Reflections

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Wednesday, 24 July 2024 : 16th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Charbel Makhluf, Priest (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Priests)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures in which we are all reminded to answer the call which the Lord had made to us, in everything which He had done for us, in leading us all to the right path in life. Each and every one of us have been entrusted with the various and unique gifts, talents, opportunities and capabilities which God had sown in us, so that hopefully we may make good use of them for the benefit of everyone around us, for those whom we are interacting with. Through us and our efforts, and our interactions with others, we may inspire many more people to come and follow the Lord as well.

In our first reading today, we heard of the words of the Lord calling Jeremiah to be His servant, in becoming the prophet to the people of the southern kingdom of Judah, which was then in its last years of existence. The people of Israel, God’s first chosen people back then had been divided into two groups, and they had mostly disobeyed the Lord and His commandments, disregarded and refusing to follow His Law despite the many reminders and help provided to them by the Lord through His prophets and messengers. The northern kingdom of Israel then had been crushed and destroyed by the Assyrians, sent into exile in distant lands. The people of God in the southern kingdom of Judah had similarly lived in the same way, and they would soon share a similar fate to their brethren in the north.

It therefore fell upon Jeremiah to be the one whom God sent to His people to tell them of their impending doom and all that they would have to face as a consequence for their rebelliousness and refusals to follow the path of God. Jeremiah himself was unsure of the responsibilities and the charge placed upon him, but the Lord reassured and encouraged him, saying that He would be with him throughout the way, and He would guide and inspire him in whatever he was to say to those whom he had been sent to. He empowered Jeremiah and strengthened him, so that through His guidance, this simple man would become one of the great prophets, through whom many would be called to return to God and His path.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, we heard from the Gospel of St. Matthew in which the Lord Jesus taught and preached to the people with the famous parable of the sower. In that parable, we heard of the Lord speaking to the people using the comparison with a sower that was spreading seeds on different places. The Lord liked to use these parables because many of the people back then were illiterate and uneducated, and they did not know much about the ways of the world outside that of their professions or related ones. Many of the people back then were farmers, shepherds and fishermen, and hence, the Lord used these parables to help them understand what He wanted to tell them.

As we heard in that parable, the sower placed the seeds in various places and the seeds faced different fates depending on where those seeds had landed. This would later on be explained and be elaborated further by the Lord, but let me explain in case some among us may not be aware of the meaning and significance of this parable. The seeds that landed on the roadside were snatched and eaten away by the birds of the air, representing those people who have received the seeds of faith from the Word of God, and yet, allowed Satan and the other evil ones to snatch these truth and virtues away from them, by not taking up these into their hearts and minds, ignoring what the Lord had generously presented and given to them.

Then, those seeds that fell upon the rocky grounds and dried up before they could grow roots represent those who have received the Word of God and His truth, and yet failed to allow these to grow roots in their hearts and minds, as they did not provide good and suitable environment for their faith to grow and blossom in. And those seeds that landed among the brambles and thistles were choked to death as they grew, because those brambles and thistles competed with the plants for nutrients and other resources. These represent all those who allowed the distractions in life to pull them away from the path of righteousness and virtue, instead following the path of greed, desire, ego and ambition, which would lead them to their downfall.

It was only those seeds that fell upon the rich soil that managed to germinate and grow well, healthy and strong, bearing lots of rich fruits and produces, in multiples of what had been planted before. This represents all those who have received the Word of God and truly acted on them, internalising and receiving them with genuine faith, doing their best to embody what they have believed in, so that their faith is not merely just a formality only, but a truly real and living faith. This has also been shown by the example of the prophet Jeremiah from the Old Testament, as well as the many other prophets and servants of God, who have allowed the Lord to guide and strengthen them in their lives so that in everything that they had said and done, they would indeed bear rich and plentiful fruits of their faithful actions and commitments to God.

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Sharbel Makhluf, also known as St. Charbel Makhlouf, who was a renowned Maronite Catholic monk living in what is part of Lebanon today, born into a pious family, raised up well in the faith by his family. He would ensure that he had time for prayers and committed himself to God even from a very young age. Eventually, he became a monk after years of preparation and instruction, taking up the name by which he is now famous today, namely that of Charbel, inspired by the saint of that name, a Christian martyr of the region during the early history of the Church. He therefore began a life of seclusion and withdrawal from the world as a hermit for the rest of his life.

St. Charbel lived the rest of his life in pious and prayerful seclusion, and he died about twenty-three years after he began his hermitic lifestyle. Yet, even after his passing, his great holiness and virtues, his examples and great commitment to God brought about great wonders and inspiring things to happen, as he is indeed famous for right up to this day, more than a century after this great saint’s passing. It was told since immediately after his passing that miracles happened aplenty at his tomb, and many people were healed and encountered miracles, and also through the intercession of St. Charbel, many experienced great things and were cured from their diseases and troubles. This led to many people to turn towards the Lord, as among those who sought for the intercession of St. Charbel were unbelievers.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we have heard from the inspirational story of the life of St. Charbel Makhlouf, as well as the words we have heard today from the Sacred Scriptures on the calling and commissioning of the prophet Jeremiah, and also the parable of the sower, we are therefore reminded that each and every one of us as Christians, as God’s disciples and followers, have the important responsibility and part to play in ensuring that our lives are truly faithful to the Lord, and that we are always open to the Lord guiding and strengthening each one of us in our respective lives. All of us must be like those seeds that grow in the rich and fertile soil, and hence, we should ensure that our lives and environment, that is our hearts and minds, our whole beings are truly conducive to allow our faith in God and our love for Him to continue to grow and develop.

May the Lord, our most loving God and Father continue to help and strengthen us all, so that in all that we do, we will continue to be inspired and encouraged to do our best, to be ever more faithful and to strive to follow Him in all of our lives. May He empower each one of us and be our source of Hope and encouragement, be our Light and inspiration, now and always. Amen.

