28th Week of Ordinary Time

by

Saturday, 21 October 2023 : 28th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

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

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, as we listened to the words of the Scriptures today, and we reflect on their messages and meaning, importance and significance for us, we are all reminded that each and every one of us as Christians must always have faith and trust in the Lord, and we must dedicate ourselves and commit ourselves to His cause at all times. Unless we have true, genuine and living faith in the Lord, then we may not be able to follow Him wholeheartedly or commit ourselves thoroughly as we should have, in our way of life, in our every words, actions and deeds as we all should have done. We must always trust in the Lord and we must always believe that in Him alone there is hope and the path to eternal life, true joy and happiness for us.

In our first reading today, taken from the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Church and the faithful in the city of Rome, we heard of the words that the Apostle spoke to the faithful people of God there regarding the faith which Abraham had in the Lord, and this was directed both at the Jews and Gentiles alike among the people of God in Rome. For the Gentiles, he meant to show the example of what true and genuine faith is all about, and how one can be truly devoted and truly faithful to God in all things. And then for the Jews, the descendants of the Israelites and the descendants of Abraham, it was a reminder for all of them that whatever it is that the Lord has taught and revealed to them were compatible with the belief which Abraham himself once had in the Lord.

This must be understood by the context of that time, because back then many among the Jewish community subscribed to the ideology and the way of thinking of the Pharisees, who saw the Lord Jesus and His teachings as being not in tandem or not conforming to the Law of God as revealed through Moses. The Pharisees and the teachers of the Law in particular had a very strict interpretation of the Law of God and had a very rigid application of the Law of God, enforcing it upon all of the people, and persecuting all those who have not followed the Law of God in the same manner as they themselves had done. In the diaspora, such as the one in Rome, the community of the Jewish people were also equally divided, with some of them siding with the Pharisees on this regard.

Hence, St. Paul wanted to engage them and remind them that in the end, what matters for the Lord is not obedience to the Law, but rather, in the end, is for one to have faith and trust in God, to be genuine in their love and commitment to God as they all should have done. This is because it is perfectly possible for one to have no faith or trust in God and yet obey the tenets, precepts and details of the Law, in which case it would be tantamount to hypocrisy and blind obedience, as well as meaningless and superficial faith, as unfortunately shown by some of the Pharisees themselves. Those same Pharisees and teachers of the Law were criticised and rebuked by the Lord Himself for their lack of faith, their arrogance and ambitions, and their mistaken way of living and obeying the Law of God.

Then, in the Gospel passage today, we also heard of the Lord speaking to His disciples with regard to enduring persecutions, challenges and oppositions, and how they all should not lose their faith in God, but in fact they should continue to strive to be faithful to God. They must not lose faith just because of all those persecutions, but they should all hold fast and strong, resisting the temptations to give up their faith in God. Linking to what we have just discussed in our first reading earlier today, it is truly imperative for all of us to follow the Lord wholeheartedly and to hold on to this belief in the Lord, regardless of the opposition that we all may have to endure for the sake of the Lord, His teachings and truth, which is our Christian faith and way of life.

Earlier on the Lord also rebuked again all those who have slandered and opposed Him because of their stubbornness and lack of faith, and because of their pride, ego and greed, all of which led them to stubbornly resist the Lord and His love, kindness and grace. He was obviously referring to the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, about whom the Lord had warned the people against, to be careful not to make the same mistakes as those people had done, in disobeying the Law and commandments of God, by making show of their faith and by not having true and genuine commitment to God. Not only that, but as mentioned, they even slandered against the Lord and accused Him of blasphemy, collusions with the demons like Beelzebul among other things, which were truly sinful against God.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, therefore, as all of us have been reminded as such by the Lord, through what we have received in the Scriptures today, let us all hence do our very best so that we all may follow the Lord worthily and be full of faith and trust in Him. Let us all embark and continue on with the journey of our lives, with faith and devotion to God, and have all of our actions, words and deeds be filled with the sincerity to love and serve the Lord at all times. Each and every one of us have been entrusted by the Lord with various gifts, abilities, talents and opportunities, all of which should inspire and strengthen us in our resolve to follow and serve Him ever more courageously in each and every moments of our lives.

