Saints

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Tuesday, 4 July 2023 : 13th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Elizabeth of Portugal (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Saints)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we heard the message of the Scriptures telling us all that we have to trust in the Lord for all things and be faithful to Him even we may be facing a lot of hardships and difficulties in our lives. The Lord has always been with His faithful ones, and He will not abandon any of us to the darkness, and He will always stand by us even through the darkest of times. We have to remember this as we continue to carry out our missions in life and embark on this journey through our lives in this world, that we are not easily swayed by the many temptations all around us and by the pressures and coercions from those who seek to dissuade us from being faithful to God and from obeying His will and carrying out His commandments and Law. We have to hold firm to our faith in God knowing that in Him alone there is true hope and salvation.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of Genesis in which the story of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah was told to us, in which God destroyed the two cities with brimstone and fire from Heaven for all the wickedness that the people in those two cities had committed before Him. At the same time, we also heard the great story of God’s love and kindness in caring for His faithful ones, as He sent His Angels to help and protect Lot, the nephew of Abraham, who had lived in the area of Sodom and Gomorrah, and who had to endure the wickedness of those who lived in that area with his family. Lot also proved himself righteous after he protected the two Angels sent to help guide Lot out of the city. Hence, as we heard, the Angels guided Lot and his family, bringing them to safety beyond the land of Sodom and Gomorrah before their destruction.

However, Lot’s wife, who was probably swayed by the temptations of worldliness that she had enjoyed and experienced when she stayed in Sodom and Gomorrah, she wavered and she turned to face the city, against the warnings of the two Angels who had warned Lot and his family not to look at the pandemonium that was happening as the two cities were destroyed by the power of God. She was therefore turned into a pillar of salt, as a sign of her disobedience and as a reminder for all of us that we should not doubt God’s providence and help. Of course the truth and reality is that this is easier said than done, as we may frequently be tempted and coerced to abandon the path of God for the corruptions and wickedness of the world.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard from the Gospel of St. Matthew the account of the moment when the Lord and His disciples were battered in the middle of the Lake of Galilee, with a great storm and huge waves that were striking at the boat where they were in. The disciples panicked and feared for their lives, and were desperately begging the Lord, Who was sleeping, to save them from their predicament. The Lord rebuked them and scolded them for their lack of faith and trust in Him, and proceeded to calm the wind, the waves and the storm, by the mere will of His words. Everyone present were astonished at the great authority and power that God has shown them, which was just yet another proof and example of God’s enduring love and providence for us all, just as He had done for Lot and his family in the old days.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, it is a reminder for us all that we should not easily allow ourselves to be swayed and turned away from the Lord simply because we may be encountering hardships and challenges in the path that we are walking now. We should always remind ourselves that we are never alone in this journey of faith through life, and as He has repeatedly shown and reassured us, He is always there with us and for us, journeying with us, and enduring the worst together with us. After all, had He not endured the worst of sufferings and hardships, trials and persecutions for us, as He bore His Cross patiently and walked down the path of His Passion to Calvary? That is why we should keep this in mind, and keep ourselves in the path of the Lord, at all times.

Today, the Church also celebrates the feast of St. Elizabeth of Portugal, whose life and devotion to God, whose trust in the Lord and commitment to Him should serve as great examples and sources of inspiration for all of us to follow. All of us should look upon St. Elizabeth of Portugal, who was the Queen Consort of Portugal, remembered for her great faith in God, her care for her people and her many charitable actions and works, leading a life that was truly worthy of God, devoting much of her time and efforts to look after the poor and the sick throughout the kingdom and even beyond. She was also instrumental in the efforts she had done to convert her husband from a life of debauchery and sin, and succeeded in bringing him back to the true and genuine faith in God.

