Reflections

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Monday, 11 March 2024 : 4th Week of Lent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listen to the words of the Scriptures, we are all reminded that each and every one of us should always focus our attention on the Lord our God, and believe in Him, putting our trust and faith in Him, in all the things which He has said and promised to us. God has revealed to us the assurances of His love and grace, and everything which He has promised us, and we should follow Him in all of our ways and in every moments of our existence. We are reminded that it is in God alone that we truly have hope and assurance of salvation and eternal life, and there is no way forward if we seek to follow other alternative paths that the world has offered to us.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the prophet Isaiah in which the Lord told all of His people of the reassurances of the coming of the good times when they would no longer suffer and when they would once again be filled with God’s grace and blessings. This message came at a time when the people of God had suffered a lot of sufferings, humiliations and difficulties, all because they had disobeyed against Him and refused to follow His Law and commandments. This resulted in the consequences and punishments that they had to endure, as God’s grace and guidance were withdrawn from them, and they had to contend with many obstacles and challenges from their neighbours and enemies. They experienced the results of their own folly in rejecting the generous love of their Lord and Master in exchange for worldly goods and riches.

In that same passage, we heard also another, even greater promise and reassurance from God of the new heavens and the new earth. Linking to what we have also heard from the Book of Revelations of St. John the Apostle, this was actually a premonition of the end times, of the moment when God would remake all things, and renew the whole of Creation, when He would judge the Heavens and the earth, and take into account all of those living and the dead, everyone who have ever lived. This moment of reckoning was a hope to all those who have kept their faith alive in God, and who have suffered because of this faith, as the Lord promised to all of them that as long as they have been faithful to Him and full of trust in Him, then in the end, He shall lead them all to the new heavens and earth, to a life of perfection and bliss, when they shall not experience any more sufferings and sorrows.

This is an affirmation of everything which the Lord has always told and promised to His people, that He would always be with them, guiding and protecting them, providing and strengthening them throughout all of their journey and ways. He wants each and every one of them eventually to return to Him, to be fully reconciled and reunited to Him, to be once again in His Holy Presence, casting aside their sins and wickedness, to be forgiven from all those evil deeds and actions. God has always been patient in guiding and correcting the mistakes and faults of His beloved ones, and He has called on all of them, and hence, all of us to come once again towards Him, that we may reject our sinful and wicked ways, becoming once again truly worthy of the Lord in all things, in our every actions, words and deeds.

In our Gospel passage today, we then heard of the great miracle which the Lord performed in Galilee when He healed the sick son of an official in Capernaum. We heard how a lot of people came flocking to the Lord because He has performed great miracles and signs before them, and they all believed because they had seen and witnessed those miracles. Yet, the official believed in the Lord when He told him that his son would be well again, even without witnessing the miracle done in person. The official believed and trusted in the Lord, and as a result, through what we have heard, the son was healed exactly at the very moment that the Lord told the official that his son would be well. The Lord made an important point here for all the people and also for all of us, that we must truly believe in God and has faith in Him.

There were those among the people at that time who have seen and witnessed many of the miracles, signs and wonders of the Lord, performed before their own eyes, and having also listened to the words, teachings and truths spoken by the Lord, and yet, they refused and failed to believe. Some among them even rejected the Lord, doubting His authority and authenticity, and others still even accused Him falsely of colluding with the forces of demons and evil spirits, like how the Lord was accused of collusion with the prince of demons, Beelzebul. This shows us all that seeing alone is not enough for one to truly be able to have faith in God. If the hearts and minds are not open and receptive to God’s truth and love, then no matter what the Lord had said and done, they would not come to have faith in God.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore reflect upon these things we have received and been reminded with by the Lord. Let us all deepen our relationship with God and grow in our understanding and appreciation of God’s love, kindness and grace, so that we may grow ever stronger in our relationship with Him, and in our commitment to His cause and path. Each and every one of us have been given many opportunities and chances to decide on what to do in our lives, in the paths that we have chosen, and in this season and time of Lent in particular, we have been shown this most opportune moment to turn away from the evil sins and wickedness, and embrace God’s mercy and love, compassion and forgiveness once again, as prodigal sons and daughters coming to seek our Father’s generous love and forgiveness.

May the Lord, our most loving Creator, Father and Master continue to love us all always, and may He continue to encourage and strengthen us in our every resolve and efforts so that in all the things we say and do, in our every moments in life, we may always strive to be worthy of Him, and continue to walk ever more righteously and faithfully in His path. May God bless our every good efforts, endeavours and works, now and always. Amen.

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Sunday, 10 March 2024 : Fourth Sunday of Lent, Laetare Sunday (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Rose (Laetare Sunday) or Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday the Church celebrates the occasion of Laetare Sunday, which takes place on the Fourth Sunday of Lent every year. The name Laetare came from the first word in the Introit of this Sunday, ‘Laetare Jerusalem et conventum facite omnes qui diligitis eam’ which means ‘Rejoice all of you with Jerusalem, and may you be glad for her’, a reminder for all of us that amidst all the penitential and more sombre nature of this season of Lent, we are actually looking forward to the arrival of Easter, when we shall rejoice together commemorating the glorious Resurrection and the salvation which the Lord has shown us through His Son, Jesus Christ, Our Risen Lord and Saviour.

Like that of its Advent counterpart, the Gaudete Sunday or the Third Sunday of Advent, which marks the joyful expectation of the coming of the Messiah in Christmas, Laetare Sunday marks this joyful expectation of the salvation of all mankind, amidst our deep and intense preparation and self-retrospection this Lenten season. The rose liturgical colour which is used today is a reminder that all of these things we have practiced and prepared for this Lent, are all ultimately in expectation of the joy that is to come through Christ, Our Lord and Saviour. All of our Lenten observances are meant to help us to be able to enter more deeply into the mystery and nature of the work of salvation which God has done in our midst through His Son.

In our first reading this Sunday, we heard from the Second Book of Chronicles of Israel and Judah, where it was told to us of the story of both the ruin and destruction of God’s people and their kingdom in Jerusalem and Judah, as well as the story of their emancipation and liberation afterwards by King Cyrus of Persia, who allowed them to return back to their own lands, after a long period of exile lasting traditionally for seventy years or so. At that time, the kingdom of Judah where the people of God had lived in were destroyed by the Babylonians, who invaded and conquered Jerusalem and the whole of Judah, just as the northern kingdom of Israel and its capital Samaria had been destroyed by the Assyrians over a century earlier before.

