Reflections

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Friday, 29 November 2024 : 34th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, all of us are reminded of the need for us to remain firmly faithful in God and to continue to live our lives worthily as Christians, in not doing what is wicked in the eyes of the Lord. As Christians, all of us are always reminded to keep our faith in God and not to be easily swayed by the temptations and coercions of the world all around us. We have to keep in mind that all of us should be good and worthy role models for our fellow brothers and sisters, to inspire them all through our own good examples and actions in life, based upon the faithful obedience to God and genuine commitment to God and His ways. And we have to remember that if we are faithful to God, in the end, we shall share in His glory and triumph, while if we disobey Him and went astray from His path, there will be nothing for us but defeat and darkness.

In our first reading today, taken from the continuation of the Revelation of St. John the Apostle about the final defeat and destruction of the power of the Devil, Satan, the Evil One, which St. John witnessed during the visions he received at the Island of Patmos, where he saw the series of events that will happen at the end of time, the time of reckoning and final struggle between good and evil. After series of great catastrophes and destructions coming upon the world, which at that time came under the dominion of the Evil One and all of his forces, the forces of Satan and the Antichrist, the Lord reassured His faithful ones that had been facing and enduring persecutions and hardships that eventually all of their struggles and endurance shall be vindicated and they shall be liberated from their struggles and sufferings.

This is also a reminder for us all that if we side with the devil and all of his false lies and temptations, then in the end we shall share his fate, defeated and crushed by God, overthrown and cast out into eternal darkness and suffering, cut off completely and totally from the grace and love of God. Meanwhile, all those who are faithful to God shall be part of the new Heaven and new Earth, which God had made to replace the original world and creation which had been defiled and corrupted by sin and evil. Essentially, He will restore everything to how all should be, making all things wonderful, good and perfect once again just as He has intended and just as He wants us to enjoy all the rich and great bounties of this world, made perfect and wonderful for all of us, God’s most beloved children and people.

At the end of time, the Lord will come once again to gather all of us to His Holy Presence, restoring us all in body and soul, delivering us from the darkness and evils that have afflicted us. He will free all those who have been persecuted and oppressed because of their faith in Him, and crush all those who have rejected Him and oppressed His faithful ones. We are reminded that we have to make a choice on which path we will follow in our own respective lives. Are we going to follow the path of rebellion and disobedience as advocated by the devil and all those seeking our ruin and destruction? Or are we going to follow the Lord and His path, even though it may be a more difficult and challenging path for us to follow? We have been given the freedom to choose our path in life, and we have also been reminded of the Final Judgment in the end.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Luke the Evangelist, we heard of the Lord Jesus Who told His disciples about the sign of times, warning them of the upcoming changes and trials that they will have to encounter in their journey and path in their ministry and works. This is also a reference to the earlier parts of the Gospel passage that we have heard in the earlier days of this week where the Lord foretold of the coming of great upheavals, conflicts and destruction, a premonition of the great destruction which the first Jewish-Roman war would bring to Judea and Jerusalem a few decades after the Lord spoke of it and predicted everything that would be happening, the scattering of the people of God, the destruction of Jerusalem and the grand Temple of God in that city. It was a great disaster and many perished during the events that happened then at that time.

Throughout all those challenging moments, difficulties and trials, the Lord would not abandon His people and would grant them His strength and providence, leading them down the path of righteousness and grace, strengthening and empowering them all with the gift of His Holy Spirit. Just as St. John saw in the revelations and visions that he had received at the Island of Patmos, the Lord reassured His disciples and followers that they will not be disappointed if they continue to hold strongly and firmly in their faith in Him. They shall all be triumphant with Him, and regardless of everything that will happen, and even if Jerusalem and the Temple were to be destroyed, but the Lord and His words, His truth and power will remain and will be triumphant in the end, against all those who have risen up against His people and persecuted them.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore be strengthened in our own faith and be encouraged at all times, reminding ourselves that we should ourselves be good role models and inspirations to one another in faith, in how we live our own lives, in how we dedicate ourselves to God. We must always be good and worthy in our every actions, words and deeds so that all those who encounter us and interact with us may come to know the Lord and His truth, His love, and kindness through the manifestation in our lives and works. This is part of the mission which the Lord has entrusted to us, just as He has granted us many opportunities and chances, the means and the blessings for us all to share with each other, to brighten up this darkened world with the hope and light of God’s grace, and not to give in easily to fear and uncertainties, to the temptations to sin.

May the Lord, our most loving, compassionate and merciful God continue to strengthen us all in faith, helping us all to endure and persevere through the challenges and hardships in our path in life. May He continue to encourage us to walk ever more graciously and faithfully in His path, guiding us all through His light, truth and hope so that we may remain firmly committed to Him, and not be easily swayed and misguided by all the false leads and the lies and temptations of the evil ones around us. May God bless us all and our every good works and efforts for His greater glory, now and always. Amen.

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Thursday, 28 November 2024 : 34th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Scriptures, we are reminded by the Lord through His Church yet again towards the end of this current liturgical year that as we continue to live on with our lives, in each and every moments, we will always keep in mind our relationship with God and our state of life in the world today. All of us are reminded that tribulations and hardships will likely be part of our journey towards the Lord, but if we remain firm in our faith towards Him, in the end, we will share in His ultimate triumph and victory against the forces of evil, sin and darkness. We must always have faith in the Lord and believe that no matter what obstacles and hardships we may encounter in our journey, we will be able to overcome them with God’s help and guidance.

In our first reading today, the continuation from the Book of Revelations to St. John the Apostle, we heard of the story of the great triumph, after all the tribulations, hardships and challenges facing all the faithful people of God by Satan, the great enemy, the Antichrist and all those forces of evil and wickedness arrayed against the faithful and holy ones of God. During those days in the final moments of the current world we are living in, Satan and all of his forces made a final attempt at us all, and in their attempts, they tried to bring us all down into damnation by striking at us, tempting us and coercing us into following their false and wicked paths, persecuting and oppressing all those who have been faithful to the Lord and His truth. But we are all reminded through this reading today that we should not easily give up the struggle or surrender to the demands of the evil ones, because ultimately we will be triumphant with God.

This Revelation received by St. John the Apostle came at the time when the Church and many of the faithful were encountering great hardships and persecutions for their faith in God, with the Apostle himself being persecuted and exiled at the island of Patmos when he received this series of visions and revelations from God. According to historical evidence and Sacred Tradition, this persecution which had begun under the Emperor Nero, became more intense under the succeeding Emperors, and this particular episode of persecution happened during the reign of the Emperor Domitian who ruled the Roman Empire about five and six decades after the death of Christ, His Resurrection and Ascension into Heaven. Many of the Apostles except for St. John had died as martyrs, and many more early Christians had become martyrs as well.