St. Elizabeth of Portugal was also an active part in the Portuguese politics and statesmanship, involved in brokering peace between the kingdoms at that time, which were often involved in wars and conflicts. She spent a lot of time in caring for the physical and spiritual needs of the many people all around her, and her great examples of faith and dedication to God, her charity and love for the less fortunate truly inspired many, like her own husband amongst many others, to turn back towards the Lord and to follow Him more wholeheartedly. And after her husband passed away, St. Elizabeth retired to the monastery of Poor Clare nuns, continuing to show love and care for the poor and the sick, donating generously for those who were suffering during famines and troubles. She supported many hospitals and religious institutions, and her examples were truly inspirational right even up to this day.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, we can see how St. Elizabeth of Portugal, our holy predecessor, dedicated herself so wholly and completely to God, that despite of her position and prestige as Queen Consort, she did not let all the worldly glory and ambition, temptations and corruptions to get to her. Instead, she remained humble and committed to God, and made great use of whatever that she had been blessed with, all her blessings and excesses, to care for those who were less fortunate and suffering. All of us as Christians should be encouraged to do the same as well with our lives, entrusting ourselves to the Lord and following Him with all of our hearts and with all of our might. Let us all therefore do what we can so that we may continue to walk ever more faithfully in God’s path from now on.

May the Lord continue to bless us all and guide us, and inspire us all with the wisdom and strength to continue walking down the path of His grace and salvation, inspired by the holy saints, holy men and women of God, particularly that of St. Elizabeth of Portugal, so that our own lives and examples may become good inspiration and role models for all others around us. May God be with us always and may He remain with us, as we continue journeying together in faith, now and forevermore. Amen.

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Tuesday, 4 July 2023 : 13th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Elizabeth of Portugal (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Saints)

Matthew 8 : 23-27

At that time, Jesus got into the boat and His disciples followed Him. Without warning, a fierce storm burst upon the lake, with waves sweeping the boat. But Jesus was asleep.

The disciples woke Him up and cried, “Lord save us! We are lost!” But Jesus answered, “Why are you so afraid, you of little faith?” Then He stood up and rebuked the wind and sea; and it became completely calm.

The disciples were astonished. They said, “What kind of Man is He? Even the winds and the sea obey Him.”

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Tuesday, 4 July 2023 : 13th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Elizabeth of Portugal (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Saints)

Psalm 25 : 2-3, 9-10, 11-12

Prove me, o YHVH, put me to the test; examine my soul and my heart. For Your love is ever before my eyes, and I live in truth and faithfulness.

Let me not share the fate of sinners, nor lose my life with the violent; their hands are guilty of crimes, their right hands are weighed down with bribes.

But I will walk in integrity, redeem me, o God, be gracious to me. My foot stands firm in the straight path, I will praise You, o YHVH, in Your assemblies.

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Tuesday, 4 July 2023 : 13th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Elizabeth of Portugal (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Saints)

Genesis 19 : 15-29

At daybreak the Angels urged Lot, saying, “Hurry! Take your wife and two daughters who are here, lest they perish because of the sin of the town.” As he hesitated, the men took him by the hand and his wife and two daughters with him, because YHVH had mercy on him. And they led him outside the town.

When they were outside, the visitors said to him, “Flee for your life and do not look back and do not stop anywhere in the plain. Flee to the mountain lest you perish.” But Lot replied, “My lords, your servant has found favour with you, and you have shown me great kindness in saving my life. But I cannot flee to the mountains for fear the disaster will overtake me and I die.”

“See, there is a town near enough for me to flee to and it is a small one. Let me flee there : it is very small (that is why the town is called Zoar). So I will be safe.” And the Angel answered, “I grant you this favour as well by not destroying the town you speak of. But flee fast for I can do nothing until you arrive there.”

The sun had risen on the earth when Lot reached Zoar. Then YHVH rained on Sodom and Gomorrah burning sulfur out of the heavens from YHVH, and He completely destroyed those towns and all the valley and all the inhabitants of the towns and everything that grew there. Lot’s wife looked back and she became a pillar of salt.

Early next morning Abraham returned to the place where he had stood before YHVH. He looked towards Sodom and Gomorrah and towards all the land of the valley and he saw smoke rising from the earth like the smoke from a furnace. So when God destroyed the towns of the plain He remembered Abraham and made Lot escape from the catastrophe while He destroyed the cities where Lot had lived.