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Tuesday, 23 July 2024 : 16th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Bridget of Sweden, Religious (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Religious)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Scriptures, all of us as Christians, as God’s holy and beloved people are called and reminded to seek the Lord once again for His ever generous and enduring love and mercy, for everything that He had done for us, in reaching out to us and in being generous in caring for every one of us without exception. He has been willing to extend His mercy to forgive us from all the wickedness and sins we have committed, and He is now calling on each and every one of us to turn away from those wickedness and sins, embracing once again the fullness of His love, and to be filled once again with His grace.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the prophet Micah in which the prophet mentioned of the Lord’s great faithfulness and love for His people, all the things that He had done for the sake of His beloved people, those whom He had called and chosen from among the nations. He is their Lord and Shepherd, the One Who would guide them all to the right path, gathering and bringing them from the nations, reaching out to those who have been lost to Him, patiently guiding them all back towards His loving Presence despite all the rebelliousness and the wickedness that they had committed and shown Him. He wanted to love them all once again and gave them the opportunity to repent from all those wicked ways.

The Lord had been very patient with His people if we read up throughout the story of the Old Testament, as He sent to His people many prophets, messengers and guides, and He as their loving Shepherd and Father, has always desired to gather all of His lost children and sheep to Himself. In the meantime, He chastised and punished them all because He wanted all of them to realise the errors of their ways, as well as to discipline them and to keep them all aware of the consequences of their sins. That is why He wanted to show and teach them all the right and worthy path to follow in our lives.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, we heard from the Gospel of St. Matthew in which the Lord Jesus told His disciples and all those who were assembled there to listen to Him, that all those who have listened to God’s words and obeyed His will are all like His own mother, brothers and sisters, like that of His own family. This happened at the time when the Lord’s mother, Mary, and His relatives all were waiting for Him just as He was busy ministering to the people and teaching them. This might indeed seem to be such a rude remark for the Lord to make, especially one against His own family members, and especially for His mother.

However, in truth, the Lord wanted to teach and show everyone that in fact, His mother is truly the greatest of examples of this piety and faith, as Mary’s obedience to God’s will and her commitment to love her Son, her virtues and righteousness are all that we exactly need to follow and emulate in our own lives as God’s holy and beloved people. God is reminding us all that every one of us are equal before Him, and through His Son, He has opened for us the surest path and indeed the only way to salvation. If only that we will follow the examples shown by His loving Mother, Mary, who is also our own mother, then we shall be able to follow the path that Christ our Lord and Saviour has shown us. And in addition, there are also many other holy men and women whose lives can be great inspiration for us to follow as well.

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Bridget of Sweden, who was known as a great mystic and a holy woman, honoured as one of the great Patron Saints of Europe. She was born into a rich landowning family in medieval era Sweden, and was then married at a relatively young age to a Swedish nobleman, having six of her own children surviving their infancy years. One of them is another Swedish saint, namely St. Catherine of Sweden. This, coupled with the facts and evidences of the holy and devout life carried out by St. Bridget of Sweden in her devotion as a mother, a wife and as a daughter of God, all of these showed us all how St. Bridget is truly a great role model for all of us in all of our lives, in what we all ourselves can do to glorify the Lord by our lives.

St. Bridget lived a truly holy life, and when her husband passed away and she was widowed, she dedicated herself thoroughly to God by becoming a member of the Third Order of St. Francis, comprised of all the laity who sought to emulate the examples and charism of St. Francis of Assisi and his Franciscan Order in dedicating themselves to God and to His people, which St. Bridget carried out most faithfully in her life of prayer and service to those who were poor and sick. In addition, St. Bridget also initiated the idea and started the religious congregation known as the Order of the Most Holy Saviour, or as the Bridgettines after their founder. This order gathered men and women into communities dedicated to serving the Lord and His people, committing themselves to the good of all of God’s beloved.

St. Bridget was also known for her many mystical experiences and visions, which she recorded down, as well as for her pilgrimage to Rome, Jerusalem and Bethlehem which were well recorded and known, and in Rome she was in particular honoured and respected for her great piety and holy life, for her commitment and faith in the Lord. She inspired many others through her life and good examples, and she also committed to help and inspire the much needed reforms of the Church. Through her lifelong commitment and devotion to God, many of us should be inspired and strengthened in our own faith in God, so that we may truly know how we should live our lives worthily in the path that God has shown us all.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, having heard of the inspiring examples and the life story of St. Bridget of Sweden, let us all therefore strive to be good and worthy disciples of the Lord in all that we say and do, and that in every parts of our lives, we will always continue to glorify God and be the good role models and inspirations for one another, helping everyone around us to come ever closer to God. Our lives should be truly holy and faithful, filled with virtues and good deeds at all times. May we all continue to dedicate and commit ourselves to God and His path, as how St. Bridget of Sweden and many other holy men and women had done. Amen.

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Monday, 22 July 2024 : Feast of St. Mary Magdalene, Apostle of the Apostles (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today marks the occasion of the Feast of St. Mary Magdalene, the first of the Apostles of the Lord and one of the holy women that accompanied the Lord Jesus during His ministry, also known as Apostolorum Apostola, or the ‘Apostle of the Apostles’ for her role in witnessing the Resurrection of the Lord, as one of the first to encounter the Risen Lord and then proclaiming that Good News to the others, who themselves would become Apostles. The word and title ‘Apostle’ itself came from the Greek word ‘Apostolos’ which came from the verb that means ‘to send off’ and hence, has the meaning of being someone who has been sent off on a particular mission, and in this sense, St. Mary Magdalene received that great honour because she was indeed sent by the Lord to give the Good News to the other Apostles.