They all persevered in faith and refused to obey the Emperor’s command for them to worship him as a god. They refused to worship the pagan gods and offer sacrifices to these gods and false idols, and especially in the case of the Emperor Domitian, known in history for his megalomania and claim to divinity which was scandalous and controversial even to the Romans and the pagan believers at the time. But knowing this fact makes us realise just how dire the situation was for the Church and many of the early Christians who suffered greatly for their faith in God. But the Lord strengthened and encouraged them through His servants and all the reassurances that He has given them, including this Revelation of the ultimate triumph and victory the faithful shall all have in God, just as ultimately the Christian faith triumphed over the pagan idols and Emperor worship of Ancient Rome.

Then from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Luke the Evangelist, we heard of the Lord Who foretold the destruction of Jerusalem, its Temple and the entire city that would happen soon sometime in their lifetime. He told them all about the signs of things around them and for them all to be prepared for the time of tribulation and hardships. This prophecy would indeed come true a few decades later, when the Romans came to besiege Jerusalem and eventually conquered it from the Jewish rebels who had risen up in rebellion due to instigation from the extremist factions within the Jewish community who sought to liberate themselves from the rule and dominion of the Romans. But for all the efforts that they had made, they all came to nothing as they were defeated and their rebellion crushed, and Jerusalem itself and the Temple were destroyed and burnt to the ground, leaving only a small portion of the Temple complex wall remaining, which is now known as the Western Wall.

All these are clear reminders for us that there will be hardships and trials facing us, and there is no guarantee that can be found in the world, as our only source of Hope and strength can be found in God and in Him alone. Those Jewish people living during the time of the Lord and His disciples, the Apostles and the first Christians of the early Church, they all believed in the Temple and the priesthood, the Law and the commandments so much so that that adherence and attachment to the Temple made them to forget their true devotion and focus on the Lord, their God. And when the Temple of Jerusalem, the grand Temple rebuilt and expanded by King Herod the Great was torn down and destroyed, those people lost their faith and their focus in life, forgetting that God alone is their true focus and the source of all their hopes.

It is a clear reminder for all of us that we should not easily give in to the temptations of worldly glory and the falsehood of earthly treasures. Instead we must renew our commitment, faith and trust in God. We must always have faith that the Lord will be triumphant with us in the end, and the sufferings that we are facing now, are what He Himself has suffered even more, as He has suffered the worst of sufferings, humiliations and pains, the worst that this world can project upon anyone, and yet, He endured it all because of His love for us, and He triumphed in the end. It is also normal for us to struggle with those sufferings and pains, and our hardships are real sufferings, but we must always remember that we do not suffer alone, for the Lord Himself is journeying by our side, bearing our crosses with Him, as He will always support us all the way.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we have discussed and discerned earlier from the readings of the Scriptures and from what we have been reminded, of the need to have firm trust and strong faith in God, let us all therefore renew our faith in Him and do our very best to glorify God by our every actions, words and deeds that are truly worthy of Him. May the Lord continue to strengthen us all and encourage each one of us in our respective journeys in life, so that hopefully by our own good role model and inspirations, we may help each other in this difficult but ultimately rewarding journey towards God. May God bless us all and our every good works and endeavours, now and always. Amen.

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Wednesday, 27 November 2024 : 34th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, as we listened to the words of the Scriptures today, we are all reminded again that our path as Christians, as those who follow the Lord and believe in His teachings and words will not be an easy one. There will definitely be plenty of challenges and obstacles in our path and journey, and the way forward may be very arduous for us, but we must not easily give up the struggle and perseverance regardless of the various oppositions and trials in our path. We must always remain firm in our faith and commitment to God, and we must never lose sight of the true happiness and joy that we shall enjoy forever with Him, as long as we remain true to Him regardless of the difficulties that we have encountered.

In our first reading today, we heard from the continuation from the Book of Revelations of St. John as we had in the earlier days, in which the Apostle related to us what he had witnessed in his vision of the end of time, with the seven great Angels of God bringing forth the seven bowls of plagues from God to the world, at the last moments before the Final and Last Judgment. In that vision, St. John saw the Angels of God bringing forth God’s punishment upon all the sinners and all those who have remained in the world and chose to side with the evil one, refusing to listen to His truth and repent from their sins. This is what the Lord has justly given to all those who have constantly rejected and refused His love and kindness, His compassion and mercy.

This does not mean that God desires any one of us to be destroyed and condemned to Hell. On the contrary, He wants all of us, every single one of us, children of mankind, His most beloved and the pinnacle of all of His creation, to share in His eternal joy and love, and to be with Him forevermore. He does not wish for any one of us to be lost to Him. Hence, He has given us so many means for us to reach out to Him and to find our way to His salvation and grace. But if by our own volition and conscious decision and choice we have made, in denying God and refusing His generous offer of love and mercy, then we have been condemned by our own sins and by our own stubbornness and desires, and this is what those people will suffer in the end times.

We are being reminded all these so that we can remain strong and vigilant in our faith and in our lives so that we do not end up falling into the slippery slope of sin. It does not mean that all of us who have been baptised as Christians can never fall again into sin. The fact is that this makes the evil one and all of his forces to be even more hardworking in trying to bring us down and to drag us into the path towards our downfall. We are all saved by our faith in God, but if that faith is not made alive and vibrant through our actions, words and deeds, then that faith is as good as empty, meaningless and dead. And such a faith will not avail us on the Day of Judgment and reckoning, when we will have to account for our lives.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Luke the Evangelist, we heard of the words from the Lord Jesus to His disciples in which He foretold before them everything that they would have to endure as His disciples and followers, all the persecutions, hardships and obstacles that they would have to face in the midst of their ministry and works. This is a reality that all of us as Christians must realise, that as long as we remain faithful to the Lord and His ways, from the very beginning of the Church to the present day and even in the future, there will always be oppositions that we may face in various ways from the world, which is opposed to the path and the way of the Lord.