In both circumstances, many of the people of God had been uprooted from the lands that they and their ancestors had lived in for a long time. They were humiliated and made to wander in far-off lands, as exiles from their homeland. They had to bear the consequences of their rebelliousness and refusal to obey the Law and commandments of God, as they had been warned with by the prophets and messengers of God. But as the Lord Himself told those people through the same prophets and messengers, that they were still loved by Him, and God still desired them to come back towards Him. He did not and He would not just abandon them to be destroyed, as if He wanted to do that, He could have done it from the very beginning.

Instead, God’s great love for us endures and continues to flow out from Him unabated, undimmed and unhindered by the disobedience, stubbornness and all the sins that we have committed in this world. He brought His people back from the lands of their exile, delivering them from their troubles and humiliations just as He has promised to them, and He did fulfil that promise, through the same Cyrus of Persia who overthrew and conquered Babylon, declaring through Divine inspiration, the emancipation and liberation for all the people of Israel and their descendants, allowing them to return once again to their homeland. It is this joyful moment that we are all asked to reflect upon this Sunday.

Why is that so, brothers and sisters in Christ? It is because all of us, by our many sins and wickedness, we have also disobeyed God and fell into the path of evil and darkness. We have also ended up in our spiritual Babylon, in exile and separation from God, from His love and grace. But God’s enduring love for us allowed us all to return to Him and to find our way back to Him, through the One Whom had sent into our midst, that like the figure of Cyrus the Great of Persia, this Messiah or Saviour, Who is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, has delivered us all from our misery and troubles. He has brought upon us the assurance of eternal life and true joy by what He has done for our sake.

That is what was highlighted in our second reading and Gospel reading passages this Sunday. In the second reading, taken from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Church and the faithful people of God in Ephesus, St. Paul reminded all the people there of God’s love and great mercy, which He has shown them by giving to us His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, Who has been born unto us, to be our Saviour and Deliverer, as the One Who would lead us all into the path towards Heaven and eternal life. Through Him, God has revealed to everyone, and to all of us the fullness of His love, compassion and mercy, and therefore, His desire to be reconciled and reunited with us. That is why this day, we rejoice because of this great grace that we have received from our most loving and compassionate God.

In our Gospel passage this Sunday, we then heard of the moment when the Lord Jesus had conversation with Nicodemus the Pharisee, who was quite sympathetic towards the Lord and His teachings. In that conversation, the Lord told Nicodemus that God has always loved His people, all of mankind, and He desired that all of them should be saved and brought back to His loving embrace. That was why He sent to this world His only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Himself, because He loves us all and this world so much, that by giving His Son to us, He might bring us all to Himself, gathering us all from being scattered all over this darkened and sinful world, and leading us all into the path of His light, hope and salvation into the eternal life which God has promised to us.

We are all reminded this day that we are looking forward to celebrate the most joyful and glorious moments of the salvation of all mankind at the Lord’s Passion during the Holy Week and Easter, which were all possible because God has truly loved us all so much that He was willing to everything for our sake, to liberate us all from the dominion and tyranny of sin, leading us all back to His loving care, embrace and filling us once again with His grace and kindness, blessings and love. That is why we should continue to do our best so that our Lenten observances and practices, our acts of deepening our prayer and spiritual life, our fasting and abstinence to control our worldly desires and temptations, as well as our charitable efforts and generosity may continue to bear rich fruits for our benefits, and to bring us ever closer to the Lord our God.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we have all been reminded of the great love of God and all that He has done for us, and as we anticipate the great joy of our full and complete reunion with Him in the world that is to come, in the everlasting life and bliss that He has promised and reassured us all, let us all therefore strive to be exemplary in all things, in doing God’s will and in coming ever closer to His Throne of mercy and love. May the Lord, our ever loving and compassionate, most merciful and kind Master and Creator, our patient and loving Father be with us always and may He bless us in all of our good efforts and endeavours. Amen.

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Saturday, 9 March 2024 : 3rd Week of Lent, Memorial of St. Frances of Rome, Religious (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we continue being reminded of the need for us all to come towards the Lord and seek His mercy and love, as He is truly a loving, compassionate and merciful God, Who has always loved each and every one of us without cease from the very beginning. The Lord has given us many opportunities to come back towards Him, and He has also reminded us to seek His mercy and forgiveness. It is therefore up to us whether we want to embrace this generous offer of mercy and forgiveness or not. In particular, this Lent we should spend more time to come ever closer to God.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the prophet Hosea a reminder and calling that Hosea had made to the people of God living in the kingdoms of Israel and Judah for them to turn away from their sinful and wicked ways, to reject their evil and disobedient actions, embracing once again God’s path, His truth and love, and coming towards Him with contrite and sorrowful hearts and minds. Hosea was sent to a people who were rebellious and stubborn, who refused to listen to reason and to the words of the Lord that had been brought to them by His many prophets and messengers. God continued to send His prophets to them regardless, and through those like Hosea, He first warned them of the consequences and sufferings that they would have to suffer if they kept on walking down the path of sin, but at the same time, He also reassured them of His love and kindness.

The Lord has loved His people all the time since the very beginning, and while He despised their many sins and wickedness, He still wanted to call them all back to His loving embrace and Presence, and thus, He reminded them of their sinfulness and wickedness, turning themselves away from the path of sin and evil. Each and every one of us are called to do the same as well, as we should realise that if we continue to sin against God, then in the end, we will have to face the consequences of those sins we have committed. God gave us all His reassurances that if we are truly repentant and regretful for our sins and faults, then we shall be forgiven and reconciled with Him, and we shall enjoy once again the fullness of His love and grace.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard from the Gospel of St. Luke in which the Lord Jesus told His disciples and all those assembled about the story of how a Pharisee and a tax collector prayed in the House of God. In that story we heard how the Pharisee prayed with great pride and arrogance, praising himself and looking down on the tax collector who was there praying to the Lord as well. Meanwhile, the tax collector prayed with humility, bowing down low before the Lord, recognising his sins and wickedness. The Lord made it clear that it was the prayer of the humble tax collector that was heard by God and it was him who would be forgiven and be found more worthy than the prideful and arrogant Pharisee. treats us well, and we are all precious and beloved by Him, and we really should not take it for granted. He has given us all many opportunities and chances to reach out to Him for help and liberation from our many sins, and we should embrace His love and mercy.

Today, the Church also celebrates the Feast of a great and holy woman, whose faith and dedication in serving others who are less fortunate, her piety, holiness and commitment to God should be good examples and inspirations for all of us to follow. St. Frances of Rome was born into a wealthy Roman family during the late Middle Ages, and while she wanted to be a religious nun early on, her wealthy family forced her to marry an influential and wealthy man. Regardless, this marriage proved to be a long-lasting and happy one. She was truly a virtuous and holy woman, an exemplary wife and servant of God in all things.

