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Thursday, 22 November 2018 : 33rd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Cecilia, Virgin and Martyr (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Revelations 5 : 1-10

Then I saw in the right hand of Him Who was seated on the throne a scroll written on both sides, sealed with seven seals. A mighty Angel exclaimed in a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open this and break the seals?”

But no one in heaven or on earth or in the netherworld was found able to open the book and read it. I wept much when I saw that no one was found worthy to open the book and read it. Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep. Look, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Shoot of David, has conquered; He will open the book of the seven seals.”

And I saw next to the throne with its four living creatures and the twenty-four elders a Lamb standing, although It had been slain. I saw Him with seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent out to all the earth. The Lamb moved forward and took the book from the right hand of Him Who was seated on the throne.

When He took it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders bowed before the Lamb. They all held in their hands harps and golden cups full of incense which are the prayers of the holy ones. This is the new song they sang : “You are worthy to take the book and open its seals, for You were slain and by Your Blood You purchased for God people of every race, language and nation; and You made them a kingdom and priests for our God and they shall reign over the land.”

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Wednesday, 21 November 2018 : 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, on this day we celebrate the feast of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God. On this day we remember the moment and the time when Mary was presented at the Temple of God after she was born, as prescribed by the Law. She was the firstborn of her family, her parents St. Joachim and St. Anne. And through this presentation, she was presented before God.

And in Mary, the prophecies that God has given to His people would be fulfilled, including what we heard today from the prophet Zechariah, that the Lord would dwell once again among His people, and that they would once again be His possession. That prophecy would be fulfilled in Mary because through her, the Lord’s salvation would come into the world, as she bore in her the Saviour and Lord.

We also believe that Mary has been specially chosen and prepared by God over all other creatures and over all other sons and daughters of man, that she was conceived without sin, and was also completely free from the same taint of sin, the blemish of the original sin of Adam and Eve, our ancestors, through whose disobedience against God, sin entered into this world.

Mary was presented at the Temple today, as the perfect and unblemished offering before God, as the perfect creature and man, worthy to be the vessel through which God would execute His plan of salvation, by sending down His Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, to be born of the Virgin, Mary, by the power of the Holy Spirit. And because God Himself would dwell in her, in Body and Spirit, thus Mary was hallowed and made worthy.

Yet, brothers and sisters in Christ, we should not see Mary as someone who is superhuman and as someone whose status and wonders are impossible for us to reach. On the contrary, as we remember Mary, the Mother of God, presented before us all, God’s people today, in all of her faith, commitment and devotion to God, in all of her loving and compassionate heart, in the love she has for God, we also should see in ourselves the potential to be like Mary in how we live our faith.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day let us all reflect on our lives and on all of our actions. Let us all imitate the good examples which Mary has shown us, in how she obeyed God and followed His commandments faithfully with all her heart, entrusting herself to the divine will that she became the Mother of Our Lord and Saviour, and become therefore, the Co-Redemptrix of all of us.

Let us all have this conversion of heart, mind, and indeed, of our whole being, that while once we may have led a life of sin and disobedience against God, now we can find a new existence in God’s love and grace. Let us all follow the examples of Mary, striving to make our lives to be more like hers, to be righteous and worthy of the Lord, by rejecting sin and resisting the temptations to sin.

May the Lord continue to guide us on our way, that we may continue to persevere through this life with faith despite the challenges, temptations and hardships we may remain in the way that God has shown us, and follow Him through Mary, His mother. May we all strive to be holy and worthy, each and every moments of our life. May God bless us all, now and forevermore. Amen.

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Wednesday, 21 November 2018 : 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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Wednesday, 21 November 2018 : 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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Wednesday, 21 November 2018 : 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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Tuesday, 20 November 2018 : 33rd Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we listened to the Scriptures again we are reminded of the current state of our sins, and how we ought to repent and turn away from them and embrace fully God’s love and mercy. This is what we ought to do, in the time and opportunity God has given us, that we do not fall into eternal damnation, but regain our rightful place by His side in heaven.

In the first reading today, we heard the account from the Book of Revelations of St. John, in which at the beginning of the book, St. John was told to write to the Angels of the seven churches of Asia. In those letters, the Lord wanted each and every one of those Church communities to know that their ways have fallen away from Him, or that they have become lukewarm in their faith, and in the need of repentance and conversion. And that is why the Lord is calling on them to repent and turn away from their sins.

