25 February 2019

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Monday, 25 February 2019 : 7th 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 God through the Scriptures, speaking to us about the faith that we should have in the Lord, the Source of all our hope, from Whom we gained all wisdom and truth. As long as we place our trust in God, we shall never be disappointed. Challenges and difficulties may come our way, but by the strength that God has given us, we shall persevere in the end.

In the Gospel passage today, we heard of the account of the healing of a man who was possessed by evil spirits. The father of the man brought him to the Apostles, but the Apostles were unable to cast out the evil spirit, and the evil spirit continued to possess the man. The Lord essentially rebuked His disciples to whom He made clear that they lacked the faith necessary for them to perform the miracles that He has given them the power to do.

Yes, brothers and sisters in Christ, today we are all called to remember that we must have true and genuine faith in God, or else, without faith, whatever it is that God has blessed us with, everything will be meaningless and empty. And for us to have faith does not just mean that we say that we believe in God, or act in a manner to show others that we are God’s believers, but rather, we must be thoroughly attuned with God’s will, that deep within our hearts, we truly are united with God, knowing His will and loving Him.

That was why the Apostles were unable to cast the evil spirit from the man, because even though God has given them all the power and authority over the evil spirits and to heal physical illnesses of the flesh, when He commissioned them, but without a strong and real faith in them, those power and authority given to them meant nothing. Faith connects us to God, and faith is the link that undoubtedly unites us to the Lord and He is truly present within us when we are faithful to Him.

Indeed, it is easy for us to say that we believe in God, but it is totally a different case about having true faith in Him. Having a true, genuine faith often requires us to devote ourselves from the deepest part of our hearts, and we often have to make sacrifices and commitment of ourselves, in ways that require us to put God at the very centre of our existence. God must be the reason and the focus of all of our actions, otherwise, our faith in Him is not complete.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, we may have all the gifts and talents given to us by God, but unless we have that faith which we should have within us, we shall not be able to utilise those gifts for the right purpose and for the right intention. And that is why, within the Church today, there are so many people present within our communities of the faithful, and yet, there are so few among us who have made use of our talents and capabilities to serve the Lord in a meaningful and sincere way.

And many of us do not have a good and healthy spiritual life, that is a life filled with prayer and communication with God. Prayer is not meant for us to make a litany of requests and demands as what many of us frequently have done, but rather for us to quieten ourselves down, and refocus our attention on God alone. It is when we are attuned in such a way with God, that truly meaningful conversation between us and Him can take place.

Today, all of us are called to rediscover our faith in God, and not just any kind of faith, but faith that is genuine, true and steadfast at all times, that we may truly serve God faithfully in all occasions, and give our very best, out of love for Him. Let us all grow stronger in our love for Him, dedicating ourselves to the good works that He had entrusted to us. Let us also deepen our relationship with God through prayer, that we may know better what His will is for each and every one of us.

May the Lord continue to strengthen in each and every one of us, the faith that we have in Him, that we may grow ever more committed and dedicated in obeying His will and in doing whatever it is that He has taught and commanded us to do with our lives. May God bless us always, now and forevermore. Amen.

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Monday, 25 February 2019 : 7th Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Mark 9 : 14-29

At that time, when Jesus and His disciples, Peter, James and John came to the place where they had left the disciples, they saw many people around them and some teachers of the Law arguing with them. When the people saw Jesus, they were astonished and ran to greet Him.

He asked, “What are you arguing about with them?” A man answered Him from the crowd, “Master, I brought my son to You, for he has a spirit, deaf and mute. Whenever the spirit seizes him, it throws him down and he foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth and becomes stiff all over. I asked Your disciples to drive the spirit out, but they could not.”

Jesus replied, “You faithless people! How long must I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring him to Me.” And the brought the boy to Him. As soon as the spirit saw Jesus, it shook and convulsed the boy, who fell on the ground, and began rolling about, foaming at the mouth.

Then Jesus asked the father, “How long has this been happening to him?” He replied, “From childhood. And it has often thrown him into the fire and into the water to destroy him. If You can do anything, have pity on us and help us.”

Jesus said to him, “Why do you say, ‘If You can?’ All things are possible for the one who believes.” Immediately the father of the boy cried out, “I do believe, but help the little faith I have.” Jesus saw that the crowd was increasing rapidly, so He ordered the evil spirit, “Dumb and deaf spirit, I command you : Leave the boy and never enter him again.”

The evil spirit shook and convulsed the boy and with a terrible shriek came out. The boy lay like a corpse and people said, “He is dead.” But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him and the boy stood up. After Jesus had gone indoors, His disciples asked Him privately, “Why could we not drive out the spirit?”

And He answered, “Only prayer can drive out this kind, nothing else.”

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Monday, 25 February 2019 : 7th Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 92 : 1ab, 1c-2, 5

The Lord reigns, robed in majesty; the Lord is girded with strength.

The world now is firm, it cannot be moved. Your throne stands from long ago, o Lord, from all eternity You are.

Your decrees can be trusted; holiness dwells in Your house day after day without end, o Lord.

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Monday, 25 February 2019 : 7th Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Sirach 1 : 1-10

All wisdom comes from the Lord and endures with Him forever. The grains of sand, the drops of rain and the days of eternity, who can count them? The height of heaven, the extent of the earth and the depths of the abyss, who can measure them?

Wisdom was created before all things and the prudent intellect before the beginning of time. To whom was the source of Wisdom revealed? Who has known her secret designs? One alone is wise and greatly to be feared. The One Who is seated upon His throne.

The Lord Himself created Wisdom. He looked on her and knew her value. He poured her out over all His works; upon all mortal beings, in accordance with His goodness. He lavished her on those who love Him.