That is the reality of becoming a Christian, brothers and sisters in Christ. Having believed in the Lord, we are all called to be prepared to face the same struggles and challenges that He Himself had faced, and all these are caused by the darkness and evils present in this world which refuse to obey the way and truth of God, and all those that present to us the divergent ways that are contrary to the Lord’s teachings and salvation. This is why we must not be easily swayed and fooled, to think that having become Christians and believers in the Lord, then our lives will be all good and smooth, blessed and without problems. Indeed, that will be our ultimate fate in the world that is to come, but at present, in our world still marred by sin and corruption of evil, we may still have to suffer persecutions and challenges.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, now what matters is what we are going to do about our own lives in this world. Are we going to commit ourselves anew to the Lord, to His path and to everything that He has entrusted to us? Or are we continue to be ignorant of our calling and mission in life? Or worse still, are we still going to allow the temptations of the world and sin to lead us astray and to bring us to our downfall? If we are not careful we may end up being dragged by the sins we commit and by our disobedience, and hence, risk falling ever deeper into the path towards damnation. That is why we should always keep in mind to follow the Lord ever more faithfully in each and every moments of our lives, doing whatever we can to serve Him at all times.

May the Lord, our ever patient, loving and compassionate God continue to strengthen us in faith so that we may ever draw strength and courage from Him as we endure various challenges and difficulties in life, so that we do not easily falter in our commitment to Him, and that we will not lose sight on the focus of our lives, that is God and Him alone. May the Lord bless us and guide us in our journey, in all the efforts and works that we make, fo the greater glory of His Holy Name, now and forevermore. Amen.

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Tuesday, 26 November 2024 : 34th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, as we listened to the words of the Lord contained within the Sacred Scriptures we have heard today, we are all reminded that we must always be prepared and vigilant in our lives, in each and every moments of our daily living, in our every words, actions and deeds so that we may truly be prepared for the coming of the Lord and to be truly worthy of Him at all times, so that when He comes again and when we have to account for our lives, actions and deeds, all that we have carried out in this life and even things that we have not done or failed to do when we should have done them. As we come ever closer to the end of the current liturgical year we are being constantly reminded about this so that we will have the resolve and the desire to continue living our lives worthily of the Lord as we should have always done.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of Revelations the continuation of the account of the events that is to come at the end of time according to the vision which St. John the Apostle received at the Island of Patmos, who recounted to us what he saw in the Angel of God being sent into the world to reap the harvest at the appointed time, referring to the moment of reckoning, the end of times and the coming of the Final and Last Judgment. In that vision, St. John saw the Son of Man sending the Angels out to the world with a great sickle, to harvest the vines of the earth for it is already time for the harvest. Then, we heard how the Angels gathered the produces and put them in the winepress of the anger of God. This is a reminder for us all to cultivate a truly good and worthy life that the Lord will truly find worthy at the time of the great harvest, the end of times.

It is also a reminder for us that while God’s love and kindness, His compassion and mercy for each and every one of us are truly great and generous, wonderful and ever made available always for us, but we must not forget that we must embrace His generous offer of love and mercy, and not to reject Him and ignore His outreach of love and grace. Otherwise, by our own disobedience and wickedness, our own constant rejection of His love and generous mercy, in the end, there will be nothing left for us, no share in God’s grace and salvation. It is often that we have disregarded and abandoned Him for many of the temptations and other pursuits and desires in the world all around us. That is why, for our wickedness and constant refusal to listen to Him and embrace His love, God’s righteous anger will be against those who reject Him.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Luke the Evangelist, we heard of the words of the Lord to the people gathered in the area of the Temple of Jerusalem to admire it, its magnificence and wonderful appearance. This great Temple complex was the second Temple built on the site after the first Temple originally built by King Solomon of Israel was destroyed by the Babylonians. The Temple was modest in size and appearance, but was greatly enlarged and expanded by King Herod the Great, the previous ruler of the land of Judea, who was obsessed with lots of large building works to cement his legacy, including that of the Temple of Jerusalem. But while the Temple was truly grand and mighty in appearance, but it was full of corruption and wicked things, due to the corrupt activities of the merchants and the money changers that were there.

Not only that but the beliefs and the practices of the Israelites and their descendants, the Jewish people were already astray and far from what God has intended for them, from what God had taught and shown them. The priests and those Pharisees and teachers of the Law put much greater emphasis and focus on the sacrifices at the Temple, and not truly understanding and appreciating the true meaning and purpose of the Law of God. They have grown proud and arrogant because they thought themselves as being superior and better than the others around them. They hardened their hearts and minds against the Lord, refusing to listen to the truth which the Lord Jesus Himself had brought to their midst and presented to them.

That was why the Lord told the people and everyone else assembled how no matter the greatness and the glory of the Temple and all of its appearances, everything would not last forever as they would be crushed and destroyed within a matter of decades, and this prophecy would indeed come true about thirty years or so after the Lord had said it, with the Romans destroying Jerusalem and its Temple during the first Roman-Jewish War caused by the rebellions led by the more extreme and hardline factions among the Jews at the time. It was a reminder to all of us that no matter what kind of greatness and glory in the world, ultimately all of those things are illusory and will not last forever, no matter what. That is why we must not allow ourselves to be easily swayed by all the temptations and pleasures of this world.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us remember that we are all weak and sinful people, who are in need of God’s great love and mercy, His healing and grace. Let us all remember to be humble and to desire this forgiveness and compassion, so that we may be truly reconciled with God, and be one day fully and completely reunited with Him. Let us all put our trust in the Lord instead on all worldly things and matters, so that by having this strong and genuine anchor in faith in God, we will not be easily shaken and swept by all the tides and waves around us, caused by all the temptations and challenges in our path. Let us all continue to walk ever more faithfully in God’s path, and do whatever we can to inspire many more people to come ever closer to God.

May the Lord, our ever loving and compassionate God, our merciful and just Creator and Master continue to help us to be ever stronger in our faith and commitment to Him. May He continue to give us the courage and strength to persevere through whatever challenges and trials, hardships and obstacles in our path so that we may not falter in our journey towards Him, and that we will continue to endure and be strong, and ever be committed in our desire to love Him and to follow Him at all times. May God bless our every good efforts, works and endeavours, all for His greater glory, now and always. Amen.

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Monday, 25 November 2024 : 34th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Catherine of Alexandria, Virgin and Martyr (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour :  Green or Red (Martyrs)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Scriptures, we are all reminded that all of us as Christians, as God’s holy and beloved people should always keep our faith in the Lord firm and strong amidst all the difficulties, challenges and hardships that we may be facing in life. As we come ever closer to the end of the current liturgical year that is ending this week, we are constantly being reminded of the need for all of us to remain strong in our faith and commitment to God, in our desire to love Him and to follow Him courageously and honourably all the time. We must not be easily dissuaded and prevented from committing ourselves to the Lord by the many obstacles, trails and opposition we may have to face in our journey.