He was warning them against the riches and the temptations of the world, which are often in the way of one being truly faithful to God. While the riches and worldly things themselves are not at fault, but it is how we mankind often misuse them and become overly obsessed and infatuated over them, which resulted in us doing things in our respective lives, that do not conform to the way that the Lord has shown us.

But at the same time, while God is indeed not happy with our sins and mistakes, the blemish and faults present in our lives, He is ever loving and ever merciful towards us. After all, He created each and every one of us because of His great love for us. We are the pinnacle of His creation, the ones created in nothing else but His own image.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, that is why today we ought to reflect on our Gospel passage today, on the story of the encounter between the Lord Jesus and Zaccheus, a tax collector and sinner. This story is one that I am sure quite well-known amongst us, but do we truly relate the significance and meaning of this story to our own lives? There are indeed important parallels that we should take note of today.

First of all, Zaccheus was a short man, but that did not dissuade him from trying to make the hard effort to be able to see the Lord, climbing up a sycamore tree so that he could have a good look at Him. The Lord saw his efforts, and called on him, knowing that in the heart and mind of Zaccheus, there was genuine love and focus on God. That was affirmed when the Lord spoke to Zaccheus, and he declared his devotion and commitment to God, publicly before everyone gathered, that he also repented from all of his past wrongdoings.

In the example shown by Zaccheus, we saw first of all the frailty of man, easily afflicted and corrupted by sin, and easily overcome by the various temptations of the world. However, we also saw man’s desire to be reconciled and to be forgiven, reunited and to be received once again into God’s loving embrace, as shown by the effort and commitment made by Zaccheus, shedding away all of his pride and ego, and humbling himself before God in the presence of all the people.

Now, brothers and sisters in Christ, are we also capable of making such a commitment? Today’s Scripture passages have reminded all of us of the importance for us to understand the sinfulness that are affecting us at the moment, how we have been corrupted by those sins, and of the repercussions that will come if we do not repent from those sins. We must realise that God wants to reconcile us to Himself, and want us to be forgiven our sins, but we must make the effort to come to God in all humility as Zaccheus had done.

Let us therefore pray, brothers and sisters in Christ, that we will have the perseverance and the willingness, the courage and the strength to live up our faith each and every days of our life, turning ourselves to God and refocusing our lives towards Him. May the Lord be our guide, and may He continue to watch over us and bless us in all of our endeavours. Amen.

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Tuesday, 20 November 2018 : 33rd Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Luke 19 : 1-10

At that time, when Jesus entered Jericho and passed through the city, a man named Zaccheus lived there. He was a tax collector and a wealthy man. He wanted to see what Jesus was like, but he was a short man and could not see Him because of the crowd.

So he ran ahead and climbed up a sycamore tree. From there he would be able to see Jesus, Who was going to pass that way. When Jesus came to the place, He looked up and said to him, “Zaccheus, Zaccheus, come down quickly, for I must stay at your house today.” So Zaccheus climbed down and received Him joyfully.

All the people who saw it began to grumble, and said, “He has gone as a guest to the house of a sinner.” But Zaccheus spoke to Jesus, “Half of what I own, Lord, I will give to the poor, and if I have cheated anyone, I will pay him back four times as much.”

Looking at him Jesus said, “Salvation has come to this house today, for he is also a true son of Abraham. The Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost.”

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Tuesday, 20 November 2018 : 33rd Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 14 : 2-3ab, 3cd-4ab, 5

Those who walk blamelessly and do what is right, who speak truth from their heart and control their words.

Those who do no harm to their neighbours and cast no discredit on their companions, who look down on evildoers but highly esteem God’s servants.

Those who do not lend money at interest and refuse a bribe against the innocent. Do this, and you will soon be shaken.

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Tuesday, 20 November 2018 : 33rd Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Revelations 3 : 1-6, 14-22

Write this to the Angel of the Church in Sardis, “Thus says He Who holds the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars : ‘I know your worth : you think you live but you are dead. Wake up and strengthen that which is not already dead. For I have found your works to be imperfect in the sight of My God.”

“‘Remember what you were taught; keep it and change your ways. If you do not repent I will come upon you like a thief at an hour you least expect. Yet, there are some left in Sardis who have not soiled their robes; these will come with Me, dressed in white, since they deserve it. The victor will be dressed in white and I will never erase his name from the book of life; instead, I will acknowledge it before My Father and His Angels.'”

“‘Let anyone who has ears listen to what the Spirit says to the Churches.'”

