25th Sunday of Ordinary Time

by

Monday, 25 September 2023 : 25th Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Ezra 1 : 1-6

In the first year of Cyrus, king of Persia, YHVH willed to fulfil the word He had said through the prophet Jeremiah. So He moved the spirit of Cyrus, king of Persia, to issue the following command and send it out in writing to be read aloud everywhere in his kingdom : “Thus speaks Cyrus, king of Persia : YHVH, the God of heavens, Who has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, has ordered me to build Him a Temple in Jerusalem, in the land of Judah.”

“To everyone belonging to His people, may his God be with him! Let them go up to Jerusalem with the help of their God and, there, build the House of YHVH, the God of Israel; the God Who is in Jerusalem. In every place where the rest of the people of YHVH live, let the people of those places help them for their journey with silver, gold and all kinds of goods and livestock. Let them also give them voluntary offerings for the House of YHVH which is in Jerusalem.”

Then they rose up – the heads of the families of Judah and Benjamin, the priests and the Levites, and all those whose spirit God had stirred up – and they decided to go and build the House of YHVH. And all their neighbours gave them all kinds of help : gold, silver, livestock and precious objects in great quantity, besides every kind of voluntary offering.

by

Sunday, 24 September 2023 : Twenty-Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday as we all heard the words of the Scriptures, each and every one of us are reminded to be truly focused on the Lord in our whole lives, as we are all called to be His followers and disciples, walking in the path that He has shown us all, through His Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ and through the Church that He has established in this world, to be the one united Body of all the believers and all the people of God. All of us have been called and chosen by the Lord, and as Christians, we are all those who have responded to the Lord’s call and embraced His path, to do His will and to carry out His works, in our every words, actions and deeds in this world. Through those Scripture passages, we are reminded that our existence and purpose should truly be to follow and to serve the Lord our God, wholeheartedly, in all things.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Isaiah, we heard of the words of the prophet calling on all the people of God to seek the Lord and to call upon Him when He is still near, calling on all the people of God to turn away from their wickedness ands sins, and to embrace once again their loving God and Master, following Him with all faith and obedience, entrusting themselves to His Wisdom and Providence, and not to question and doubt His will and ways, because ultimately, there are many things that are beyond our thoughts and understanding, our ability to comprehend and for us to realise fully in our lives. That is why we should always trust in the Lord and follow Him all our lives, doing whatever we can in order to proclaim His truth and carry out His works all the time.

Then, in our second reading today, taken from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Philippians, we heard of the words of St. Paul to the faithful people of God there, relating to them the dilemma that he had in wanting to go to the Lord and to die for Him, versus continuing to labour and live in this world in carrying out God’s works and will. Both of those things did have merits, and as history has shown us, many of our holy predecessors had glorified God by their exemplary lives and actions, their works and ministry, as St. Paul himself had done, and then many also inspired by their courageous suffering and martyrdom, by which they left this world and enter into the glory of Heaven, which St. Paul himself eventually went through as well, when he was martyred in Rome at the end of his long ministry.

In essence, what St. Paul told the faithful in Philippi was a reminder for all of them to trust in the Lord and in whatever He has designed for them, just as He has led St. Paul in whatever that He wanted him to do in his ministry. One may indeed desire to do certain things in life, but ultimately, it is by God’s grace and guidance, and His will that will happen in the end. Thus, aligned to what we have discussed earlier, we have to answer God’s call and entrust ourselves to Him, committing ourselves to the path that He has shown and guided us all into. As Christians, we are called to walk the path of righteousness and virtue, and the path through which each one of us are expected to live our lives in accordance to God’s ways, and to embody our faith in our every actions, words and deeds.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard the parable of the workers from the Lord, in which He spoke of a master and owner of a vineyard, who went forth to the streets and various places, calling upon people of all sorts to come and work in his vineyard. The landowner in that parable represents the Lord, our God and Master, and the vineyard represents this world, where we all labour and work in, with the workers called to work in the vineyard representing all of us whom God had called and chosen to be His people, His disciples and followers. Certainly, not all the people that the landowner called would have responded to him and accepted his offer to work in his vineyard, just as how many rejected the Lord and refused to believe in His Good News and salvation.

