17th Sunday of Ordinary Time

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Saturday, 3 August 2024 : 17th Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Saturday Mass of Our Lady)

Matthew 14 : 1-12

At that time, the reports about Jesus reached king Herod. And he said to his servants, “This Man is John the Baptist. John has risen from the dead, and that is why miraculous powers are at work in John.”

Herod had, in fact, ordered that John be arrested, bound in chains and put in prison, because of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip. For John had said to Herod, “It is not right for you to have her as your wife.” Herod wanted to kill him but he did not dare, because he feared the people, who regarded John as a prophet.

On Herod’s birthday the daughter of Herodias danced among the guests; she so delighted Herod that he promised under oath to give her anything she asked for. The girl, following the advice of her mother, said, “Give me the head of John the Baptist, here, on a dish.”

The king was very displeased, but because he had made his promise under oath, in the presence of his guests, he ordered it to be given to her. So he had John beheaded in prison, and his head brought on a dish and given to the girl. The girl then took it to her mother.

Then John’s disciple came, took his body and buried it. Then they went and told Jesus.

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Saturday, 3 August 2024 : 17th Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Saturday Mass of Our Lady)

Psalm 68 : 15-16, 30-31, 33-34

Rescue me, lest I sink in the mire; deliver me from the storm and the deep waters. Let not the flood engulf me, nor the deep suck me in, let not the pit close its mouth upon me.

But I myself, am humbled and wounded; Your salvation, o God, will lift me up. I will praise the Name of God in song; I will glorify Him with thanksgiving.

Let the lowly witness this, and be glad. You who seek God, may your hearts be revived. For YHVH hears the needy; and does not despise those in captivity.

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Saturday, 3 August 2024 : 17th Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Saturday Mass of Our Lady)

Jeremiah 26 : 11-16, 24

Then the priests and the prophets said to the leaders of the people : “This man must die for he has spoken against the city as you have heard with your own ears!”

Jeremiah replied, “I have been sent by YHVH to prophesy against this House and this city all that you have heard. Hence, reform your ways and your deeds and obey YHVH your God that He may change His mind and not bring upon you the destruction He had intended.”

“As for me I am in your hands; do with me whatever you consider just and right. But know that I am innocent; and if you take my life you commit a crime that is a curse on yourselves, on the city and the people. In truth it was YHVH Who sent me to say all that I said in your hearing.”

Then the leaders, backed by the people, said to the priests and the prophets, “This man does not deserve death; he spoke to us in the Name of YHVH.” As for Jeremiah, he was befriended by Ahikam, son of Shaphan, and was not handed over to those who wanted him put to death.

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Friday, 2 August 2024 : 17th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Eusebius of Vercelli, Bishop, and St. Peter Julian Eymard, Priest (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Bishops or Priests)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, as we listened through the readings of the Sacred Scriptures that we have received today, we are all reminded that we must not be like those hypocrites and our fallen predecessors who have not truly dedicated and committed themselves to the Lord as they should have done. We must be truly faithful and humble in what we do in our lives so that we do not end up falling into temptations of pride, ego and human ambitions, and all other things that may prevent and distract us from finding the true path towards the Lord and His salvation. We must learn to listen to the Lord speaking to us in each and every moments of our lives, heeding His words which He has spoken to us in the depth of our hearts and minds.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the prophet Jeremiah in which the account of the works of Jeremiah amongst the people of the kingdom of Judah is highlighted to us. The prophet Jeremiah was sent by God to His people living in Judah, the southern half of the once united kingdom of Israel. Back then, at that time, the northern half of the kingdom, also known as Israel, had been destroyed and conquered by their enemies, the Assyrians, which destroyed not just their towns and homes, but also uprooted and forcibly moving many of them far away from their ancestral lands, bringing them into exile in distant and far-off lands of Mesopotamia and Assyria. It is this same exact fate which would soon befall the kingdom and people of Judah as well.

Thus, the Lord told Jeremiah to go up to the Temple, the Holy House of God which had been built and established by King Solomon of Israel to be the great and worthy House where God Himself would dwell among His people. However, people of Judah had also disobeyed the Lord and refused to follow and obey His Law and commandments truthfully and wholeheartedly. They allowed themselves to be tempted and swayed by the temptations of the evil ones, and they did not offer their sacrifices and offerings with hearts and minds that were truly focused and centred on God. Instead, they also worshipped other pagan idols and false gods, corrupting the Temple and the worship of God with their attitude and actions. For all those things God therefore chastised them and wanted them to realise that they had to be responsible for their choice of actions in life.