In our first reading today, we heard the continuation of the account from the Book of Revelations of St. John the Apostle in which the great vision of St. John was told to us, about the presence of the Lamb of God, the Saviour of the whole world, Our Lord Jesus Christ, on Mount Zion, surrounded by the one hundred and forty-four thousand, a large number meant to represent the vast number of those who have been saved and made worthy by their faith in God. All those people have been found worthy in their faith and dedication to God, having lived worthily and righteously amidst all the challenges, temptations and difficulties, all the sufferings that they had to endure in the midst of their obedience and faith in God.

It is a reminder for all of us that regardless of the challenges and trials, all the persecutions and the difficult paths that we have had to traverse in order to come towards the Lord, all these perseverance and endurance in faith, obeying the will of God and doing whatever He has asked us all to do, in the end, we will share in the triumph and eternal glory, true joy and bliss that the Lord has reassured and promised us, and which He showed us all through His disciple, St. John, to share with us the hope of everlasting life, the eternal and true glory that we will enjoy with Him in His Holy Presence, freed from the bondage and dominion of evil and sin. All of us will share in the glory and joy of the saints, and be truly happy forevermore.

Then, in our Gospel passage today taken from the Gospel according to St. Luke the Evangelist, we heard of the short passage recounting to us the moment when the Lord Jesus praised the faith and commitment of the old widow who gave from her own poverty, the offering of two small coins, when many others gave to the treasury of the Temple in amounts far greater than what she has given. What the Lord truly meant by this mention of the faith of the old widow was not that He disliked or were biased against those who were rich and powerful, or favoured only those who were poor and weak. Instead, what He truly wants us to know is that even if we are facing hardships and challenges in our own lives, it does not mean that we cannot give from even our sufferings and poverty.

Instead, as Christians, we are always called to be generous with ourselves, to love even when there is nothing else we can give in terms of physical and material goods. We can still give others our time and love, our compassion and care. We must always strive to be kind and compassionate to everyone, even when we ourselves have been beset by evil and hatred by those who are around us. We must always remember the examples set by our Lord Himself, Who has forgiven those who have persecuted and oppressed Him, condemned Him to die an unjust death. He prayed for those who had hated and condemned Him, not hating or being angry against them, or seeking vengeance. This is the kind of love that we all must aspire and strive to have in us as well, brothers and sisters, love that is truly pure and selfless.

We are all reminded today that as we continue to carry on our lives in the world today, in each and every moments of our lives, we should be always be mindful of everyone around us, of all the sufferings and difficulties that each and every one of us may be facing in our own respective lives. God has shown us all what it means to be truly loving and generous, and to be truly rooted in His love and compassion. We must never ignore our calling and mission to be truly loving and compassionate towards everyone, regardless who they are, in all and every moments of our lives, doing our very best to show them all the love of God manifested through our genuine actions, deeds, all the care and concern that we have shown one another, in how we all live our lives in a selfless and loving manner.

As Christians we must never be selfish and wicked in all of our deeds and actions. Our lives should indeed reflect the light of God, His virtues and wonderful truth in everything that we say and do, in all of our interactions with one another, just as the Lord Himself has shown and taught us through His Church and His disciples. All of us must always embody our Christian faith within us, or else our faith is meaningless, empty and pointless, and will not avail us on the Day of Judgment. We are all reminded that we have been given so many opportunities by the Lord and endowed with all sorts of various blessings, talents and other things so that we may make good use of them for the benefit of everyone, for ourselves and for everyone around us, through our love and compassion.

Today, the Church also celebrates the Feast of St. Catherine of Alexandria, a great and holy woman, and a devoted servant of God who was remembered for her great faith and commitment to God. According to Sacred tradition and history, she was the daughter of the Roman governor of Alexandria during the third century, and therefore belonged to the social elite at the time, being referred to as a ‘princess’ in the historical writings. At that time, her study of the texts about the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Church writings led her to convert to the Christian faith, and it was a time of great turmoil and difficulty for the Christians throughout the Roman Empire, as the then Roman Emperor, Diocletian and his fellow co-Emperors launched intense persecutions against Christians.

St. Catherine was a courageous and faithful woman, and she did not fear the persecutions and hardships that she would have to face amidst the intense persecution of the time, just like what we have heard in our first reading today. She went to the Emperor, then the Roman Emperor Maxentius ruling in Rome to criticise and rebuke him for his persecution of Christians, where the Emperor assembled fifty most experienced and knowledgeable pagan philosophers to debate her without avail, and even many among those philosophers were convinced of the Christian truth and converted, leading to themselves being tortured and martyred. The Emperor then had St. Catherine arrested and imprisoned afterwards. It was told that many, including the Emperor’s own wife visited her in prison, and many including the Empress became Christian converts and were martyred.

The Emperor was desperate to overcome the faith of St. Catherine, and in doing so he wanted to persuade her by asking for her hand in marriage, providing that she abandon her Christian faith. But she remained firm in her faith and refused, declaring her obedience to God and her unshakeable faith. Therefore, St. Catherine was sentenced to death, but even the spikes to be used to kill her fail and prove to be unable to take her life. Eventually, she was martyred by beheading after she willingly allowed herself to be martyred, and it was told that miraculously, a milk-like substance instead of blood poured forth from her wounds. The great examples, faith and commitment, as well as the courage and perseverance of St. Catherine of Alexandria should indeed inspire us all Christians in our own faith in God.

May the Lord, our ever loving God and Father, our wonderful Creator and King continue to guide us all in our lives today, so that we may draw ever closer to His presence, and may all of us continue to be inspired by the great examples shown by His saints, like that of St. Catherine of Alexandria whose life we have just discussed and reflected upon. May all of us continue to love Him first and foremost in our lives and do our best to glorify Him through each and every one of our actions, words and deeds in life, and may God bless our every great efforts and endeavours for His greater glory, now and always. Amen.

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Sunday, 24 November 2024 : Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, Thirty-Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday is the Thirty-Fourth and therefore the Last Sunday of Ordinary Time for this current liturgical year. Beginning next Sunday, the season of Advent will begin and it will also mark the beginning of the new liturgical year cycle. On this Sunday therefore we celebrate the great occasion of the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, celebrating and honouring the Kingship of Our Lord, His Universal Dominion and Kingship, Mastery and Rule over the whole Creation and over all things. On this day we glorify our Lord and King, proclaiming Him as our only Sovereign and Master, the One Who is ruling over our lives, renewing our commitments and dedication to Him, as His followers and disciples, and as His one united people, the Church of God.

