12th Sunday of Ordinary Time

by

Friday, 28 June 2024 : 12th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Irenaeus, Bishop, Martyr and Doctor of the Church (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

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.”

by

Friday, 28 June 2024 : 12th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Irenaeus, Bishop, Martyr and Doctor of the Church (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Psalm 136 : 1-2, 3, 4-5, 6

By the streams of Babylon, we sat; and then wept, as we remembered Zion. When, on the poplars, we hung our harps.

Our captors asked for song. Our tormentors wanted songs of joy : “Sing to us one of the songs of Zion!”

How could we sing YHVH’s song in a strange and alien land? If I forget you, o Jerusalem, may my right hand fall useless!

May my tongue cleave to my palate if I remember you not, if Jerusalem is not the first of my joys.

by

Friday, 28 June 2024 : 12th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Irenaeus, Bishop, Martyr and Doctor of the Church (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

2 Kings 25 : 1-12

In the ninth year of Zedekiah’s reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched with his entire army and laid siege to Jerusalem. They camped outside the city and built siege works all around it. The city was under siege up to the eleventh year of the reign of Zedekiah.

On the ninth day of the fourth month famine became a serious problem in the city, and throughout the land there was no bread for the people. When the city was opened by a breach in the wall, the Judean army fled through the gate between the two walls near the king’s garden, while the Chaldeans were still around the city; and they fled towards the Arabah. The Chaldeans followed in hot pursuit of king Zedekiah and caught up with him in the plains of Jericho. All his army deserted him and scattered.

The Chaldeans seized the king and led him away to Riblah in the territory of Hamath and there the king of Babylon passed sentence on him. There at Riblah the king of Babylon slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah in his presence. He then put out the eyes of Zedekiah, bound him with a double bronze chain and took him to Babylon.

On the seventh day of the fifth month in the nineteenth year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan, commander of the captain of the royal guard and servant of the king of Babylon, entered Jerusalem and set fire to the House of YHVH and the royal palace, as well as to all the houses in Jerusalem. The Chaldean army under the commander of the bodyguard completely demolished all the walls around Jerusalem.

Nebuzaradan, commander of the bodyguard, carried off into exile the last of the Jews left in the city, those who had deserted to the king of Babylon and the remainder of the artisans. But he left those among the very poor who were capable of working in vineyards and cultivating the soil.

by

Thursday, 27 June 2024 : 12th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Cyril of Alexandria, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Bishops)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we heard from the words of the Sacred Scriptures in which we are all reminded that we must always put our faith and trust in the Lord, and building our lives upon a firm foundation in Him. Otherwise, if we place our trust and faith in the world and whatever things that we depend on in this world instead of putting our faith in the Lord, we will sooner than later realise that our trust in the things and matters of this world, in any of our worldly means and powers will not avail us through the difficult and challenging moments, and it is in the end, the Lord alone is our firm hope and foundation, through Whom we shall receive consolation, strength and providence, and it is He alone Who will not disappoint any one of us.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah of the continuation of the story of the people of God and the kingdom of Judah, in which we heard today of the last days of the existence of the independent kingdom of Judah, having once again disobeyed the Lord and left the righteous path which the previous King, King Josiah of Judah in our first reading yesterday had highlighted to us, in his efforts and endeavours to bring the people of God back towards obedience and commitment to God. Those efforts were ultimately in vain, as after the passing of King Josiah, the people of God and their kings went back to the path of disobedience and sins against God, and therefore, the kingdom went on its path to its eventual destruction.

Back then, the kingdom of Judah were in between the powerful kingdoms of Egypt and Babylon, with the former having attacked and overcome Judah after defeating King Josiah and his forces in battle earlier in the years prior to the parts mentioned in today’s first reading passage. Egypt subjugated the kingdom of Judah for a while and placed it under its sphere of influence, before as we heard today, the rising power of the Babylonians led to the forces of the King of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar to strike at Judah and Jerusalem, taking over the control and overlordship over Judah from the Egyptians to themselves. We heard how the king of Judah, Jehoiachin and many of the people of Judah were brought off into exile from Jerusalem and Judah after the King of Babylon besieged and attacked Judah and Jerusalem.

All these were likely caused by the people’s lack of faith in God, as they trusted more in worldly powers and in the worldly means, in the play of power and politics, all of which led to the eventual mistakes and repercussions which would end up in the divisions and destructions of the kingdoms of God’s people, as had once happened to the northern kingdom of Israel. The people and king of Judah depended on the Egyptians to protect themselves from the Babylonians, and on other occasions, on the Babylonians to protect themselves against the Egyptians, thinking that by depending on these powers of the world, on their alliances and intricate political links and arrangements that they could get themselves out of trouble and escape their predicament. Little that they know that all these would not avail them at all.