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Monday, 3 July 2023 : Feast of St. Thomas, Apostle (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today the Church celebrates the Feast of one of the great Apostles of the Lord, one of the Twelve Apostles, St. Thomas the Apostle, known as the one who doubted the Lord, His Resurrections, words and teachings. St. Thomas was not an easy man to convince, as the Scriptures has shown us. Yet, in the end, the Lord showed St. Thomas that everything that He has revealed and taught to him were truly the truth, and everything indeed happened as He had predicted and spoken about them. Thus, St. Thomas became one of the most ardent disciples of the Lord, and went on to do great things for the greater glory of God, spreading the Good News of God to more and more people who have not yet heard of Him.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Ephesians, of the nature that all the faithful people of God are parts of the Church, the Body of Christ. The Apostles meanwhile are the foundations and the pillars, as were the prophets and other great saints and messengers of God. Each one of them are important parts of the Church, which allowed the Church to grow ever larger and prosper among the people of God. St. Thomas the Apostle was one of these many pillars, and the contributions and works he had done, all were meant to strengthen the structure and the support of the Church. St. Paul also mentioned how all the whole structure is joined together, and rises to be a holy Temple in the Lord, representing how each and every one of us as those who believe in the Lord are Temples of the Lord’s Holy Presence.

The significance of those words, is that the Apostles and the many other saints are the good role models and inspirations for all the other faithful people of God, and through the holiness and sanctity that they had shown, in their lives and works, St. Thomas the Apostle, the other Apostles and the innumerable other holy men and women of God, those who have been declared saints and blesseds, all these helped us all in our own lives, by inspiring and showing us all what it truly means for us to be Christians, to be God’s people and members of His one Body, the Body of Christ the Church. Each and every one of us should be strengthened and empowered by the Apostles and all that they had done for the good of the Church and all the whole people of God.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard from the account of how the Lord appeared to St. Thomas the Apostle and the other disciples and proved to the former that He was truly risen from the dead. Initially, the Lord appeared to all the Apostles and disciples of the Lord except for St. Thomas himself who was away and not present. St. Thomas doubled down on his stubborn refusal to believe in the Lord’s resurrection, and even challenged that he would not believe unless he could put his fingers into the wounds of the Lord, and prove that He was truly risen in the flesh, or else he would not believe in Him. That was when the Lord proved him wrong and revealed to St. Thomas himself that He was indeed Risen from the dead.

Through all of these, we can see that God had called for Himself people who were imperfect, flawed and some might even consider unworthy to be the disciples and followers of the Lord, and less still as an Apostle and a role model for all the faithful. But lest we are quick to judge and think that St. Thomas was less than worthy to follow the Lord, we have to look at ourselves first. Are we not also flawed and faulty, imperfect and sometimes wicked in our ways? When God called us, it was not His intention to make those who are already great and perfect, unblemished and unflawed to be His followers. In fact, none of us would have ever been worthy of the Lord in that manner, and no one would have been worthy enough to be a follower of the Lord, being sinners that we are.

However, the truth is that God called His disciples and followers from the world, sinners and imperfect, and turned them all into those whose lives have been transformed and changed by their knowledge of God and His truth. For example, St. Thomas himself, once filled with doubt and stubbornness in refusing to believe in the Lord, became one of the Lord’s greatest servants in doing His will through many years of faithful service, proclaiming the Good News in many distant places and lands, and converting many to the true faith, revealing the Risen Lord to those who have not yet heard of Him. Once an unbeliever himself, St. Thomas spent many years in his works, in proclaiming the Risen Lord, and eventually even suffering and dying a martyr’s death for that same truth.