St. Mary Magdalene was one of the women frequently mentioned in the Gospels as one of the close confidants of the Lord, following Him on His missions. In terms of her identity, Apostolic and Church traditions were not clear, as she was sometimes associated with the woman who had been a prostitute or adulterer, but in one occasion in the Gospels, it was mentioned that the Lord had cast out seven demons from St. Mary Magdalene. Regardless of her origin and background, whatever she had done in the past and the sins she might have committed, what truly matters is that after her commitment to follow the Lord and her desire to serve the Lord henceforth, St. Mary Magdalene became a great role model and inspiration for all of us in how we ought to live our lives as Christians.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of Song of Songs, also known as the Songs of Solomon in which the author wrote about the one who was seeking for the love of her heart, looking around and finding where this person whom she loved. This was a prefigurement of what happened in our Gospel passage today, in which we heard the account of the moment when St. Mary Magdalene was in the garden where the tomb of the Lord was located at, on the Easter Sunday morning when the Lord was risen from the dead. St. Mary Magdalene was distraught because she could not find the Lord’s Body in the tomb that morning, and she genuinely thought that the Lord’s Body had indeed been stolen by someone, and when the Risen Lord appeared before her therefore, she begged Him to show her where her Master’s body was at, not realising that she was speaking to Him.

The relationship between St. Mary Magdalene and the Lord is sometimes misconstrued as one of romantic nature as popularised not long ago by some incorrigible fiction authors, as it had been in the past. But if we understand deeper the context and the relationship between the Lord and St. Mary Magdalene, we can see how in St. Mary Magdalene we saw a great faith and love that she has for the Lord, Who has shown her the path of righteousness and liberated her from the bondage of the evil ones, and she also dedicated herself thoroughly and completely to His cause henceforth, as she was also one of the few who remained close to the Lord at the moment of His Passion, when He was suffering and being persecuted just before He was crucified. St. Mary Magdalene attended to the Lord when many other disciples fled in fear.

St. Mary Magdalene showed us all that there is hope for each and every one of us, that even those who were great sinners, those possessed by evil spirits and having been corrupted by sin have the potential and the chance to be redeemed through their faith and commitment to God. Like many other great sinners and other ordinary people turned saints, St. Mary Magdalene exemplified what a Christian should be like, in overcoming the temptations of the world, all the allures of sin and evil, embracing God’s call in our lives so that we may truly be able to follow Him wholeheartedly in whatever we do, and that we may be good inspirations and role models ourselves to our fellow brothers and sisters all around us.

Today, as we rejoice and honour the glorious examples and memory of St. Mary Magdalene, virtuous servant of God and our role model, let us all also strive to renew our own respective commitments to God. Each and every one of us have been entrusted with the unique gifts and talents, opportunities and chances for us to make good use of our lives to glorify Him. Now the question is whether we want to allow the Lord to help and guide us in our path, or whether we allow the many temptations of evil and wickedness in our lives to sway and mislead us down the wrong paths in life. If we continue to allow all these distractions and temptations to lead us down the wrong path, eventually we will regret our choice in doing so.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore commit ourselves to refocus our lives and our attention back towards the Lord, distancing ourselves from whatever it is that had distracted and kept us all away from Him. Let us all not be so easily deluded and misguided by the evil one anymore, but commit ourselves with ever greater effort and fervour like what St. Mary Magdalene had done, so that in everything that we do, we will always glorify the Lord, and do what is right and just in the sight of God. Let our lives be good examples and be truly worthy for all of us to be considered and called as the disciples and followers of the Lord. We should always strive and aspire to be ever righteous, just and full of faith and love towards God at all times.

May the Lord, our ever loving and compassionate God continue to bless us all and be with each and every one of us, and may He continue to strengthen each one of us through the examples of His glorious saints, such as St. Mary Magdalene and many others who have given their all and devoted their lives to God. St. Mary Magdalene, holy servant of God, intercede and pray for us all sinners, that God may be moved to forgive us all our sins and that He will continue to love us and to strengthen us in our journey of faith through life, now and always. Amen.

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Sunday, 21 July 2024 : Sixteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday all of us are reminded that as His holy and beloved people, that is as those who profess our Christian faith and truth, our obedience and commitment to Him, each and every one of us must always live our lives worthily and commit ourselves to follow the Lord in all things, to do what He has taught us to do, to follow His own examples in everything we do. Each and every one of us as Christians are called to fulfil our respective missions in life, to do what the Lord has entrusted to us to do, He, Who is the Chief and Good Shepherd, so that in all the things that we say and do, we will help to ensure that we inspire and are good role models for our fellow brothers and sisters around us, thus helping and inspiring each other to come ever closer to God.

In our first reading this Sunday, we heard from the Book of the prophet Jeremiah in which the Lord first began by chiding His faithless and wicked people, especially all those who have misled them all into the wrong and wicked paths, namely the ‘shepherds’ and guides of the people, referring to the wicked and unfaithful kings of Judah who have disobeyed the Lord and established the worship of pagan gods and idols on the holy sites and places of worship of the Lord, as well as those false prophets who were aplenty, claiming to represent God’s will and speak His words, when they in fact advanced their own ideas, preferences and agenda, desiring to gain things and benefits for themselves rather than to do what is right to the people of God and to truly do God’s will.

The prophet Jeremiah had often spoken against those false prophets and all the wicked practices of the people of Judah and their kings, prophesying about the destruction of Judah and Jerusalem, which would indeed happen very soon at that time, when the Babylonians came to conquer the kingdom of Judah, destroying Jerusalem and its Temple. And everything that the prophet Jeremiah had said would indeed come to pass with the Babylonians bringing many of the people of Judah into exile in distant lands away from the lands that they and their ancestors had lived in, a consequence of the rebelliousness and wickedness of their lives and actions before God and men alike.

But at the same time, the Lord also reassured His people of His continued love and generous mercy and forgiveness, as He told them that He would gather them all back and then appoint over them shepherds and guides who would take good care of them all, referring first of all to how they would eventually return to their homeland after many years and decades in exile, and how the Lord would allow and help them to rebuild their lives once again, as they would reestablish their homes and cities, rebuilding the Temple of Jerusalem which would once again be the centre of the proper and worthy worship of the Lord. All these things would indeed come to be just as the Lord had decreed and willed them all to be.