Then in the Gospel passage today taken from the Gospel according to St. Matthew where we heard of the time when the Lord Jesus went back to Nazareth, to His own hometown where He grew up in. The people of that town refused to believe in the Lord and even openly doubted Him, quoting how He was merely the Son of the village carpenter, namely St. Joseph, the foster father of the Lord. This means that they belittled the Lord and thought that it was impossible for someone of such a humble and lowly stature and status in the society to have been given the power and wisdom as they had heard about the Lord. At that time, as is also often throughout history, jobs like that of a carpenter, while truly essential and important for the community, it was also one that is often looked down upon and be prejudiced against.

Essentially, the people of Nazareth thought that they knew it better, and in their pride, they closed their hearts and minds against the Lord, refusing to listen to Him and to believe in Him despite everything that they themselves might have witnessed, seen and heard, from all the signs and wonders that the Lord Jesus had performed in their midst and in the regions surrounding Nazareth. This was in fact the same attitude shown by the people of Judah at the time of the prophet Jeremiah, in refusing to believe in this prophet of God, preferring to dwell in their own denial and thoughts that what the prophet Jeremiah had told and forewarned them could not have come to reality. It was too late for many of them by the time they realised that Jeremiah was speaking the truth.

This is also a reminder for all of us as God’s followers and disciples that in the course of our lives as Christians and in the midst of our faithful living of our respective missions and works, our everyday living as the faithful and holy people of God we may encounter challenges and difficulties in our journey of faith and life, especially from those who refuse to believe in the Lord and His truth, and also those who have allowed their pride and ego to cloud their thoughts and minds, their judgments and ways. It is also a reminder for us therefore not to be distracted by these same temptations either. We should always keep in mind that we are all called to holy and worthy lives that are truly reflecting our beliefs in the Lord, at all times, and we should be good role models and examples for our fellow brethren as well.

Today, the Church also celebrates the feast of two great saints, whose life and faith in God should serve as good examples and inspiration for every one of us in how we should live our own lives as Christians, namely that of St. Eusebius of Vercelli, a holy bishop that was one of the great early Church fathers during the time when Christianity was emancipated from its persecutions under the Roman Empire, as well as St. Peter Julian Eymard, a courageous and holy priest who founded two religious institutes and popularised the devotion to the Blessed Sacrament, to the Real Presence of the Lord in the Eucharist. Each one of them are great inspirations and role models for us all in their own respective ways, showing us what we should do as Christians in each and every moments of our own lives.

St. Eusebius of Vercelli was the Bishop of Vercelli during the time when Christianity had no longer been persecuted by the Roman state, and became increasingly widespread throughout the Empire. He was born in Sardinia, and eventually was elected as the Bishop of Vercelli by the local populace as was the common custom at the time because of his great piety and exemplary life, which according to the tradition of his life led him to be elected instead of the local members of the clergy. He founded a priestly community that lived together and supporting each other, living with great example of piety and faith in God. He was also well remembered for his great stand for his faith in the Lord, in opposing the heretics and all those who sided with them like the Arians and other heresies of the time.

St. Eusebius was even persecuted and made to suffer for this great faith he had in the Lord, refusing to condemn his fellow bishop, the holy and committed St. Athanasius of Alexandria who also stood by the orthodox and true Christian faith against the heretics. St. Eusebius was even dragged through the streets amidst one of these persecutions, but all these things could not dampen his courage and enthusiasm in serving the Lord and proclaiming His truth among the people of God. He also worked hard in trying to bring about reconciliation and reunion between those who been separated and torn apart by all the divisions caused by the heresies of that time. He continued to minister to his flock faithfully and devotedly to the end of his life.

Meanwhile, St. Peter Julian Eymard as mentioned was a priest that helped to spread the popular devotions to the Blessed Sacrament, the Real Presence of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ in the Most Holy Eucharist. Most Holy Eucharist. He was born in the French Alps region and had been known for his intense devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God since very early on in his life. And after he entered the seminary and eventually becoming a priest, he grew ever stronger in his dedication to the Blessed Sacrament, and eventually leading to him establishing two congregations closely related to the Blessed Sacrament in their charism and works, namely the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament and the Servants of the Blessed Sacrament for men and women respectively, spreading the devotion and love for the Lord in the Eucharist to many more people, helping many of them on the way to the salvation in God.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we have heard from our Scripture passages today and from the courageous and faithful lives of God’s holy servants, our predecessors, St. Eusebius of Vercelli and St. Peter Julian Eymard, let us all therefore do our part to continue living our lives with great faith and commitment to God. We should be inspired by the great examples of those who have gone before us, especially during times when we may be facing lots of challenges and difficulties in our journey as Christians, as God’s holy and faithful people. Let us all never be discouraged and disheartened by the persecutions and trials we may have to endure in our lives as the faithful disciples of the Lord. May God continue to bless and strengthen us all in our every moments in life, now and always. Amen.

