22nd Sunday of Ordinary Time

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Wednesday, 6 September 2023 : 22nd 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 presented with the reminders of our Christian faith and mission, which we should be doing at all times, throughout our lives, in our every capacities, responsibilities and in every moments and opportunities that had been presented to us. In the Scripture passages that we have heard from today, all of us are reminded that as Christians, we truly should embody our faith in God in our lives, and be fruitful in the living of that faith, and we should do what we can so that God’s love and truth may be known more and better among many people all around us. We are the ones through whom God’s works and truth can be made evident and manifest in our world today.

In our first reading today, we are all presented with the beginning of the Epistle of St. Paul to the Church and the faithful in the city of Corinth, in which the Apostle greeted the Christians in that city and thanked God for having blessed them and for having guided them in the right path. St. Paul reminded all of the faithful there to remain strong in their faith and to keep their commitment to God because the Lord has assured all those who are faithful to Him of His blessings and graces, and He has promised the glorious inheritance and wonders that will be theirs, and ours, in the end of times, when we shall be glorified with Him, and when we shall rejoice forevermore with God in His Presence, enjoying what the saints had been enjoying in the beatific vision and glory of Heaven. In order to do that, we have to be faithful and committed to God.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, we heard of the moment when the Lord performed His many wonderful miracles and works, in healing the sick and all those who sought for His help, beginning with the very sick mother-in-law of St. Peter, one of His own Apostles. Words spread quickly and many came to the Lord with various troubles, and the Lord healed them all from their sickness and maladies. But then, we heard of the Lord then quietly moving away from the place, and telling His disciples to follow Him, despite the persuasions by them and the others in that place for Him to stay on there. The Lord told them that He has the mission to proclaim the Good News of God and to bring forth the same healing to more of the people of Israel, and in order to do so, He would have to go forth and continue to carry out His missions and works.

In order to understand the significance of that Gospel passage and events, we have to understand that it must have been much easier for the Lord to stay there in that place where everyone was so welcoming towards Him, and to continue carrying on doing His miracles and works. But that was not what the Lord was sent into this world for. He was sent also to those who hardened their hearts and minds against God, against the religious leaders and elites like the chief priests and the Pharisees, many of whom refused to believe in Him and His truth, opposed Him and made His ministry difficult. He was also sent to those who have been abandoned and rejected by others, such as the tax collectors, the prostitutes, those suffering from terrible diseases and those who were possessed by the evil spirits and demons, with the latter having to live in the wilderness away from the community.

Thus, just as the Lord has told His disciples, we are all reminded to be the instruments of God, in reaching out to others, especially to those who are less fortunate than us, and to those who have not yet known the love of God. And what are supposed to do? We should be the ones to show them the love of God manifested through our words and actions. Each and every one of us should be the beacons of His light, hope and love in our world today, darkened with sin and evil, with lots of hatred and vices of worldliness. We should be the bearers of the Good News of God, in everywhere we have been called to do the works of God, in our families, among friends and relatives, in our circles of friends, and also at our schools and workplaces, and among all those whom we encounter daily in our lives.

That is why we should truly embody our Christian faith in our actions and commitments to God, and we should do whatever we can so that what we believe is reflected in whatever we do in life, even in the smallest and seemingly least significant things so that we may inspire others by our dedication and works, our every actions and deeds. Otherwise, if we do not do so, and if we do not practice what we believe in, how can we expect others to believe in us or in the Lord then? Worse still, if we do things that are contrary or against our faith, our Christian truths and teachings, then are we not being hypocrites and will we not end up causing confusion and end up turning people away from God instead? It is important that we should be truly committed to God in all things, and not just externally only.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore strive to do what we can in order to proclaim the Lord and be true to our Christian faith and beliefs by doing God’s will in our every actions and in our every small works and interactions throughout life. Let us all not be ignorant any longer of our Christian mission and calling, in faithfully embracing whatever missions and responsibilities that the Lord our God has placed on our shoulders. We do not have to do great and wonderful things, but we just have to do our best in every possible opportunities and places we have been working at, sent to, and dwelling in, so that through us and our works, our words and actions, our interactions and more, we may lead others to come ever closer to God, and that more and more may come to know the Lord and His salvation.

