21st Sunday of Ordinary Time

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Saturday, 2 September 2023 : 21st Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

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

Matthew 25 : 14-30

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “Imagine someone who, before going abroad, summoned his servants to entrust his property to them. He gave five talents of silver to one servant, two talents to another servant, and one talent to a third, to each, according to his ability; and he went away.”

“He who received five talents went at once to do business with the talents, and gained another five. The one who received two talents did the same, and gained another two. But the one who received one talent dug a hole in the ground, and hid his master’s money.”

“After a long time, the master of those servants returned and asked for a reckoning. The one who had received five talents came with another five talents, saying, ‘Lord, you entrusted me with five talents, but see, I have gained five more.’ The master answered, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant, since you have been faithful in a few things, I will entrust you in charge of many things. Come and share the joy of your master.'”

“Then the one who had received two talents came and said, ‘Lord, you entrusted me with two talents; with them I have gained two more.’ The master said, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant, since you have been faithful in little things, I will entrust you in charge of many things. Come and share the joy of your master.'”

“Finally, the one who had received one talent came and said, ‘Master, I know that you are a hard man. You reap what you have not sown, and gather what you have not scattered. I was afraid, so I hid your money in the ground. Here, take what is yours!’ But his master replied, ‘Wicked and worthless servant, you know that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered. You should have deposited my money in the bank, and given it back to me with interest on my return.'”

“Therefore, take the talent from him, and give it to the one who has ten. For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who are unproductive, even what they have will be taken from them. As for that useless servant, thrown him out into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

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Saturday, 2 September 2023 : 21st Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

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

Psalm 97 : 1, 7-8, 9

Sing to YHVH a new song, for He has done wonders; His right hand, His holy arm, has won victory for Him.

Let the sea resound and everything in it, the world and all its people. Let rivers clap their hands, hills and mountains sing with joy.

Before YHVH, for He comes to rule the earth. He will judge the world with justice, and the peoples, with fairness.

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Saturday, 2 September 2023 : 21st Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

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

1 Thessalonians 4 : 9-11

Regarding mutual love, you do not need anyone to write to you, because God, Himself, taught you how to love one another. You already practice it with all the brothers and sisters of Macedonia, but I invite you to do more.

Consider how important it is, to live quietly, without bothering others, to mind your own business, and work with your hands, as we have charged you.

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Friday, 1 September 2023 : 21st Week of Ordinary Time, World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, all of us are reminded that we are all called to be good and faithful Christians in all things and at all times, always doing what is according to that which we have been taught and shown by the Lord through His Church, all of His Law and commandments, in the manner that we have been guided and helped by the Church and its laws. All of us as Christians are part of this same Body, this same Church, and hence it is only right for us to do what we have been expected to do, in following faithfully and closely the path that God has shown us, so that each and every one of us may inspire and help one another in our path of following God in all circumstances and at all occasions. Otherwise, if we have not been faithful and obedient to God and His Law and commandments, how can we call ourselves as Christians?

In our first reading today, we are all reminded by what St. Paul wrote in his Epistle to the Church and the faithful in Thessalonica, on the matter of righteous living and justice, and all that the people of God there had to do in their relationship and married living. Each and every one of us are reminded of the same kind of life that we are all expected to have, in our exemplary living and actions, so that all of us may indeed be truly faithful and committed to God, not just in name and appearances only, but also in all the things that we say and do, in our every moments in life, in every part of our existence and our works. In every single step we take, on each and every days, we all should be the role models and examples for one another. All of us should be the shining beacons of God’s light, His love and Good News, to all others around us. That is how we can be truly dedicated and holy people of God.

Then, in our Gospel passage, we heard from the famous parable of the Lord, the parable of the wise and foolish handmaidens, in which we heard how there were five wise handmaidens and five foolish and lazy handmaidens, each of whom were supposed to welcome the bridegroom to a wedding celebration and be part of the celebrations and parties. However, they differed in that the wise handmaidens brought extra oil with them and were prepared in case they had to wait for the bridegroom, while the foolish handmaidens did not bring any extra oil for their lamps, and hence, when the bridegroom did come late, they were caught off-guard and had to go and seek for the oil, during which time, as we heard, the bridegroom came and the doors to the celebration were closed. The foolish handmaidens returned only to find them excluded from the celebrations because they were late.