However, as we heard from the parable, the landowner kept on going again and again to the streets, reaching out to as many people as he could, and gathered more and more to come and work in his vineyard. It is not impossible or far fetched that some of those who have refused him earlier might have had a change of heart and mind, and therefore responded to the landowner, deciding to come and work in his vineyard. That is exactly just what the Lord would do to us, even if we were to reject Him and refuse Him. He will still call us and offer us His truth and guidance, as long as the time and opportunities are still available to us. Only those who persisted to refuse to the very end, will therefore be cast out into the darkness and eternal damnation, which by their own free will, they have rejected God and His generous love and mercy.

Then, we heard about how all those who have answered the landowner’s call and worked in his vineyard, all were rewarded the same amount in the end, whether those who started their work early or whether they joined at the very last hour. We heard how those who have joined earlier grumbled because they compared their work to those who have joined the work at the last moment, but the landowner told them all that everything had been done in accordance to what he had agreed with all of them, since the time when they had joined the work. Hence, they should not be grumbling or complaining that they were not being paid their dues. This must be better understood in the context that the landowner, being a representation of the Lord Himself, having called all of us to Himself, will give us all the same gift, since we are all equally beloved by Him.

It is also an important reminder that we should not live our lives and faith in comparing ourselves with one another, or thinking that just because we have responded to the Lord’s call earlier, then we are somehow superior or better than those who have answered the Lord’s call later on in their lives. This is the attitude that many of the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law adopted at the time of the Lord and His ministry, in which their self-righteous and selfish attitudes ended up closing their hearts and minds against the Lord and His truth, in their repeated refusal to believe in Him and in their stubborn oppositions to His works. That is why, we must always remind ourselves that it is by God’s grace and love that we have been saved, and not by our own power, might and abilities.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, therefore as we have heard from our Scripture passages today, we are all called to live our lives wholeheartedly for the Lord and commit ourselves thoroughly to Him and to His cause. As Christians, God’s holy and beloved people, we should not prioritise our own selfish desires and worldly concerns and attachments above that of serving God and doing His will. Rather, all of us should always put the Lord at the centre and as the focus of our whole entire lives and existence. That is how we can then truly live our lives more attuned to God and His ways, and that is how we can be better and more worthy disciples and followers of our Lord. Unless we do our best to trust in the Lord and allow Him to lead us down the right path, and unless we put the conscious efforts to obey Him in all and every one of our words, actions and deeds, we may end up falling away into sin and damnation.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore strive our best this Sunday and henceforth to be true and genuine Christians, in doing what the Lord has called and entrusted us to do, in all available opportunities. Let us all do our best in our own ways and in our various respective areas in life, so that in each and every things we do, in our every interactions with one another, we will always proclaim the glory of God and reveal His truth and love to more and more people. That is what each and every one of us are expected to do, as the workers of the Lord’s vineyard, that is this world where we are living in. Let us all be great role models and inspirations for one another, that God’s light and truth may be shown to all around us. May God be with us always, and may He empower and strengthen us at all times. Amen.

by

Sunday, 24 September 2023 : Twenty-Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Matthew 20 : 1-16a

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “This story throws light on the kingdom of heaven : A landowner went out early in the morning, to hire workers for his vineyard. He agreed to pay each worker the usual daily wage, and sent them to his vineyard.”

“He went out again, at about nine in the morning, and, seeing others idle in the town square, he said to them, ‘You also, go to my vineyard, and I will pay you what is just.’ So they went. The owner went out at midday, and, again, at three in the afternoon, and he made the same offer.”

“Again he went out, at the last working hour – the eleventh – and he saw others standing around. So he said to them, ‘Why do you stand idle the whole day?’ They answered, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ The master said, ‘Go, and work in my vineyard.'”