St. Frances of Rome dedicated herself in her own ways to contribute to the Church and to the people around her as best as she could. She involved herself very actively in her community, in reaching out to the poor and the sick, caring them and showing them gentle care, affection and love. In one occasion, during a period of flood and famine, it was recorded that she even opened her rich family’s large estate and turned part of it into a hospital to care for the sick and the dying. This led to opposition from her father-in-law, but the same man ceased his opposition when St. Frances miraculously caused the corn bins and wine barrels to be refilled after she prayed for them, showing clear signs of Divine favour.

St. Frances continued to involve herself in the many affairs of the Church and her community at the time, especially at the moment when there were lots of conflicts and divisions in the community. She continued to take care of the poor and the sick, using her blessings and other means within her reach to help those who had no one to help or care for them. She lived a very devout and holy life, and she inspired many other women to join her effort and cause, eventually leading to the foundation of the religious confraternity called the Olivetan Oblates of Mary, through which she continued to do her charitable works to the end of her life.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore strive to follow the good examples and inspiration shown to us by St. Frances of Rome, who have dedicated herself and her whole life to serve the Lord and the people around her, that we may also live our lives with great faith in God, and ever always filled with generous love for one another. In this time and season of Lent, let us all continue to live our lives with ever stronger desire to follow the Lord our God, to commit ourselves to Him and to do His will. Let us all continue to do what we can so that our whole lives may continue to be good examples for everyone around us. May God be with us all and may He empower us to be His faithful disciples and followers at all times. Amen.

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Friday, 8 March 2024 : 3rd Week of Lent, Memorial of St. John of God, Religious (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today from the passages of the Sacred Scriptures that we have heard and received, we are all reminded of God’s ever present and ever generous love and kindness, compassion and mercy which He has always had for us, and which He has always desired to give to us, because ultimately, God loves each and every one of us, those whom He had created out of love, His ever pure and overflowing love. Each one of us are precious to God, dear and beloved to Him, and we must not take for granted that God has truly loved us in such a manner. He has always wanted to be reconciled with us and to gather us all back into His loving Presence and embrace.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Hosea, we heard very clearly of the Lord’s message and intentions which He presented to His people through His prophet Hosea, who was ministering to the people of God in Israel and Judah, during the time of the ending of the age of the kingdoms, when the nation of Israel, the northern half of the kingdoms of Israel collapsed and was destroyed, while the southern kingdom of Judah was also in dire straits. The prophet Hosea brought the Lord’s words of warning and revealing to the people the anger that God had over the wickedness and the sins that they had committed.

God Who is all good and perfect despises the sins and wickedness of the people, those whom He has loved and chosen. That was why the prophet Hosea, like the other prophets before, during his time and after him had also said, the sins that the people of God committed would lead to serious consequences, and they really have to repent from those sins, or else, they would end up suffering more and more the terrible effects of those sins that can lead them further and further down the path of evil and then leading to damnation and destruction. But God at the same time still loved His people, and as a loving Father, He disciplined them and chastised them, reminding them to turn away from their sins.

He told them through the prophet Hosea that while the sins and wickedness that they had committed were truly terrible and grievous, and they would have to suffer because of that, but in the end, the love of God would triumph over all, and through His love, all of those who have willingly embraced His mercy, love and compassion, would be forgiven, returned to the state of grace, as well as receiving from Him once again the reassurance of eternal life and true joy with Him. These had been lost from them because of sin, evil and wickedness they had committed, but God would restore these to them, if they would just turn away from their sins with sincere and contrite hearts.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard from the Gospel of St. Mark in which the Lord Jesus was presented with a question from a teacher of the Law who was following Him, regarding the matter of which commandment of God was the most important of all of them. The context of this must be understood in the light of how the teachers of the Law as well as the Pharisees of the time were very particular and concerned about the details of the many rules, laws, commandments, rituals and the many aspects and tenets of the Law of God that had been passed down to the people through Moses and then preserved through many centuries.

Throughout all that time, the Law of God had gradually become more and more bloated with many details and cumbersome rituals, designed to help the people to live their lives, but also with many modifications and changes that helped some to get away with certain requirements, which ended up also contradicting the original Law, its meaning and purpose. Essentially, by the time of the Lord Jesus, many of them had forgotten, or in their preoccupation with the details and the extent of the many laws, numbering about six hundred and thirteen in some traditions, they had overlooked why the Lord gave His people that Law and commandments in the first place.

This was when the Lord then highlighted very clearly once again that God is truly Love, and fully filled with His ever generous and ever present love for His people, despite their often rebellious, stubborn and wicked attitudes and actions. That was where the Lord also presented the fact that the whole of the Law could indeed be summarised into two main Law, that is first and foremost, the obligation for one to love the Lord their God and Master with all of their might and strength, and then, secondly, to show that same love towards their fellow brothers and sisters. For if God has loved us all, how can we not love Him in the same way too? And how can we not love one another as well, if God loves everyone around us, as how can we hate those whom God Himself has loved?

Today the Church also celebrates the Feast of a great and holy man of God, whose great examples and piety should inspire us all to follow his path in doing God’s will and in obeying His Law and commandments, so that our own lives may truly be worthy of God in all the things that we say and do in our own respective lives. St. John of God was a truly exemplary man of God, who was not initially meant to live in a life of holiness, as he was born into a rather impoverished situation, and became an orphan in his youth. He embraced military life and was involved in many conflicts and wars, that eventually made him become disillusioned with what he was doing as a soldier.

Hence, St. John of God began to feel the calling to follow the Lord, and he experienced quite a few encounters that would change his mindset, having seen the sufferings of the people whom he met along his experiences and journeys. It was told that it was during this time that St. John of God also encountered a vision of the Infant Jesus Who continued to lead him therefore to a new path of conversion and change, and eventually, as recorded in history, he experienced great conversion moment when listening to a sermon by St. John of Avila. Henceforth, he began leading a pious life of self-mortification and great charitable works and efforts to the poor and the less fortunate.

St. John of God eventually founded the religious order known today as the Brothers Hospitallers of Saint John of God, whose members were inspired by the same desire that St. John of God had in reaching out to those who were sick and poor, and especially had no one to take care of them and provide help for their conditions. St. John of God himself spent a lot of time in working for the good of all those whom he had given himself in service to, all the way to the last moments of his life. The examples and inspirations shown to us by this holy man of God should indeed inspire us to do the same with our lives as well, that is to love the Lord our God and to love one another with the same love, as best as we can.