The message from that Gospel passage is that, just as the bridegroom actually represented the Lord, Whose return, Second Coming, is expected by all of us, and therefore, the handmaidens represent all of us, God’s faithful people, but how we are to welcome Him, in our lives and actions, are very important. We also must realise that the Lord will come again at the time of His own choosing, and which no one in this world has any idea of, and therefore, we must always be ever ready and vigilant, in doing God’s will at every possible opportunities. We must not be ignorant of those warnings and reminders from the Lord, calling on all of us to be prepared and to be worthy of Him when the time of reckoning comes in the end. All of us are reminded that we should live righteously and in accordance of the path that the Lord has shown us, as we have discussed earlier.

Being Christians require us to make such commitments and works, and we cannot think that just because we have received the grace of baptism and become part of the Church, then we are already saved and have no more need to commit ourselves to the Lord’s cause and efforts. Instead, a truly faithful and worthy Christian should always be filled with the willingness and the courage to do God’s will, and to carry out His works at every possible opportunities given to us. All of us should always do our best to live our every moments with the focus on the Lord and the desire to serve Him ever more faithfully, and thus, even in the smallest and least of the things that we do in life, we must always do them with the strong desire and commitment to walk ever more gracefully in God’s presence. Our every words, actions and works, all of them must truly embody who we are, the holy people of God, the ones to whom the Lord had entrusted this world to.

Yes, brothers and sisters in Christ, all of us are truly the stewards of the Lord’s creation, the ones entrusted with the care of this world, and all that He has created for us. Today, this resonates well with the occasion of the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, in which we all turn our attention towards the care of this world, and what we all can do, in our own various ways, so that we may indeed be the worthy caretakers and stewards of this world, the creation of God. All of us should be inspired by the good examples set by our holy and dedicated predecessors, who have themselves lived worthily of the Lord and did what they could in order to glorify the Lord at all times, like those of the Thessalonians in the early Church and like those of the wise and prepared handmaidens in our Lord’s parable. Each one of us can also therefore be these faithful servants of the Lord, doing wonderful works for the Lord’s sake, and in all the things we do.

All of us should take good care of this world, and all that had been entrusted to us, this world, our environment and everyone else who live in them. Pope Francis, our Holy Father and Leader has instituted this World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation in highlighting how the irresponsible actions of man, and the neglect and the ignorance with many of us have shown in living our lives had caused great destruction not only that of our world and the nature, which God had created for us, but it also caused the hardships and destructions for various people whose livelihood and well-being depends on the state of the nature and this world. Many people were driven by greed, ambition and worldly desires in seeking more wealth, glory and power for themselves, and thus in their works and actions, they manipulated, exploited and brought hardships upon others, for their own self benefits. These are things that we should not be doing ourselves, and instead, we should do our best to care for what the Lord has entrusted to us.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore do our best to follow the Lord and to commit ourselves anew in His path, doing whatever we can, so that we may always live our lives doing what the Lord has shown and taught us to do, in loving one another and in being responsible with our actions and works, so that in all things we will always be mindful of our roles as the stewards and caretakers of all that God had created for us, in our world today. Let us all inspire one another to live ever more faithfully, and so that more and more may be called to live lives that are truly worthy of God, now and always. Plant in us, Lord, a heart full of love for others, and a heart that is filled with the courage and the desire to love You, and all that You have created. Amen.

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Friday, 1 September 2023 : 21st Week of Ordinary Time, World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Matthew 25 : 1-13

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “This story throws light on what will happen in the kingdom of heaven : Ten bridesmaids went out with their lamps to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were sensible. The careless bridesmaids took their lamps as they were, and did not take extra oil. But those who were sensible, took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom delayed, they all grew drowsy and fell asleep.”