May the Lord be with us always, and may He empower each and every one of us so that we may always be strong and be able to persevere and endure despite the many challenges and hardships, the trials and opposition that we may encounter in our journey towards God. May God bless us all in our every good works, efforts and endeavours, and may He bring us all into His embrace and loving Presence, and help us in our lives, now and always. Amen.

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Wednesday, 6 September 2023 : 22nd Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Luke 4 : 38-44

At that time, leaving the synagogue, Jesus went to the house of Simon. His mother-in-law was suffering from high fever, and they asked Him to do something for her. Bending over her, He rebuked the fever, and it left her. Immediately, she got up and waited on them.

At sunset, people suffering from many kinds of sickness were brought to Jesus. Laying His hands on each one, He healed them. Demons were driven out, howling as they departed from their victims, “You are the Son of God!” He rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, for they knew He was the Messiah.

Jesus left at daybreak and looked for a solitary place. People went out in search of Him, and finding Him, they tried to dissuade Him from leaving. But He said, “I have to go to other towns, to announce the good news of the kingdom of God. That is what I was sent to do.” And Jesus continued to preach in the synagogues of Galilee.

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Wednesday, 6 September 2023 : 22nd Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 51 : 10, 11

But I am as a green olive tree that thrives in the house of God : I trust in God’s unfailing love forever and ever.

I will praise You forever, for all You have done; and proclaim Your good Name before the faithful ones.

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Wednesday, 6 September 2023 : 22nd Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Colossians 1 : 1-8

Paul, Apostle of Christ Jesus, by the will of God, and Timothy, our brother, to the saints in Colossae, our faithful brothers and sisters in Christ : Receive grace and peace from God, our Father, and Christ Jesus, our Lord. Thanks be to God, the Father of Christ Jesus, our Lord!

We constantly pray for you, for we have known of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of your love for all the saints. Indeed, you await in hope the inheritance reserved for you in heaven, of which, you have heard through the word of truth. This Gospel, already present among you, is bearing fruit, and growing throughout the world, as it did among you, from the day you accepted it, and understood the gift of God, in all its truth.

He who taught you, Epaphras, our dear companion in the service of Christ, faithful minister of Christ on our behalf, has reminded me of the love you have for me, in the Spirit.

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Tuesday, 5 September 2023 : 22nd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Teresa of Kolkata, Religious (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Religious)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Lord in the Scriptures, we are all reminded of the need for each and every one of us to remain faithful to God and to entrust ourselves in His love and kindness, because it was by His ever present and enduring love for us that we have been assured of the providence and help that God has always ever constantly provided to us. God has always cared for us all and He has always thought about us, without ceasing. Because of this, we should always trust in Him and obey His Law and commandments, and we should not allow the wicked and evil temptations all around us to dissuade us and tempt us away from the path of righteousness and virtue which God had led us into, so that we may indeed be worthy of God and not be swayed into the false path towards our downfall.

In our first reading today, taken from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Thessalonians, we heard the Apostle keeping with his encouragement of the faithful people in Corinth, which if we have heard the story about them through the same sequence of readings in these past weeks, we will know that they have been faithful and devout, exemplary and great in their way of obeying God and His Law and commandments, in their love for one another and righteous way of life, in persevering for the Lord and in abandoning the wicked ways of the pagan and idol worship. As compared to many of the other communities that St. Paul had been writing and addressing his Epistles to, the Thessalonians community and Church have shown their contemporaries how one should live correctly as Christians and disciples of the Lord.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard of the Lord in His works and ministry in Capernaum, a town in Galilee, where He often performed His miracles and wonders, and where He did His teachings and preachings among the people, who were often amazed and astonished by His great wisdom and teaching authority. It was also where people often brought the sick and those who suffered various maladies and sickness to Him as well. And in today’s account in particular, we heard of how someone who was possessed by evil spirits came to the Lord and shouted at Him, revealing before all that He is the Saviour, the Holy One of God sent into this world. Those evil spirits genuinely feared the Lord and at the same time they wanted to do something to try to disrupt His works, by sowing confusion among the people in revealing the Lord’s true nature.