In our second reading this Sunday, we heard from the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Church and the faithful in the city of Ephesus in which the Apostle spoke of this great love and salvation which God had made available to all of us, His beloved ones, through His Son, Our Lord and Saviour, Who has come into our midst, to all of us, the beloved children of God, so that by His coming into this world, and by everything that He has willingly done for us, all of us may receive from Him the assurance of eternal life and true happiness with Him. And He did all these by the willing and most selfless sacrifice, all the sufferings that He endured from His Cross, which He brought and carried with Him all the way to Calvary.

Yes, indeed, God had saved us all and shown us all the most perfect and worthy example of His ever enduring love for us by His Son’s Passion, the suffering and all that He experienced, as He offered for us, on our behalf, the most worthy offering and sacrifice of His own Most Precious Body and Most Precious Blood, the Body and Blood of the Lamb of God, persecuted and slain at the Altar of the Cross at Calvary, on the day of our salvation, that is Good Friday, so that through His offering and sacrifice, all of us may receive the full assurance and guarantee of eternal life and salvation through Him. This is truly the perfect example of God’s ever enduring and generous love for us, which we ought to remember at each and every moments of our lives.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Mark, we heard of the Lord Jesus Who continued to teach to the people and care for them despite Him and His disciples being physically tired from all the works and missions that they carried out among the people. The disciples had wanted to go off to a secluded place to avoid the crowd so that they all could have a rest after the continuous and ceaseless streams of people coming to the Lord to have Him heal their sick ones or to listen to His teachings and words. But the Lord had pity on the people, who were described in the Gospel as those who were without any shepherd and guidance.

This was in fact a fulfilment of what the Lord had proclaimed earlier on through the prophet Jeremiah and the other prophets, that God would indeed send to His beloved people a new Shepherd, the One Who would gather all of them and show them the path towards Himself, He Who is the Good Shepherd and the Lord of all, none other than Jesus Christ Himself, the Saviour. Through His Son, the Lord gathered everyone back to Himself, calling upon everyone to embrace once again His love and providence, and to follow the path that He Himself has shown us so that we may not be lost again to Him through our disobedience and sins. God wants each and every one of us to be fully reconciled and reunited with Him.

Therefore, brothers and sisters in Christ, as we all have heard from the Sacred Scriptures and as we have discussed and discerned them all earlier in their messages, we are all reminded that as God’s most beloved ones, we must always realise just how beloved and precious each and every one of us by God, Who has done everything for us so that we may have the path towards eternal life. Let us all therefore reject all sorts of wickedness and evils in our lives and strive from now on to be ever more committed to God, in all the things that we say and do, in our every interactions with one another. May the Lord be with us always and may He continue to empower and strengthen us all so that we will continue to follow Him and be faithful to Him, ever reminded of the great and ever enduring, most wonderful love that He has for each one of us, now and always. Amen.

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Saturday, 20 July 2024 : 15th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Apollinaris, Bishop and Martyr (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs) or White (Saturday Mass of Our Lady)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are all reminded to be ever more faithful to the Lord in all things, to do His will and not to give in to the temptations of worldly glory and power, all of which can lead us astray down the path of disobedience, evil and sin. We must always strive to be upright and good in all things, doing whatever we can so that by our good examples and actions grounded and anchored upon our firm foundation of faith in God, we will always be the worthy and faithful bearers of our Christian faith and truth in our world today. All of us should always be the guardians of the truth and of all that our Christian faith teaches us and shows us.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the prophet Micah in which the Lord told His people through Micah of His anger and the coming punishments and consequences awaiting His wicked and disobedient people, all of whom had chosen to disobey Him, walking down the path of rebellion and wickedness, choosing to obey the lies of the devil rather than to trust in the Lord, their God and Master. The prophet Micah was sent to the people of the southern kingdom of Judah, during the time of the downfall of the northern kingdom of Israel and the Assyrian invasion and domination of the kingdom of Judah by King Sennacherib. He was one of the prophets who were active at the time, and he brought God’s words to His people in Judah.

We heard about all the things that would soon happen to the people and kingdom of Judah, the downfall of those who have long disobeyed His commandments and preferring to follow the wicked paths of the false idols and pagan gods rather than to trust and have faith in their Lord and Master Who had taken care of them all, all throughout the years of their prosperous existence in Judah and Israel. The consequences for those sins have to be faced by the people themselves, and that was why the Lord gave them all this warning and premonition through Micah. Of course, He did so while also telling them of His love and mercy, and showing them the prophecy of the coming liberation and salvation that they would receive from God.

Through this, the Lord wanted to show His people that He truly loved each and every one of them, and He did not truly want to punish them or make their lives difficult, but it was rather their hardened hearts and minds, their stubbornness and their continued rebellion against God which had condemned them and led them to their predicaments. They did not trust in the Lord and refused to obey by His Law and commandments, and as a result, they suffered, they became lost and they were muddled in their paths and thoughts. But the Lord never gave up on them, and He continued to send His help and guidance through His prophets, and promised them the ultimate salvation that He ultimately fulfilled and accomplished through the sending of His Son, Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, we heard from the passage taken from the Gospel of St. Matthew in which the Lord Jesus and how He was treated by the Pharisees and many of the religious elites of His time were highlighted to all of us. The Lord Jesus was indeed the One Whom God had sent into this world, the Son of God Incarnate in the flesh, the Son of Man, through Whom God would gather everyone to Himself, all of His beloved ones, showing them all His love manifested perfectly in the flesh. And yet, He was rejected and opposed by those who were supposedly the most knowledgeable about the Law and the teachings of the prophets, as they saw in Him a great Rival and even threat to their own power, influence and authority among the people of God.

Nonetheless, the Lord continued to do His best to reach out to those who are dear and beloved to Him, caring for them as best as He could, showing them His ever generous and patient love even when the people had disobeyed Him and refused to follow His path, through their stubbornness and disobedience. He still reached out to them, performing His works and miracles in their midst, sending His disciples to share with them all His truth, Good News, love and guidance. The Lord did everything just as the prophets had foretold of Him, loving all of them wonderfully and generously, reaching out to the greatest sinners and those deemed most unworthy in the midst of the people, like the prostitutes and tax collectors, those who were suffering from maladies and diseases, and those possessed by evil spirits.