This is why we are all reminded that putting our trust and faith in worldly things and in all of our worldly means and powers will not give us true happiness and satisfaction, and while it may give us temporary reprieve, relief or joy, but in the end, it is with the Lord alone there is true fulfilment, satisfaction and joy, and in the end, if we remain truly faithful to God and trust in Him wholeheartedly, we shall have true joy and glory with Him, and we shall be freed from all the bonds and hardships facing us, and God shall bless us forevermore with the true and lasting peace, happiness and wonders, all of which He has promised to us, and which our holy and worthy predecessors have received and experienced, and which we too should be looking forward to.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard of the words of the Lord Jesus to His disciples and followers telling them all that unless they all have true, genuine and strong faith in Him, they shall not be able to partake in Him or be part of His inheritance, and no one unless those who truly anchored themselves in Him and in His truth will be able to bear through the many challenges, obstacles and hardships that they may likely encounter throughout their lives and existence in this world. The Lord used the parable of the houses and their foundations of sand and firm rock to highlight and explain these things to His disciples and followers, to make it clear that putting our faith in worldly things and in our worldly means and powers, as mentioned in the first reading today, is just like building our houses on the weak foundation of sand, and which will be easily toppled and destroyed.

Meanwhile, if we put our faith and trust in the Lord, as He Himself said, that it is like building upon the firm foundation of our faith in Him, and in His rock-solid commitment to us and to the Covenant which He had established with all of us. This is also a reminder for us that siding and putting our faith with the Lord, trusting and following Him do not mean that we will be free from challenges, hardships and obstacles in life. On the contrary, we may encounter even more difficulties, trials and oppositions than if we are to side with the world instead. However, with God by our side, as our firm foundation and as our Strength and Protector, we can be assured that we will be triumphant in the end of our journey and struggles throughout life.

Today, the Church celebrates the feast of a great Church father and man of God, whose life and inspirations can strengthen and empower us all in how we can live a more worthy and committed life in the Lord. St. Cyril of Alexandria was the Patriarch of Alexandria during the tumultuous time of the late Roman Empire, at the early fifth century, four centuries after the time of the Lord and His Apostles. At that time, the Church was divided between various sides who supported different heretical teachings, as well as those who upheld the true, orthodox and genuine faith in God. After the great troubles earlier on with Arianism and its false teachings, there then rose the heresy of Nestorianism, in which the nature of Our Lord’s Divinity and the relationship between His Divinity and Humanity was confused.

St. Cyril of Alexandria committed himself to the Lord and to the Church rather early in his life although details were rather scant on this part of his life, and eventually he rose to the position of priest, experiencing the theological disputes and the difficulties arising from the divisions within the Church at the time. He was appointed as the Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and it was told that there was disagreements and rioting in Alexandria between his supporters and those who supported his rival, the Archdeacon Timotheus. There were then also disputes with the local prefect and the Church hierarchy in the Eastern part of the Roman Empire which at that time were corrupt and infringing upon the rights and the practices of the Church, and eventually also siding with the Nestorians and their heretical teachings. St. Cyril of Alexandria courageously stood up against all these challenges and obstacles in his many years as the leader of his flock in Alexandria and beyond.

The disputes and disagreements with Nestorius, who was then the powerful and influential Archbishop of Constantinople, the capital of the Eastern half of the Roman Empire eventually led to the Ecumenical Council of Ephesus, in which after a long struggle, disputations and efforts from both sides, those who supported and defended the true Christian faith, that is the orthodox party, led by St. Cyril of Alexandria and many of his holy and faithful contemporaries eventually triumphed, and managed to get the false teachings of Nestorius to be condemned as heresy, managing to affirm the belief that the Divine and Human natures of the Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God and Son of Man are not separated unlike what Nestorius claimed, but rather, united perfectly in love in the One Person of Our Lord and Saviour Himself. St. Cyril faced many hardships and challenges throughout all these times, and had to face opposition from many people even after the Council of Ephesus had decided on the matter, but nonetheless, he carried out his mission faithfully to the end of his life.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore reflect upon what we have just discussed in the Scriptures and from the life and works of St. Cyril of Alexandria, holy servant of God and bishop. Let us all continue to commit ourselves to the Lord, doing whatever we can so that by our exemplary lives and works, we may always live lives that are worthy of God, truly holy and righteous in all things. May all of us be blessed and be strengthened, guided and empowered by God, our Lord and Master in all that we do, and be those who place their trust in God and build the foundation of our lives and faith firmly in Him, now and always. Amen.

by

Thursday, 27 June 2024 : 12th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Cyril of Alexandria, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Bishops)

Matthew 7 : 21-29

At that time, Jesus said to the people, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of My heavenly Father. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not speak in Your Name? Did we not cast out devils and perform many miracles in Your Name?’ Then I will tell them openly, ‘I have never known you; away from Me, you evil people!’”