Back then, we must understand that it was difficult for the Lord to navigate the strong opposition from the members of the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, the elders and the chief priests, many of whom were opposed to the Lord, to His works and teachings. That was why the Lord often kept His identity a secret and told His disciples that they should not speak of what they have heard and seen, when they received revelations and truth about the Lord Jesus being the Saviour and Son of God. Thus, in that occasion when the evil spirits threatened to make the work difficult for the Lord in Capernaum, and at the same time, in not wanting to allow those same evil spirits to torment and dominate over the man any longer, He rebuked those evil spirits and ordered them all to leave the man be.

Thus, we heard in that occasion how the Lord cast out those evil spirits from the possessed man, and showed His authority even over demons and evil spirits, which further highlighted and showed the truth of God having manifested Himself in His Son, Jesus Christ, in this world, to come into our midst and to rescue us all from the depredations and attacks from the evil one. He has shown us all His merciful side and love, His generosity in always ever being ready to reach out to us and in giving us all the strength and help, so that through Him we may find the way to grace and eternal life, and liberation from the dominion of sin, evil and death, just as He had done to the possessed man. While God despises our sins and wickedness, but He has always loved us all and wants each one of us to be reconciled to Him.

With this same spirit and commitment therefore, all of us should do whatever we can so that we may also dedicate ourselves in love towards the Lord and towards our fellow brothers and sisters. All of us have been called by God to be the bearers of His truth and Good News, to be the beacons of His love and light, in the midst of all the hatred, evils and wickedness in this world. Each and every one of us should heed the great examples set by our holy predecessors, all those who have gone before us, so that we may truly be holy and worthy of God, in all of our lives, actions, works and deeds. And today, we have the examples of St. Teresa of Kolkata, also better known as Mother Teresa, as the great example, role model and inspiration that we should emulate in our lives today. St. Teresa of Kolkata and her actions in reaching out for the poor and the least fortunate should inspire us to do the same with our own lives.

St. Teresa of Kolkata was born as Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu or Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu in what is today Albania, to a family of Catholic Albanians, who was called early to her vocations when she was inspired by the story of missionaries and the works they did in the region of Bengal and India. Eventually, this led to the young Agnes joining the Sisters of Loreto, and aspiring to become a religious sister and missionary. She eventually went to India, and took up the name of Teresa upon entering the convent, living her life as a religious in caring for the needs of the community. During those years, St. Teresa was gradually more and more disturbed by the abject poverty which were rampant around her convent and school community. This eventually led to her embracing the new calling and mission of the Lord, beginning a new missionary outreach in caring for the poor, the sick and the dying, which led to the establishment of the Missionaries of Charity.

St. Teresa tirelessly worked hard for the sake of those to whom she had dedicated herself to, and inspired many others within her community with her dedication and efforts, while facing hardships, challenges and trials throughout her journey and mission. But she did not allow all those obstacles and hardships to distract or dissuade her from her commitment to her mission, or to her love for her fellow brothers and sisters, especially to the poorest, the last and the least among the people, and for all those who did not have anywhere else to go to, or anyone else to turn towards. St. Teresa established homes and care places to take care of those who were sick and dying, giving them the means to face suffering and death with dignity, caring for the least fortunate amongst us, and showing unto us the love of God manifested in our midst.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, the well-known examples set by St. Teresa of Kolkata should serve to remind us to keep ourselves strongly dedicated to God, as well as to turn away from all sins and wickedness. We should instead be filled with genuine love from God, and with the desire to love our fellow brothers and sisters, much as what St. Teresa of Kolkata and all those inspired by her had done. All of us should do our part so that we may always seek to be ever more faithful and worthy of God, in all of our words and actions, in our every interactions and dealings, so that through us, and our works, we may ever be blessed and be filled with God’s grace. May God bless us always, in our every good works, efforts and endeavours. Amen.