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Friday, 2 August 2024 : 17th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Eusebius of Vercelli, Bishop, and St. Peter Julian Eymard, Priest (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Bishops or Priests)

Matthew 13 : 54-58

At that time, Jesus went to His hometown and taught the people in their synagogue. They were amazed and said, “Where did He get this wisdom and these special powers? Is He not the carpenter’s Son? Is Mary not His mother and are James, Joseph, Simon and Judas not His brothers? Are not all His sisters living here? How did He get all this?” And so they took offence at Him.

Jesus said to them, “The only place where prophets are not welcome is their hometown and in their own family.” And He did not perform many miracles there because of their lack of faith.

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Friday, 2 August 2024 : 17th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Eusebius of Vercelli, Bishop, and St. Peter Julian Eymard, Priest (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Bishops or Priests)

Psalm 68 : 5, 8-10, 14

More than the hairs of my head are those who hate me for no reason; mighty are those who attack me, many are my enemies without cause. What I did not steal I am forced to restore.

Since I am held in contempt for Your sake, and shame has covered my face. I have become a stranger to my kindred, an alien to my mother’s sons. Zeal for Your House consumes me, as fire, and those who insult You, insult me as well.

But I pray to You, o YHVH. At a time most favourable to You, in Your great love, o God, answer me, with Your unfailing help.

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Friday, 2 August 2024 : 17th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Eusebius of Vercelli, Bishop, and St. Peter Julian Eymard, Priest (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Bishops or Priests)

Jeremiah 26 : 1-9

At the beginning of the reign of Judah’s king Jehoiakim son of Josiah, the word of YHVH came to Jeremiah : YHVH says this, “Stand in the courtyard of YHVH’s House and say to all who come from the towns of Judah to worship in YHVH’s House – all that I command you to say; do not omit anything! Perhaps they will listen to you. Perhaps each one will turn from his wicked ways. Then I will change My mind and forget the destruction that I have planned to inflict on them because of their wicked deeds.”

“Tell them : This is what YHVH says : ‘You have not obeyed Me and you have failed to walk according to My law which I have set before you. You have not heeded My servants, the prophets, whom I have persistently sent to you. If you stubbornly close your ears to them, I will treat this House of Mine as I treated the Sanctuary of Shiloh and let all the nations see that Jerusalem is a cursed city.’”

The priests, the prophets and all the people heard what Jeremiah said in YHVH’s House. When Jeremiah finished saying all that YHVH had commanded, he was besieged by the priests and prophets saying, “You are bound to die! How dare you speak in YHVH’s Name telling us that this House will be treated like Shiloh and this city is to become a deserted ruin.” And all the people gathered around Jeremiah in the House of YHVH.

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Thursday, 1 August 2024 : 17th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Alphonsus Liguori, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, as we listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures we have received today, we are all again reminded as ever of God’s ever bountiful and generous love and mercy, which He has always extended to us all without exception. Each and every one of us are truly precious to God and He has loved us all patiently and wonderfully despite our frequent disobedience and stubborn attitudes, in refusing to listen to Him and in choosing to follow the path of the evil one instead of His path. God has always been kind, loving and merciful towards us, but ultimately, the choice is ours whether we want to embrace God’s mercy and forgiveness, or whether we continue to walk down the path towards ruin and damnation, as sin will lead us surely to those.

In our first reading today, we heard the continuation of the discourse from the Book of the prophet Jeremiah in which God spoke to His people in the kingdom of Judah, to whom Jeremiah had been sent to be minister and guide. Prophet Jeremiah had faced a lot of difficulties, challenges and hardships throughout his years of ministry and work among the people of Judah, as he had to face the stubborn attitude of all those who refused to believe in God and His truth. Yet, the Lord continued to support and strengthen Jeremiah in his ministry, and continued to send His words of reassurance and love for His people in the midst of all the warnings and premonitions He had told them all, of the consequences of their wickedness and sins.

God was essentially telling His people and reminding them that while they had to be responsible for the wickedness and evil deeds that they had committed, and while they had to realise that their sins and wickedness could tear them away from God’s love and kindness, His mercy and love, but if they remember God’s love and the great and loving mercy and compassion that the Lord has for them, and if they repent from their sinful ways, there would be path for them to enter into God’s glorious inheritance and receive the bountiful blessings that He has prepared for all of them. God does not desire the destruction and doom of any of those whom He loves, and He truly loves each and every one of us, brothers and sisters. Through the example of a potter moulding his pottery that the prophet Jeremiah mentioned, we are reminded that we should allow the Lord to mould us all and our lives so that our lives henceforth may truly be pleasing to God.

