Ordinary Time 2024

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Thursday, 27 June 2024 : 12th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Cyril of Alexandria, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Bishops)

2 Kings 24 : 8-17

Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he succeeded his father, and he reigned for three months in Jerusalem. His mother was Nehushta, daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem. Jehoiachin treated YHVH badly, as his father had done.

At that time, the officials of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, came to attack Jerusalem, surrounding the city. Nebuchadnezzar came while the city was being besieged by his men. Jehoiachin, king of Judah, surrendered, together with his mother, his servants, his leaders and the palace officials. It was the eighth year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar.

Nebuchadnezzar captured them and he took away the treasures of the House of YHVH and of the king’s house. He also destroyed all the objects of gold which Solomon, king of Israel, had made for the Sanctuary of YHVH. So the word YHVH had spoken, was fulfilled.

Nebuchadnezzar carried off into exile all the leaders and prominent men, the blacksmiths and locksmiths, all the men of valour fit for war. A total of ten thousand were exiled to Babylon. Only the poorest sector of the population was left. Nebuchadnezzar also carried away Jehoiachin, with his mother, his wives, the ministers of the palace, and the prominent men of the land.

So all the prominent people, numbering seven thousand, the blacksmiths, numbering a thousand, and all the men fit for war were deported to Babylon by the king of Babylon. He made Mattaniah, Jehoiachin’s uncle, king of Jerusalem, in place of Jehoiachin. And he changed his name to Zedekiah.

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Wednesday, 26 June 2024 : 12th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today all of us are reminded through the readings and passages from the Sacred Scriptures of our obligation as God’s holy and beloved people to be the good and faithful servants, followers and disciples of His cause, called and encouraged to do what is right, good and just according to God’s will. Each and every one of us must always strive to be good and worthy in all the things that we say and do, so that we will continue to be good role models and inspirations for each other, for everyone who witness us and all of our lives, that we may proclaim the Lord and His truth, His love and Good News through our lives and good examples, at all times. Each and every one of us must always be filled with God’s grace and love, His compassion and kindness at all times.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of Kings of Israel and Judah, the story of the time when the Book of the Law of God was found once again in the neglected Temple of God in Jerusalem during the reign of King Josiah of Judah. The High Priest Hilkiah found the Book of the Law of God and the King, who obeyed the Lord’s commands and lived according to His ways, sought to find out what the Law of God was about, and how the people ought to live in the manner that was pleasing to God. At that time, the people of God had wandered off so far from the path of God, disobeyed and refusing to believe in Him in many occasions despite the Lord’s reminders towards them through His many prophets and messengers, and hence, the people of God faced a lot of hardships, challenges and trials, suffering all the terrible defeats and worldly hardships for their disobedience and sins.

King Josiah was the last of the kings of Judah who was considered as righteous and obedient to God, and immediately after having read through the details of the accounts of the Law and commandments of God, the king was frightened at the extent of how the people had disobeyed the Lord according to the Law which by then had been mostly forgotten and ignored, and he sought to make amends by ordering the priests and all of the people of the kingdom to do what God had commanded them to do, in obeying His Law and commandments once again, fulfilling the many things that God had called them all to do, such as observing the Passover festival again, and purifying the Temple of God, and removing from their midst all the abominations of the pagan and foreign idols that had misled so many into the path of sin.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard of the Lord Jesus speaking to His disciples and followers about the dangers of the false prophets in their midst, and how every one of them ought to be careful and vigilant lest they might be persuaded and tempted to walk down the wrong path, all the falsehoods and the twisted versions of the teachings and the truths of God that could lead many into the path of sin and damnation. This is why He reminded all of them, and hence also all of us not to follow all these false and wicked ways, and not to be persuaded, swayed, tempted or coerced by all those who did not truly serve the Lord’s purpose. Instead, all of us as God’s beloved and holy people must always strive to be truly ever more faithful to God and to be truly committed to His path and truth.

This is because as Christians it is important that we truly embody our faith in everything that we say and do. We must always be sincere in our words, actions and deeds, or we are no better than hypocrites and those false prophets who outwardly may appear faithful and pious, and yet in their hearts and minds, God is not truly there, and inside them, instead are desires, ego, ambitions and all the false leads which lead us all down the path of evil, disobedience, wickedness and eventually towards our downfall through sin. Many of our predecessors, even those high in position in the Church and in the world had fallen prey to all these, to Satan’s temptations and the allures of worldly glory, fame, pleasures and ambitions, which led them to the path of damnation.