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Tuesday, 5 September 2023 : 22nd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Teresa of Kolkata, Religious (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Religious)

Luke 4 : 31-37

At that time, Jesus went down to Capernaum, a town of Galilee, and began teaching the people at the Sabbath meetings. They were astonished at the way He taught them, for His word was spoken with authority.

In the synagogue, there was a man possessed by an evil spirit, who shouted in a loud voice, “What do You want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I recognise You : You are the Holy One of God.”

Then Jesus said to him sharply, “Be silent and leave this man!” The evil spirit then threw the man down in front of them, and came out of him without doing him harm. Amazement seized all these people, and they said to one another, “What does this mean? He commands the evil spirits with authority and power. He orders, and you see how they come out!”

And news about Jesus spread throughout the surrounding area.

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Tuesday, 5 September 2023 : 22nd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Teresa of Kolkata, Religious (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Religious)

Psalm 26 : 1, 4, 13-14

YHVH is my light and my salvation – whom shall I fear? YHVH is the rampart of my life; I will not be afraid.

One thing I ask of YHVH, one thing I seek – that I may dwell in His house all the days of my life, to gaze at His jewel and to visit His Sanctuary.

I hope, I am sure, that I will see the goodness of YHVH in the land of the living. Trust in YHVH, be strong and courageous. Yes, put your hope in YHVH!

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Tuesday, 5 September 2023 : 22nd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Teresa of Kolkata, Religious (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Religious)

1 Thessalonians 5 : 1-6, 9-11

You do not need anyone to write to you about the delay, and the appointed time for these events. You know, that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. When people feel secure, and at peace, the disaster will suddenly come upon them, as the birth pangs of a woman in labour, and they will not escape.

But you, beloved, are not in darkness; so that day will not surprise you like a thief. All of you are citizens of the light and the day; we do not belong to night and darkness. Let us not, therefore, sleep as others do, but remain alert and sober.

For God has not willed us to be condemned, but to win salvation, through Christ Jesus, our Lord. He died for us, so that, we might enter into life, with Him, whether we are still awake or already asleep. Therefore, encourage one another and build up one another, as you are doing now.

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Monday, 4 September 2023 : 22nd 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 of the Lord’s promises to us, His kindness and mercy, and all that He has assured us of, in how each and every one of us as members and parts of His Church, counted among His flock and holy people, are to receive the rich bounty and blessings of His love and kindness, His desire to liberate us all from the threat and dangers of sin, evil and death. All of us have been reassured and have received the promises of God’s grace and love, through everything that He has done for us, and through all that He has reminded us constantly through His messengers, prophets and ultimately through His Son, Our Lord and Saviour, and all that He has revealed to us, and through the Holy Spirit Who has always been with us and guided the Church throughout all this time.

In our first reading today, taken from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Church and the faithful in Thessalonica, we heard of St. Paul telling the good faithful people of God there to put their trust in the Lord, and to continue to do good and to act worthily of Him as they had always done, so that by their faith, commitment and actions, they will always serve God’s will and purpose, and that they will be great role models and inspirations to one another, in how they live their lives and in all of their words, actions and interactions, reassuring them that in the end, they shall be triumphant with God, and that in the last moments, the Lord will come again as He has promised and reassured us, all those who have lived their lives worthily of the Lord and died in His grace, will be glorified together with Him, and will be triumphant, as they will be raised together, body and soul, to enjoy forever the eternal joy and true glory with God.