Then, in our Gospel passage today from the Gospel of St. Matthew, in continuation of the parables that the Lord used to describe and proclaim the Kingdom of Heaven or the Kingdom of God, He described it as we heard in today’s passage using the example of a great fishing net that gathered all kinds of fish, big and small, and where the Angels of God sort out the good from the bad ones. These are reminders for us all that first of all, the Kingdom of God is open to everyone, to all of God’s children because God truly loves each and every one of us without exception. God wants all of us to come to Him, and He has extended this generously and freely to us. However, just as we have been reminded as well, how the bad and flawed fish are rejected and destroyed, we must remember that God calls us all to follow Him into the path of righteousness and virtue.

This means that just as how God described Himself like a Potter in the reading from the Book of the prophet Jeremiah, thus, all of us must also allow the Lord to transform us according to His will. We must not be stubborn and hardened in our hearts and minds anymore, but we must be willing to listen to God speaking in the depth of our hearts, as He constantly reached out to us and calling us to embrace His love and compassionate mercy. We should heed His call and appreciate all the efforts that He had put into caring for us and our needs, in patiently guiding us down the right path in life. We should not take this love we have been blessed with for granted, as we have been reminded that at the end of time, at the moment of reckoning, we will have to account for everything we do, be it good or wicked deeds. We do not want the situation when it is too late for us to repent and return to God especially when He has given us so many opportunities to do so.

Today, the Church also celebrates the Feast of St. Alphonsus Liguori, who is known well today as the founder of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, also known as the Redemptorists. He was born in what is today the southern part of Italy near the city of Naples to a noble but impoverished family. As he had physical and visual defects that prevented any careers in the military, he was prepared to a career in the civil and legal profession as a lawyer. He became a successful lawyer but later on heard a calling from God to be His servant, especially so after he lost an important legal case. He began preparing to be a priest, and had some initial tussle with his father who disagreed with his decision. Eventually he was ordained as a priest and began a wonderful work and mission as a servant of God spanning no less than six decades.

St. Alphonsus Liguori reached out to many of the people in the various places that he ministered in, becoming well known and loved for his simple yet powerful homilies which touched the hearts and minds of many among the people, encouraging many of them to be active in living their Christian faith, with many following in his footsteps and participating in his popular Evening Chapels program run by the young people. And eventually, as mentioned, he founded the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, the Redemptorists, gathering those who have been called by God to preach and minister to the people of God especially those who have been living in ignorance of God and His ways, corrupted and misguided by sin, and to all those who are poor and disadvantaged in the community.

And even when later on he was appointed as bishop, as the Bishop of Sant’ Agata de Goti, he devoted himself to his flock and diocese, caring for the people of God and devoting himself to the reform of the Church and his diocese, rooting out corruptions and excesses that had afflicted many of the members of the clergy that had brought upon scandal on the Church. St. Alphonsus Liguori continued to dedicate himself to the last moments of his life, and after he retired from his works as bishop, he continued to minister through prayer and righteous life, which inspired many others to follow his examples, as shown by the rapid growth of the Redemptorists, which flourished to this very day, with many answering God’s call to proclaim His mercy and compassion, His redemption and love to the people of all the nations.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we have heard from today’s Scripture passages and the life and examples of St. Alphonsus Liguori, let us all therefore strive to be ever more faithful and committed to God in all things. Let us all first be reminded of God’s ever wonderful love and compassion for us, and then let us all follow in the footsteps of St. Alphonsus Liguori in always doing our very best to show God’s love and truth in the midst of our communities, by living our whole lives worthily and faithfully as Christians, in being good role models and examples to our fellow brothers and sisters around us. May the Lord, our ever loving and merciful God continue to bless us with His love and grace, and may He continue to empower us all to live ever more worthily in His Presence, now and always. Amen.

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Thursday, 1 August 2024 : 17th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Alphonsus Liguori, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Matthew 13 : 47-53

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a big fishing net, let down into the sea, in which every kind of fish has been caught. When the net is full, it is dragged ashore. Then they sit down and gather the good fish into buckets, but throw the bad away. That is how it will be at the end of time; the Angels will go out to separate the wicked from the just, and to throw the wicked into the blazing furnace, where they will weep and gnash their teeth.”

Jesus asked, “Have you understood all these things?” “Yes,” they answered. So He said to them, “Therefore, every teacher of the Law who becomes a disciple of the kingdom of heaven, is like a householder, who can produce from his store things both new and old.”

When Jesus had finished these parables, He left that place.

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Thursday, 1 August 2024 : 17th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Alphonsus Liguori, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 145 : 1-2, 3-4, 5-6ab

Alleluia! Praise YHVH, my soul! I will sing to YHVH all my life; I will sing praise to God while I live.

Do not put your trust in princes, in a great one, who cannot save. Not sooner his spirit has left, that he goes back to the earth; on that very day, any plan comes to nothing.

Blessed are they whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in YHVH their God, Maker of heaven and earth, the sea and all they contain.