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Apollinaris, a great and holy servant of God whose life and commitment to the Lord is truly inspirational and a great example for all of us to follow in our own lives. He was also known as St. Apollinaris of Ravenna after the place of his ministry as bishop and his martyrdom in the early history of the Church. He was likely born in Antioch or in its surrounding region in Syria, and he was either one of the seventy-two disciples or a disciple of St. Peter according to Apostolic history and tradition. St. Apollinaris was appointed as the first Bishop of Ravenna, covering the region of northern and eastern parts of what is today Italy, as the early Church kept on growing rapidly and gaining more and more converts, expanding the reach of its works to the people who have not yet known the Lord and His salvation.

St. Apollinaris dedicated much of his life and ministry to proclaim the Good News of God to more and more people in his diocese, spreading the Christian faith and truth to those who still believed in the pagan faith of the Roman Empire. He managed to convince quite a number of people to embrace the Lord as their God and Saviour, establishing a vibrant Christian community in Ravenna and its surrounding regions. Despite all the challenges and persecutions that he had to endure and suffer, including being beaten and left half-dead at the seashore by the pagans, and being forced to walk on burning coals, St. Apollinaris continued to remain firmly faithful and committed to his mission, captured and beaten more times, only to miraculously survive and continuing on with his missions. In the end, he was persecuted and beaten again close to death, and before he died, he predicted that while the Church would continue to be persecuted, but it will eventually be triumphant with God.

From the examples shown by the great St. Apollinaris, his life and courageous martyrdom, all of us are reminded that as Christians we have been entrusted with the mission to proclaim the salvation of the Lord and His Good News which we have received and believed in, so that in all the things that we say and do, in our every moments in our respective lives, we will continue to be great role models and inspirations in faith for one another just like how St. Apollinaris and the many other saints, holy men and women of God have inspired us all as well. May all of us continue to be inspired and strengthened to do what God had taught, commanded and entrusted to us to do, now and always, and may He bless us in all of our every good works and deeds, in our every good efforts and endeavours. Amen.

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Friday, 19 July 2024 : 15th 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 all us are reminded once again that God truly loves each one of us as His beloved children and people, those to whom God has been willing to show all of His attention, love and care. God has never sought our destruction and damnation, and He has always loved us all since the very beginning, when He decided to create us all. Through His love, He has given us so many great and wonderful things, first and foremost is the love that He has manifested to us through His beloved Son, Our Lord and Saviour, through Whom He has assured us all of eternal life.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the prophet Isaiah in which the story of the illness of King Hezekiah of Judah was presented to us, in which this ailing King sought for God’s mercy and compassion, and hoped that God could heal him and extend his life for all the faithful actions and obedience which he had shown to Him in his years ruling the people and kingdom of Judah as a virtuous and righteous King, as well as a faithful servant of God. King Hezekiah himself was one of the few kings of Judah who had been faithful to God unlike many of his predecessors, obeying the Law of God and following His Law and commandments faithfully.

Thus, in that first reading passage that we heard today, King Hezekiah begged the Lord to remember all of his good deeds and to have pity on him. God listened to Hezekiah’s prayers and extended his life by another fifteen years. The prophet Isaiah brought the good tidings upon the king, who was informed therefore that God had listened to his prayers and that he would live another fifteen years just as God had said. This shows us that God truly loves us all, His beloved ones, and He is also the Lord and Master of all things, including the matters of life and death, as the One Lord and Master of all things.

Then, in our Gospel passage today taken from the Gospel of St. Matthew we heard yet another confrontation between the Lord and the Pharisees, as the latter, the intellectual and religious elites of the people of God at that time, saw the actions of the disciples in picking the grains of the wheat in the fields on the day of the Sabbath as a serious violation of the Law of the Sabbath, which the Pharisees very seriously and strictly enforced and observed. According to their customs and practices, handed down from the time of Moses and expanded, no one was supposed to do any works or even actions on the day of the Sabbath.

However, the Lord made it clear to those Pharisees how history and tradition of the people of God themselves had shown the clear case of contradictions to such a belief and practice, and how clear exceptions had happened in the past when examples were recorded of how some important figures, such as King David and his men, as quoted by the Lord Himself, how they went into the Temple of God during their time escaping from the wrath and pursuit by King Saul of Israel, and ate of the bread of the Temple reserved according to the Law only for the priests at the time when they were very hungry and had nothing else with them to eat.

He also mentioned how the priests at the Temple were essentially breaking the Law by their actions and works on the day of the Sabbath, which they needed to do out of necessity, and this is especially so considering the extremely strict and rigid interpretation that the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law took at that time. Once again, the Lord wanted to show that it is truly foolish for the Pharisees to follow the Law in the manner that they had done, and in criticising Him and His disciples for the good deeds and works that they had done, as they were essentially misunderstanding the purpose and intentions of the Law, which were meant to help guide all mankind, all of us to God, and not to make things difficult for us.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, this is why we all need to rediscover that love that we have for the Lord, our God and Master, each and every one of us should make good use of the opportunities that He has given to us to find our path to Him. All of us have been lost to Him because of our sins and disobedience, all the evil things and wickedness which we had committed. Yet, the love of God for us, His compassion and mercy are far greater than our sins and wickedness, and His light and love illuminate the path for us to follow in our lives, directing us towards Him and His salvation, that we may be fully reunited and reconciled with Him as He wants us to.

Let us all therefore abandon our sinful and wicked ways, and put our trust and faith once again in God, in all and everything that we have done and committed in our whole lives. May the Lord, our ever loving and compassionate God be with us always, and may He continue to empower and strengthen us all in our every good works and efforts, to do His will and to bring forth God’s salvation to all the people of all the nations. Amen.

