Saints

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Wednesday, 22 November 2023 : 33rd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Cecilia, Virgin and Martyr (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

2 Maccabees 7 : 1, 20-31

It happened also that seven brothers were arrested with their mother. The king had them scourged and flogged to force them to eat the flesh of a pig which was prohibited by the Law.

More than all of them, their mother ought to be admired and remembered. She saw her seven sons die in a single day. But she endured it even with joy for she had put her hope in the Lord. Full of a noble sense of honour, she encouraged each one of them in the language of their ancestors. Her woman’s heart was moved by manly courage, so she told them :

“I wonder how you were born of me; it was not I who gave you breath and life, nor I who ordered the matter of your body. The Creator of the world Who formed man in the beginning and ordered the unfolding of all creation shall in His mercy, give you back breath and life, since you now despise them for the love of His laws.”

Antiochus thought she was making fun of him and suspected that she had insulted him. As the youngest was still alive, the king tried to win him over not only with his words, but even promised to make him rich and happy, if he would abandon the traditions of his ancestors. He would make him his Friend and appoint him to a high position in the kingdom.

But as the young man did not pay him any attention, the king ordered the mother to be brought in. He urged her to advise her son in order to save his life. After being asked twice by the king, she agreed to persuade her son. She bent over him and fooled the cruel tyrant by saying in her ancestral language : “My son, have pity on me. For nine months I carried you in my womb and suckled you for three years; I raised you up and educated you until this day.”

“I ask you now, my son, that when you see the heavens, the earth and all that is in it, you know that God made all this from nothing, and the human race as well. Do not fear these executioners, but make yourself worthy of your brothers – accept death that you may again meet your brothers in the time of mercy.”

When she finished speaking, the young man said, “What are you waiting for? I do not obey the king’s order but the precepts of the Law given by Moses to our ancestors. And you who have devised such tortures against the Hebrews, shall not escape the hands of God.”

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Tuesday, 21 November 2023 : 33rd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today the Church celebrates the occasion of the Feast of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, commemorating the moment when Mary, the Mother of God, was presented at the Temple of Jerusalem, the House of God in accordance to the rules and ways of the Law of God. She was presented and consecrated to God, as a prefigurement of the role that she would later on play in the history of our salvation. Indeed, Mary has been prepared and set aside by the Lord from the very beginning, from before she was even conceived, to be the one to bring forth the salvation into the world. She was set aside, made special, and by the singular grace of God, she was spared from the corruption of original sin and all the taints and corruptions of sin henceforth, that she was truly conceived without sin.

This is what the Church has taught and preserved from the very beginning, in the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In that Dogma, the Church teaches that Mary had been spared from the effects of sin, which had afflicted us from the very beginning of time, when our first ancestors, Adam and Eve, chose to disobey the Lord and embraced the path of sin, the path that Satan had offered and tempted them with. All mankind had been afflicted by the corruption and have to suffer the consequences of sin ever since, that is death. However, Mary was prepared special by the Lord because she has a particular destiny and purpose, that is to become the one to bear the Saviour of the whole world, as the Mother of God herself.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the prophet Zechariah in which the prophet spoke of God’s words and reassurance for all of His people that He would send them His salvation, and everyone of them would rejoice once again because He would dwell among them once again, and that they would be saved from their predicament and troubles. The Lord would once again dwell among His people, just as He had done in the days past, when the Ark of the Covenant was in the first Temple of God built by King Solomon. Ever since the people disobeyed the Lord and abandoned Him for the pagan gods and idols, they had been cast out and punished, but the Lord never did abandon or neglect them. He still continued to send out messengers, prophets and helpers in order to help and guide them in their path towards Him.