The Lord Jesus used the parable of the fruits of the tree to explain to His disciples and followers in order to make them all understand His teachings and what He meant, as He told them that good trees will inevitably bear good fruits, while rotten and bad trees will inevitably yield bad and rotten fruits. Therefore, if we do not cultivate our faith in the Lord and develop a strong love, devotion and commitment to God, in the end, eventually we will not be able to show that genuine faith and love towards God, and our faith will be empty, meaningless and dead in nature. We cannot truly obey and follow the Lord faithfully unless we truly believe in Him from our heart, and are truly sincere in dedicating ourselves, our time and effort to follow Him thoroughly as best as we can.

Each and every one of us as Christians must always be active in living up to our faith in the Lord, not through great and grandiose actions and works, but rather through even small and simple deeds that we carry out in life. Through all these small and seemingly insignificant little actions in life, we can help and inspire one another to live a better and more worthy life filled with God’s grace and love. For too long we have allowed ourselves to be swayed and tempted by the evil ones and those who seek our destruction and damnation. Now is the time for us to make our stand, to stand by our Lord and God firmly in faith, and renew our commitment to Him, that we commit to follow the Lord and dedicate ourselves to Him in each and every moments of our lives from now on, if we have not yet done so.

May the Lord continue to strengthen and empower us all in each and every one of our journeys in faith throughout our lives, and may He continue to guide us all through the many challenges and trials in life so that regardless of the hardships and obstacles that we may have to endure and experience amidst our path and journey towards Him, we will continue to persevere and carry out our lives and actions with great faith and obedience to Him, to His Law and to His will. May all of us continue to be the great and worthy bearers of God’s Good News, His light of hope, His love and truth in our society, amongst everyone whom we encounter and journey with, now and always. Amen.

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Wednesday, 26 June 2024 : 12th Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Matthew 7 : 15-20

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “Beware of false prophets : they come to you in sheep’s clothing; but inside, they are voracious wolves. You will recognise them by their fruits. Do you ever pick grapes from thorn bushes; or figs, from thistles?”

“A good tree always produces good fruit. A rotten tree produces bad fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit; and a rotten fruit cannot bear good fruit. Any tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, you will know them by their fruit.”

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Wednesday, 26 June 2024 : 12th Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 118 : 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 40

Explain to me, o YHVH, Your commandments, and I will be ever faithful to them.

Give me understanding, that I may observe Your law with all my heart.

Guide me in obeying Your instructions, for my pleasure lies in them.

Incline my heart to follow Your will and not my own selfish desire.

Turn my eyes away from vanities and direct them to Your life-giving word.

Oh, how I long for Your precepts! Renew my life in Your righteousness.

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Wednesday, 26 June 2024 : 12th Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

2 Kings 22 : 8-13 and 2 Kings 23 : 1-3

At that moment Hilkiah, the high priest, said to Shaphan, the secretary, “I have found the Book of the Law in the House of YHVH.” And he entrusted the Book to Shaphan who read it. Then Shaphan went to the king and said, “We have gathered the money in the House, and this has been turned over to the caretakers of the House to make the repairs.”

And Shaphan added, “The priest Hilkiah has turned over a Book to me.” And Shaphan read the Book to the king. When the king heard the contents of the Book, he tore his clothes and commanded Hilkiah, Ahikam, Achbor, the secretary Shaphan, and Asaiah, his minister, to do the following, “Go and consult YHVH about the threats in this Book which you have found. Consult Him for me, for the people and for the whole of Judah, since our fathers did not listen to what this Book says nor its ordinances. This is why the anger of YHVH is ready to burn against us.”

The king summoned to his side all the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem. Then he went up to the house of YHVH, followed by all the people of Judah and Jerusalem. The priests with the prophets and all the people went with him, from the youngest to the oldest. When all were gathered, he read to them the Book of the Law found in the house of YHVH.