May the Lord be with us always, His beloved people, and may He empower and encourage all of us so that despite all the trials and challenges that we may face in this journey, we will always ever be faithful to Him in all things. May God bless us all and every one of our good efforts and endeavours, now and always, forevermore. Amen.

by

Saturday, 21 October 2023 : 28th Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

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

Luke 12 : 8-12

At that time, Jesus said to the people, “I tell you, whoever acknowledges Me before people, the Son of Man will also acknowledge before the Angels of God. But the one who denies Me before others will be denied before the Angels of God. There will be pardon for the one who criticises the Son of Man, but there will be no pardon for the one who slanders the Holy Spirit.”

“When you are brought before the synagogues, and before governors and rulers, do not worry about how you will defend yourself, or what to say; for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you have to say.”

by

Saturday, 21 October 2023 : 28th Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

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

Psalm 104 : 6-7, 8-9, 42-43

You descendants of His servant Abraham, you sons of Jacob, His chosen ones! He is YHVH our God; His judgments reach the whole world.

He remembers His Covenant forever, His promise to a thousand generations, the Covenant He made with Abraham, the promise He swore to Isaac.

For He remembered His promise to Abraham, His servant. So He led forth His people with joy, His chosen ones with singing.

by

Saturday, 21 October 2023 : 28th Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

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

Romans 4 : 13, 16-18

If God promised Abraham, or rather his descendants, that the world would belong to him, this was not because of his obeying the Law, but because he was just, and a friend of God, through faith.

For that reason, faith is the way, and all is given, by grace; and the promises of Abraham are fulfilled for all his descendants, not only for his children according to the Law, but, also, for all the others, who have believed. Abraham is the father of all of us, as it is written : I will make you the father of many nations. He is our father, in the eyes of Him, Who gives life to the dead, and calls into existence, what does not yet exist, for this is the God in Whom he believed.

Abraham believed, and hoped against all expectation, thus, becoming the father of many nations, as he had been told : See how many will be your descendants.

by

Friday, 20 October 2023 : 28th 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 called to remember that each and every one of us must always be proactive in living our lives faithfully and worthily as Christians, in obeying God’s will, in walking down His path, and doing His Law and commandments at every possible opportunities and instances. Each and every one of us must always be filled with the desire to carry out whatever it is that the Lord has commanded us to do, and to be exemplary in our everyday living and efforts so that we may always be truly active in

In our first reading today, taken from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Church and the faithful in Rome, we heard of the words of the Apostle St. Paul which reminded the people of God of how everyone who have been obedient to God and are righteous in their way of life and their deeds will be honoured by God and their deeds will be remembered, no matter how small or insignificant they might be. The mention of Abraham, the father of the Israelites and many other nations, as well as King David of Israel, considered by many to be among the greatest of the kings and rulers of Israel, were meant to show good examples of what St. Paul had mentioned.

Both Abraham and David had done many great things in their respective lives, and they had dedicated most of their lives, their actions and efforts to the glory of God. While they were not perfect and they were also sinners just like any one of us, but their dedication, hard work and commitment in glorifying God far surpassed the mistakes, faults and sins that they had done throughout their lives. Abraham followed the Lord all the way, in whatever path and wherever that God had led him into, despite the many trials and challenges that he had to encounter and endure through. It was through his obedience and faith that many among his descendants were justified and brought to God’s saving grace.

In the meantime, David, one of the greatest kings of Ancient Israel, had also obeyed the Lord well, and did what the Lord had asked him to do, in leading the people of God back on the way towards Himself, and in showing a great, committed and benevolent rule truly worthy of one whom the Lord had chosen to be the king and ruler over all of His people, the Israelites. David had led the people of Israel to greatness, as he defeated all the enemies of the people of God, and established firmly the kingdom of Israel, rebuilding many cities and prepared for the building of the great Temple and House of God in Jerusalem, that would be completed by his son, King Solomon.