Write this to the Angel of the Church in Laodicea, “Thus says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of God’s creation : ‘I know your works : you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were cold or hot! You are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold so I will spit you out of My mouth.'”

“‘You think you are rich and have piled up so much that you need nothing, but you do not realise that you are wretched and to be pitied, poor, blind and naked. I advise you to buy from Me gold that has been tested by fire, so that you may be rich, and white clothes to wear so that your nakedness may not shame you, and ointment for your eyes that you may see. I reprimand and correct all those I love. Be earnest and change your ways.'”

“‘Look, I stand at the door and knock. If you hear My call and open the door, I will come in to you and have supper with you, and you with Me. I will let the victor sit with Me on My throne just as I was victorious and took My place with My Father on His throne. Let anyone who has ears listen to what the Spirit says to the Churches.'”

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Monday, 19 November 2018 : 33rd Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we are reminded of the Lord’s mercy and infinite love, which He has shown us, and which He is willing to give us, again and again. And this is despite of the disobedience and the stubborn attitude which we have shown repeatedly, in various occasions. He despises our sins and wickedness, but in the end, at the centre of it all, God’s love is even greater for us, His beloved children, than His anger for our sins.

After all, He did not create us all without a good reason, and that good reason is exactly because He loves every single one, every single part of His many and unfathomably vast arrays of creation. And He created us mankind as the last, greatest and as the pinnacle of His creation and universe. Do not forget, brothers and sisters in Christ, that out of all creation, we alone have been created in God’s own image.

That is why, we were actually destined for great things, that is to enjoy forever the perfect bliss and happiness in all the good things that God had created for us. Unfortunately, we mankind chose to satisfy our inner desires, the pride and greed that entered us through the temptations and lies that Satan had given us. We fell into those temptations and failed to resist. In the end, the outcome is that we become more and more distant from God and become estranged from Him.

Sin is a very dangerous disease that is constantly attacking us, corrupting us and eating us from the inside out. Unlike any forms of earthly diseases, even those seemingly incurable ones, sin alone is capable of affecting our deepest and innermost being, and can end up causing us fate far worse than death. Even the worst diseases can only cause the death of our physical body, but sin can cause us to suffer eternal and true death, eternal suffering in hell.

And many of us did not realise that we are in this state of sin, which makes us unworthy of God. As mentioned earlier, God truly loves each and every one of us, even the greatest sinners and those who have been estranged for a long time from Him. And He is willing to reconcile ourselves to Him, by forgiving us our sins. He offers us this forgiveness and mercy freely, and yet, ultimately, whether we are forgiven or not, also requires us to accept His mercy with sincere desire for change.

Perhaps, what we heard in the Gospel passage today, can inspire us to do what is necessary to be more attuned to God and His will, and to accept His mercy and love present in our midst. In that passage, we heard of the moment when a blind man in Jericho cried out incessantly calling out to the Lord Jesus, wanting Him to heal him from his blindness so that he might be able to see again.

And despite the scolding and ridicule from all the other people who were around him, the blind man did not give up. In fact, he cried out all the louder, asking the Lord Jesus to come to him and heal him from his afflictions. The Lord heard his call, and showed pity and mercy on the blind man. In the end, the blind man could see again and his wishes were fulfilled.

How does this compare to us, brothers and sisters in Christ? We are like the blind man, afflicted with sin, that become like a veil, a distraction and temptation that kept us away from being able to be fully reconciled with God. And the call that the blind man made, is like our efforts and attempts to seek the Lord’s mercy and forgiveness. But there are also, at the same time, the voices of those who ridiculed and scolded the blind man, and these are the temptations that often prevent us from being able to accept God’s mercy and forgiveness.

Now, the question is, are we faithful enough and willing enough to put in the effort to love the Lord, even despite the challenges and difficulties that we may encounter in life? Are we able and willing to commit ourselves wholeheartedly and call out to the Lord, just as the blind man had done? Doing so will also require us to humble ourselves and to desire that healing which can only come from God. God alone is capable of forgiving us our sins, and He is willing to do so. But are we willing to accept His offer?

Brothers and sisters in Christ, today all of us are called to make a change and a difference in each and every one of our lives. We are called to a conversion of hearts, minds and indeed, our whole being. Let us commit ourselves to God anew, and let us turn to Him with all of our abilities and strengths, from now on, that we may be eventually be worthy of God’s love and grace, and have a part in the eternal inheritance and glory He has promised us who are faithful to Him. May God bless us all. Amen.