22nd Sunday of Ordinary Time

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Monday, 2 September 2024 : 22nd Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Luke 4 : 16-30

At that time, when Jesus came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, as He usually did. He stood up to read, and they handed Him the book of the prophet Isaiah.

Jesus then unrolled the scroll and found the place where it is written : “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me. He has anointed Me, to bring good news to the poor; to proclaim liberty to captives; and new sight to the blind; to free the oppressed; and to announce the Lord’s year of mercy.”

Jesus then rolled up the scroll, gave it to the attendant and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him. Then He said to them, “Today, these prophetic words come true, even as you listen.” All agreed with Him, and were lost in wonder, while He spoke of the grace of God. Nevertheless they asked, “Who is this but Joseph’s Son?”

So He said, “Doubtless you will quote Me the saying : Doctor, heal yourself! Do here, in Your town, what they say You did in Capernaum.” Jesus added, “No prophet is honoured in his own country.” Truly, I say to you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heavens withheld rain for three years and six months and a great famine came over the whole land.”

“Yet, Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow of Zarephath, in the country of Sidon. There were also many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha, the prophet; and no one was healed except Naaman, the Syrian.”

On hearing these words, the whole assembly became indignant. They rose up and brought Him out of the town, to the edge of the hill on which Nazareth is built, intending to throw Him down the cliff. But He passed through their midst and went His way.

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Monday, 2 September 2024 : 22nd Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 118 : 97, 98, 99, 100, 101, 102

How I love Your law, meditating on it all day!

Your command – mine – forever – has made me wiser than my enemy.

I have more insight than my teachers, for I meditate on Your decrees,

I have more understanding than the elders, for I abide by Your precepts.

I turn my feet from evil paths, that I may keep step with Your word.

I have not departed from Your decrees, for You, Yourself, have instructed me.

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Monday, 2 September 2024 : 22nd Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

1 Corinthians 2 : 1-5

When I came to reveal to you the mystery of God’s plan I did not count on eloquence or on a show of learning. I was determined not to know anything among you but Jesus, the Messiah, and a crucified Messiah. I myself came weak, fearful and trembling; my words and preaching were not brilliant or clever to win listeners.

It was, rather, a demonstration of spirit and power, so that your faith might be a matter not of human wisdom, but of God’s power.

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Sunday, 1 September 2024 : Twenty-Second Sunday 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, this Sunday as we all gather together to listen to the Word of God and reflect on what we have heard earlier on, we are all reminded first of all that as God’s holy and beloved people, we are all bound by His Law and commandments, and we have to not only know and understand them, but we also have to apply them consistently and thoroughly in each and every moments of our lives. Otherwise we cannot truly call ourselves as Christians if we do not truly embody and practice what we believe in, or if we do not walk in the path that the Lord has shown and taught us. Each and every one of us must always strive to do our part in embracing God and His path, so that we can be good examples and role models for each other in how we live our lives with faith.

In our first reading, we heard from the Book of Deuteronomy in which Moses, the leader of the people of Israel during the time of the Exodus and journey from Egypt to the Promised Land, reminded the Israelites that the Lord has given them all His Law and commandments, and they ought to abide by the precepts and details of that Law. They should heed whatever they had been told to do, to do what God has commanded them and shown them, and neither to take away or add anything to the Law, as changing those laws and commandments would mean that they would no longer truly obey the Lord in the right manner, and they would no longer be truly faithful to Him in their ways, actions, words and deeds. The Lord wants each and every one of His people to follow Him wholeheartedly and not be divided and swayed by false paths in life.

Moses also mentioned that the Israelites were truly blessed that God had chosen and called them to be His people, to be graced by His Law and Commandments, through which He showed them how to be truly be faithful to God at all times, and how they can be the shining beacons and examples of their faith and obedience to Him, so that everyone who witnessed their lives, works and actions, and interact with them would truly know that they all belong to the Lord, as God’s holy and beloved people, the shining beacons of God’s light, truth and love, bearing His salvation and righteousness into the world. On the other hand, if they did not do as the Lord had taught them to do, living their lives in a wicked and evil manner, then they would scandalise the good and Holy Name of God, and therefore, they would be judged and condemned by their lack of faith and virtue.