In our first reading this Sunday, we heard from the Book of the prophet Daniel in which the vision of Daniel was recounted to us, the vision of God on His Throne, One of a Great Age and the Son of Man, to Whom Daniel saw that the One of Great Age had granted power, sovereignty and dominion over the whole world. This vision was in fact a prelude and premonition of Christ’s coming into this world, the revelation that God would indeed send none other than His own Beloved and Begotten Son, the Divine Word of God, to be incarnate in our midst and to dwell among us, ruling over us all as our Lord and King. And as He comes upon us in the flesh, adopting our human nature and existence, He also made His Kingdom to be manifest in our midst, as something that is real and tangible.

We are also reminded that ultimately, our allegiance and obedience lies and rests in God. Of course we are parts and members of our own respective countries, states and other worldly authorities that we are under and subject to, but we must always keep in mind and remember that all the authority and power they have ultimately came from God, our true Lord and King, our Master and Ruler, Who has entrusted and delegated His power and authority to those whom He had chosen and called to be the ones to exercise that power and authority on daily basis, be it in the secular world, in our states and countries, our governments and worldly rulers, as well as in the Church of God, the Pope and the many bishops all around the world, who have been entrusted with all of us, God’s flock and holy people.

Then, in our second reading this Sunday, we heard from the Book of Revelations of St. John the Apostle where St. John recounted to us his heavenly vision of the events of the end of times and the Final Judgment, the ultimate triumph of the Lord and His victory over all evil, sin and death. St. John had witnessed all those things so that he might be able to encourage and strengthen every one of us, God’s holy and faithful people, reminding us that Our Lord, He Who is Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End, the Lord, Master and Ruler of all will come again in the end of times, to gather us all and to lead us into the eternal bliss, true happiness and joy that He has promised and reassured us all these while. As long as we have faith and trust in Him, and commit ourselves wholeheartedly to Him, we will be saved.

From our Gospel passage this Sunday, taken from the Gospel according to St. John, we heard of the account of the time when the Lord was going through His Passion or Suffering, when Pontius Pilate, the Governor and Procurator of Judea was questioning Him about why the chief priests handed Him over to him to be condemned to death and crucified. Then, in that conversation and exchange we heard Pilate’s question to Jesus, asking Him about the accusations that the chief priests had been making against Him regarding the claim that He called Himself as the King of the Jews. This false claim and accusation was made by the chief priests against the Lord because they knew that it was high treason for anyone to claim to be king and ruler when the land was under Roman dominion and rule.

It was then that the Lord replied to Pilate that He is indeed a King, although not in the manner that he would think or know of. The Lord Himself mentioned that His Kingdom is not of this world, in the sense that His Kingdom, Dominion, power and sovereignty cannot be bound or described in the manner that any other earthly kingdoms and dominions, states and realms can be defined and bound. His Kingship is truly Universal and all-encompassing, and every nation, dominions, realms and other earthly boundaries are all under His rule and power, and this is the truth and reality that every one of us have to believe and trust in, knowing that because God is our Lord and King, hence, we are all the people of the King of Kings, the ones whom He had called and chosen to be His own beloved people.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to these words from the Scriptures and as we all ponder upon the reality of the Kingship of Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, let us all therefore renew our faith and commitment in the Lord, to proclaim Him as our one true Lord and King. And if we truly believe and accept our Lord Jesus as King, then we must truly enthrone Him in our hearts, minds, bodies and souls, in our whole being, and strive as always to put Him at the very centre of our existence and lives. This is what we have been invited and reminded to do, to follow and obey Our King at all times and in all circumstances. As Christians, we must always be ready to proclaim our allegiance to God and our adherence to His ways and teachings, His Law and commandments at every moments in our lives.

The problem often then lies in the fact that many of us do not truly proclaim and hold fast to the fact and belief that Our Lord Jesus Christ, our God, is our Lord and King, our Master and Ruler. Why is that so, brothers and sisters? That is because we often allow the temptations present all around us, the temptations of power, money, worldly desires and attachments to distract us and pull us away from God and His path. And we also end up making those things to be our idols and masters instead of the Lord. Indeed, there are plenty of false idols around us, the idol of money, possessions, ambitions and other forms of worldly pursuits and desires that can keep us away from being truly committed and faithful to the Lord, our true Master and King.

May our Lord and Saviour, our King and Master, Jesus Christ, the Almighty and All-Encompassing Master and Ruler of the whole entire Universe and Creation continue to bless and guide us in all of our every endeavours, efforts and works. May all of us as His beloved and faithful people, His one flock and nation, all remain united in total obedience and commitment to Him as our Lord and King, our true Master in all things. Let us all and our devotion to our King continue to inspire many others in how we live our lives, becoming the great and shining beacons of truth, hope and love, revealing the Good News of God to all creation. Christus Vincit! Christus Regnat! Christus Imperat! Amen.

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Saturday, 23 November 2024 : 33rd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Pope St. Clement I, Pope and Martyr, and St. Columban, Abbot (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

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

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, each and every one of us are reminded of the coming of the end of times and the need for us to continue to have faith and trust in God, no matter what sufferings or hardships we may encounter in our respective paths in life. We must always trust that God will have our back and that we will not be disappointed if we put our faith in Him. At the end of time, we will be raised body and soul to be truly and fully reconciled with God 

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of Revelations of St. John, as we continue to hear the series of revelations received by St. John the Apostle during his exile and persecution in the Island of Patmos and in that vision, we heard of how the Lord will send to His people and to this world two great witnesses who then went on to proclaim the Word of God and His truth amongst the many people who have abandoned and rejected Him and His salvation, choosing instead to obey and follow the Devil, the one who is foretold to try to rise up against all of us at the end of time, persecuting all the ones who are faithful to the Lord. But God will not abandon us and through His servants, He will continue to show His love and encouragement.

Then, as we heard in what will happen next, those two servants are protected from all those who will seek to destroy them, up to the appointed time, when the forces of the evil one will come up and strike at those servants of God. And yet, in the end, the Lord raised them all up to His Presence, as His Spirit of Life descended upon them, striking fear against all those who have persecuted, oppressed and attacked them. It also showed how not even Satan, all sorts of evil forces, sin and death can triumph against God and His power. Ultimately, God will be triumphant against all those who are against Him, Satan and all his fellow fallen angels and demons, and all those who sided with them, while all those who are faithful to Him shall be vindicated and shall share His glorious triumph.

In our Gospel passage today then, taken from the Gospel according to St. Luke, we heard of the discussion between the Lord and some of the Sadducees who were there and wanted to question Him regarding the matter about the Resurrection from the dead. The Sadducees were one of the two most powerful and influential groups within the community of the Jewish people at the time of the Lord Jesus’ ministry, together with the Pharisees. The Sadducees were powerful and the ruling group of the Jews, those who were chosen as the High Priest and the other chief priests, the religious and secular elites of the community. And many of them were worldly in their views and beliefs, seeking to preserve their worldly influence and power above all else.