The king stood by the pillar; he made a Covenant in the presence of YHVH, promising to follow Him, to keep His commandments and laws, and to respect His ordinances. He promised to keep this Covenant according to what was written in the Book with all his heart and with all his soul. And all the people promised with him.

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Tuesday, 25 June 2024 : 12th 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 that we are all called to remain true and faithful to the Lord in all things. We must not be dissuaded, swayed or tempted away from God and His path because of all the oppositions, hardships, challenges, trials and obstacles which we may encounter in our paths in life. Instead, we must always encourage one another and remain strong in our faith despite the many difficulties and obstacles that we may have to face in this path we face, and we should gain inspirations from our holy predecessors and also from supporting one another in the face of those challenges and trials so that we may remain strong in our faith.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of Kings of Israel and Judah of the story of the time when the forces of King of Assyria, Sennacherib came to Jerusalem and besieged it after this same King struck at Judah and its cities likely with the intent to conquer and destroy it as he had done with many other cities and states in the region. At that time, Assyria was an ascending great power that had conquered many nations, including that of the Aramaeans and the northern kingdom of Israel, which was destroyed not long before the circumstances of today’s first reading passage. King Sennacherib brought with him a mighty army to do the same to Judah and Jerusalem, and we heard how He mocked God and His people for trusting in Him.

But God reassured His people in Judah that He would not abandon them and that He would stand by them just as He has always promised them when King Hezekiah of Judah led the people in praying to God and asking for His Divine providence and intervention. The prideful boasts and mockery of Sennacherib, the King of Assyria God turned into a sorrowful and anguished cry of defeat when He sent His Angels and destroyed all of the whole massive army of the Assyrians, supposedly numbering a hundred and eighty-five thousand, a truly large army. God rescued His people and destroyed all those who mocked Him and those who were faithful to Him, and sent this Assyrian king in shame back to his own homeland, and according to the Scriptures, the same king would soon be killed by his own sons. A truly terrible ending for a prideful and sinful man.

From what we have heard, it is clear indeed that God truly has the authority over all things, and He has the power over all nations and all earthly forces, over life and death. God was with His people and He did not leave them at the hour of their need, fighting and journeying with them as He has always done throughout time and history. He is the one and only True God, Who has defended and protected His people, marching before them and destroying their enemies. While the other gods and pagan idols of the many countries and states, cities and places which King Sennacherib ransacked and destroyed did nothing to stop all that, the Lord alone stepped in and defended His beloved and faithful people when they were in need of His help.

In our Gospel passage today, we then heard of the words of the Lord to His disciples telling them all not to give what is holy to the dogs and throw the pearls to the pigs, using the connotations commonly known then to highlight how they should not profane the Holy Name of God, His Law and commandments, just as the King of Assyria had done in mocking Him and His power, and just as how the people of Israel disobeyed Him and refused to obey His Law and commandments, spurning His love and kindness, all of which eventually led to their destruction and tragic fates. It is an important reminder for us not to allow worldly temptations and corruptions from distracting and misleading us down the wrong path which can lead us to our downfall and destruction.

All of us are also reminded by the Lord Himself in the same Gospel passage that the path towards salvation in God, while it is always open and available for us, courtesy of His ever enduring and wonderful love for each and every one of us, but this path is truly a narrow one, and it is not an easy path for all of us to follow and walk through. Why is that so, brothers and sisters in Christ? This is because there are indeed many obstacles, challenges, distractions and pressures all around us, all of which can lead us down the wrong path in life. Sin is born out of our disobedience against God, and unfortunately often, time and again, we and many of our predecessors have been swayed by the temptations, allures and corruptions present in this world.

This is why each and every one of us must always remind ourselves that we have to remain firmly anchored in faith in God, adhere closely to His teachings and truth. Each and every one of us as Christians must always strive to be the worthy and faithful bearers of the truth and Good News of God, obedient to His Law and commandments, and ever righteous, just and good in all of our words, actions and deeds. All of us should be exemplary and committed in our desire to serve the Lord in each and every moments of our lives. We should be good role models and inspirations for our fellow brothers and sisters, in resisting the allures of worldly glory and temptations, and in doing what God has commanded and willed us to do in our respective lives.