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Thursday, 18 July 2024 : 15th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened from the words of the Scriptures, each and every one of us are reminded of God’s mercy, love and kindness which He has given to us most generously all these while, but which we often took for granted. We often ignored God’s ever present and persistent love and compassion, which He has generously presented to us, all these while. This is why we are reminded that we should no longer take God’s love for granted and that we should renew our trust, hope and love for Him. We have been given the free will by God, and it is up to us then how we should decide the way we live our lives from now on.

In our first reading today, we heard of the continuation of the passage from the prophet Isaiah in which the prophet brought forth the people’s lamentations and prayers before God, as the people sought God’s forgiveness and mercy for their transgressions and evils of the past, seeking Him to bless and guide them once again. Although they had indeed disobeyed against God and committed what was evil in His sight, persecuting His messengers and prophets, but they did show genuine remorse, seeking to be forgiven from their sins.

Therefore, the prophet Isaiah interceded on behalf of the people, and at the same time, he was also reminding them all of God’s great love and compassion, reminding them all not to live in the manner that is repulsive and wicked in the sight of God any longer. The prophet Isaiah told the people of Judah how God would rescue them and strengthen them all once again as long as they remained faithful to Him and committed once again to the path which He has shown them. God truly loved His people and He wanted them all to come to Him and to be truly and fully reconciled to Him.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, we heard the short passage from the Gospel of St. Matthew in which the Lord called upon everyone, that is including all of us, to come to Him and He will give us all rest, and He mentioned how His yoke is light and bearable as compared to the other yokes that we may encounter in this life and in all the things that we do in this world. This is referring to how we really should put our trust and faith in God rather than in the many other means and ways present around us in this world, in whatever worldly means and capabilities that we have.

It is a truly important reminder for all of us that being Christians, as disciples and followers of the Lord, we must not think that our lives will be all wonderful, smooth and perfect for us, as what some among us would have thought and mistaken about. In fact, to be a follower of the Lord and to be faithful to Him will often mean that we may encounter all sorts of challenges and hardships in our journey in life, and if we are not aware of these challenges and obstacles we may encounter, we may end up losing our faith in the Lord, and we may end up falling deeper and deeper into the path of sin and evil.

In this life we have in this world, we may often encounter lots of these temptations and pressures to turn our backs against the Lord, but this is where we should remind ourselves not to give in to the temptations and to remain strong in our faith in the Lord. Otherwise, we will be easily drawn by the many efforts of Satan and all of his wicked forces in trying to lead us into our downfall and destruction. We must realise that while the path that the Lord had shown us may seem to be difficult and challenging, but this path is the only one that will lead us to a certainty of true happiness and joy, true fulfilment and satisfaction.

As Christians, each and every one of us must always be strong in our conviction and commitment to serve the Lord and to follow Him in all things. We must not allow ourselves to be distracted and swayed by all the false leads of pleasures and earthly joys, all the things which may seem to be good, happy and pleasurable at first, but in the end, they lead us all to nowhere else but ultimate disappointment and condemnation. The paths that the evil ones are leading us into may seem to be easier and more convenient for us, but we must look beyond those falsehoods and realise that they all lead to harm for us.

Let us all hence commit ourselves anew to the Lord and do our best so that in our every moments in life, we will always continue to be ever more committed to God, to be ever more faithful in all things, and be more trusting to Him, allowing Him to lead us all in our paths in life. May God be with us all, and may He bless us all in our every endeavours and good efforts, all the good works we carry out in this life, now and always. Amen.

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Wednesday, 17 July 2024 : 15th 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 Scriptures, we are all reminded that God has revealed His salvation to the nations and called on us all to follow Him and to embrace His path. He wants all of us to return to Him, to put our faith and trust once again in Him, not putting our trust and faith in the means and powers of the world, all of which will eventually fail us and will not be able to provide us in the manner that the Lord can do for us, He Who is the Lord and Master over all things, Who is the only One that can guarantee true and lasting happiness for us.

In our first reading today, we heard of the passage from the Book of the prophet Isaiah in which the Lord spoke out against Assyria, the mighty Empire which was then preeminent and powerful in the region. The Assyrian Empire was referred to as the sword of the Lord’s anger as we must understand contextually how the Assyrians were the ones that crushed and conquered the alliance of the forces of the northern kingdom of Israel and the kingdom of Aram-Damascus against the southern kingdom of Judah and its rulers, the House of David. The two kingdoms of Israel and Judah had long been locked in bitter struggles and wars with each other for many generations, and the Lord intervened to save and protect those who were faithful to Him.

God showed His love and kindness, His faithfulness and commitment to the Covenant which He had made and established with His people in the kingdom of Judah, and especially with the House of David, the descendants and the rightful rulers over the people and kingdom of Israel. When the enemies of the Lord’s people plotted and sought to destroy those whom God loved and cared for, He sent the forces of the Assyrians and their king to destroy and crush those who plotted against them, and that was how both the kingdoms of Israel in the north and Aram-Damascus were destroyed. The people and the kingdom of Judah were spared from all the plotting of their enemies.

But then, at the same occasion, the Assyrians themselves became proud and haughty, thinking that all their power and greatness, their achievements and glory were due to their own power and might, and at the time of the works and ministry of the prophet Isaiah, it was recorded that the Assyrians and their king, Sennacherib, brought up a vast army to Judah and Jerusalem to besiege the city of the people of God and conquer it, and at that time, King Sennacherib also uttered blasphemous words against God, at the height of his pride and ego, his ambition and haughtiness.

Thus, God proclaimed His sentence and opposition against those Assyrians who had became proud and haughty, and disobeyed God’s will. He would remind them all who was truly in charge, and humiliated them and their King according to Scriptural records and traditions, by striking against King Sennacherib’s massive army with His Angel, and resulting in that army being completely wiped out. This certainly humiliated the king and all of the Assyrian hubris and ego, reminding them and everyone else, the One Who is truly in charge, that is the Lord, God and Master of all the whole Universe.

Then in our Gospel passage today, we heard from the Gospel of St. Matthew in which the Lord in His prayer to His heavenly Father and in His words to the disciples before Him, told them all how God had revealed great things through His Son, Who had been sent from Heaven into this world, to be the One bearing God’s salvation, His love and truth to all of us. The love of God has indeed been made manifest and real in the flesh, tangible and approachable to each and every one of us through Christ, by which God has revealed His plans for us.