And hence, they were among those who refused to believe in the resurrection from the dead and any other spiritual matters and beliefs, as opposed to the Pharisees, who were intellectual elites and the teachers and preservers of the Law, who believed firmly in all things spiritual and the resurrection after death. Thus, as the Lord often spoke about life and existence transcending death, the Sadducees were strongly opposed to the Lord on this matter, and questioned Him about this belief in the resurrection. Their example quoting the seven brothers who shared a wife, as per the Law of Moses which dictated that the wife be taken care of by a man’s brothers should he die without a child, was an example of their lack of understanding and appreciation of the teachings and belief in the resurrection and life after death.

The Lord made it clear that life and existence after death should not be compared to our lives in this world, and it will be different from our lives here on earth which is full of desires and imperfections, corruptions and the temptations due to sin that has afflicted each and every one of us. Those who have passed on from this life to the world that is to come, and eventually after the Last Judgment, all of them, and all of us shall share in the fullness of God’s glory and rejoice together with Him in eternity of true happiness and bliss. We who will share in the joy of the Lord will no longer have desires for worldly matters, possessions, attachments and all the other things that those Sadducees and many among us may be desiring. That is what each and every one of us as Christians must realise as well.

Today, the Church celebrates the feast of two great saints, holy men of God, whose lives, faith and dedication to God should be great source of inspiration for all of us to follow in our own respective lives. They are Pope St. Clement I, a holy and dedicated Pope and Vicar of Christ, as well as St. Columban, a renowned Abbot and holy man. First of all, Pope St. Clement I was one of the first Bishops of Rome, the successors of St. Peter the Apostle who was the first Pope and Bishop of Rome. He is the fourth Bishop of Rome, succeeding St. Peter the Apostle, Pope St. Linus and Pope St. Anacletus. According to Apostolic tradition and Church history, Pope St. Clement I was the first among the Apostolic Fathers, the successors to the Apostles who continued their work and ministry among the people of God.

Pope St. Clement I was very active in his ministry as bishop and the leader of the Church, caring for the spiritual needs of the people of God, showing great leadership and governance of the flock of the Lord. He wrote many letters and epistles to the faithful, some of which survived in the writings of the early Church fathers, exhorting the faithful people of God to remain committed to Him despite all the challenges, trials and difficulties that they all had to face and endure amidst the persecutions and oppressions from the Roman state that was common at that time. He continued to work hard to the very end, eventually suffering prison and exile, and in the end, according to Apostolic tradition, like most of the other early Popes, died as a martyr of the Church.

Meanwhile, St. Columban, also known as St. Columbanus, was an Irish missionary priest who dedicated himself to the service of the Lord, in his missions in mainland Europe, in what is today parts of France and beyond. St. Columban spread the word of God to many of the people, and established schools and institutions that drew many people who seek to gain greater knowledge and understanding of their faith. However, despite the great and growing popularity of his schools, St. Columban preferred the solitude of the mountains, after many rounds of conflicts and disagreements with the bishops in France and Italy, eventually settling down in northern Italy on the land bestowed on him and others to establish a monastery, over which St. Columban became an abbot. He continued to dedicate himself to the Lord and His people to the very end of his earthly life.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we have all heard from our Scripture passages today, and also from the good examples and lives of Pope St. Clement I and St. Columban, we are all reminded that as Christians, we are all called to be truly obedient to God and to put our full trust and faith in Him at all times, striving at all times to do whatever is pleasing to Him, to obey Him, His Law and commandments. May the Lord, our most loving and compassionate God continue to help, strengthen and empower us all in our journey in life, and may He continue to bless us in all of our efforts and endeavours to glorify Him in each and every moments of our lives. Amen.

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Friday, 22 November 2024 : 33rd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Cecilia, Virgin and Martyr (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scriptures all of us are reminded through them of the need for each and every one of us to be truly faithful and committed to God, to follow the Lord in all of our ways and to embody our faith in each and every one of our actions so that we may truly be worthy of Him through our various efforts and contributions, in focusing ourselves upon God’s Law and commandments, in keeping ourselves free from the taint and corruption of evil and sin, all the things that can keep us away from the Lord and His salvation, and all the things that had brought us to the corruption that defiled the sanctity of the Temple of God that is our body, our mind, heart and soul, our very beings, which God has made to be His temple and House.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of Revelations of St. John the Apostle, we heard of the continuation of the account of the heavenly vision of St. John that he received during his exile in the Island of Patmos about the end of times and the upcoming tribulations and challenges for the faithful people of God, and how God ultimately will redeem and deliver all of them to the ultimate triumph and victory with Him. In today’s part of the vision that has been told to us, we heard of the Angel of God giving the small book from his hand to St. John to eat as instructed by the Angel, and St. John tasted that this Book of the Word of God is truly sweet in the mouth and yet bitter in the stomach after he had swallowed it.

This is in fact a very good reminder for all of us that the truth and the Word of God is something that is very reassuring and a show of God’s love for us, which is represented by the sweetness of that book which St. John the Apostle consumed in his vision. Then, that bitterness in the stomach is a representation of the hardships and sufferings, the trials and challenges that those who are on the side of the Lord will have to endure to be truly living good and worthy Christian lives. This is a metaphor of what faithful Christians, holy and committed people of God would be going through in their journey, like what the Apostles and the many early Christians had endured and suffered from. Many of them were persecuted, and faced all kinds of martyrdom.

Then, in our Gospel passage today taken from the Gospel according to St. Luke, we heard of the account of the time and moment when the Lord Jesus angrily got rid of all the merchants, money changers and other businesses peddling their merchandise and products, services and other corrupt practices in the courtyard of the Temple of God in Jerusalem. At that time, many of the Jewish people were actually scattered in different places and countries, and many of them lived in places that were distant from their homeland in Jerusalem and Judea. There were many reasons for this, some of them being the destruction of the old kingdoms of Israel and Judah which scattered quite a number of the Israelites to various distant places, and they settled down in those places instead of returning to their homeland as some others had done.

And therefore, since these people came from various places which have distinct and different currencies, it is necessary for those businesses to be set up in the Temple courtyard, such as the selling of animals and other things needed for the ritual sacrifices required by the Law and commandments of God, as it was unlikely for the pilgrims to be bringing their own sacrifices all the way to Jerusalem. Similarly, there was also a rule and custom that the sacrificial offerings cannot be purchased using money that is unclean or improper, such that the ones produced by the Romans, with the Emperor’s face on them, and as the Emperor or the deities in the other coins are improper, hence, the money changers provided the service to exchange the money brought by the pilgrims with the silver coins issued by the Temple that can then be used for the purchase of the sacrificial offerings.