All of those righteous and good deeds were truly worthy of God, and they showed us all the examples of Christian virtues and all that we should also do in our own lives, in how we act, work and interact with one another. Abraham and David centred their lives on God, and showed everyone how they could live their lives in accordance to the will of God, in obeying His Law and commandments. Abraham and David had always strived to do the will of God, and lived their lives with a firm focus in God, and while they did still sin and falter in some occasions, but they always picked themselves up and kept on following the Lord afterwards, faithful to the very end.

Then in our Gospel passage today, we heard of the words of the Lord Who continued to teach the people and spoke to them to be very careful regarding the ‘yeast of the Pharisees’. This is in reality a reference to the attitudes and the way of many among the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, who had not lived their lives and obeyed the Lord as they should have done, because they were very much preoccupied in maintaining their version and observances of the Law, the commandments and the many precepts and details of the Law of God, such that, in their overemphasis on such trivial details, led them to forget the true meaning and intention of the Law.

Not only that, but in their pride and arrogance, ambition and greed, they had filled themselves up with those wickedness, and persecuted, ostracised and treated others badly simply because they deemed themselves superior to others, and all those whom they disagreed with, they cursed and detested as sinners and unworthy, which no doubt was how they also viewed the Lord Himself and His disciples, because they did not conform to the way that those Pharisees and the teachers of the Law had believed in, in their obedience and way of living the Law of God, in their flawed understanding and implementation of those commandments.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, these readings from the Scriptures are important reminders for us that we must always be on guard and be vigilant lest our ambitions, greed, pride, ego and worldly attachments and all the temptations present all around us, we may not be easily swayed by evil intent and by the forces of those who sought to lead us astray down the wrong path, into our downfall and destruction. We are all reminded that we should always be focused on the Lord as our forefathers and good examples of faith had done in their lives. Each and every one of us should always put the Lord at the centre and as the focus of our everyday living.

May the Lord continue to guide and strengthen us, and may He empower each and every one of us so that we may always endeavour to do God’s will, to obey His Law and commandments in each and every moments of our lives. May He bless our every good efforts and works, so that in our struggles and striving to glorify the Lord by our virtuous examples and lives, we may inspire many more people to do the same, just as our forefathers have inspired us to do what is right and just as the Lord Himself had taught us. May all of us be truly fruitful in our Christian living and virtues. Amen.

by

Friday, 20 October 2023 : 28th Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Luke 12 : 1-7

At that time, such a numerous crowd had gathered that they crushed one another. Then Jesus spoke to His disciples in this way, “Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. Nothing is covered that will not be uncovered; or hidden, that will not be made known. Whatever you have said in darkness will be heard in daylight, and what you have whispered in hidden places, will be proclaimed from housetops.”

“I tell you, My friends, do not fear those who put to death the body and, after that, can do no more. But I will tell you Whom to fear : Fear the One Who, after killing you, is able to throw you into hell. This One you must fear. Do you not buy five sparrows for two pennies? Yet not one of them has been forgotten by God. Even the hairs of your head have been numbered. Do not be afraid! Are you less worthy in the eyes of God than many sparrows?”

by

Friday, 20 October 2023 : 28th Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 31 : 1-2, 5, 11

Blessed is the one whose sin is forgiven, whose iniquity is wiped away. Blessed are those in whom YHVH sees no guilt and in whose spirit is found no deceit.

Then I made known to You my sin and uncovered before You my fault, saying to myself, “To YHVH I will now confess my wrong.” And You, You forgave my sin; You removed my guilt.

Rejoice in YHVH, and be glad, You who are upright; sing and shout for joy, You who are clean of heart.

by

Friday, 20 October 2023 : 28th Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Romans 4 : 1-8

Let us consider Abraham, our father in the flesh. What has he found? If Abraham attained righteousness because of his deeds, he could be proud. But he cannot be this before God; because Scripture says : Abraham believed God, Who took it into account, and held him to be a just man.