It was exactly through Mary that God and His salvation has come into this world, because as we all know and are going to prepare to celebrate later in Advent and Christmas, by the will of the Father and by the power of the Holy Spirit, the Divine Word of God Himself has become flesh, incarnate into Man, and was conceived in the hallowed womb of Mary, to become a Child and born of her. And because of this, it is essential that she is hallowed and made to be worthy of God Himself being present within her. Why is that so, brothers and sisters in Christ? That is because linking to the Ark of the Covenant which I mentioned just earlier, which is representing God’s Holy Presence among His people, Mary is the New Ark of the New Covenant which God would make and establish with His people, through the Son to be born of Mary’s womb, Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

The original Ark of the Covenant contained the two stone tablets upon which the Law of God had been inscribed and written, the Ten Commandments as we are all familiar with, as well as the manna, the heavenly bread with which the Lord fed His people, the Israelites, throughout the entirety of their forty years long sojourn and travel from the land of Egypt to the Promised Land, as well as the Staff of Aaron, the staff of priestly authority and leadership, with which God had performed many of His signs and wonders through Moses and Aaron, and which represented the leadership of God’s people. And it was upon this Ark of the Covenant, crafted from the finest materials and decorated with the golden Cherubim on top, that the Lord descended upon His people, seated upon the Ark, and hence, becoming the very tangible sign of His Presence in this world.

Then, comparing this to what the Lord would bring forth through Mary, there is an even far greater Covenant and things that happened than the original Ark of the Covenant. The original Ark of the Covenant, which was made from the finest materials and wrought with human hands, was so holy that no one was allowed to directly touch it, and in one instance, when one of the priests accidentally touched it, he was immediately struck dead. Why is that so? That is because God is so Holy and perfect that no sin and imperfection, corruption and evil may exist in His Presence and remain. Hence, the same logic applies as well to Mary, who was to become the vessel of God Himself, this time truly present and tangible in the flesh, in His Holy Presence, the Almighty and all-Holy God descending into our world through Mary. That was why, she was set aside and hallowed, Immaculate, free from any taints of sin throughout her life, being full of God’s grace.

Now, on this day, as we commemorate this Feast of the Presentation of Mary, the Blessed Mother of God, let us all therefore look upon Mary, the one through whom God had done so many great and wonderful works, in bringing forth His salvation into this world. What is important is, we must also realise that Mary is not just worthy of veneration, honour and following because of her having been set aside by the Lord to be the holy vessel for Our Lord and Saviour, but she herself had lived her life worthily of the Lord, at all times throughout her life. She has shown what it means for us to live a good, holy and worthy Christian living, in all of our lives, our words, actions and deeds. And she is therefore a great inspiration and role model for all of us, just as she has also always encouraged us to remain true and faithful to the Lord as our loving Mother.

When the Lord in our Gospel passage today was talking about those who follow the Lord, obey His will and Law are those who are His mother and family members, He was not actually disrespecting His own Mother, who was there waiting on Him and following Him. Rather, on the contrary, the Lord was actually pointing to everyone who listened to Him, to follow the examples of His own loving Mother in all the things that they say and do. Therefore, all of us should also do the same in our own lives, in doing what the Lord has told and taught us to do, in living our lives, carrying out our actions and interactions, with the Lord as the focus and emphasis in them. Let our lives be the shining beacons of God’s light and truth, His love and compassion to others, that more and more may come to know Him as His love.

May the Lord, our loving God and Master continue to love us and strengthen us in faith, and may through the good examples and inspirations of His Blessed Mother, Mary, who is our mother too, we all may come ever closer to the Lord and His Holy Presence. May all of us be blessed in our every good efforts and endeavours, all for the greater glory of God, now and always. Amen.

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Tuesday, 21 November 2023 : 33rd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Matthew 12 : 46-50

At that time, while Jesus was talking to the people, His mother and His brothers wanted to speak to Him, and they waited outside. So someone said to Him, “Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside; they want to speak with You.”

Jesus answered, “Who is My mother? Who are My brothers?” Then He pointed to His disciples and said, “Look! Here are My mother and My brothers. Whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.”

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Tuesday, 21 November 2023 : 33rd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Luke 1 : 46-47, 48-49, 50-51, 52-53, 54-55

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit exults in God, my Saviour!

He has looked upon His servant, in her lowliness, and people, forever, will call me blessed. The Mighty One has done great things for me, Holy is His Name!

From age to age, His mercy extends to those who live in His presence. He has acted with power and done wonders, and scattered the proud with their plans.

He has put down the mighty from their thrones, and lifted up those who are downtrodden. He has filled the hungry with good things, but has sent the rich away empty.

He held out His hand to Israel, His servant, for He remembered His mercy, even as He promised to our fathers, to Abraham and his descendants forever.