In our Gospel passage today, we then heard of the story of the moment when the Lord Jesus Christ came back to His hometown of Nazareth, where He spoke and taught in the local synagogue, explaining to them the words of the prophecies of Isaiah the prophet, which was actually concerning Himself, to reveal to them the fulfilment of those prophecies and the coming of the salvation in God. In Jesus Christ, the Saviour Whom God had sent unto us, His faithful and beloved people, we have seen the love of God manifested in the flesh, becoming tangible, real and approachable to us. Each and every one of us have received this assurance from the Lord Himself, and through His coming into our midst, we have been strengthened and encouraged, ever being reminded that the Lord has always watched kindly over us and He does not leave us all alone.

However, the people of Nazareth, who saw the Lord growing up in their midst and who knew that His father was the village carpenter, St. Joseph, hardened their hearts and closed their minds to Him, refusing to accept the truth and reality that this same Jesus was the One Who the prophets and the messengers of God had been proclaiming about. They did not have enough faith and trust in God, preferring instead to depend on their own flawed judgments and biases, their prejudices and thoughts rather than to trust in the Lord and in His Wisdom. They thought that it must have been impossible for the Saviour that God sent to His people to have come from their own small and insignificant village, which was the same thinking and thoughts that many among the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law heard that the Lord Jesus came from Nazareth, from the region of Galilee.

Essentially, they placed their own human biases, prejudices, judgments and ideals ahead of their faith and trust in God. They doubted that the Lord could do what He has decided to do, in making the small village of Nazareth, and also the small town of Bethlehem, where the Lord was born in, to be the place where the Saviour of the world and the King of Kings would be born in. We are reminded through these Scripture readings that everything is possible for God and there is nothing that He cannot do, because He is all-powerful, almighty and is in control of all things. Thus, we are reminded today not to give in to all those wicked thoughts, biases, prejudices and all the parameters by which we often judge others with, and we should also not have so little faith and trust in God. Instead, we should entrust ourselves all the more to the Lord and be reminded of all the love and compassionate kindness that He has always shown us.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore heed these words that we have heard through the Scriptures, reminding ourselves that we are all called to be ever more committed disciples and followers of the Lord. Each and every one of us should always should learn to out our faith and trust in God, in doing our best at every time and moment to do God’s will, in following His Law and commandments, in living our lives virtuously and worthily of Him, so that we are truly worthy of being called Christians, that is God’s beloved and holy people, through our every words, actions and deeds. We should not merely have an empty and meaningless faith, that is only good on the outside, and yet, in our hearts and minds, God is not in them, and God is not at the centre of our lives and existence as He should have been.

Let us all realise that being Christians require from us the dedication and effort, and not passivity and lack of action and commitment. All of us have been called to follow the Lord and to do His will, carrying out His commandments in all things. And in the midst of doing that, we may face trials and hardships, opposition and challenges, rejection and difficulties, much as what the Lord Himself, His disciples, followers and messengers had faced in the past. We have to keep our faith and trust in the Lord so that just like that of the Apostles, the innumerable saints and martyrs, holy men and women of God, who held on to their faith in God even at the time of their greatest crises, they never wavered and they remained strong in their commitment to serve the Lord, and hence, those among them who suffered, did them willingly, knowing that the Lord shall reward them in the end, for eternity.

May the Lord, our loving God and Master, continue to help and guide us all in our respective journeys in life so that we may indeed live our lives well and faithfully, despite the challenges and trials that we may face, so that we do not easily succumb to temptation and we do not easily give up in life, or give up our faith and trust in God. We should remind each other that there is always hope and assurance in God, and it is in Him alone that we shall find true comfort and satisfaction, when nothing that the world has, can provide us with lasting help and satisfaction. May the Lord empower each and every one of us, so that we will always be strong and encouraged, to live faithful and worthy lives at all times, being good examples and role models to one another. Amen.

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Monday, 4 September 2023 : 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.