May the Lord, our ever loving and generous God continue to love and care for us, and may He empower us all in our journey of faith and life, so that in each and every moments we will continue to show love in all things, towards God and to our fellow brothers and sisters. May He continue to guide us all so that we may continue to be faithful in following Him, and in doing what is right, in accordance with His will. Amen.

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Wednesday, 6 March 2024 : 3rd Week of Lent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today all of us are reminded through the readings of the Sacred Scriptures that we must always obey the Law and commandments of God in all things, and strive to be truly exemplary in our entire way of life so that our lives may truly be enriched with our faith and commitment to God. Each and every one of us should be reminded that God has given us all His Law and commandments, His rules and norms so that we may know how we should live our lives and how we should carry ourselves in our every interactions in life. As Christians, it is very important that we must always live our lives filled with true love and dedication to God, in everything that we say and do, in our exemplary and inspirational way of living in this world.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of Deuteronomy, we heard of the Lord Who was reminding His people, the Israelites, through His servant Moses, who was the leader of the people. Moses reminded the people of God that they must always obey the laws, rules and norms that the Lord has given them, and did as what the Lord had taught and shown them as He kept on leading them throughout their long forty years journey through the desert on the way to the Promised Land. He told them all that the Israelites should not forget everything that the Lord had done for them, in all the wonders and the signs that He had shown them, in all the great things He had done when He brought them all out of the land of Egypt, freeing them from the enslavement and dominion by the Egyptians and their Pharaoh.

And at that time, during the Exodus and the journey from the land of Egypt, as we read the rest of the account of what had happened, very soon after they left the land of Egypt, the people of God already rebelled and sinned against their own Lord and Master, choosing to worship pagan idols, such as the golden calf that they built when Moses went up to Mount Sinai to receive God’s Law and commandments. That was not the only time that this had happened, as later on, they would continue to be tempted and swayed by worldly temptations, rebelled against God and chose to follow false gods and idols instead of obeying the Lord, their God and Master. They refused to do as what the Lord had told them to do, preferring to follow their own ways, their desires and attachments to worldly things and matters.

Thus, Moses reminded the people sternly that they all have to continue to strive in following God faithfully, rejecting the various temptations and all the allures of sin, which could lead them astray. They should also live their lives worthily of the Lord, in doing His will and obeying His commandments, and be thankful and grateful that God has truly loved them all so much that He has always shown them His kindness, love and patience in His constant guidance and help, and all the things that He has always provided to those who are in need of them. Despite their stubbornness and rebelliousness, God was still patient with them, and while He chastised and punished them for their wickedness, but He continued to care for them and has always desired to be reconciled with those who erred and fell out of His grace and favour.

That is why, brothers and sisters in Christ, this reminder has also been given to each and every one of us that we may realise how important it is for us to do what God has told us all to do, through the rules and ways that the He has given to us through His Church. We must not think that we can do whatever we want in life, and that we can go against the path and the ways that the Lord has shown and taught us all to do. Each and every one of us have been entrusted with the the responsibilities and the vocations in life, in our various areas in life that we may come to follow him worthily in each and every moments of our lives. As good and worthy Christians, we must always do what is right and just, virtuous and good in the eyes of God and mankind alike.

In the Gospel passage today, we heard of the words of the Lord Jesus Himself speaking to the people assembled to listen to Him, that He came not to override or replace the Law of God, but instead, He came to reveal the true meaning, intention and purpose of the Law of God to the people, teaching them what the Law of God is truly all about, and calling upon all of them to do God’s will and to obey His Law and commandments in the manner that they should have done. This is because by that time, many of the people of God had lost sight of the true intention and purpose of the Law of God, and hence, has become ignorant of the path that God has called all of them to walk through and follow in their respective lives. God has given them all His Law so that they may all come to know Him and to love Him, and yet, they allow themselves to be swayed and tempted into the path of sin and disobedience.

Many of the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law became too particular with the many tenets and rules within the Law that they ended up being overly preoccupied with the details, failing to realise the true meaning and purpose of the Law. They became proud, arrogant and self-serving in their actions and attitudes, with regards to the observances and practices of the Law. They became biased and prejudiced, judgmental and harsh against all those who refused to follow their ways and to side with their views and ideals. This is why the Lord came to remind all of the people what the Law is truly all about, and how they should not misrepresent and misunderstand the Law, its intentions and purpose, and see the Law as the path towards God rather than means of self-righteousness or as a burden because of the excessive attention to details.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, this is why all of us must come towards the Lord with renewed hearts and minds, full of the desire to love the Lord our God, and to follow Him ever more wholeheartedly from now on. Let us all seek the Lord with all of our strength and might, and let us commit ourselves to walk virtuously and righteously in God’s path henceforth, to be good role models and examples in all things, to be the good examples and inspirations to all the people all around us. Let us all be the bearers of God’s truth, His light and salvation to everyone around us, so that more and more people may come ever closer towards the Lord through us. Let us all resist the evils and temptations of sin present all around us, and may the Lord be with us always, and strengthen us amidst all the challenges and trials that we may have to face in the path of our obedience and journey of faith towards Him. Amen.

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Tuesday, 5 March 2024 : 3rd Week of Lent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today all of us are reminded both of God’s great love and providence, as well as the need for all of us as Christians to embrace, understand and be thankful for all the love, kindness and grace which God has always generously shown us all these times. As we continue to progress through this penitential time and season of Lent, we should not take it for granted that the Lord has constantly and repeatedly shown us His mercy, grace and kindness. We must always centre our lives on the Lord and focus our attention on Him and we must always heed everything which He has told us to do so that by our obedience to His Law and commandments, and by our exemplary way of life, we will be good role models and examples for everyone around us.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the prophet Daniel in which we listened to the prayer of Azariah, one of the three friends of Daniel mentioned in the Book of Daniel. At that time, the context was that Azariah together with the other two friends of Daniel, Hananiah and Mishael were persecuted by the Babylonian king, Nebuchadnezzar, who had built a large golden statue in his own image, and ordered everyone to worship the golden statue, essentially making himself as a god. The three men refused to bow down and worship to that golden statue, remaining steadfast in their belief and faith in God, and hence, risking the anger and the persecution from the king. The king threw all of them into a great burning furnace and made it much hotter as he was angry when Azariah and his friends proclaimed that there is no one that should be worshipped except for the Lord, their God.

It was there, within that burning furnace that Azariah made this prayer of supplication to God, asking for His providence and help for His faithful ones. In that same prayer, Azariah also showed the remorse and repentance on behalf of the people of Israel, the people of God, who had disobeyed Him and His Law, and hence, ended up in the predicament of having to suffer being in exile as what happened to everyone there, scattered and led far away from their homeland, forced to endure exile and humiliation in the foreign lands. Azariah asked the Lord for His mercy and compassion, that He might remember all the love that He has shown to His people throughout time. Despite their many sins and wickedness, God still cared for them and showed them His love and forgiveness, and sent His prophets and messengers to help lead them down the right path.