St. Thomas went to proclaim the Good News of God in many places, and most importantly, in what is now India, where he proclaimed the Messiah and the Son of God, the Risen Lord, in various parts of southern India. Apostolic and Church traditions, as well as historical evidences showed that St. Thomas helped to establish Christian communities in various places across coastal areas of India, evidently due to his works and contributions. Those Christian communities would endure and remain strong for centuries, and later on, those Christians kept their faith and continued to show the faith in the Lord despite the hardships and the challenges that they constantly faced. St. Thomas himself faced the same persecution and hardships, and was martyred in the midst of his ministry.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, we can clearly see that the Lord had called St. Thomas to be His faithful and worthy servant, although he was an unbeliever and was wavering in faith initially. He called the imperfect and the weak so that by His grace and strength, He might empower them all and strengthen them that they become the worthy followers and disciples of His. That is what He has done for us as well, and what He will do for us. Each one of us should realise that as Christians, as God’s followers and disciples, we should do our best to do God’s will, in all that He has entrusted to each one of us, the mission and works that we should be doing in the path that He has shown us. The question is then, are we able to commit ourselves like St. Thomas and the other holy men and women of God had done?

Let us all therefore seek to do our best to do God’s will in each and every moments and opportunities provided to us, so that we may continue to glorify Him by our lives, by our every actions, works and deeds, as well as in our every words and interactions with one another. May the Lord continue to bless us and guide us in our every efforts and good endeavours, so that we may continue to inspire each other and more people, just as how St. Thomas had inspired countless people throughout the history of the Church and the world. St. Thomas, Holy Apostle of Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, pray for us all who are sinners and are weak in our faith, that God may also strengthen our faith in Him and our love and dedication to Him, as He has done with you. Amen.

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Monday, 3 July 2023 : Feast of St. Thomas, Apostle (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

John 20 : 24-29

At that time, Thomas, the Twin, one of the Twelve, was not with the other Eleven when Jesus came. The other disciples told Him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he replied, “Until I have seen in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in His side, I will not believe.”

Eight days later, the disciples were again inside the house and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you!” Then He said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see My hands; stretch out your hand, and put it into My side. Do not continue in your unbelief, but believe!”

Thomas said, “You are my Lord and my God.” Jesus replied, “You believe because you see Me, do you not? Happy are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”

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Monday, 3 July 2023 : Feast of St. Thomas, Apostle (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Psalm 116 : 1, 2

Alleluia! Praise YHVH, all you nations; all you peoples, praise Him.

How great is His love for us! His faithfulness lasts forever.

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Monday, 3 July 2023 : Feast of St. Thomas, Apostle (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Ephesians 2 : 19-22

Now, you are no longer strangers or guests, but fellow citizens of the holy people : you are of the household of God. You are the house, whose foundations are the Apostles and prophets, and whose cornerstone is Christ Jesus. In Him, the whole structure is joined together, and rises, to be a holy Temple, in the Lord.

In Him, you, too, are being built, to become the spiritual Sanctuary of God.

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Friday, 30 June 2023 : 12th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of the First Martyrs of the Holy Roman Church (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, each one of us are reminded that God is always ever faithful to the Covenant which He has made with all of us, in His love for us and in His desire to be reconciled and reunited with us. He knows the heart and He sees the inside of our beings, the truth about ourselves, our every actions, words and deeds. Through His love and kindness, He reaches out to us, finding us the path to Him, and allowing us to walk once again in His grace and love. Once we have been separated and sundered from His love and compassion, but God’s love proved even greater, and His insistence in reaching out to us have reopened the path for us to eternal life and true joy.

In our first reading today, we heard the story of Abraham, our father in faith, as he was chosen by God to make a Covenant with Him. The Book of Genesis relates to us the time and moment when God renewed His promises to Abraham, and made a Covenant with him, as Abraham had been following Him for years, obediently and faithfully. Abraham still followed the Lord even when he was still childless and despite the Lord having promised him a son to continue his line and to inherit everything he had. Abraham even went to try to find his own way by having a son with his wife’s slave Hagar, who gave him Ishmael, but the Lord again reiterated that as He had said, He would give him a son, the promised son that would be born from his wife, Sarah. Sarah was already very old then and was way beyond childbearing.

Yet, the Lord told Abraham that he would have a son through Sarah, his wife, and at the same time, He also reassured him that He would still bless and take care of Ishmael, for he is after all still Abraham’s son. Abraham believed in the Lord and that was why God made His Covenant with him and his descendants, for all the faithfulness which Abraham had shown, in his commitment and dedication to Him, despite the uncertainties and the wait that he had to endure in expecting his heir, and in the other hardships and challenges that he had to go through. Abraham faithfully endured everything and still gave his best to the Lord regardless, and this is what all of us as Christians should do in obeying the Lord and His Law and commandments.

