the good works of God and the salvation which He has offered to His people, freely and generously. However, God reminds us all not to give in to the temptations and pressures to abandon His path, because ultimately, like Job, and like many others of His holy ones, His messengers, prophets and disciples, all the saints and martyrs, all of us will be triumphant with Him forever, and will have wonderful share in His promised glory and true happiness with Him.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore continue to commit ourselves to the Lord and remain steadfast despite the many hardships, trials, obstacles and barriers that we may encounter each and every day in our path of life as Christians, and let us all continue to devote ourselves, our time, attention and efforts to follow the Lord most wholeheartedly at all times, doing whatever we can so that our lives may truly be holy and inspiring upon others all around us. Let us all be inspiration, strength and encouragement for everyone we encounter in life, our fellow brothers and sisters so that by our perseverance, commitment and dedication, our steadfastness in faith and refusal to abandon God and His path of righteousness, like Job and the many other holy men and women before us, we will continue to lead more and more people towards God.

May the Lord, our most loving and compassionate God continue to bless each and every one of us, empower us and grant us the strength and perseverance to continue living our lives with great grace and obedience to Him in all things, and may we all continue to be strong in living our lives each day in accordance to how He has shown and taught us, to be truly loving and compassionate in all things, as He has done towards us. May God bless us all, and be with us always, now and forevermore. Amen.

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Thursday, 3 October 2024 : 26th Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Luke 10 : 1-12

At that time, the Lord appointed seventy-two other disciples, and sent them, two by two, ahead of Him, to every town and place, where He Himself was to go. And He said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. So you must ask the Lord of the harvest to send workers to His harvest.”

“Courage! I am sending you like lambs among wolves. Set off without purse or bag or sandals; and do not stop at the homes of those you know. Whatever house you enter, first bless them, saying, ‘Peace to this house!’ If a friend of peace lives there, the peace shall rest upon that person. But if not, the blessing will return to you. Stay in that house, eating and drinking at their table, for the worker deserves to be paid. Do not move from house to house.”

“When they welcome you to any town, eat what they offer you. Heal the sick who are there, and say to them : ‘The kingdom of God has drawn near to you.’ But in any town where you are not welcome, go to the marketplace and proclaim : ‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off and leave with you. But know for a certainty that the kingdom of God has drawn near to you.'”

“I tell you, that on the Day of Judgment it will be better for Sodom than for this town.”

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Thursday, 3 October 2024 : 26th Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 26 : 7-8a, 8b-9abc, 13-14

Hear my voice when I call, o Lord, have mercy on me and answer. My heart says to You, “I seek Your face, o Lord.”

Do not hide Your face from me nor turn away Your servant in anger. You are my Protector, do not reject me.

I hope, I am sure, that I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Trust in the Lord, be strong and courageous. Yes, put your hope in the Lord!

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Thursday, 3 October 2024 : 26th Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Job 19 : 21-27

Have pity my friends, have pity, for God’s hand has struck me! Why do you hound me as God does? Will you never have enough of my flesh? Oh, that my words were written, or recorded on bronze with an iron tool, a chisel or engraved forever on rock!

For I know that my Redeemer lives, and He, the Last, will take His stand on earth. I will be there behind my skin, and in my flesh I shall see God. With my own eyes I shall see Him – I and not another. How my heart yearns!”

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Wednesday, 2 October 2024 : 26th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of the Holy Guardian Angels (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Scriptures we are all reminded of God’s love and providence which He has constantly provided to us throughout our lives, the patience with which He has called us all to follow Him and to embrace His path once again, and to be loved by Him again, despite our many and frequent disobedience and rebellions against Him. He wants us all to be humble and to realise our shortcomings and sins, to atone for them and to be forgiven from all those stumbling blocks that prevented us from truly being able to come towards Him, while reassuring us always of His loving Presence and guidance, which He has always provided for us, at all times.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of Exodus in which God reassured His people, the Israelites during the time of their Exodus and journey from the land of Egypt to the Promised Land of Canaan, the land which He has promised to them and their ancestors, as a blessed land rich in milk and honey, full of His bounty and blessings. He provided them all with food and sustenance throughout their whole journey, and as we heard in our passage today, He also reassured them that He sent them His Angels to stand before them and protect them from their many enemies, all those people in the desert which were hostile to the Israelites and attacked them, much as how He had shown His power during their time and liberation from the hands of the Pharaoh and the Egyptians beforehand.