“But at midnight, a cry rang out, ‘The bridegroom is here, come on and meet him!’ All the maidens woke up at once, and trimmed their lamps. Then the foolish ones said to the sensible ones, ‘Give us some oil, for our lamps are going out.’ The sensible ones answered, ‘There may not be enough for us and for you. You had better go to those who sell, and buy some for yourselves.'”

“When the bridegroom came, the foolish maidens were out buying oil, but those who were ready went with him into the wedding feast, and the doors were shut. Later the other bridesmaids arrived and called out, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ But he answered, ‘Truly I do not know you.'”

“So stay awake, for you do not know the day nor the hour.”

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Friday, 1 September 2023 : 21st Week of Ordinary Time, World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 96 : 1 and 2b, 5-6, 10, 11-12

YHVH reigns; let the earth rejoice; let the distant islands be glad. Justice and right, are His throne.

The mountains melt like wax before YHVH, the Lord of all the earth. The heavens proclaim His justice, all peoples see His glory.

You who love YHVH, hate evil, for He preserves the lives of His faithful; He delivers them from their foes.

He sheds light upon the upright, and gladness upon the just. Rejoice in YHVH, you, who are blameless; and give praise to His holy Name.

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Friday, 1 September 2023 : 21st Week of Ordinary Time, World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

1 Thessalonians 4 : 1-8

For the rest, brothers, we ask you, in the Name of Jesus, the Lord, and we urge you, to live in a way that pleases God, just as you have learnt from us. This you do, but try to do still more. You know the instructions we gave you on behalf of the Lord Jesus : the will of God for you is to become holy and not to have unlawful sex.

Let each of you behave towards his wife as a holy and respectful husband, rather than being led by lust, as are pagans, who do not know God. In this matter, let no one offend or wrong a brother. The Lord will do justice in all these things, as we have warned and shown you.

God has called us to live, not in impurity but in holiness, and those who do not heed this instruction disobey, not a human, but God, Himself, Who gives you His Holy Spirit.

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Thursday, 31 August 2023 : 21st Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, we are all reminded to be true to our faith and devotion to God, and not to be easily swayed by the temptations of worldly glory and attachments, all those things which may lead us down the path of sin and evil. We must not be easily swayed and tempted by worldly temptations and evils, by the vices and wickedness of the world, all of which could distract and prevent us from finding the path towards God. Each and every one of us are reminded that we are all God’s beloved people, who have all been called to holiness and greatness, and all of us are called to do God’s will and to follow Him wholeheartedly in all things, in everything we say and do, in our every interactions and efforts so that through us, more and more people may come to know the Lord and may receive the truth which God has intended for us and all mankind.

In our first reading today, taken from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Church and the faithful in Thessalonica, we heard of the Apostle speaking to the Thessalonians regarding their faith and good examples, and we heard in the past few days of readings, of how the faith and the obedience of those same Thessalonians have become great inspiration for many others all throughout the world, as many others were inspired by the actions and interactions shown by the Thessalonians, in following and committing themselves to the Law and commandments of God wholeheartedly, turning away from the evils and the vices of the world. These must be contrasted to those who have allowed themselves to be swayed and tempted by their desires, ego, pride and ambition, such as many of the Pharisees, elders and teachers of the Law from the time of the Lord and His ministry.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard of the parable of the faithful and prudent servant, versus that of faithless, lazy and wicked servant. Each of those servants had different attitudes towards what their lord and master had told and commanded them to do, as the latter went away to a far away place. The faithful and prudent servant did everything that he could in order to fulfil all of his master’s commands, doing his duties and works faithfully and obediently, diligently and properly while the wicked and lazy servant delayed in doing what he was supposed to do, neglected his obligations and works, and abused his authority and power granted to him by his lord and master. We then heard how each of the servants were correspondingly rewarded and punished, the faithful and prudent servant rewarded greatly for all the commitment and hard work that he had made, but the lazy and wicked servant punished and faced the consequences of his disobedience and laziness.