Then in the second reading this Sunday, taken from the Epistle of St. James the Apostle, we heard of the words of St. James, exhorting and reminding the faithful people of God that they all have received from the Lord Himself the gift of life, truth and also all the wonderful things that He has given and granted us, and which He had sowed and planted in us, entrusting to us many things which can help us to direct our attention towards the right path. But in that same passage taken as today’s second reading, we have also heard that St. James mentioned that we as the faithful people of God must be the ‘doers of the word’ and ‘not just hearers’, which complements nicely what he also mentioned in another part of his Epistle, that ‘faith without good works is dead’.

Essentially, this is a reminder to all of us that we have to be genuine followers and disciples of the Lord, not just as a formality and merely doing things for appearances. We have to be fundamentally faithful in all things, at all occasions and opportunities, doing our best to be the good and worthy in everything that we do throughout our whole lives. Otherwise then we are no better than hypocrites and unbelievers who do not have true and genuine faith in the Lord. There are many people who profess to be Christians and yet, they did not truly behave as those whom God had called and chosen to be His own people. We cannot be like those who only outwardly showed obedience to God and observance of His Law and commandments, and yet inside, they were without true love and desire to serve the Lord.

In our Gospel passage this Sunday, we heard exactly about this matter when the Lord told His disciples and rebuked the Pharisees who were there with Him, criticising His disciples on how they did not follow the prescribed manner of the Law in how they ought to wash their hands before they ate. The Lord criticised and rebuked those Pharisees precisely because they did not truly show genuine faith in the Lord, His Law and commandments, and were only making outward signs of obedience and fulfilment of the Law. Yet, their interior disposition and orientation in life were flawed and incorrect. They were more focused on worldly matters and all their preoccupations and obsessions with the rituals and details of the Law instead of truly obeying and following God in all things.

We heard the description of how the Pharisees were the group of religious and intellectual elites in the Jewish community at that time, who interpreted the Law of God and preserved it in a particularly strict and excessive manner, putting a lot of heavy burden on the people of God because they demanded a very rigorous and harsh observance of the Law of God, being overly obsessed with the details and the rituals associated with the Law of God, spending a lot of time and emphasis on those many rules and rituals, focusing on how much and how many times one washed one’s hands for example, which had to be done in a certain prescribed manner, and if the others do not follow as they had been told to do, then they would be criticised by the Pharisees.

This preoccupation and obsession with the rites and details of the Law is what the Lord criticised and rebuked the Pharisees for, as this led them to be empty in their hearts and minds, failing to truly appreciate and understand what the Lord had intended for us all through His Law and commandments. The Law of God has been given to us not to burden and make our lives difficult, and definitely not for a certain group of people to make themselves famous and glorious over others by gloating and thinking that they were superior and more worthy simply because they were obeying the Law and commandments in a more pious way. Instead, the Law of God was meant to help the people of God, all of us to love God and to follow His path, so that we may truly be able to embrace the righteousness of God.

Today, the Church also celebrates the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, the day when we are all reminded that the Lord has entrusted to us this world to be under our care and stewardship. Therefore, each and every one of us should always remember that we must be active in truly living our lives in the manner that God has told and shown us, and not to glorify ourselves or seek personal glory and ambition through this life. We certainly should not be like the Pharisees that twisted the Law of God for their own personal desires and ambitions. Instead, we must strive to do the things which the Lord has called us to do, to be true and genuine in our obedience and commitment to God, focusing our attention as always towards the Lord, our Master and Creator. We should take good care of this world, and responsibly play our roles as its steward that we do not end up ruining more of this world through our selfish actions and behaviours.

May the Lord continue to help us all to be ever more genuinely faithful and committed to Him. May He empower each and every one of us so that we will continue to do what is right and just which He has taught and shown us to do, and resist the temptations to disobey Him and to sin against Him. May God bless each and every one of us, bless our every good efforts, works and action, now and always. Amen.

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Sunday, 1 September 2024 : Twenty-Second Sunday of Ordinary Time, World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Mark 7 : 1-8, 14-15, 21-23

At that time, one day, the Pharisees gathered around Jesus, and with them were some teachers of the Law who had just come from Jerusalem. They noticed that some of His disciples were eating their meal with unclean hands, that is, without washing them.

Now the Pharisees, and in fact all the Jews, never eat without washing their hands, for they follow the tradition received from their ancestors. Nor do they eat anything, when they come from the market, without first washing themselves. And there are many other traditions they observe; for example, the ritual washing of cups, pots and plates.