Now, when someone does a work, salary is not given as a favour, but as a debt that is paid. Here, on the contrary, someone who has no deeds to show, but believes in Him, Who makes sinners righteous before Him : such faith is taken into account, and that person is held as righteous.

David congratulates, in this way, those who become righteous, by the favour of God, and not by their actions : Blessed are those whose sins are forgiven and whose offences are forgotten; blessed the one, whose sin God does not take into account!

by

Thursday, 19 October 2023 : 28th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. John Brebeuf and St. Isaac Jogues, Priests and Martyrs, and Companions, Martyrs, and St. Paul of the Cross, Priest (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs) or White (Priests)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, we are reminded of the need for all of us to embrace God’s ever generous love and mercy, His compassion and kindness to all of us, His beloved people. The Lord has always patiently reached out to us, with His ever patient and enduring love, that He has extended upon us ever since the very beginning, helping and leading us down the journey towards Him, calling upon each and every one of us to embrace His path and His love once again, even though we have often ignored, abandoned and rejected Him. God did not want us to be lost from Him, but unfortunately many of us tend to be filled with pride and ego, ambition, desires and attachments to worldly desires that we continue in our rebellion and disobedience against Him.

In our Gospel reading today, this is what the Lord had pointed out as He rebuked and criticised all those Pharisees and the teachers of the Law who had always hardened their hearts against Him and His truth, in rejecting all that He has revealed and delivered to them through Jesus Christ, the One Who had been sent into this world to save us all. Those Pharisees and teachers of the Law had acted like their predecessors and ancestors, who had proudly rebelled and disobeyed against God because they deemed that their ways and paths were better than what God had shown them all. Their ancestors, the Israelites persecuted the prophets and messengers sent to them to remind and help them in their way back towards the Lord. The Pharisees and the teachers of the Law themselves also persecuted the Lord and His disciples in the similar way.

Why was that so, brothers and sisters in Christ? That was because of the dangers of man’s pride, ego, ambition, jealousy, desire and many other things which can mislead us down the path of our downfall. Those people thought that they knew it better than everyone else, in how they ought to live their lives and in the path that they were walking. They hardened their hearts and minds with pride, and as a result, God’s truth, His words and reminders cannot enter into them, and they ended up doing things that led them into sin and evil, as they persecuted, murdered and opposed those faithful and holy servants that God has sent into their midst. Yet, the Lord has always been very patient with His people, and He continued to send unto His people, more and more reminders, help and assistance. He had always shown them His patience and love, and even sent His Beloved Son to save them all.

St. Paul in our first reading passage today in his Epistle to the Romans highlighted how God had saved us all through His love and ever present kindness, compassion and care towards us, His beloved ones. St. Paul made a comparison of how the Law of God as revealed through His Son, Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, has shown us the perfection of God’s grace and love, and how it has surpassed the other aspects of the Law, which was in fact a reference to the way the Law and the commandments were practiced and done by the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law during the time of the Lord and His Apostles. St. Paul wanted to remind each and every one of us that we must first and foremost be faithful to God, and to put our whole and complete trust in God, in all things, and at all opportunities. We should not allow our own prejudices, pride and ambition, our attachments to worldly matters to distract us from the true path of God’s righteousness, just as the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law had done. Instead, as Christians, we must always put the Lord at the centre and as the very focus of our lives and existence.

Today, the Church celebrates the feast of several great and holy people, whose faith, commitment and devotion to God can serve as inspiration and as great role models for us all to follow so that we may also know how we should live out our lives in commitment to God. St. Isaac Jogues and St. John Brebeuf were French Jesuit missionaries who ministered and worked in the region of what is today part of the province of Quebec in Canada, as they went to the indigenous peoples living in those regions, bringing unto them the Good News of God, the salvation of God to them. Together with several other missionaries, they laboured hard tor the sake of the Gospel. Then, we also honour St. Paul of the Cross, a priest and mystic who was also the founder of the Passionists.