What all these passages from the Sacred Scriptures remind us is that each one of us are the servants and stewards entrusted by God with the care of this world, and with the well-being of our own fellow brothers and sisters. All of us are the people of God, His disciples and followers, entrusted with His truth and Good News, and everything which He has revealed to us, and therefore, we are expected to do what He has taught us to do and we are all called to follow in His footsteps, in how we should live our lives and in how we should do our best to glorify Him and proclaim His love to all the people whom we encounter in our own daily lives. And as each one of us are expected and called to live our lives wholeheartedly as Christians, we should therefore remind ourselves with this parable, that we cannot be idle and ignorant of what each one of us have been called to do by God, in our own respective areas in life.

Many of us have probably been idle in living our Christian faith in our lives, and we may have not realised that to be Christians is for us to be evangelising and missionary in our lives and actions, in our every works and indeed in our every moments in life. But lest we misunderstand, it does not mean that we preach the Gospels and the Scriptures to those people whom we meet, encounter and collaborate with in life. Rather, it is a genuine Christian living that each and every one of us are expected to do, so that even in the smallest and seemingly least significant things we say and do, we can truly proclaim the Lord in all the things we have, and through our exemplary lives and deeds, we may inspire many more people to come to know the Lord and to believe in Him. That is what we should be doing, brothers and sisters.

For example, in our own daily lives, within our families, circles of friends and relatives, we should be people who are filled with love for one another, for our families and friends, and for everyone whom we encounter. That means we should also be kind and cordial to strangers and acquaintances we meet, in each and every moment, that those whom we well know and all those who encounter us, may see God’s love and truth being manifested in even the smallest and least significant of our words and actions. And that is how we can best proclaim the Lord in the midst of our communities and societies, to be truly devoted and committed Christians, always ever focused and centred on God, and to be always charitable and filled with love for our fellow brothers and sisters, in whatever way we can do that.

That is why, all of us should remind one another to live our lives well and faithfully in accordance to our Christian faith and beliefs. We should not be idle any longer in our lives and definitely we should not do things that are contrary and against our beliefs and faith. That is how we can become good and faithful stewards of God’s creation, as responsible and dedicated disciples and followers of God, in doing His will and in obeying His Law and commandments at every possible opportunities. Each and every one of us are reminded that we need to do this or else, in the end, just like that of the wicked and lazy servant, when the time of reckoning comes, we will be made to account for our failures to do what God has commanded for us to do. We should do our best at every moment, so that our lives may truly reflect what we believe in.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all renew our commitment to the Lord, and let us do whatever we can so that we may glorify Him by our lives, and so that in all things, we may indeed be the shining examples and beacons of His light in the midst of our societies today. Let us all be the shining beacons of God’s light and truth in our darkened world today, helping more and more souls to find their way out of the darkness of sin and into the light of God’s grace and salvation. May God bless us all and may He empower each one of us so that our lives may truly be a reflection of our enduring and vibrant faith. Amen.

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Thursday, 31 August 2023 : 21st Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Matthew 24 : 42-51

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “Stay awake then, for you do not know on what day your Lord will come. Obviously, if the owner of the house knew at what time the thief was coming, he would certainly stay up and not allow his house to be broken into. So be alert, for the Son of Man will come at the hour you least expect.”

“Imagine a faithful and prudent servant, whom his master has put in charge of his household, to give them food at the proper time. Fortunate, indeed, is that servant, whom his master will find at work when he comes. Truly I say to you, his lord will entrust him with everything he has.”

“Not so with the bad servant, who thinks, ‘My master is delayed.’ And he begins to ill-treat his fellow servants, while eating and drinking with drunkards. But his master will come on the day he does not know, and at the hour he least expects. He will punish that servant severely; and place him with the hypocrites. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

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Thursday, 31 August 2023 : 21st Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 89 : 3-4, 12-13, 14 and 17

You turn humans back to dust, saying, “Return, o mortals!” A thousand years in Your sight are like a day that has passed, or like a watch in the night.

So make us know the shortness of our life, that we may gain wisdom of heart. How long will You be angry, o YHVH? Have mercy on Your servant.

Fill us at daybreak with Your goodness, that we may be glad all our days. May the sweetness of YHVH be upon us; may He prosper the work of our hands.