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Tuesday, 21 November 2023 : 33rd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Zechariah 2 : 14-17

Sing and rejoice, o daughter of Zion, for I am about to come, I shall dwell among you,” says YHVH. “On that day, many nations will join YHVH and be My people, but My dwelling is among you.”

The people of Judah will be for YHVH as His portion in His holy land. He will choose Jerusalem again. Keep still in YHVH’s presence, for He comes, having risen from His holy dwelling.

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Friday, 17 November 2023 : 32nd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Elizabeth of Hungary, Religious (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, we are all reminded of the coming of the time of reckoning for all of us in the end of time, when God will judge all the living and the dead, over all of Creation. He is our Lord and Master, the Master over all the whole Universe. Everything that is present all around us in this Universe, in our world are merely the wonderful things that God had created to be part of His Creation. However, we must always keep in mind that it is Him Who is the One we ought to worship and focus our attention towards. Unfortunately, more often than not, we got distracted by the temptations present all around us, and by the marvels and wonders of what God had created, which unfortunately led us to focus our attention on them instead on the Lord, as we should have done.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of Wisdom in which the author highlighted the foolishness of all those people who disregarded the one and only True God, and instead sought to worship the things that God had created, such as the Sun, the Moon, the stars, the sky and the sea, and any other objects in this universe, and even men themselves, instead of the One Who had made and created all of them. They worshipped the things that were inferior to the One Who is supreme over all, and far exceeding those things that mankind had worshipped throughout time instead of God, because of their limited understanding and lack of Wisdom and knowledge of the truth of God. They instead depended on their own intellect, power, wisdom and understanding, and in their lack of ability to appreciate God’s truth, they instead focused their attentions on the wrong ones.

This was why so many of our predecessors, from many different parts of the world, in their incomplete and flawed understanding of how the world works, and the lack of knowledge of the Lord, Who is in fact behind everything and is the reason why everything is present, this is why so many of them chose to worship pagan gods and idols, worshipping inanimate objects and living things alike, especially those that were beyond our comprehension. God reminded all of us that this is not how we should live our lives, and this is not the correct path that we are to follow. Instead, we should return our attention and focus on the Lord, and commit ourselves wholeheartedly to His cause, entrusting ourselves to His Wisdom and Providence at all times.

In today’s Gospel passage, we heard of the reminders of the Lord to all of His disciples that everything will come to a moment of reckoning as mentioned earlier, when the time comes for the Lord to return and restore everything to perfect order and when He would gather all of us once again into His Presence. And this will come at a time most unexpected for everyone, and no one but God Himself knows when this moment exactly will happen. Again, this is an important reminder for all of us that we must not be ignorant of the truth of God and everything that He had revealed to us. Too many people, as highlighted in that Gospel passage today, were swayed by various worldly temptations that they failed to realise their sinfulness and wicked state of life, and thus fell into damnation.

We must always be wary lest we may be tempted by the same kind of temptations, the temptations that could bring us into our downfall if we are not careful. If we allow ourselves to be swayed by those desires and pleasures of the world, the comforts of life and all the wonders of this earthly existence, while ignoring and forgetting God’s presence in all of them, then we may end up being like so many of our predecessors, who have fallen into the path of sin, disobeying God and His Law, His will and commandments. And as Christians, who follow the Lord and believe in Him, we must always put Him first and foremost at the very centre of our life and as the focus and emphasis of our very existence in this world. We should not allow any other things to become distractions, keeping us away from God.

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Elizabeth of Hungary, a great and holy woman, a faithful servant of God, whose life and devotion, commitment and worthy life should be source of inspiration for all of us to follow, in how we should be truly faithful in our whole lives as Christians. St. Elizabeth of Hungary was a princess of Hungary who was married to a noble landowner and ruler of Thuringia in Germany. She had to marry at a young age and raise a family. But at the same time, she also lived a life of piety and virtue, inspired by the examples and reforms carried out by her contemporary, St. Francis of Assisi. St. Elizabeth of Hungary was renowned for her great charitable actions and care for the poor and the sick throughout her husband’s lands, which was approved by her husband, the ruler of the land. Her action also influenced him greatly, as her husband Louis often stood by the Church and the efforts the Church did.