May the Lord continue to strengthen us all in faith and remind us all to stay true and strong in our faith in Him, and not be swayed or tempted to give up in exchange for the comforts and pleasures of the world. May He guide us all in our path and journey of faith through our lives, and may He continue to guide and bless us all in our every efforts and endeavours, in everything that we say and do, so that by all these, we may continue to glorify the Lord by our lives, now and always. Amen.

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Tuesday, 25 June 2024 : 12th Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Matthew 7 : 6, 12-14

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples and to the people, “Do not give what is holy to the dogs, or throw your pearls before pigs. They might trample on them, and then turn on you and tear you to pieces.”

“So, do to others whatever you would that others do to you : there, you have the Law and the prophets. Enter through the narrow gate : for wide is the gate, and broad is the road, that leads to destruction, and many go that way. How narrow is the gate that leads to life; and how rough, the road; few there are, who find it.”

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Tuesday, 25 June 2024 : 12th Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 47 : 2-3ab, 3cd-4, 10-11

Great is YHVH, most worthy of praise in the City of God, His holy mountain. Beautifully elevated, it is the joy of all the earth.

Mount Zion, heavenly mountain, the City of the great King. Here, within her lines of defence, God has shown Himself to be a sure fortress.

Let us recall Your unfailing love, o God, inside Your Temple. Let Your praise, as does Your Name, o God, reach to the ends of the earth. Your right hand is ever victorious.

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Tuesday, 25 June 2024 : 12th Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

2 Kings 19 : 9b-11, 14-21, 31-35a, 36

Again Sennacherib sent messengers to Hezekiah with these words, “Say to Hezekiah, king of Judah that his God in Whom he trusts may be deceiving him in saying that Jerusalem will not be given into the hands of the king of Assyria. Surely you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the lands they have destroyed! And will you be spared?”

Hezekiah took the letter from the messengers, and when he had read it he went to the house of YHVH; where he unrolled the letter and prayed saying, “O YHVH, God of Israel, enthroned above the Cherubim! You alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth; You have made the heavens and the earth. Give ear, YHVH, and hear! Open Your eyes and see! Listen to all the words of Sennacherib who has sent men to insult the living God!”

“It is true, YHVH, that the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the countries of the earth. They have thrown their gods into the fire and destroyed them, for they were not true gods but gods made of wood and stone by human hands. Now, o YHVH our God, save us from his hand and let all the kingdoms of the earth know that You alone, YHVH, are God.”

Then Isaiah, son of Amoz, sent word to Hezekiah : “You have called upon YHVH and He has heard your prayer regarding Sennacherib, king of Assyria. This is what YHVH has spoken against him : ‘The Virgin Daughter of Zion despises and scorns you; the Daughter of Jerusalem shakes her head behind you.”

“For a remnant will come from Jerusalem and survivors from Mount Zion. The zeal of YHVH of Hosts will accomplish this. That is why YHVH has said this concerning the king of Assyria : ‘He shall not enter this city nor shoot his arrows. He shall not raise a shield to oppose it nor build a siege ramp against it. He shall leave by the way he came and he shall not enter the city, word of YHVH. I will protect this city and so save it for My own sake and for the sake of David, My servant.”

It happened that the Angel of YHVH went out that night and struck one hundred and eighty-five thousand men in the Assyrian camp. So Sennacherib, king of Assyria, departed, returned home and lived in Nineveh.

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Monday, 24 June 2024 : Solemnity of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today the Universal Church celebrates the great occasion of the Solemnity of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist, marking the moment when St. John the Baptist, the one whom the Lord had sent before Him to prepare His path, was born into the world, approximately six months before the Nativity of Our Lord Himself, based on the Scriptural tradition that Elizabeth, the mother of St. John the Baptist and the cousin of Mary, the Mother of Our Lord, had been pregnant for about six months when the Archangel Gabriel came to visit Mary in Nazareth to announce to her the Good News of the coming of the salvation of God. Elizabeth and Mary were both recipients of great graces from God, and their pregnancies were both miraculous and wonderful, truly graces and blessings of God.