In our Gospel passage today, the Lord Jesus healed a leper who had come to Him for healing, and that leper had faith in the Lord that He could make him whole again. Thus, that was what the Lord Jesus had done, in healing the leper, caring for him and made him once again to belong to the community of the faithful, no longer an outcast and an exile. We must understand that back then, one who suffered from leprosy was often ostracised and cast out from the community, as the Law of God then stated that those who contracted leprosy had to be separated from the rest of the community, cast out in the wilderness until the moment when they have been healed from their leprosy. They had to prove that they had been healed before they could be readmitted to the community.

This leprosy was in fact not quite the leprosy as we know it today, but might have been skin condition and diseases that were easily transmissible, and hence, in a practical term, especially in the crowded condition during the Exodus and the journey from Egypt to the Promised Land of Canaan, it was expedient and practical to avoid the whole population from contracting the same diseases, but it became misunderstood and caused misery for those who had contracted the leprosy and other diseases, being cast out and mistreated for their condition. Hence, the Lord showed His mercy and love by healing the leper from his condition, allowing him to once again rejoin the community of the faithful people of God.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, today therefore we are reminded of the love that God has always had for us, and how He has reached out to us with this enduring love and compassion. And therefore, we are also reminded of what each one of us need to do in order to fulfil our part of the Covenant, which we have been so blessed and fortunate to be part of, a Covenant that God has so kindly established with us, and we have been made His beloved people, as part of His own Body, His Church. Thus, all of us should live our lives worthily of the Lord and His path, and we should do well to look upon the examples set by our faithful and holy predecessors, all those who have followed the Lord faithfully, and even suffered and gave their lives for the Lord.

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of the Holy First Martyrs of the Holy Roman Church, commemorating all those who have perished in the great persecutions of the Christians in Rome, at the heart of the Roman Empire, also the heart of Christendom, during the time of the reign of the Roman Emperor Nero. At that time the early Christians began to grow in number across the Roman Empire, even at the very heart of the Empire in Rome. During the reign of the Emperor Nero, it happened that a great fire broke out throughout the city of Rome, what would be known as the Great Fire of Rome, in which the Emperor laid the blame on the Christians in the city, which were therefore persecuted and arrested, and many were martyred during this intense persecution.

Yet, despite the challenges and trials, the sufferings and hardships which they had to face, those faithful Christians in Rome endured and remained firm in their faith, and most did not give up their faith, although many were thrown to the lions and to be tortured. They were blamed for crimes and faults that they themselves did not commit, and most people in fact assigned the blame to the Emperor Nero himself, who obviously sought a scapegoat for his actions. Those faithful Holy Martyrs in Rome remained firm in their conviction and dedication to God, and they became the inspiration and strength for many others who were also facing hardships and trials in life throughout the succeeding years and generations. All of us should also therefore be inspired and strengthened in the same way as well.

Let us all hence commit ourselves wholeheartedly to the service of God from now on, and let us all be reminded of God’s ever gracious love and compassion, and do our part to love the Lord as well, as part of the Covenant which He has established with us. Like Abraham, our father in faith, and like the holy martyrs whose memories we venerate today, and our many other holy predecessors, let us always be filled with faith, love and commitment to God, and let us trust the Lord fully and wholeheartedly, in His providence and love. May the Lord be with us all and may He empower each one of us with His blessings, in all of our actions and deeds, now and always. Amen.

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Friday, 30 June 2023 : 12th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of the First Martyrs of the Holy Roman Church (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)

Matthew 8 : 1-4

At that time, when Jesus came down from the mountain, large crowds followed Him. Then a leper came forward. He knelt before Him and said, “Sir, if You want to, You can make me clean.”

Jesus stretched out His hand, touched him, and said, “I want to, be clean again.” At that very moment, the man was cleansed from his leprosy. Then Jesus said to him, “See that you do not tell anyone; but go to the priest, have yourself declared clean, and offer the gift that Moses commanded as evidence for them.”