And God did indeed answer Azariah’s prayer, and their faith in Him brought them protection and deliverance from the harm that should have befallen them. The flames would not harm them, and no matter what, they remained in perfectly safe condition, protected by the Angel that God had sent to them, witnessed by the same king Nebuchadnezzar and all who witnessed the event. God truly showed His love and mercy, His compassion and kindness to His faithful ones, remembering that each and every one of them are truly precious and beloved to Him, and hence He safeguarded and protected Azariah and his peers, showing everyone not just the wonders of His love, but also the mercy and forgiveness that He has shown them.

This is related closely to our Gospel passage today, which was taken from the Gospel of St. Matthew, which was about the parable of the ungrateful servant that the Lord told to His disciples and followers. In that parable, the Lord related the story of a servant who owed a huge sum of money to his master, ten thousand pieces of gold, which was truly an astronomical sum. He could not pay his due and there should have faced consequences and punishments for that. Yet, when he begged for his master to show him leniency and to give him time to settle his debts, not only that the master showed pity and mercy on him, but the master completely erased all of his huge sum of debts. This is a representation of how the Lord, our loving and merciful God, represented by the master, has forgiven us all our many sins and faults towards Him.

Yet, that ungrateful servant immediately went after one of his fellow servants as we heard in that parable, threatening him and refused to forgive or to give chance for the other poor servant to pay his due. Essentially, as the Lord elaborated further, the ungrateful servant did not take pity or show mercy upon his fellow men although he himself had been shown great mercy from the master. That was how he was punished eventually, even more than what he should have had to suffer earlier, because of his lack of gratitude for everything good that had been done for him, and for lacking compassion and mercy for others who were not as fortunate as he was. The master would have expected him to show the same kind of mercy and love for his fellow men, and not to take what graces and blessings he had received for granted.

This is thus a very important reminder for each and every one of us that we must show the same kind of love and mercy, compassion and forgiveness to one another just as the Lord Himself has loved us all first, and just as how He has willingly embraced us and reached out to us, calling upon us to return to Him and to walk in the path of His grace and love once again. Like the master who has forgiven the massive gift of the first, ungrateful servant, we all should be thankful to have been given the chance to repent and to be forgiven from our many and innumerable sins, wickedness and evils, and then, just as the Gospel parable has kindly reminded us to forgive others their sins and faults to us just in the same manner how God has been willing to forgive our far more serious sins and faults towards Him. When the Lord told St. Peter to forgive seventy times seven times, it is not meant to specify how many times we must forgive, but rather, it is a representation of how all of us must forgive always and generously.

Let us all therefore make the best use of this time and period of Lent, this penitential period where we are all called and reminded to return once again towards the Lord, our loving God and Creator. Let us all turn back towards the Lord with hearts and minds that are opened and renewed, with the strong faith and desire to love and serve God. Let us all be more loving and be kinder upon others around us, showing care and compassion to everyone in need around us. Let us all be there for them and let us all help and support each other so that in everything that we say and do, and in our every interactions, hopefully we may grow ever stronger in our faith and commitment, as a people whom God Himself has blessed and made holy. Amen.

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Monday, 4 March 2024 : 3rd Week of Lent, Memorial of St. Casimir (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today all of us are reminded of several very important things through the readings of the Sacred Scriptures that we must heed as we continue to progress through this time and season of Lent, called to repentance from our many sins and wickedness, and reminded to return to the Lord, our most loving God, Who alone can heal us from our fallen state, our troubled and corrupted beings, because of the corruption and the wickedness caused by our many sins. Through the story of the healing of Naaman the Syrian from the Old Testament to the story of how the Lord Jesus was rejected in His own hometown of Nazareth in the Gospels, we are all reminded that we should put our trust in the Lord and not in the ways of the world, many of which may lead us astray and down the wrong path in life.

As mentioned, in our first reading today, we heard from the Book of Kings of Israel and Judah the story of how Naaman, a great and respected general of the Kingdom of Aram-Damascus, was afflicted with the terrible leprosy disease that was not yet easily curable at that time. That disease made one to be shunned and rejected from the community, and that must have been a really terrible blow for such a high-ranking and well-respected man. Then, we heard how Naaman came to the land of Israel hearing that there was a prophet there, the prophet Elisha, who was renowned for his many miracles and good works in ministering to the Israelites, showing God’s power and miracles to them. Naaman went to Elisha with the hope that the man of God could heal him from his conditions.

Therefore, Elisha told Naaman to go and bathe in the River Jordan seven times and then he would be healed from his leprosy. But we heard how Naaman became angry, expecting that the man of God should have come to him and perform his miracles to him in person, and not to ask him to do such trivial tasks, even arguing that there were better rivers in his own land. This was where Naaman’s servant reminded him that such a task was not really difficult to do, and if Naaman really wanted to be healed, then he should have just listened to Elisha and do ask he was asked to do. We heard how Naaman obeyed eventually and was therefore healed from his afflictions, and was restored to good health through his obedience and faith in God.

In what we have heard from our first reading today, we can see clearly how the Lord loved all of His people, including even the people who did not belong to the nation of Israel. The Aramaeans were enemies of the Israelites for much of their existence, and yet, God showed His mercy, love and healing for one of their most renowned generals. Naaman was also a representation of all of us, who are sinners and unworthy of God, and yet, through His most wonderful and generous mercy, love and compassion, Naaman was healed and therefore in the same way, all of us can and will be healed as well, as long as we allow ourselves to be healed by the Lord, healed from the taint and corruption of our many sins and wickedness, which have caused us to be separated from God and His love.

And that leprosy is a representation of our sins, which are also akin to the disease in how they afflict us. Unlike leprosy, which can ultimately still be cured by earthly means, only the Lord alone can heal us from our sins, by His forgiveness and mercy. Through God’s forgiveness and grace, we will once again be in His favour, reconciled to Him, while having those sins cleared and forgiven from us. We will therefore no longer suffer the consequences of those sins which we have committed, and we will once again be filled with God’s grace, and reassured of His salvation and eternal life. All these can only happen if we allow ourselves and are open to the mercy and kindness of God that He has shown to all of us, just as He has shown it to Naaman who listened to Him and obeyed His commands through the prophet Elisha.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard from the Gospel of St. Luke in which as mentioned, the story of the moment when Jesus was rejected in His own hometown of Nazareth, as the people there refused to believe in what the Lord had said and proclaimed, simply because they judged Him and thought that they knew Who He truly was, the Son of a lowly village carpenter, that is His foster-father St. Joseph. The people of Nazareth hardened their hearts and minds against the Lord and rejected Him, in contrast to how the attitude of Naaman, the Syrian general had been. This was highlighted by the Lord Himself, Who said that prophets were never respected and honoured in their own lands, and gave the example of Naaman himself, who believed in God and was healed by the prophet Elisha, while so many others in the land of Israel refused to believe in Elisha and even persecuted the man of God.