“Therefore, anyone who hears these words of Mine, and acts according to them, is like a wise man, who built his house on rock. The rain poured down, the rivers flooded, and the wind blew and struck that house. But it did not collapse, because it was built on rock. But anyone who hears these words of Mine, and does not act accordingly, is like a fool who built his house on sand. The rain poured, the rivers flooded, and the wind blew and struck that house; it collapsed, and what a terrible collapse that was!”

When Jesus had finished this discourse, the crowds were struck by the way He taught, because He taught with authority, unlike their teachers of the Law.

by

Thursday, 27 June 2024 : 12th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Cyril of Alexandria, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Bishops)

Psalm 78 : 1-2, 3-5, 8, 9

O God, the pagans have invaded Your inheritance; they have defiled Your holy Temple and reduced Jerusalem to rubble. They have given Your servants’ corpses to the birds, and the flesh of Your saints, to the beasts of the earth.

They have poured out the blood of Your faithful, like water around Jerusalem, and there was no one to bury them. Mocked and reviled by those around us, we are scorned by our neighbours. How long will this last, o YHVH? Will You be angry forever? Will Your wrath always burn to avenge Your rights?

Do not remember against us the sins of our fathers. Let Your compassion hurry to us, for we have been brought very low.

Help us, God, our Saviour, for the glory of Your Name; forgive us, for the sake of Your Name.

by

Thursday, 27 June 2024 : 12th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Cyril of Alexandria, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Bishops)

2 Kings 24 : 8-17

Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he succeeded his father, and he reigned for three months in Jerusalem. His mother was Nehushta, daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem. Jehoiachin treated YHVH badly, as his father had done.

At that time, the officials of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, came to attack Jerusalem, surrounding the city. Nebuchadnezzar came while the city was being besieged by his men. Jehoiachin, king of Judah, surrendered, together with his mother, his servants, his leaders and the palace officials. It was the eighth year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar.

Nebuchadnezzar captured them and he took away the treasures of the House of YHVH and of the king’s house. He also destroyed all the objects of gold which Solomon, king of Israel, had made for the Sanctuary of YHVH. So the word YHVH had spoken, was fulfilled.

Nebuchadnezzar carried off into exile all the leaders and prominent men, the blacksmiths and locksmiths, all the men of valour fit for war. A total of ten thousand were exiled to Babylon. Only the poorest sector of the population was left. Nebuchadnezzar also carried away Jehoiachin, with his mother, his wives, the ministers of the palace, and the prominent men of the land.

So all the prominent people, numbering seven thousand, the blacksmiths, numbering a thousand, and all the men fit for war were deported to Babylon by the king of Babylon. He made Mattaniah, Jehoiachin’s uncle, king of Jerusalem, in place of Jehoiachin. And he changed his name to Zedekiah.

by

Wednesday, 26 June 2024 : 12th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today all of us are reminded through the readings and passages from the Sacred Scriptures of our obligation as God’s holy and beloved people to be the good and faithful servants, followers and disciples of His cause, called and encouraged to do what is right, good and just according to God’s will. Each and every one of us must always strive to be good and worthy in all the things that we say and do, so that we will continue to be good role models and inspirations for each other, for everyone who witness us and all of our lives, that we may proclaim the Lord and His truth, His love and Good News through our lives and good examples, at all times. Each and every one of us must always be filled with God’s grace and love, His compassion and kindness at all times.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of Kings of Israel and Judah, the story of the time when the Book of the Law of God was found once again in the neglected Temple of God in Jerusalem during the reign of King Josiah of Judah. The High Priest Hilkiah found the Book of the Law of God and the King, who obeyed the Lord’s commands and lived according to His ways, sought to find out what the Law of God was about, and how the people ought to live in the manner that was pleasing to God. At that time, the people of God had wandered off so far from the path of God, disobeyed and refusing to believe in Him in many occasions despite the Lord’s reminders towards them through His many prophets and messengers, and hence, the people of God faced a lot of hardships, challenges and trials, suffering all the terrible defeats and worldly hardships for their disobedience and sins.