At the same time, it was also a veiled rebuke against the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, those who were wise and learned, the ones who were supposed to be most knowledgeable about the Law of God and the words and teachings of the prophets. Yet, it was they who were the most stubborn in refusing to listen to the Lord Jesus and His teachings, opposing His works and efforts, and even accusing Him of blasphemy and wrongdoing, such as collusion with the prince of demons to smear His efforts and good Name. Therefore, this is why the Lord told His disciples and all of us, of the truth which He has brought with Him into this world.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, all of us as Christians are the bearers of God’s truth, His Good News and love. We are reminded that we should always put God as the focus and emphasis of our lives, and we should not allow ourselves to be easily swayed by the temptations of our pride, ego, or by our hubris and ambitions, as all of those would easily sway us all down the wrong path, tempting us away from God’s righteousness, grace and virtues. All of us should instead be good and worthy disciples and followers of the Lord, and be great role models and inspirations for our fellow brothers and sisters in all the things we say and do.

May the Lord, our loving God continue to be with us and guide us all just as He had done with His beloved people in the past. May He empower and strengthen us all so that we may remain strong and courageous in living our lives worthily and continue to persevere despite the many challenges facing our lives in this world. May God bless us all and empower us in all the things that we do, all of our good works and efforts, now and always. Amen.

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Tuesday, 16 July 2024 : 15th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Our Lady of Mount Carmel (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Our Lady of Mount Carmel)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures in which the Lord told us all that we really must have faith and trust in Him, and we should not allow any sorts of obstacles and hardships, difficulties and challenges from discouraging us to follow His path and remain faithful to His ways. Each and every one of us as Christians must always be trusting in Him, realising that it is He alone Who is the source of all Hope and strength for us. Without Him, we have no firm and strong anchor in this life, and as such, we may easily be swayed and swept by the various obstacles and challenges in life, which may lead us into the wrong paths that are not in accordance to God’s ways. It is important that we should always focus ourselves on the Lord at all times.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the prophet Isaiah in which the Lord spoke to the king of Judah, King Ahaz, and the people of Judah that they all should not be afraid or be fearful of the mighty forces of the Aramaeans and those of the Kingdom of Israel arrayed against the Kingdom of Judah. They should not be afraid or side with their false and pagan gods, but instead, they should return wholeheartedly towards their one and only true God, the One and only One Who could protect them against their enemies, the One who had always loved and cared for them all those while. The Lord would never abandon His people and He would always stay by their side. It was often those people who had voluntarily abandoned the Lord for all sorts of worldly distractions and temptations.

The Lord would prove His words true when all the plotting and efforts of the Israelites of the northern kingdom and the Aramaeans were foiled and both of their kingdoms were eventually defeated and crushed by the rising power of the Assyrians. The Lord showed His people that no matter what was being planned and plotted by man, it is ultimately God’s will that will triumph in the end. And if we allow Him to guide us in our path, then in the end, through our faith in Him, we shall share in the glory that God has bless us all with, the true joy and happiness that He has prepared for us, and all the things that He wants to share with us, His beloved people. If we can only have genuine faith in Him and trust in Him, then we shall have the full share of His glorious inheritance and blessings.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel of St. Matthew, we heard of the lamentations and the rebukes which the Lord Jesus spoke up against the cities of the region of Galilee such as Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum, all those places where the Lord had carried out many of His works, performed many miracles and taught in their synagogues. Yet, as the Lord showed, many of the people in those places still did not really believe in Him and what He had taught and shown them. Some among them, particularly those who belonged to the group of the Pharisees and those who supported them even publicly doubted Him and accused Him wrongly at more than one occasion.

It is understandable therefore why the Lord aired out His frustrations. This is because they themselves had seen everything that God had done through His Son and yet, they kept on hardening their hearts and minds, refusing to believe in Him although they had the knowledge of the teachings and words of the prophets of God and the Law. The Lord had patiently helped and guided them in giving them everything they needed through His Son, manifesting His love in the flesh, to make Himself approachable to them. Yet, they stood by their pride and ego, thinking that their ways and actions could not be wrong and that they were right in judging others based on their own flawed understanding of God’s Law and His ways.

And yet, God still loved His people nonetheless, doing everything He could for everyone, even for those who have doubted and refused to listen to Him. He bore His Cross willingly at the moment of His Passion, His suffering and death on that same Cross for the sake of all mankind, forgiving all those who have slighted and wronged Him, those who had falsely accused Him of wrongdoing and blasphemy to advance their own plans and ambitions, and to secure their own positions and privileges in the community of the faithful people of God. He prayed for those who have persecuted and rejected Him, and forgave them from their sins and wrongdoings. He continued to show His ever generous and patient love even when those whom He cared for, had disobeyed and been stubborn in refusing to accept Him.

Today the Church also celebrates the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, on which occasion we commemorate the Blessed Mother of God, Mary, as the great Patroness of the Carmelite Order, the religious congregation also known as the Carmelites which had a longstanding and strong devotion to the Blessed Mother of God, Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Tradition and history of the Carmelites highlighted that the Blessed Mother of God herself appeared to St. Simon Stock, one of the early members of the Carmelites, showing the now popular Brown Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. This brown scapular eventually became part of the Carmelites’ habit and deepened the devotion of the members of the Carmelites, as well as countless others outside the Order, to Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

Today as we mark with rejoicing and joy this Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, we are all reminded to follow the path shown to us by Our Lady of Mount Carmel, who as the Mother of Our Lord and Saviour has always been pointing the way towards her Son, Our Saviour and Hope. We should keep in mind God’s great love and ever enduring patience and compassion for each and every one of us, and how by extension, through His own loving Mother, He has been willing to reach out to us and to gather us all to Himself. We must not take His love, kindness, compassion and mercy for granted, as if we continue to ignore His kindness and mercy, and carrying on doing what is evil and wicked in God’s sight, we will eventually be condemned by those same sins and wickedness which have not been forgiven by God.