This is a reminder for all of us that once again, God’s healing, mercy and forgiveness are shared and offered freely to everyone. He did not discriminate by the origins or backgrounds of the people, because ultimately, all of mankind, all of us are His beloved children and people. He called some earlier than others, like Abraham and his descendants, the Israelites, but ultimately God desired to call everyone to His Presence and to save all of them without exception. This is why the Lord was making that point about how even foreigners and pagans were receiving God’s grace and salvation because they believed, while the people who were supposed to be called first and were faithful, were actually the ones who rejected the love and mercy of God. This is a reminder that we should not be prideful and haughty, and we must not think that we are in any way better or more worthy than others around us, and less still to discriminate against others.

The Church celebrates the Feast of St. Casimir today, and on his feast day all of us are reminded of the exemplary faith and life of this dedicated man of God, so that hopefully we may also follow his good examples in our own lives. St. Casimir was a prince of the Kingdom of Poland and Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and at one time was the heir apparent to the thrones of both realms although he eventually did not succeed to both as he passed away quite early in his life. St. Casimir was renowned for his great piety and care for the less fortunate, for the needy and the sick throughout the kingdom despite his relatively young age. He lived his life humbly and with great devotion to God, and showed his piety and concern for the poor through charity and almsgiving.

The life of St. Casimir, while it might be a relatively short one compared to many others, is a great example and inspiration to many of us, as he showed all of us and many others during his time, his contemporaries how to live as true and genuine Christians, in doing God’s will, obeying His Law and commandments, in showing love for Him first and foremost while also showing great love and compassion for his fellow brethren at the same time, particularly those who were less fortunate and unloved. This is why today, I hope that his examples and inspirations can also serve as a good model for all of us to follow so that in whatever we say and do, in all of our actions and deeds, in our every interactions, we may truly be good examples for everyone.

May the Lord be with us always, and may He continue to empower us all to live ever more faithfully as His disciples and followers, doing the best we can to proclaim His glory and to serve Him most faithfully at all times. May He bless us and strengthen us that we may continue to persevere in faith and remain firm in our commitments to Him, now and always. Amen.

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Sunday, 3 March 2024 : Third Sunday of Lent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday all of us are presented with the important message and reminder for all of us to listen to the Lord our God, heed His Law and commandments, and be truly genuine and sincere in following Him as His disciples, followers and holy people. We cannot be truly saved unless we have embraced God in all things, in all parts of our whole lives and do everything in accordance to His will, to the best of our abilities. God has given us His Law and commandments to help and guide us in our journey, so that we can find the best path towards Him, in following what His Son, Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, has taught and revealed to us, in truly being obedient to the fullness of God’s Law and commandments, in being sincere and full of love both for God and for our fellow brothers and sisters around us.

In our first reading this Sunday, we heard from the Book of Exodus here the Lord spoke to Moses, revealing the core and basic tenets of the Law and the commandments which He was giving to His people, the Israelites, whom He was taking on a journey through the desert, on their way out of the land of Egypt, from their slavery and sufferings there, and into the land of promise, the Land of Canaan. The Lord gave them all His Law and commandments to guide them and to help them navigate their lives so that they would not lose their way and be misguided into the path of sin and evil, knowing that they would disobey and rebel against Him. The Lord taught them all His ways and showed them all that to follow Him and to commit to the Covenant which He had been making with them and their ancestors, then they would have to adhere to those Law and commandments.

That was why we heard of the Ten Commandments which God gave to His people through Moses, which He wrote on the two slabs of stone, as the heart and core of all the laws, precepts, rules and matters pertaining His ways and teachings. The Ten Commandments, just as the Lord Jesus elaborated and explained further later on, were in essence the way to love the Lord as well as loving one another, one’s own parents, family, relatives, friends and any other people around us, even strangers and acquaintances, because God Himself is Love, and it is only right and appropriate that all of us who follow Him and call ourselves as His beloved people, as Christians, just as the Israelites in the past, do what is truly befitting of us as people filled with love both for our God and as well as for our fellow brothers and sisters around us.

And as we have heard and being reminded of, to be truly filled with God’s love is for us to show that same, selfless and most generous love towards our Lord, first and foremost, in loving and focusing ourselves on Him at all times, in loving Him with all of our strength and might, and doing whatever we can so that by our love, we may truly dedicate and commit ourselves to Him, loving Him as just how He has loved us so generously. Then, we are reminded to show love and care for our fellow brothers and sisters, not to cause any hurt or suffering upon them, to be genuine in all of our love and compassion towards each other. This is why we must always centre ourselves upon the Lord, obey His Law and commit ourselves to the path that He has shown us.

In our second reading today, we heard from St. Paul in his Epistle to the Church and the faithful people of God in the city of Corinth in which the Apostle spoke of how their beliefs, the beliefs that Christians upheld and possessed, all of them might lead to ridicule, rejection and persecution from both the Jewish authorities and people, as well as the Greeks, the two groups which at that time were where the main obstacles to the Christian missions came from. The Jewish authorities in particular opposed the teachings of the Lord and the works of His Apostles because they denied that He is the Son of God, and they had charged Him with blasphemy and crime against the Lord and His people.

Meanwhile, for the Greeks, many of whom were still pagan at that time, the rapid growth of the Christian faith and the increasingly rapid rate of conversion were threatening their traditional way of life and their own beliefs in the many pagan gods of the region. If we have read through the Acts of the Apostles, then we would have been familiar with how tensions arose between the Greek pagans and the Christian missionaries and converts, because the rapidly growing Church in those places were threatening the pagan ways, and the polytheistic pagans with their many gods and deities scoffed at the beliefs of the Christians with their monotheistic belief in one God, and in the differences between their beliefs and that of Christian teachings as mentioned earlier in the Law and commandments of God.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard from the story of the moment when the Lord Jesus chased out the merchants and the money changers doing their businesses at the courtyard of the Temple of God in Jerusalem. At that time, the Temple officials and the chief priests likely sanctioned and maybe even encouraged the merchants and the money changers to operate at the courtyard of the Temple firstly because their services were needed for the rituals and the sacrifices which were done at the Temple according to the Law and commandments of God. As the Jewish people at the time had spread to many other places beyond the land of Israel, and thus, many of them came from distant lands using various currencies, the services of the money changers are required, as only the Jewish shekel or silver coins were allowed to be used for the purchase of the Temple sacrifices, and those sacrifices were usually purchased by most of the pilgrims, as bringing them from faraway lands must have been difficult or impossible.