Then, we heard of the passage from our Gospel reading today according to St. Matthew in which we heard how the disciples were asking the Lord who among them presumably would be considered as the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. Many among the disciples of the Lord were likely under the impression that the Lord Jesus as the Messiah or the Saviour had come to liberate the Israelites and to lead them to victory and triumph against their oppressors like the Romans and other rulers, and that He would reestablish the Kingdom of Israel much as how it was during the glorious days of the reigns of King David and King Solomon. As such, not few among them would likely have desired for power and prestige by following the Lord, and thought of gaining those things for themselves.

But the Lord rebuked them gently and told them that this was not how they ought to follow Him or believe in Him, as to be His followers and disciples, they all should focus their attention on the Lord, be humble and committed to His cause, and not to be distracted by the many worldly desires and ambitions being present all around them. That was why He told them all that He would want them to have the faith like the faith of the little children, because all those children truly and joyfully had great faith, trust and love in Him, and not being tainted, corrupted or tempted by the various desires, ambitions and all the other worldly things all around us which may often distract us from our path towards the Lord, towards His salvation and grace.

The Lord essentially reminded us all that we must truly be sincere in our faith in Him, and we should reflect upon our lives if we have truly lived our lives faithfully in His path or whether we have been swayed and tempted by the various temptations, coercions and pressures from the world and from the evil ones, all of those who seek our destruction and downfall as they all desire our defeat. We must not be afraid of all these, and we must not allow ourselves to be easily pulled by the various currents of worldly matters and pursuits. Instead, we should continue to deepen our faith in God and grow in our loving relationship towards Him at all times, helping one another to come ever closer to Him and His salvation.

Today, the Church also celebrates the Feast of the Holy Guardian Angels, the day when we remember and commemorate all of our Guardian Angels, the ones whom God had placed around us and in our midst, His own Holy Angels sent to us to guard and protect us. These Guardian Angels protect us against the attacks from the evil spirits, demons and all the forces of those who sought our destruction and damnation with them. As we heard the Scripture passages earlier, the Lord is always by our side, guarding and protecting us all at each and every moments in life, and one of these ways is through the Guardian Angels He has placed around us, always ever ready to protect us and guide us in the right path.

Today, we remember every time our Guardian Angels laboured to protect and guide us in the right path, as they were always ever at the forefront of the ever raging spiritual battlefield that exist all around us, the devil and his forces on one side, and the Lord our God with His Angels on the other, with the price being the state and salvation of our souls. Every time we struggle with sin and the temptations to sin, our Guardian Angels are always there to help us and to guide us, to lead us in our conscience to follow the right path in God and not to be easily swayed by the temptations to disobey and sin against God. Whenever the devil and all the tempters, the evil spirits all around us are always active, striking at us and tempting us to go down the path of sin, our Guardian Angels are always there to guide and protect us.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all today thank the Lord for His kindness and love, in His patient love for us and for providing us with His Guardian Angels and all the other Angels and spiritual forces and protection to help and protect us against the evil ones, and let us also thank our Guardian Angels for the constant vigil and efforts all around us. Let us all pray the Guardian Angel prayer together, ‘Angel of God, my guardian dear, to whom God’s love commits me here, ever this day be at my side, to light and guard, to rule and guide. Amen.’

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Wednesday, 2 October 2024 : 26th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of the Holy Guardian Angels (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Matthew 18 : 1-5, 10

At that time, the disciples came to Jesus and asked Him, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”

Then Jesus called a little child, set the child in the midst of the disciples, and said, “I assure you, that, unless you change, and become like little children, you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever becomes humble, like this child, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven, and whoever receives such a child, in My Name, receives Me.”

“See that you do not despise any of these little ones; for I tell you, their Angels in heaven continually see the face of My heavenly Father.”