However, the issue that the Lord Jesus took great offense with and which angered Him very much was just how corrupt those who have carried out those businesses had been, in how they overcharged and profitted a lot from gaining money from all the transactions they did, in fooling those pilgrims and cheating them of their money. The chief priests and the Temple officials also turned a blind eye to all the injustice and wickedness, and that was likely because they also profitted from the proceeds and efforts of all those merchants and money changers, and hence, tacitly gave their quiet support for the continued wicked deeds by those who sought to profit above the sufferings of others. Hence, the Lord was truly angered by this, and He cast those wicked merchants and money changers all out, reminding everyone and all of us that God’s Temple is a House of Prayer, and not for such wicked things.

Now, we are then also reminded that as mentioned earlier, our own body, heart, mind and soul are also actually Temples of the Lord’s Holy Presence, the House of the Lord in which God Himself dwells. He is in us, dwelling in us and journeying with us as He has provided us all His own Most Precious Body and Blood, which we all partake through the Most Holy Eucharist, the Lord Himself, in His Body and Blood, His Real Presence, coming into us. And at the same time, God has also given us all His Holy Spirit, bestowed on us all through His Son, sending down the Spirit of Life and grace to us, as He has given to His Church ever since the Pentecost Sunday till this day. And hence, if the Lord Himself is present in us, should we all not then ensure that our bodies, minds, hearts and souls, our whole beings are truly worthy of Him?

Today, the Church also celebrates the Feast of St. Cecilia, the famous martyr and patron saint of music and musicians. St. Cecilia was born into a noble Roman family during the third century at a time of difficulty and persecution for the Christians in the early Church. She was born into possibly a Christian family who nonetheless forced her to marry a pagan nobleman named Valerius. Prior to this, St. Cecilia had dedicated herself in holy virginity to God and vowed not to get married as she dedicated her virginity to the Lord. Her association with music and musicians stemmed from the event that happened during her wedding when she sang passionately from her heart, dedicating the song to God. And she remained chaste afterwards, warning her husband not to touch or violate her virginity as an Angel of the Lord was standing by her side and protecting her.

When Valerius, the husband of St. Cecilia asked her to see the Angel of God, St. Cecilia told her husband that he would be able to see the Angel if he agreed to be baptised as a Christian and go to a specific place outside of Rome. Eventually after following St. Cecilia’s advice, her husband witnessed the Angel of God standing by the side of his wife, and therefore he believed. Eventually then, amidst all the persecutions and trials that happened at that time, all of them were martyred, St. Cecilia herself with her husband, Valerius and her husband’s brother. St. Cecilia herself was martyred by being struck by a sword on the neck, and to the very end, she remained ever faithful to the Lord and became great role model and example for many other Christians during her time and afterwards, right up to this very day. Her courage and example in faith should continue to inspire us all in how we ourselves ought to live our faith as Christians.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we have reflected from the passages of the Sacred Scriptures earlier on and from the life and examples shown by St. Cecilia, holy martyr and servant of God, let us all therefore commit ourselves to a renewed life in faith, doing whatever we can in order to live a life that is truly and wholly righteous, good and full of virtue, distancing ourselves from the taint and corruption of sin to the best of our abilities to do so. Let us all be good role models and inspirations for one another, to be the shining beacons of God’s light, hope and Good News in our world today. May God be with us always and may He always strengthen us in our faith. Amen.

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Thursday, 21 November 2024 : 33rd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Lord in the Scriptures, we are reminded of the great and most loving Mother of God, Mary, who is also our Mother on this day, when we are celebrating the Feast of her Presentation at the Temple and House of God. On this day we remember the time when Mary, when she was just born into this world, she was presented to the Lord at His Temple following His instruction in the Law and commandments that all the firstborn children were to be offered to Him. According to Church and Apostolic tradition, Mary, the Mother of God was presented at the Temple of God by her parents, St. Joachim and St. Anne, as their firstborn and only daughter, dedicating her for the purpose which they then had not known or realised yet.

For Mary has been specially set aside by the Lord Himself to be the one to bear His Presence in the flesh, as He became incarnate in this world, assuming our human nature by the will of the Father and power of the Holy Spirit, that the Son of God might be present in our midst, as the Son of Man, to be carried and born from Mary, who therefore would hence be known as the Mother of God. And because she herself is to bear the Divine Son of God, hence, the Church teaches that through the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary that she had been conceived free from the taint of original sin and had been in the state of fullness of grace throughout all of her life. This means that Mary has been completely obedient to the Lord and having also therefore been presented to God at the Temple, it also symbolically marked how she has been prepared for the important role she was to have in the story of our salvation.

In our first reading today taken from the Book of the prophet Zechariah we heard of the reassurance of God’s salvation and His providence to His people which He delivered to them all through His prophet, amidst all the hardships, challenges and difficulties that they had all endured because of their own disobedience and refusal to obey God’s words and will. The Lord has never forgotten or abandoned them all despite their disobedience, wickedness and stubbornness in refusing to follow His Law and commandments. And He has kept on promising His salvation and deliverance to all of them, all throughout the time, encouraging and strengthening them, guiding and helping them through His many prophets and messengers, including that of Zechariah himself.

All these would hence be fulfilled in due time, a few centuries after the time of the prophet Zechariah, when as mentioned, when Mary came to be in this world, set aside by God to be the faithful servant and the woman through whom His salvation, the long awaited Saviour would come into this world. God has not forgotten about His people and He proved it all through the sending of this woman, preserved and kept from all the taints of sin and evil so that the Saviour may come through her into this world, bringing forth the light and hope that had long been dimmed by a world filled with sin and darkness. Through Mary, and her willingness to follow the Lord and to do what she has been entrusted to do, all of us have received the assurance of salvation and eternal life, the straight path back towards the Lord and the glory of Heaven that has always been intended for us.

For Mary is indeed the New Eve, the one who directs us all to the New Adam, that is Christ Himself, her beloved Son and our Saviour. While the first and old Adam had disobeyed God and sinned against Him, the New Adam, Our Lord and Saviour as the New Man obeyed perfectly the will of His Father and became for us therefore the source of salvation and eternal life. And this is mirrored by the examples of His own Mother Mary, who as the New Eve obeyed the Lord and refused to follow the path of sin done by the first and original Eve, who gave in to temptation and disobeyed the Lord’s words and command, choosing to follow the whim of human desire and ambition rather than to follow and trust in the Lord. Mary obeyed perfectly when she was entrusted with the most important mission of bearing the Saviour in her.