Then, those merchants and money changers must have also benefitted the Temple officials as they were likely paying rents for using the place, and hence, the Temple officials turned a blind eye to the wicked things that those merchants and money changers had done. They wickedly overcharged their customers, charging those pilgrims a premium for their services and goods, earning lots of profits and benefitting therefore from others’ sufferings. It was this wickedness and sin against God and their fellow mankind which the Lord Jesus was particularly angry against, as He told it all loudly for all to hear, not to turn His Father’s House into a ‘den of robbers’, referring to all those corrupt and unscrupulous merchants and money changers, and the Temple officials who grew rich out of all those wicked actions.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, this is why this Sunday as we listened to all these words of the Scriptures, each and every one of us are reminded that as Christians, we must always stand firm in our faith and in our Christian way of living, resisting and rejecting the temptations of worldly glory and all the paths of evil and wickedness which the devil and all of the forces of the wicked have arrayed against us. Each and every one of us should embrace God’s path and remember His Law and commandments, reminding ourselves that as Christians, as God’s holy people, we must always be exemplary in our lives and actions, and we must inspire others around us in how we live our lives, fulfilling the Law and commandments of God, not just doing them without meaning and purpose, but doing them with full of understanding and appreciation of what the Law is all about.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, just as the Lord has rooted out and chased those wicked people out of the Temple of God, let us all be reminded that especially during this time and season of Lent, we should also root out from ourselves all the wickedness of sin and evil, all the things which had ensnared us and kept us away from God and His truth. We must remember that our body, heart, mind, soul and our whole being itself is like the Temple of God, and we must always keep it pure and worthy of the Lord at all times. This is why today and henceforth, let us all repent from our sinful and wicked ways, and make best use of this time of Lent to turn back once again towards the Lord, our most loving and merciful God, keeping faithfully His Law and commandments, and be good inspiration for everyone around us. Amen.

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Saturday, 2 March 2024 : 2nd Week of Lent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures presented to us, let us all be reminded of God’s great mercy, His desire to forgive us our many sins and wickedness, and His willingness to be reconciled with us and to embrace us once again, bringing us back into His loving embrace and Presence. Today’s readings remind us all that we are truly precious and beloved by the Lord our God, and He has always been patient in reaching out to us, calling us, helping and guiding us to return back to Him, despite our frequent disobedience, rebellions and stubbornness in refusing to accept and embrace His mercy and love which He has generously given to us.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Micah, we heard of the words of Micah speaking about God’s great love and mercy, and the prayers of the people which Micah made on behalf of them, asking the Lord to show them all His compassion, mercy and forgiveness, so that they might once again be His beloved people, guided, strengthened and led by His mighty hands, as He had done in the past. The prophet Micah was sent mainly to the people of the southern kingdom of Judah during and after the days of the destruction of the northern kingdom of Israel, which fell during the time of his ministry, as the Assyrians came to conquer that kingdom and destroyed its capital, Samaria.

Micah was entrusted with the message and warnings from God to His people, telling all of them that if they continued with their sinful and wicked ways, then they would have to face the consequences of their wicked actions and way of life. He foretold the destruction of both Samaria and Jerusalem, the capitals of both the kingdoms of Israel and Judah, with the destruction of the former happening during his lifetime and ministry as mentioned earlier. Judah and Jerusalem would also have to face the consequences of their sins, although their northern neighbours, who had been more rebellious and wicked, had to face their consequences first.

But Micah was also entrusted by God to pass on to the people the reminder that despite all the warnings and the premonitions of the sufferings and hardships that the people would have to face for their many sins, but the Lord was ultimately loving and caring towards all of them, and desired that every one of them should return to Him, repentant and full of regret over all of their wickedness and sins. If only that the people of God realised that what they had done in their lives were wicked, evil and unworthy of God, they could have opened their minds and hearts more to embrace God, His love and mercy, and thus, be reconciled with Him, and be forgiven from those sins, by their loving God, Who is also their loving Father and Creator.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard more about this aspect of God as a loving and forgiving Father, as we heard the famous parable of the prodigal son, a perfect parable for this time and season of Lent. In that parable of the prodigal son, which I am sure we are all quite familiar with, the father of two sons represents the Lord Himself, and the elder and ‘good’ son being a representative of those who have lived their lives virtuously and righteously in accordance with God’s ways, while the younger, ‘prodigal’ son is a representation of all those who have sinned against God by their disobedience and refusal to follow the Law and commandments of God, in doing what is evil and wicked in God’s sight.

That younger ‘prodigal’ son as we heard in the parable went to the father to ask him for his portion of his inheritance. Then, despite the father likely knowing his younger son’s character and how he would spend all that wealth and money, he gave it to the latter nonetheless. This is showing us just how much God loves everyone, be it good or evil, righteous or sinful. He gave His blessings to everyone, and He still loves everyone equally. Even the worst of sinners can still be reconciled with the Lord, and that is the message that this parable of the prodigal son wants to highlight to us. The prodigal son went off to the faraway country, squandered all of his wealth and possessions, and was left with nothing. He came back to his father eventually after gathering the courage to do so, overcoming his pride and willingly humbled himself to seek his father’s forgiveness.

There are indeed a lot of layers and very important meanings behind all of those details mentioned, first of which is that, just as all those wealth and properties ran out for the prodigal son, thus, none of our worldly means, power and glory can sustain and satisfy us completely, as eventually, they will fail us and be exhausted, no matter how many of them we actually possess. In the end, depending on all those things will lead us to nowhere but regret and sufferings, as the prodigal son had experienced. All his friends left him when he had nothing left with him, because they likely only came to him and were close to him because of what he had and what he could spend for them and with them. Then, when he had nothing, it is his father, which for us is the Lord our God, Who is our only hope left.

Now, just as the prodigal son went through some struggle and difficulties in deciding whether to return to his father or not, thinking of the shame and also likely still having some shred of pride in him, in not wanting to return and admit his mistakes, thus many of us also struggle in deciding to come back to our loving God and Father, to ask for His forgiveness and mercy. Why is that so? That is because we allow our pride, ego and all of the attachments we have to the worldly matters to influence our choice of actions and decision in life. God has always been generous with His love and mercy, and He is always welcoming towards us, willing to forgive us our many sins and evils, our wickedness and faults if we are willing to repent from them and turn away from this path of sin. He welcomes us all back to Him just as the father welcomed back his prodigal son to himself.