So the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law asked Him, “Why do Your disciples not follow the tradition of the elders, but eat with unclean hands?” Jesus answered, “You shallow people! How well Isaiah prophesied of you when he wrote : This people honours Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. The worship they offer Me is worthless, for what they teach are only human rules. You even put aside the commandment of God to hold fast to human tradition.”

Jesus then called the people to Him again and said to them, “Listen to Me, all of you, and try to understand. Nothing that enters a person from the outside can make that person unclean. It is what comes from within that makes a person unclean, for evil designs come out of the heart : theft, murder, adultery, jealousy, greed, maliciousness, deceit, indecency, slander, pride and folly. All these evil things come from within and make a person unclean.”

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Sunday, 1 September 2024 : Twenty-Second Sunday of Ordinary Time, World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation (Second Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

James 1 : 17-18, 21b-22, 27

Every good and perfect gift comes from above, from the Father of Light, in Whom there is no change, or shadow of a change. By His own will, He gave us life, through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of offering to Him, among His creatures.

And welcome the word that has been planted in you, and has the power to save you. Be doers of the word, and not just hearers, lest you deceive yourselves. In the sight of God, our Father, pure and blameless religion lies in helping the orphans, and widows in their need, and keeping oneself from the world’s corruption.

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Sunday, 1 September 2024 : Twenty-Second Sunday of Ordinary Time, World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

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

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

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

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

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Sunday, 1 September 2024 : Twenty-Second Sunday of Ordinary Time, World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Deuteronomy 4 : 1-2, 6b-8

And now, Israel, listen to the norms and laws which I teach that you may put them into practice. And you will live and enter and take possession of the land which YHVH, the God of your fathers, gives you. Do not add anything to what I command you nor take anything away from it. But keep the commandments of YHVH, your God, as I command you.

When they come to know of all these laws, they will say, “There is no people as wise and as intelligent as this great nation.” For in truth, is there a nation as great as ours, whose gods are as near to it as YHVH, our God, is to us whenever we call upon Him? And is there a nation as great as ours whose norms and laws are as just as this Law which I give you today.

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Saturday, 9 September 2023 : 22nd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Peter Claver, Priest (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

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

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, we are all reminded that the Lord has loved us so much that He wants us all to be reconciled to Him, gaining His forgiveness and mercy, to be brought once again to His Holy Presence, be loved and embraced with renewed love and kindness from God. All of us are precious and important to the Lord, that He has given us time and opportunities, again and again so that by His coming into this world, and by His works at redeeming us, all of us may indeed gain the assurance of eternal glory and true joy, in the eternal life that the Lord will grant us, in our journey towards Him. Therefore, we should seek to be truly faithful and committed to Him in all things, and be genuine in following Him, not just merely paying lip service to our faith.

In our first reading today, all of us heard from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Colossians, in which the Apostle reminded the faithful people of God there of everything which God had done for all of His people, in all the things He had done so that they might all be reconciled with Him, and freed from the taints and corruption of sin. Once they had lived in the shadow of sin and evil, wickedness and darkness of the world, but the Lord had brought His light and salvation into their midst, to this whole world, to all of us, by the sending of His own beloved Son, Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Saviour. Through Him and His works, His Passion, His suffering and death on the Cross, the Lord has revealed the promise of eternal life and salvation, grace and the great love and compassion of God, manifested and shown to all of us, leading us from the darkness into the light.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard of the words of the Lord as He interacted and debated with some of the Pharisees who followed Him and His disciples. At that time, as mentioned in the Gospel passage, the disciples were all very hungry after having eaten nothing during what was likely their long hours of ministry and travel from places to places, and thus they were picking from the grains of wheat in the field and ate them as they passed by it, which happened to occur on the day of the Sabbath, a holy day of observance and with many restrictions and rules for the Jewish people. On that day, according to the Law of God revealed through Moses, and how they were interpreted by the people, no one was supposed to carry on any work or occupations, on that day which should be focused on prayer and on God.

In the context of the Pharisees at that time, many of them adopted a very strict and rigid interpretation of the Law of God, in which with regards to the Sabbath day, no one was supposed to be even carrying out any actions, even those actions that might be necessary to them and their survival, their well-being and basic needs, just as what we heard in the Gospel passage today. The Pharisees there questioned and criticised the actions of the Lord’s disciples as their actions in picking the grains of wheat were considered as breaking the Sabbath law even though it was necessary for them to survive as they were all very hungry. Back then, the disciples were accompanying the Lord on His ministry and works, and it was likely that they were all wandering through the wilderness, away from any cities and places where food was available to them.

