20th Week of Ordinary Time

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Saturday, 20 August 2016 : 20th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Bernard, Abbot and Doctor of the Church (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Ezekiel 43 : 1-7a

He took me to the gate, facing east. Then I saw the Glory of the God of Israel approaching from the east with a sound like the sound of the ocean, and the earth shone with His Glory. This vision was like the one I had seen when He came for the destruction of the city, and like the one I had seen on the bank of the river Chebar. Then I threw myself to the ground.

The Glory of YHVH arrived at the Temple by the east gate. The Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court : the Glory of YHVH was filling the House. And I heard someone speaking to me from the Temple while the Man stood beside Me.

The voice said, “Son of man, you have seen the place of My throne, where I will place the soles of My feet, and live among the Israelites forever.”

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Friday, 19 August 2016 : 20th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. John Eudes, Priest (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Priests)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we heard the message from the the Word of God speaking to us about the Law of God, what that Law is about, and what we ought to do as those seeking to obey the Lord, giving of ourselves to fulfil His commandments and walk in His ways, through the one kind of act and through that one word which meaning constantly elude our ability to comprehend it, that is love.

What is love? Do we really understand what it is and what it means? Love is not just the joy and happiness that two people, between male and female have for one another. It is not just the kind of material love that this world is trying to promote love as, and neither it is about the attraction or the worldly and flesh lust that existed between two lovers.

True love is just as what the Lord Himself had shown us, the example of the perfect love. He has given His love for us even though we have repeatedly spurned that love and left to seek other idols and other things to worship and adore. And as a result, in our rebelliousness that led to sin, we have deserved to die and to be cursed forever in darkness. Yet, God did not let go of His love for us.

And that was what He showed to Ezekiel His prophet, when He showed him the great vision of the land filled with an immense number of skeletons, which He gave life back to, transforming the dead and lifeless skeletons back into living beings, humans with their flesh and their breath in them. Through this vision, all of us see how God is the Master and Lord over our lives, and our lives are indeed the greatest gifts to us from our God.

Without God and the life He has given to us, we are nothing but bones and dust. We are truly nothing without God in our lives, and yet that is what exactly many of us were unable to comprehend. Many of us thought that we really are great and our deeds are wonderful, but all of them are in reality the greatness of God expressed through us all, His masterpieces in this world.

At the time of Jesus, the common misconception that prevented many of the people from seeing the truth which Jesus spoke to them was that they were too preoccupied with themselves, with their wants and desires, and they were too busy serving and trying to please the world and the society they were in, that they have largely forgotten about God. And when they tried to obey the Law and the commandments of God, they forgot that it was not about themselves, but really about God and about serving others who live around them.

Let us all look at the examples of St. John Eudes, the holy saint and holy priest whose feast day we are celebrating today. St. John Eudes was a French missionary who lived and worked around a few hundred years ago, renowned for his devotion to the Lord and to His mother Mary, and spreading that devotion by establishing several renowned congregations of religious life, the Sisters of our Lady of Charity of the Refuge, from which the Sisters of the Good Shepherd would come from, as well as the Congregation of Jesus and Mary.

In his daily life and in his works, St. John Eudes was particularly devoted to the Sacred Heart of our Lord Jesus Christ, immersing himself in the greatness of the loving heart of our Lord, meditating for many hours and spending his time to devote himself wholly to God and knowing His love. And he spread that devotion to those around him, telling them to love the Lord with all of their hearts, for the Lord Himself had first loved all of them without any hesitation.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, I think it is really time for us to realise that God loves us all unconditionally, and He alone is the One Who truly loves us all dearly from the depths of His marvellous and wonderful Heart. While we mankind may falter and fail each other, as history had often shown us, but God never disappointed us. If we think that He had disappointed us in any way, it is likely because we do not understand how His love works.

Let us reflect on this matter, and see in our own lives just how God had in fact blessed us and helped us along the way over the years. When we are able to take a step back and let ourselves to think for a while, certainly we will be able to see that there are many things that we have to appreciate in this life, and we need to show that same love to each other, and that is how exactly we shall fulfil our obligation to obey the Lord.

For if God is love, then how can it be that His people, His disciples and His followers do not practice them? How can we be God’s people if our ways are filled with corruption and evil deeds, with hatred and with anger? Let us all find our ways anew to the Lord, and commit ourselves wholeheartedly to be ever more loving and be ever more faithful disciples of our Lord. May God bless us all. Amen.

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Friday, 19 August 2016 : 20th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. John Eudes, Priest (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Priests)

Matthew 22 : 34-40

At that time, when the Pharisees heard how Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they came together. One of them, a teacher of the Law, tried to test Him with this question, “Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the Law?”

Jesus answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and the most important of the commandments. But after this there is another one very similar to it : You shall love your neighbour as yourself. The whole Law and the Prophets are founded on these two commandments.”