Let us all therefore do our best that we may renew our trust in God and commitment to Him, by striving to do our best in each and every moments of our lives in becoming ever better followers of God and His cause, in obeying Him, His Law and commandments, inspired by the examples of the many holy men and women who had gone before us, but whose lives were truly pleasing to God in all things. And the best role model that we can have is truly Mary herself, Our Lady of Mount Carmel, whose obedience to the Lord and virtues should be great inspiration for all of us to follow. May all of us therefore continue to glorify the Lord by our lives, in every actions and deeds, in our every interactions with one another, now and always. Holy Mary, Our Lady of Mount Carmel, pray for us all sinners. Amen.

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Monday, 15 July 2024 : 15th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Bonaventure, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today all of us are reminded that while God is always ever loving and kind towards us, we must also remember that our sins and wickedness, all the things we do which are not in accordance with God’s ways, all of these are things that He does not condone and in fact despises. And while He is always ever ready and willing to forgive us from those sins, we must not take it for granted, because by the sins which we have left unrepented and unforgiven, we may be judged and condemned by those sins which we have committed. The Lord does not seek our destruction and annihilation, but it is our own conscious refusal of His love, mercy and grace which had brought us deep into this condemnation and destruction.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the prophet Isaiah in which the Lord alluded to the people of Sodom and Gomorrah when referring to His own chosen people, the remnants of the Israelites living in the southern kingdom of Judah. In using that reference to the example of Sodom and Gomorrah, He reminded them all of what had happened to those two cities that were infamous for their debauchery, sinful ways and wickedness, and likely their refusal to repent from their wicked ways, their stubborn attitudes which eventually led to the two cities being destroyed with great fires and brimstone from the sky itself. Thus, the Lord was in fact warning His people that if they continued to walk down the path of sin and evil as they had done up to then, a similar fate would be theirs as well.

As mentioned, this does not mean that God despised or hated His people, but rather, it was their sins and wickedness which He despised and was angry with. As mentioned, they were not truly faithful to the Lord, but were only going through the motions with their celebrations, festivals and worship, which they carried out without true sincerity and love for God. They still committed sins and wicked deeds, and even worshipped other pagan idols and gods, which added on to their list of sins and all the things which further distanced them away from the Lord and His path. The Lord wanted them all to know that if they kept on doing that, and if they continued to disregard the words and the guidance of the many prophets and messengers that He had sent to them to help and guide them, then in the end, there will be nothing but destruction and doom awaiting them.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, we heard from the Gospel of St. Matthew in which the Lord Jesus told His disciples frankly that He came into this world not to bring peace and rejoicing, unlike what many of them would have thought. At that time, it was commonly held that the Messiah awaited by the Jewish people, the Son of David, would restore the glorious days of the old Kingdom of Israel, leading the people of God to freedom and glory once more, bringing an era of peace, harmony and prosperity. The Lord revealed to all of them that this was not the case, as His coming, bringing the truth and His Good News, His love and the assurance of salvation to all mankind, would all face opposition, challenges and rejection from the world that is filled with sin, darkness and evil.

The Lord reminded them all that to be His disciples and followers, it often requires great commitment and desire to follow the Lord wholeheartedly, rejecting the wicked and sinful ways of the world, and embracing His grace, love and righteousness fully, all of which may lead to hardships and sufferings among His disciples and followers. Yet, they must not lose heart because God would be with them, and if they truly follow Him wholeheartedly, He assured them all that no one who had dedicated and committed themselves to God with sincerity would not be rewarded greatly and they will be assured of true happiness and the fullness of grace in God. Thus, this is also a reminder to all of us as Christians that we too should aspire and strive to be truly faithful to the Lord in all things.

Today, the Universal Church also celebrates the Feast of St. Bonaventure, a great bishop and servant of God, who has been honoured as one of the Doctors of the Church for his many contributions, writings and works that serve to glorify God and to proclaim His truth to more and more people. He was born in what is today part of Italy during the High Middle Ages in the early thirteenth century, and while nothing much was known of his early life, he eventually became a Franciscan, inspired by the examples of St. Francis of Assisi, whose prayers according to tradition saved the young St. Bonaventure when he was very sick. Eventually as Franciscan, St. Bonaventure would go on to many great works in both preaching and academia, becoming a lecturer and master in theological matters.

St. Bonaventure was also quite deeply involved in the affairs and workings of the Church at the time, as it was his efforts that helped to secure the election of Blessed Pope Gregory X after a turbulent and tumultuous contested Papal election that lasted three years. As such, the then Pope entrusted St. Bonaventure with many works in the Church, and made him as a Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church, which was indeed a very great honour at the time. However, despite all these honours and the other responsibilities that he held, St. Bonaventure continued to be humble and devoted himself more to serve the people of God and the Church through his great intellectual efforts, in his many writings that benefit the Church, as well as in his efforts in taking part and spearheading the reforms that were much needed in the Church at the time.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we heard from the great life examples shown to us by St. Bonaventure, let us all therefore be more committed to a life that is truly holy and worthy of God. Let us all be ever more courageous to follow God in all things, and to dedicate our efforts to walk in His path despite the many challenges we may encounter and face in our journey of faith. Each and every one of us has been called to follow the Lord, and He has given us all various opportunities and the means for us to do our part in being His worthy and holy disciples. It is now up to us all to make the choice and to decide whether we want to follow Him or whether we want to continue persisting in living a life full of sin and evil.

May the Lord be with us all, and may He continue to help and guide us through His ever patient love and kindness, in helping to inspire us through the great examples of St. Bonaventure and the innumerable other holy men and women, the holy saints and martyrs of God, all of whom had dedicated themselves to the Lord and showed great faith and virtues in their lives. May we continue to strive to do God’s will and live our lives righteously in accordance to His Law and commandments at all times, so that we may truly be good and worthy examples and role models for one another, and through us, God’s truth and love may be revealed more and more to all the people around us. Amen.