At the same time, we must also understand that the Law of the Sabbath was given by the Lord to all of His people with the intention and purpose of helping them to remain focused and connected to God, and not be constantly and easily swayed by worldly temptations and pressures, and all the distractions and temptations present all around us. The Law of the Sabbath helped the people of God to reserve at least one day for the Lord amidst their very busy schedules and works in this world so that they do not end up forgetting Him and His Law, His commandments and precepts, in the face of the many temptations and preoccupations in the world. It helps the faithful to keep themselves centred on God, but unfortunately, for those like many of the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, they ended up being so focused on the Law and how it was to be applied, that they enforced it, and made it difficult and harsh, which in fact kept the people away from the Lord.

Not only that by their harsh and very strict application of the Law, that the Pharisees made it difficult for the faithful people of God to come closer to Him, especially more so for those who were in great need of God’s forgiveness and love, but through their self-righteous, proud and haughty attitudes, those same Pharisees, teachers of the Law and elders ended up losing their own focus on the Lord, as they themselves ended up putting themselves, their pride and ego on the pedestal, that even the Lord Himself did not have any place in their hearts and minds. That is not what the Lord intended to do for His people, as His Law and commandments were meant to help and guide them all to find their way to Him, and not to oppress and make their lives difficult through excessive enforcement and application of the Law.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, today all of us are reminded by these Scripture readings that each and every one of us should always remember the love and kindness that God has always generously provided for us, and that we should do whatever we can, so that we may indeed be truly worthy, righteous and just in all of our actions, words, and in our every way of life. If we have not been truly faithful and committed to God, how can we then say that we belong to Him, or that we are Christians? All of us should do our part and continue to live well and worthily, so that our lives may inspire all those who encounter us and who interact with us, those who witness our lives and works, that we may truly be faithful and worthy of God. One very good way is for us to look upon the good examples of our holy predecessors, that is the saints.

Today, we celebrate the feast of one of these glorious saints, namely that of St. Peter Claver. St. Peter Claver was a great priest and missionary, a faithful servant of God who dedicated himself to a great ministry among the slaves in the then New World, in what is now part of the area of Colombia in South America. St. Peter Claver was born in Spain and grew up to be a great intellectual who was noted for his intellectual capacity and ability, after which he became a member of the Society of Jesus, and was eventually ordained as a priest. St. Peter Claver went on to become a missionary in the New World as mentioned, ministering among the slaves in the city of Cartagena, the principal slave trade centre in the then part of the Spanish Empire. Many of those slaves were treated poorly and faced intense discrimination at that time.

It was there that St. Peter Claver devoted himself to the well-being and the protection of the rights of those slaves, striving to care for their needs, especially spiritually, ministering to them tirelessly and dedicating his time to provide for them, and also getting help for them to gain basic access to food, medicine and other essential things they needed. He catechised many of them and as a result, many of those slaves chose to become Christians, having experienced the love of God manifested and made evident to all of them through St. Peter Claver and everything that he had done for their sake. According to historical records, as many as three hundred thousand slaves were baptised by the efforts of St. Peter Claver alone. He continued to devote his efforts to the very end of his life, and upon his passing immediately many extolled his holiness and called for him to be made a saint.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, today, after having heard the words of the Scriptures and after we have heard of the life of St. Peter Claver, let us all therefore be inspired by the good examples and the dedication which St. Peter Claver, as a committed servant of God and holy man of God, had done in his life. Let us all be holy, just as the Lord our God is Holy, and let us all commit ourselves in our own way, and in our own capacity, to serve the Lord ever more faithfully and courageously in all things. May God bless us all and empower each one of us, in our daily lives, to be His ever more dedicated disciples, now and always. Amen.

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Saturday, 9 September 2023 : 22nd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Peter Claver, Priest (Gospel Reading)

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

Luke 6 : 1-5

At that time, one Sabbath Jesus was going through a field of grain, and His disciples began to pick heads of grain, crushing them in their hands for food. Some of the Pharisees asked them, “Why do you do what is forbidden on the Sabbath?”

Then Jesus spoke up and asked them, “Have you never read what David did when he and his men were hungry? He entered the house of God, took and ate the bread of the offering, and even gave some to his men, though only priests are allowed to eat that bread.”

And Jesus added, “The Son of Man is Lord and rules over the Sabbath.”