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Friday, 19 August 2016 : 20th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. John Eudes, Priest (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Priests)

Psalm 106 : 2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9

Let the redeemed of the Lord say this, those He redeemed from the hand of the foe, those He gathered from the lands, from east and west, from north and south.

Some strayed in the wilderness and were lost, far away from the city. They wandered about hungry and thirsty, their lives ebbing away.

Then they cried to the Lord in anguish, and He rescued them from their distress. He led them by a straight way to a city where they could dwell.

Let them thank the Lord for His love and wondrous deeds for humans. He quenches the thirst of the soul and satisfies the hunger of the heart.

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Friday, 19 August 2016 : 20th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. John Eudes, Priest (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Priests)

Ezekiel 37 : 1-14

The hand of YHVH was upon me. He brought me out and led me in Spirit to the middle of the valley which was full of bones. He made me walk to and fro among them and I could see there was a great number of them on the ground all along the valley and that they were very dry.

YHVH said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live again?” I said, “Lord YHVH, only You know that.” He then said, “Speak on my behalf concerning these bones; say to them : Dry bones, hear the word of YHVH! YHVH says : I am going to put Spirit in you and make you live. I shall put sinews on you and make flesh grow on you; I shall cover you with skin and give you My Spirit, that you may live. And you will know that I am YHVH.”

I prophesied as I had been commanded and then there was a noise and commotion; the bones joined together. I looked and saw that they had sinews, that flesh was growing on the, and that He was covering them with skin. But there was no Spirit in them.

So YHVH said to me, “Speak on My behalf and call on the Spirit, son of man! Say to the Spirit : This is the word of YHVH : Spirit, come from the four winds. Breathe into these dead bones and let them live!”

I prophesied as He had commanded me and breath entered them; they came alive, standing on their feet – a great, immense army! He then said to me, “Son of man, these bones are all Israel. They keep saying : ‘Our bones are dry, hope has gone, it is the end of us.’ So prophesy! Say to them : This is what YHVH says : I am going to open your tombs, I shall bring you out of your tombs, My people, and lead you back to the land of Israel.”

“You will know that I am YHVH, o My people! when I open your graves and bring you out of your graves, when I put My Spirit in you and you live. I shall settle you in your land and you will know that I, YHVH, have done what I said I would do.”

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Thursday, 18 August 2016 : 20th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we heard the Lord Jesus spoke to His disciples about the parable of the wedding feast and the wedding garment. And this is linked to what God Himself had spoken to His prophet Ezekiel regarding the promise that He would gather His people scattered through the nations of the world, and brought them back to His presence, giving them His own Spirit to dwell among them.

And that promise had been brought to a complete fruition through Jesus Christ, the One Whom God had sent into the world, to be our Saviour and the Liberator of us all from our sins. He has come to dwell among us, to bring everyone to the liberation and freedom which God had made available to all those who believe in Him and trust in Him.

That is what the essence of today’s Scripture readings is about. He has invited all of His people to the grand banquet, the grand celebration of our life and our salvation in Him, just as the king in the parable Jesus told His disciples invited the guests, as the banquet is ready and everything is about to proceed but lacking only the guests.

Yet, the guests refused to come, and they made many excuses and reasons why they were not able to attend the banquet which the king had set up for all of them. Worse still, some of them even ignored the invitation but instead continued on doing their daily business as if nothing had happened. They rejected the master and the king, and in his anger, the king destroyed these rebellious and ungrateful people.

These rebellious and ungrateful people refer to none other than us mankind, the people whom God had blessed with many good things, and yet, they have taken His love for granted, thinking that they have no need for it, and as such, they became very immersed in the worldly matters that eventually brought about their downfall.

It is a kind and clear reminder to all of us, brothers and sisters in Christ, that as we live our lives, we have to be wary and to be careful of all the temptations and the persuasions with which the devil and all of his forces are trying to lure us away with, in the attempt to distract us and to derail us from the path towards our salvation. And if we are not aware of it, let us all look back and reflect, brethren, how often is it that we have rejected the Lord or choose things other than the Lord and His words, just because we are busy and too preoccupied with our own busy schedules and work?

Let us all devote ourselves to the Lord anew. It is not enough that we just commit ourselves to Him in words or on appearances alone. Rather, we have to have that commitment growing and emerging from deep within us, from the deepest depths of our heart, that we truly internalise our faith and be genuine in our devotion and ability to give of ourselves wholeheartedly for the sake of the Lord and for His people.

Let us all renew our efforts to be ever better and ever more committed disciple of our Lord, and be exemplary in all of our actions and deeds, that through us, many of the good works of the Lord may be made to fulfilment and may many people be able to come and approach the Lord through us. God bless us all, and may He ever strengthen our faith. Amen.