King Josiah was the last of the kings of Judah who was considered as righteous and obedient to God, and immediately after having read through the details of the accounts of the Law and commandments of God, the king was frightened at the extent of how the people had disobeyed the Lord according to the Law which by then had been mostly forgotten and ignored, and he sought to make amends by ordering the priests and all of the people of the kingdom to do what God had commanded them to do, in obeying His Law and commandments once again, fulfilling the many things that God had called them all to do, such as observing the Passover festival again, and purifying the Temple of God, and removing from their midst all the abominations of the pagan and foreign idols that had misled so many into the path of sin.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard of the Lord Jesus speaking to His disciples and followers about the dangers of the false prophets in their midst, and how every one of them ought to be careful and vigilant lest they might be persuaded and tempted to walk down the wrong path, all the falsehoods and the twisted versions of the teachings and the truths of God that could lead many into the path of sin and damnation. This is why He reminded all of them, and hence also all of us not to follow all these false and wicked ways, and not to be persuaded, swayed, tempted or coerced by all those who did not truly serve the Lord’s purpose. Instead, all of us as God’s beloved and holy people must always strive to be truly ever more faithful to God and to be truly committed to His path and truth.

This is because as Christians it is important that we truly embody our faith in everything that we say and do. We must always be sincere in our words, actions and deeds, or we are no better than hypocrites and those false prophets who outwardly may appear faithful and pious, and yet in their hearts and minds, God is not truly there, and inside them, instead are desires, ego, ambitions and all the false leads which lead us all down the path of evil, disobedience, wickedness and eventually towards our downfall through sin. Many of our predecessors, even those high in position in the Church and in the world had fallen prey to all these, to Satan’s temptations and the allures of worldly glory, fame, pleasures and ambitions, which led them to the path of damnation.

The Lord Jesus used the parable of the fruits of the tree to explain to His disciples and followers in order to make them all understand His teachings and what He meant, as He told them that good trees will inevitably bear good fruits, while rotten and bad trees will inevitably yield bad and rotten fruits. Therefore, if we do not cultivate our faith in the Lord and develop a strong love, devotion and commitment to God, in the end, eventually we will not be able to show that genuine faith and love towards God, and our faith will be empty, meaningless and dead in nature. We cannot truly obey and follow the Lord faithfully unless we truly believe in Him from our heart, and are truly sincere in dedicating ourselves, our time and effort to follow Him thoroughly as best as we can.

Each and every one of us as Christians must always be active in living up to our faith in the Lord, not through great and grandiose actions and works, but rather through even small and simple deeds that we carry out in life. Through all these small and seemingly insignificant little actions in life, we can help and inspire one another to live a better and more worthy life filled with God’s grace and love. For too long we have allowed ourselves to be swayed and tempted by the evil ones and those who seek our destruction and damnation. Now is the time for us to make our stand, to stand by our Lord and God firmly in faith, and renew our commitment to Him, that we commit to follow the Lord and dedicate ourselves to Him in each and every moments of our lives from now on, if we have not yet done so.

May the Lord continue to strengthen and empower us all in each and every one of our journeys in faith throughout our lives, and may He continue to guide us all through the many challenges and trials in life so that regardless of the hardships and obstacles that we may have to endure and experience amidst our path and journey towards Him, we will continue to persevere and carry out our lives and actions with great faith and obedience to Him, to His Law and to His will. May all of us continue to be the great and worthy bearers of God’s Good News, His light of hope, His love and truth in our society, amongst everyone whom we encounter and journey with, now and always. Amen.

by

Wednesday, 26 June 2024 : 12th Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Matthew 7 : 15-20

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “Beware of false prophets : they come to you in sheep’s clothing; but inside, they are voracious wolves. You will recognise them by their fruits. Do you ever pick grapes from thorn bushes; or figs, from thistles?”

“A good tree always produces good fruit. A rotten tree produces bad fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit; and a rotten fruit cannot bear good fruit. Any tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, you will know them by their fruit.”

by

Wednesday, 26 June 2024 : 12th Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 118 : 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 40

Explain to me, o YHVH, Your commandments, and I will be ever faithful to them.

Give me understanding, that I may observe Your law with all my heart.

Guide me in obeying Your instructions, for my pleasure lies in them.

Incline my heart to follow Your will and not my own selfish desire.

Turn my eyes away from vanities and direct them to Your life-giving word.

Oh, how I long for Your precepts! Renew my life in Your righteousness.