We know that Mary became pregnant with the Lord Jesus, the Son of God Most High by the power of the Holy Spirit without any human intervention, a Virgin bearing a Child within her just as prophesied by the prophets of God. Meanwhile, Elizabeth was pregnant in her old age, way beyond a woman’s childbearing age after having waited for many years if not decades for a child without any success. She had been barren for a long time, and at that time, barrenness was a sign of curse and lack of God’s blessings, and people put a lot of emphasis on the ability for a woman to bear and raise a child. While Zechariah, her husband and priest of the Temple of Jerusalem and Elizabeth had been faithful to the Lord, they were childless, but God had a truly greater plan for them, as it was through them that the Herald of the Messiah, the one to prepare the way for the Lord would be born into this world.

Initially, Zechariah, St. John the Baptist’s father did not believe in the words of the Angel of God, which tradition assigned to be the same Archangel Gabriel, who appeared before him at the Temple, proclaiming the miraculous events that would transpire, and how he would become the father of God’s messenger and herald. Thus Zechariah was rendered mute, until the occasion as depicted in our Gospel passage today happened, which was the exact moment when the baby, St. John the Baptist was born of his mother, Elizabeth, and Zechariah proclaimed the name of the child, which the Archangel had told him, that was John. Thus Zechariah’s mouth was reopened and his tongue was loosened, and he immediately proclaimed the glory of God for all the great and wonderful deeds which the Lord had done for the sake of His people.

St. John the Baptist was the one who was to prepare the Lord’s path, straightening His path and calling upon the people of God to return back towards Him, repenting from their many sins and wicked deeds. His coming has been prophesied by the prophets, like we heard from the first reading today from the prophet Isaiah, which spoke of the coming of God’s salvation, and how He was going to send His servant, through whom the scattered people of Israel, the holy people of God would be gathered back and reunited with God. St. John the Baptist would labour hard and spent a lot of effort for years, calling on all the people of God to return back to the path of righteousness, and through his famous baptisms, he would gather many who sought and desired for the healing and reconciliation with God. Thus, he was known well as St. John the Baptist or the Baptiser.

Now, on this day as we rejoice in the celebration of the Nativity of this great servant of God, let us all remind ourselves that each and every one of us have been called to follow in the faith and in the footsteps of this great man of God, St. John the Baptist, who has faithfully served the Lord and committed himself thoroughly to the missions which had been entrusted to him. As we rejoice in his birth and coming into this world, let us all remember our own calling and ministry in our own respective areas in life so that we may know what we truly ought to be doing as part of our livelihood as God’s holy and beloved people. God has chosen St. John the Baptist to echo the call to all the people to embrace His salvation and grace, and we have been reminded of this call today.

All of us have received God’s love and His wonderful grace, His compassion and forgiveness, through which He has made us all whole once again, by the works and the loving sacrifice of His Son, Our Lord and Saviour, for Whom St. John the Baptist had toiled and laboured. Therefore, each and every one of us who have been made to be parts and members of the one Church of God, the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, all of us are reminded that we should always be in God’s love and grace, attuned to His will and obeying His commandments and Law. There are still plenty of areas and many people in this world who have not yet known the Lord and His truth, His Good News and salvation, and it is therefore up to all of us to proclaim Him, courageously and devotedly as St. John the Baptist had once done.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, all of us as members of the Church are also parts of its missionary and evangelising efforts, in reaching out to more and more people who have not yet known the Lord. In our own respective areas and vocations, be it as an ordained minister, or as a layperson, as a consecrated religious or in any other form of our unique vocations, in even the smallest and seemingly least significant efforts and works which we carry out in proclaiming the Lord and His Good News, all of these are important in bringing forth the works of God made evident and tangible through His Church. No matter how small our efforts or how insignificant it may seem, each and every one of our efforts and outreach, our exemplary lives and inspirations are part of the greater efforts of the Church.

Let us all therefore strive to do our best in our daily lives, to be truly faithful to God, to listen to God and His will, obeying His Law and commandments, following Him in whatever He commands us to do and fulfilling whatever vocations and matters He has entrusted to us. Let us all no longer be idle but be active, contributing and faithful Christians in all the things that we say and do, and let us all be the shining beacons of God’s light, His hope and love in our communities today, that we may strengthen and inspire others around us to come to believe in the Lord and to follow Him as well. May God be with us all, be with His Church and bless us in our every good efforts and endeavours, for His greater glory. Amen.