Then, from our Gospel passage today taken from the Gospel according to St. Matthew, we heard of the occasion when the Lord was teaching the people and then some of them were telling Him that His Mother, Mary and some of His relatives, brothers from His family but not the sons of Mary, were there waiting on Him, as they commonly followed Him in some of His ministries and works. But the Lord seemed to rebuke them when He said that His mother and brothers are those who have listened to the Lord, obeyed His will and commandments, and followed Him wholeheartedly. Indeed, if we only read His words at face value and did not truly understand His intentions, those words might seem to be very rude, but this was not what the Lord intended.

In fact, the Lord was highlighting His own Mother’s perfect and most exemplary faith, shown through her total obedience to the will of God and her commitment to the mission entrusted to her. It was at the same time also a reminder to everyone including each one of us that the Lord has no favouritism, unlike those commonly practiced by the people of His time and even that of ours. It does not mean that being related to Him or being a close disciple of His would guarantee that one would be honoured more and praised, or receiving more rights to salvation than others who did not have such a connection. All of us are equally beloved by God and we all have equal opportunities to come to the Lord and be reconciled to Him. And Mary herself has also shown her most wonderful faith by example, and we truly honour her not just because she is the Mother of God, of Our Lord and Saviour but also by her most wonderful and exemplary faith in God.

As we have heard from our Scripture passages today, we are therefore reminded to be like Mary, the Mother of God and our Mother, whose faith and dedication to God, whose love for her Son, Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and also her love for us are truly wonderful and beautiful to behold. We are all called to dedicate ourselves and our lives to the Lord, and to follow Him wholeheartedly at all times, in all the occasions and circumstances of our lives. May the Lord continue to bless us all and our every efforts, and through the constant intercession of His Blessed and most loving Mother, who is also our Mother, we may continue to be encouraged and strengthened to allow us to follow our Lord faithfully and ever more courageously in each and every moments of our lives. May God be with us always and may He continue to guide in our journey in life, together with His most loving Mother Mary, our own beloved Mother. Amen.

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Wednesday, 20 November 2024 : 33rd Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are all reminded of the responsibilities that we have as Christians, that is as all those whom God had called and chosen to be His own people, so that we all should live worthily in the presence of God, being inspiration and role models for each other in how we live our lives well, committed and dedicated to glorifying the Lord by our every actions throughout our daily living. We must always make good use of the many blessings, opportunities and all the other things which God has presented to us in all of our lives, so that by our contributions and works, we may indeed be living true and genuine Christian lives, in accordance with God has commanded us all to do.

In our first reading today, we heard of the words from the Book of Revelations of St. John the Apostle in which he highlighted the great vision of Heaven and God in all of His glory upon His Throne, which showed the revelation of the One Whom we truly believe in and have been worshipping. God had indeed made Himself visible and approachable to us through His Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Word of God, but at the same time, He is still the Almighty, Omnipotent and Omniscient God, Master and Lord over all the whole Universe, over all of Creation. That is why St. John elaborated on all the glorious things he had witnessed of the Lord, of the greatness and glory that is unparalleled and full of perfection, and the glory of the Angels, the Seraphim and the Cherubim surrounding the Throne of God, which reflects God’s far greater glory and might in them.

Through what we have heard in that passage from the Book of Revelations of St. John the Apostle we are all reminded that God Who is our Lord and Master is truly beyond our comprehension and understanding, and He is Almighty and perfect, and has no need for us, and yet, He chose to share the overflowing Love that comes forth from His loving Heart with us all, creating all of us to share in His love and joy, and to exist with Him in His Holy Presence forevermore. This glorious existence and truth has been revealed and presented to us by St. John who also wanted each and every one of us to keep in mind the manner how we all live our lives each day. All of us must always strive to be worthy of the Lord in everything that we say and do so that everyone may know Him through us and our actions.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, we heard from the Gospel according to St. Luke in which the Lord Jesus told His disciples and the people listening to Him using a parable that we all ought to know well, that is the parable of the silver pounds or the silver talents. In this parable, the Lord wants to remind us all to be aware of our calling, mission and obligations as Christians, as His followers and those who have been entrusted with various and diverse gifts, blessings, talents, opportunities and other things by which we have been empowered and strengthened, and given the chance to make good use of them all for the benefit of all and everyone around us. All of us have been entrusted like those in the parable with the responsibilities, the ‘silver pounds’ which our Lord and Master has given us all, in its varying amounts and types.

As we heard from that parable, those servants who have made good use of the silver pounds they were entrusted with and gained from that investment and efforts were rewarded by the Master in the end, who entrusted them with authority and rule over cities under his power. Meanwhile, the servant who fearfully hid his silver pound, ignored his responsibilities and did nothing with it was punished for his lack of obedience and refusal to do as he had been told to. This is therefore a clear parallel and comparison with us all, in how we ought to make good use of the many blessings, gifts, talents and opportunities that God has granted to us. We should not keep them idle, ignoring the many things that we can do for the benefit of all those whom we encounter in life.

If we ignore these opportunities and do nothing in order to help all those around us whom we can help and empower through our own efforts, our care and love, then we shall have to account for it before God. For sin is not just about doing what is wrong and against the Law of God, but also includes the sin of omission, that is not doing and ignoring what we can perfectly do in our daily lives and activities, through the many opportunities and things that God had provided for us. Each and every one of us are the ones whom God had entrusted with the care of this world, the place that He has prepared for all of us, and we are also entrusted with the care of our fellow brothers and sisters, all fellow children of God, in our various capacities, be it as a parent, a child, a family member, a relative, a friend, or even as a stranger, offering love and kindness in all things.

Now, are we willing and able then to commit ourselves to a life that is filled with true grace and loving actions towards one another? Are we willing to put in the effort to invest in whatever it is that God had given us, just like those good and hardworking servants in the parable? Let us all remember that God, as St. John the Apostle showed part of His glory to us, has kindly given us all these blessings and good things, be it small or significant in amount so that we can make good use of them for everyone’s benefit. Yet, many of us had chosen to selfishly keep them to ourselves, gathering things that we desire for our own wants and ambitions. This is what we are warned against doing, and we should heed God’s reminders for us so that we do not wait until it is too late before we do something about it.

Let us all therefore continue to do our best to follow the Lord faithfully and worthily through our caring and loving actions towards our fellow brothers and sisters around us. Let us all do our part in making this world a better place, starting from ourselves and our communities, in how we act towards those whom we encounter in our daily activities and lives, and in our society surrounding us. May our actions, words and deeds continue to glorify the Lord and proclaim His truth and Good News, and bring the love of God to more and more people, now and always. Amen.