“When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his manager, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wage, beginning with the last and ending with the first.’ Those who had gone to work at the eleventh hour came up, and were each given a silver coin. When it was the turn of the first, they thought they would receive more. But they, too, received one silver coin. On receiving it, they began to grumble against the landowner.”

“They said, ‘These last, hardly worked an hour; yet, you have treated them the same as us, who have endured the heavy work of the day and the heat.’ The owner said to one of them, ‘Friend, I have not been unjust to you. Did we not agree on one silver coin per day? So take what is yours and go. I want to give to the last the same as I give to you. Do I not have the right to do as I please with what is mine? Why are you envious when I am kind?'”

“So will it be : the last will be first.”

by

Sunday, 24 September 2023 : Twenty-Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Second Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Philippians 1 : 20c-24, 27a

Christ will be exalted through my person, whether I live or die. For to me, living is for Christ, and dying is even better. But if I am to go on living, I shall be able to enjoy fruitful labour. Which shall I choose?

So I feel torn between the two. I desire greatly to leave this life and to be with Christ, which will be better by far, but it is necessary for you that I remain in this life. Try, then, to adjust your lives according to the Gospel of Christ.

by

Sunday, 24 September 2023 : Twenty-Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 144 : 2-3, 8-9, 17-18

I will praise You, day after day; and exalt Your Name forever. Great is YHVH, most worthy of praise; and His deeds are beyond measure.

Compassionate and gracious is YHVH, slow to anger and abounding in love. YHVH is good to everyone; His mercy embraces all His creation.

Righteous is YHVH in all His ways, His mercy shows in all His deeds. He is near those who call on Him, who call trustfully upon His Name.

by

Sunday, 24 September 2023 : Twenty-Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Isaiah 55 : 6-9

Seek YHVH while He may be found; call to Him while He is near. Let the wicked abandon his way, let him forsake his thoughts, let him turn to YHVH for He will have mercy, for our God is generous in forgiving.

For My thoughts are not your thoughts, My ways are not your ways, says YHVH. For as the heavens are above the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts above your thoughts.

by

Saturday, 24 September 2022 : 25th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

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

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scripture we are reminded yet again of the need for each one of us as Christians to be always mindful and aware of what we all need to do in our lives, in doing the actions that are in accordance with God and His ways, obeying His will and commandments, and keeping in mind that each and every single things that we say and do, all these will be accountable to God on the Day of Judgment. And not only that, but in all the things that we are able to do and in the capacity of doing, but not doing because we neglect our responsibilities, we shall also be made accountable for them as well.

That was the gist of what we heard from the Book of Ecclesiastes or Qoheleth in our first reading today. We heard how the author reminded those who were young that they ought to keep those words in mind, reminding them that each and every one of their actions will be accountable to God. There is nothing that we do which will not be known or unveiled to God. The Lord knows everything in our hearts and minds, and He shall judge us all by everything He knows of us. We have been given the opportunities and the time to do the things that God has shown us, to be His faithful disciples and witnesses in the midst of our communities.

And we should not be ignorant of that calling to do something, to participate in the good works and efforts of the Church, in its various outreach and commissions, and not only that but also in our own individual capacities, even to the smallest and simplest things like living our lives worthily and faithfully in accordance to the Law and commandments of God. In a world where there are plenty of temptations for us to disobey God and to embrace the path of worldliness and sin, each one of us have been called to seek the Lord wholeheartedly and to follow Him, while knowing that this path that God has called us to walk in, may not be an easy or smooth one.

As we heard in our Gospel passage today, the Lord spoke to His disciples regarding Who He truly was, and what He was about to endure during the moments of His Passion, suffering and death. Back then, no one would have known or expected that the Lord would have suffered such a grievous fate. In fact, many among the followers of the Lord would have expected that He would lead them all into glory and victory against the Romans and other oppressors, and reestablish the kingdom of David, the kingdom of God’s people Israel. The coming of the Messiah was understood as a time of great glory and triumph, where the Lord would gather His people and give them the freedom and victory against their enemies.