Later on, when St. Elizabeth of Hungary was widowed quite early on, just a few years after her marriage, she made a vow of chastity akin to that of those who have joined the religious orders, and resisted any efforts by her family and others to have her remarry because of her still relatively young age. She continued to do plenty of works of charity, caring for the needy and those who were suffering, as much as she could do. Her great charity and love for others were even shown in miracles such as the famous ‘miracle of the roses’ attributed to her. In that miracle account, St. Elizabeth of Hungary was caught by her husband in one of her times sneaking out to give alms and food for the poor, with her cloak containing food from her husband’s mansion. When she was confronted and asked of the cloak’s contents, the contents were miraculously transformed into that of roses.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore be inspired and encouraged by the faithful examples of St. Elizabeth of Hungary, in doing what we can so that we may always be ever faithful to God in all things. We should not allow temptations of this world and our wicked desires and ambitions, attachments and other things from leading us into our downfall through sin. Let us instead inspire one another to be ever righteous, virtuous and worthy in all of our works and dealings in life, now and forevermore. Amen.

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Friday, 17 November 2023 : 32nd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Elizabeth of Hungary, Religious (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Luke 17 : 26-37

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “As it was in the days of Noah, so will it be on the day the Son of Man comes. In those days people ate and drank and got married; but on the day Noah entered the Ark, the flood came and destroyed them all.”

“So it was in the days of Lot : people ate and drank, and bought and sold, and planted and built; but on the day Lot left Sodom, God made fire and sulfur rain down from heaven, which destroyed them all. So will it be on the day the Son of Man is revealed.”

“On that day, if you are on the rooftop, do not go down into the house to get your belongings; and if you happen to be in the fields, do not turn back. Remember Lot’s wife! Whoever tries to save his life will lose himself, but whoever gives his life will be born again.”

“I tell you, though two men are sharing the same bed, it might happen that one will be taken, and the other left; though two women are grinding corn together, one might be taken and the other left.” Then they asked Jesus, “Where will this take place, Lord?” And He answered, “Where the body is, there too will the vultures gather.”

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Friday, 17 November 2023 : 32nd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Elizabeth of Hungary, Religious (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 18 : 2-3, 4-5

The heavens declare the glory of God; the firmament proclaims the work of His hands. Day talks it over with day; night hands on the knowledge to night.

No speech, no words, no voice is heard – but the call goes on, throughout the universe, the message is felt to the ends of the earth.

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Friday, 17 November 2023 : 32nd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Elizabeth of Hungary, Religious (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Wisdom 13 : 1-9

The natural helplessness of humans is seen in their ignorance of God. The experience of good things did not lead them to the knowledge of Him Who is. They were interested in His works, but they did not recognise the Author of them.

Fire, wind, air, the sphere of the stars, rushing water and the lights in the sky were held as the rulers of the world. If, charmed by such beauty, they took them for gods, let them know how far superior is their sovereign. And if they were impressed by their power and activity, let them understand from this how much mightier is He Who formed them. For the grandeur and beauty of creatures lead us to ponder on their Author, greater and more magnificent.

No doubt these people are not to be blamed severely, for possibly they strayed though they searched for God and desired to find Him. They pondered over the created things that surrounded them and were captivated by the sight of such beauty. Even so they are not to be excused, for if they were able to explore the world, why did they not discover first the world’s Sovereign?

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Thursday, 16 November 2023 : 32nd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Margaret of Scotland, and St. Gertrude, Virgin (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Saints or Holy Virgins)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we listened from the Sacred Scriptures the reminders for all of us of the need to be truly attuned to the Lord in all things, in us embracing His Wisdom, love and truth. The Wisdom of God, His truth and love have been imparted to us mankind ever since He created us, but each and every one of us as Christians have received the greater revelation of this same truth which God has imparted to us, revealed and showed us through His Son, Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Saviour. All of us have been blessed with God’s bountiful grace and Wisdom, and hence, we should not only be thankful to Him for having blessed us with such great blessings, but we should also make good use of whatever it is that He has given us, for the good of all and for the glory of God.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of Wisdom, we heard of the revelation and the explanation by the author of this Book of Wisdom, of what Wisdom of God itself is all about, and how this same Wisdom has been imparted and given to us, permeating our whole existences and lives, truly permeating all of our whole actions and works, our deeds and everything in our every moment throughout life, for God’s Wisdom are truly everywhere and transcendent, through the Holy Spirit and the Life that He has blessed us with, and the Spirit of God has indeed been given to us. All of us therefore have received the Holy Spirit and the Wisdom of God, but whether we truly make good use of this gift of God and everything He has provided us with, is up to our freedom to choose.