And we also remember the elder brother who became angry at the younger, prodigal brother and complained to the father because he had been good and righteous, and yet, he was not given the chance to celebrate in the manner that his younger brother had been given. This is a reminder for all of us that God loves us all equally, and we should never think that we are better or more worthy than others, or worse still think that we are entitled to discriminate or being judgmental against others whom we may deem to be less worthy than us. Instead of that, we should be concerned and showing care for our brethren who are still walking in the path of darkness and evil. We should do our best, in whatever way we can, so that our lives may always inspire others around us, and in whatever we do, we will always be ready and willing to help our brothers and sisters who need our help and guidance.

Therefore, brothers and sisters in Christ, having been reminded of God’s ever generous love and mercy, let us all hence be grateful and thankful that God has shown His great love, compassion and mercy. Let us all strive to commit ourselves ever more to Him and do our best especially during this time and season of Lent, to return to Him once again with repentance and contrite hearts. May the Lord, our most loving and forgiving Father, continue to be with us and guide us in our journey of faith towards Him, that we, His prodigal sons and daughters, may come back to Him with faith. Amen.

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Friday, 1 March 2024 : 2nd Week of Lent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today all of us are reminded through the readings we have heard from the Sacred Scriptures, that we must always be vigilant against the temptations of evil and sin all around us, which can lead us astray from the path that the Lord has shown and taught us to follow, and as the Scriptures showed us, it can even lead to intrigue and divisions within those as close as family members and relatives, and can also lead to us desiring more of the wicked wants and ambitions in life, for all the things that we often crave and desire in life, that can lead to us falling further and further away from the path towards God’s salvation and grace, and resulting in us falling towards the path of sin and destruction, if we are not careful and vigilant with how we live our lives.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of Genesis in which the story of Joseph and his brothers, the sons of Jacob or Israel, were told to us. Joseph was one of the twelve sons of Jacob, and he was one of the only two sons that Rachel, Jacob’s beloved wife, had borne for him, together with Benjamin, Joseph’s younger brother. They were also borne to Jacob at his relatively old age, and hence, they were shown greater care and favour by their father as compared to their elder brothers who were borne by Jacob’s other wife and his wives’ servants. And we heard how Joseph had been given the gift of dreams and vision by the Lord, as he received dreams about his family, and as premonition of the future which was yet to come.

In fact, Joseph’s dreams which was not detailed in today’s first reading, showing how his family, including his own father and brothers would bow down to him, was a revelation from God of how things would turn out to be, when Joseph was sent to Egypt, and eventually became the great Regent of the whole Egyptian kingdom, second only to the Pharaoh. It was there that all the brothers of Joseph eventually went, and they would indeed bow down to him, not knowing that the Regent was in fact Joseph, whom they had persecuted, betrayed and sold off to the Midianite slavers a long time before. Thus, what they had designed out of jealousy and anger against their own brother, God had turned into great benefit for themselves, when Joseph helped all of them, his whole family to stay well provisioned and cared for during the difficult years of famine that happened then.

In that passage, we heard of how jealousy and anger, all these things can easily get out of hand and made one to abandon and betray one’s own brother, one’s own family member and flesh and blood in such a manner. All the more then it can cause harm to those who are not even close to us. That is why, we must be careful and vigilant lest the temptations of worldly ambitions, pressures and desires may lead us astray into the path of wickedness, evil and hence sin against God and against our fellow brothers and sisters, as what the brothers of Joseph had done for their own brother, in wanting to kill him at first, and then selling him off to the Midianite merchants, lying to their own father that their brother had been beset and killed by wild beasts.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard of the Lord’s words to His disciples and followers, of the parable of the evil tenant in which He highlighted the actions of the evil tenants who tried to usurp and take over the control of the lands rented out to them from the landowner. In that parable we heard how the landowner sent his servants and even his own son to remind all those tenants to pay their due rents, and yet, they hardened their hearts, refused to do as they were obliged to, and they also persecuted and even murdered the servants and the son of the landowner sent to them to help and remind them in their journey. And why was that the case? That is because those tenants must have been tempted by the wealth of their lands and those which they had received and been rented for by the landowner.

That temptations grew into great attachment, ego and greed, leading to the refusal and the stubbornness of those tenants in not paying their rents, and even killing those sent to them to remind them. This is a clear reminder from the Lord for all of us that just as the brothers of Joseph had shown us earlier from our first reading today, the greed and desire of mankind, the desire for power and earthly things can lead us down the path of evil and ruin. As long as we allow ourselves to be swayed by those temptations of worldly ambitions and glory, we may find it difficult to get rid of those obstacles for us to attain true righteousness in God. We must always be aware that if we let the devil and all that he tempted us with to lead us down this path of ruin, then in the end, there will be nothing left but regret when we are judged to be unworthy of God and His grace.

Like those tenants, the Lord, represented by the landowner in that parable, has entrusted each and every one of us with the many talents, gifts, blessings, opportunities and with the many other things that can allow us all to make good use of them for the good of all, for the benefits of not just ourselves but for everyone around us, which is what the Lord has always intended for us when He gave us all those gifts and blessings. However, many of us tend to selfishly hold onto all those gifts and blessings, and refused to do as what we have been called and told to do by the Lord, just as those evil and wicked tenants refused to pay their dues to the landowner as they should have done. Hence, this parable today is an important reminder for us all not to ignore our responsibilities and the many opportunities and blessings which God had granted us so that we may make good use of them for the common good.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, echoing what we have been reminded throughout the various Scripture passages today, let us all hence do what we can such that our lives may be truly full of faith in God, free from the allures and temptations of this world, from the dangers of ego and greed, all of which can bring us into our downfall if we are not careful. We have to strive to live righteously and worthily of the Lord, focusing our attention on Him and not on the many worldly things and matters, all the distractions, concerns, ambitions and desires that we may have all around and within us, so that we do not end up falling ever further away from the path of God’s salvation and grace. Let us always seek the Lord and do our best to come to Him, asking Him for the grace, the strength and courage to be able to do His will, at all times.

May the Lord be with us all, and may He continue to bless and guide us all in all things, and may He lead us all through the path of righteousness and grace, as we continue to walk down this path, and as we continue to mortify ourselves, our sins and evils, resisting all the temptations of the world during this time and season of Lent. May we draw ever closer to the Lord, and may we all be good examples for one another in how we live our lives, at all times. Amen.