But they had misunderstood the Lord’s intentions, and the Lord Himself told them that in truth, He, the Messiah, the Son of Man, just as the prophets themselves had predicted, particularly that of the prophet Isaiah, He would have to suffer grievously for the sake of His beloved ones. He would have to be rejected and oppressed, punished and tortured, scourged, beaten and spat upon for the sake of our salvation and liberation. And yet, knowing all that would happen to Him, and all the sufferings that He would have to endure, the Lord Jesus still obeyed His Father’s will perfectly and carried out everything to perfection, suffering and dying on His Cross at Calvary.

Through that act of supreme love and sacrifice, the ultimate selfless expression of love, God has shown us first of all that He loves us in an infinitely wonderful way, and He has always cared for us all these times despite of our frequent disobedience and refusal to believe in Him. And not only that, but through His Son, the same Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, the same suffering Son of Man, God showed us the perfect obedience and the perfect role model that His Son has done for us, so that we know that it truly means for us to be Christians. The Apostles and disciples of the Lord themselves followed His examples, remembering His new commandment and mandate at the Last Supper, that they ought to do whatever that their Lord and Master had done.

This is a reminder that each one of us following in the footsteps and examples of the Apostles and the innumerable saints, holy men and women of God, we have to listen to the Lord, obey His will, His Law and commandments, and do what He has called us to do and make good use of the time and opportunities that He has presented to us. We are all given many different and unique talents, opportunities and other things that can allow us to do so many great wonders, and we should realise that each one of us have this part to play as God’s people, to be active and committed in giving ourselves and our lives for the cause of the Lord at all times. This is what we should do instead of being distracted by the many temptations all around us, the temptations of power, wealth, worldly glory and many others.

Let us all realise that all of us have been given this opportunity to serve the Lord and to do good things, and through all of that, we may be found worthy by the Lord in the end, when He comes to judge all of us. Let us appreciate the opportunities that we have been given, and do whatever we can to glorify the Lord by our lives, by our every words, actions and deeds, even in the smallest things we say and do. May the Lord continue to be with us, guiding and strengthening us in each and every possible opportunities. May God bless our every endeavours and efforts, now and always. Amen.

by

Saturday, 24 September 2022 : 25th Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

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

Luke 9 : 43b-45

At that time, while all were amazed at everything Jesus did, He said to His disciples, “Listen, and remember what I tell you now : The Son of Man will be betrayed into the hands of men.” But the disciples did not understand this saying; something prevented them from grasping what He meant, and they were afraid to ask Him about it.

by

Saturday, 24 September 2022 : 25th Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

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

Psalm 89 : 3-4, 5-6, 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.

You sow them in their time, a dawn they peep out. In the morning they blossom, but the flower fades and withers in the evening.

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.

by

Saturday, 24 September 2022 : 25th Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

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

Ecclesiastes (Qoheleth) 11 : 9 – Ecclesiastes (Qoheleth) 12 : 8

Rejoice, young man, in your youth and direct well your heart when you are young; follow your desires and achieve your ambitions but recall that God will take account of all you do.

Drive sorrow from your heart and pain from your flesh, for youth and dark hair will not last. Be mindful of your Creator when you are young, before the time of sorrow comes when you have to say, “This gives me no pleasure,” and before the sun, moon and stars withdraw their light, before the clouds gather again after the rain.

On the day when the guardians of the house tremble, when sturdy men are bowed and those at the mill stop working because they are too few, when it grows dim for those looking through the windows, and the doors are shut and the noise of the mill grows faint, the sparrow stops chirping and the bird-song is silenced, when one fears the slopes and to walk is frightening;

Yet the almond tree blossoms, the grasshopper is fat and the caperberry bears fruit that serves no purpose, because man goes forward to his eternal home and mourners gather in the street, even before the silver chain is snapped or the golden globe is shattered, before the pitcher is broken at the fountain or the wheel at the mill, before the dust returns to the earth from which it came and the spirit returns to God Who gave it.

Meaningless! Meaningless! The teacher says; all is meaningless!