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Thursday, 18 August 2016 : 20th Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Matthew 22 : 1-14

At that time, Jesus went on speaking to His disciples and to the people, “This story throws light on the kingdom of heaven : A king celebrated the wedding of his son. He sent his servants to call the invited guests to the wedding feast, but the guests refused to come.”

“Again he sent other servants, ordering them to say to the invited guests, ‘I have prepared a banquet, slaughtered my fattened calves and other animals, and now everything is ready. Come to the wedding!’ But they paid no attention and went away, some to their fields, and some to their work. Others seized the servants of the king, insulted them and killed them.”

“The king became angry. He sent his troops to destroy those murderers and burn their city. Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is prepared, but the invited guests were not worthy. Go instead to the crossroads, and invite everyone you find to the wedding feast.'”

“The servants went out at once into the streets and gathered everyone they found, good and bad alike, so that the hall was filled with guests. The king came in to see those who were at table, and he noticed a man not wearing the festal garment. So he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in without the wedding garment?’ But the man remained silent.”

“So the king said to his servants, ‘Bind his hands and feet and throw him into the dark, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ Know that many are called, but few are chosen.”

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Thursday, 18 August 2016 : 20th Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 50 : 12-13, 14-15, 18-19

Create in me, o God, a pure heart; give me a new and steadfast spirit. Do not cast me out of Your presence nor take Your Holy Spirit from me.

Give me again the joy of Your salvation and sustain me with a willing Spirit. Then I will show wrongdoers Your ways and sinners will return to You.

You take no pleasure in sacrifice; were I to give a burnt offering, You would not delight in it.

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Thursday, 18 August 2016 : 20th Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Ezekiel 36 : 23-28

I will make known the holiness of My great Name, profaned among the nations because of You, and they will know that I am YHVH when I show them My holiness among you.

For I will gather you from all the nations and bring you back to your own land. Then I shall pour pure water over you and you shall be made clean – cleansed from the defilement of all your idols. I shall give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you. I shall removed your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.

I shall put My Spirit within you and move you to follow My decrees and keep My laws. You will live in the land I gave your ancestors; you shall be My people and I will be your God.

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Wednesday, 17 August 2016 : 20th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we listened to the words of the Holy Scriptures speaking to us about the Lord Who is our Shepherd, our Guide and our Master, Who leads us to the salvation and life which He promised all those who remain faithful to Him and who obeys His laws and commandments, and practice these in their own lives with zeal and true dedication.

He is the true and good Shepherd, Who truly loves all of His people, the sheep of His flock. Unlike those shepherds, the leaders and guides whom He had appointed to be caretakers of His people, who had not been faithful and be committed to their duties and instead served their own wants and greedy desires first. Those were the false shepherds who were not genuine in their duties to the ones to whom they have been entrusted with.

Those were also the ones mentioned in the Lord’s words through the prophet Ezekiel, where He spoke of those who have misled the people into sin and into the darkness, the false guides who showed the wrong way to the people, corrupting them instead of bringing them into the light. God was angry with them and chastised them, scolded them for their irresponsible and selfish attitude and actions.

These people were like all those workers who came earlier in the parable that Jesus told His disciples in the Gospel today. Those workers worked in the fields of the Master, and was angry when they received the same wage as all those who joined the work later on in the day. They argued that since they have worked longer then they deserved to receive more than those who came later.

But they did not understand what the Lord and Master had intended for them. They have entirely missed out the point of why they had been called in the first place. They thought that their supposedly pious and devout way of life gave them the privilege to do things as they like, and they thought that such privilege gave them the right to look down on others whom they deemed to be less worthy in the presence of God.

But no, brothers and sisters in Christ, that is not how God works. He considers everyone to be equal, and all are the same in His presence. Everyone are the sheep of His flock, which He guides to be walking on the way He has appointed them. And He has appointed us to be shepherds for each other, especially those who among us have been called by God earlier and have received His words earlier than others.

The Pharisees and the teachers of the Law abused their authority and did not do as they were supposed to do. They misguided the people and rather than helping them to be on their way to God, instead they made it much more difficult for them to follow the Lord, and in that way they have become the false and wicked shepherds, as those who put themselves first before the needs of others.

But that is where Jesus our Lord also mentioned something that all of us should take heed of, that is, the first shall be last while the last shall be first. Thus, it is a reminder for all of us Christians, that we should not be greedy, and neither should we be focused so much on our desires and our wants, as if we do these, we tend to want to glorify ourselves and thus tend to cause us to sin in the sight and in the presence of God.

Instead, let us all realise just how much it is that we all can do in order to help one another, our brothers and sisters, our neighbours and all who we interact with, that through our interactions and work, we may together work such that we can draw closer to the Lord our God, and obey Him in all of His laws and precepts. We are called by God to return to Him, our Good Shepherd. Let us all together heed His call and walk together in His path of grace. May God bless us all and remain with us all forevermore. Amen.