God has indeed given us the freedom to choose between obeying Him and His ways, or whether we want to walk away from His path. As the author of the Book of Wisdom mentioned, the Wisdom of God enters only the holy souls, those who have attuned themselves to God and willingly embraced the will of God, His Wisdom, truth and love. This means that all those who have not listened to God or obeyed Him, have consciously rejected God’s Wisdom, love and truth, and hence, God’s Wisdom has no place in our hearts and minds, and we gave priorities to our desires, pride, ego, ambition and greed instead. And when our hearts and minds are so full of all those, there is no place for God, His Wisdom, love and truth in us.

In our Gospel passage today, the Lord Jesus highlighted to the Pharisees who asked Him about the Kingdom of God. The Lord told them all that the Kingdom of God is not something that they can see from outside, or anything akin the kingdoms of this world. The Kingdom of God is truly all of us, living together as parts and members of the same Body of Christ, the Church, which the Lord Himself has established and affirmed in this world. Through the Holy Spirit and the Divine Wisdom that God has imparted His Church, to all of us, He has empowered all of us to live and exist together in harmony and love, living in the manner and the way that He himself has taught us, and which we should indeed be inspired and encouraged to follow and adhere to, at all times.

Today, the Church celebrates the feast of two great women whose lives and actions, works and collaborations should remind us how each and every one of us how we all should behave and act in life, doing God’s works and obeying His will, Law and commandments. St. Margaret of Scotland and St. Gertrude the Great are both truly great role models and examples for each and every one of us in how we should lead a good and worthy life as Christians, in all of our actions and works. Both of them lived virtuous and faithful lives, committed and centred on God, and they showed love for God as well as for their fellow Christians, in showing solidarity, care and love for everyone as any Christians should be doing.

St. Margaret of Scotland was an English princess who was a very pious Christian from her early youth and throughout her life. She was exiled with her family, the House of Wessex, which was then displaced by the new Danish ruling family in the throne of England. Eventually, after a few other misfortunes and difficulties that she and her other family members faced, she ended up in Scotland, where the King gave her and her family refuge, and then eventually, she became the wife of the King, and hence, becoming the Queen Consort of Scotland. And even as Queen, St. Margaret of Scotland continued to show and exhibit the great piety which she had since early on in her life. According to historical and hagiographical accounts, St. Margaret of Scotland was a great influence on her husband, the King of Scotland. She carried out great reforms of the Church in Scotland, aligning its practices to the Universal Church, and helped to establish the firm foothold of the Church in all of Scotland, and she was also well known for her great charitable works and care for the people throughout the kingdom.

Meanwhile, St. Gertrude the Great was a German Benedictine nun renowned for her great piety and dedication to God, as she has spent most of her life in the service of God. According to some traditions, she was an orphan or having been entrusted to the care of religious nuns when she was still a young child. Eventually, St. Gertrude became a religious herself, dedicating herself in a life of holy sanctity, and committing her virginity to God. As she would later on be well-known for, she began to receive a series of mystical visions of God, and this led to her spending more and more time to deepen her spirituality and understanding of theology. She wrote a lot regarding various topics, especially those of her visions and theological matters, and her works inspired many both during her lifetime and long afterwards, till this very day. Her works and efforts, piety and exemplary life are indeed sources of inspiration for us to follow.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we all listened and heeded the examples set by St. Margaret of Scotland and St. Gertrude the Great, let us all hence examine well our actions and way of living our lives, that each and every one of us may be truly devoted and genuine in following God, and in allowing God to lead us all through His Divine Wisdom and strength. Let us all be filled with His Holy Spirit and be empowered to live our lives each day with great joy and love for God, as well as with the commitment and desire to love Him, and our fellow brethren more and more, now and always. Amen.