First of all, St. John Brebeuf, St. Isaac Jogues and their fellow missionaries were all very hardworking and committed in their missions to spread the Good News of God in the very harsh conditions of the subarctic parts of North America, in what is now known as Quebec, that was then known as New France. The missionaries had to persevere through a lot of hardships and difficult environmental conditions, in often subzero conditions and afflicted by diseases, while being in the wilderness and facing opposition and resistance from some among the indigenous natives that viewed the missionaries with suspicion or even outright hostility and rejection, and this was what eventually led to their martyrdom in the end, when they were attacked and massacred by those who refused to believe.

Nevertheless, the inspirational examples and faith of the missionaries made quite a number of converts among the natives, some of whom were also martyred together with them. In particular, for the example of St. Isaac Jogues himself, martyred during one of his missions among the Iroquois natives, his faith and determination inspired his own killer such that when this killer was arrested and awaiting his execution, he chose to be baptised as a Christian, and took upon St. Isaac Jogues’ name as his own baptismal name, and thus, the curious case of St. Isaac Jogues’ ‘double martyrdom’ happened. As we can see, the examples and efforts of the missionaries like St. Isaac Jogues, St. John Brebeuf and their fellow missionaries and martyrs touched the lives and the hearts of so many, who were called to follow Christ henceforth.

Meanwhile, St. Paul of the Cross was the founder of the Passionists as mentioned. He was a young man that felt the stirrings of God’s call early on, and which continued to vex him throughout his growing years, as he encountered various people and experiences that directed him towards the path of God. Eventually, this inspired him to establish a community of like-minded men who were willing to follow the Lord and to live their lives in commitment to God, in promoting the love of God for each and every one of us, particularly through His Passion, that is His suffering, His endurance of a most humiliating and painful death on the Cross, and His perfect love manifested to all of us through those actions. This was how the congregation that St. Paul of the Cross established came to be known as the Passionists, as they fervently championed the propagation of God’s love and the revelation of that love by calling on all the people of God to remember His Passion and suffering for our sake.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, the examples of those holy men and holy servants of God should inspire each and every one of us in how we ourselves should be living our own lives so that in whatever it is that we are doing in life, in our work, in our various efforts and commitments, so that we may truly inspire everyone around us and all those whom we encounter in our daily lives, interacting and working with us. Let us all strive to be always truly faithful and committed to God. Let us all get rid from ourselves, our hearts and minds, the corruption of pride, ego, greed, desire, and all the attachments to the worldly things all around us which can distract and mislead us down the path of disobedience and sin. Instead, let us remind ourselves always of the Lord’s great love and the Holy Passion that He has endured and suffered for our sake, and thus, commit ourselves thoroughly to His cause from now on. May God bless us all in our every efforts and endeavours, in all the things we say and do, so that we may draw ever closer to Him and His love, His grace and kindness. Amen.

by

Thursday, 19 October 2023 : 28th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. John Brebeuf and St. Isaac Jogues, Priests and Martyrs, and Companions, Martyrs, and St. Paul of the Cross, Priest (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs) or White (Priests)

Luke 11 : 47-54

At that time, Jesus said to the teachers of the Law, “A curse is on you, for you build monuments to the prophets your ancestors killed. So you approve and agree with what your ancestors did. Is it not so? They got rid of the prophets, and you build monuments to them!”

“For that reason the wisdom of God also said : I will send prophets and Apostles and these people will kill and persecute some of them. But the present generation will have to answer for the blood of all the prophets that has been shed since the foundation of the world, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was murdered between the altar and the Sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, the people of this time will have to answer for them all.”

“A curse is on you, teachers of the Law, for you have taken the key of knowledge. You yourselves have not entered, and you prevented others from entering.”

As Jesus left that place, the teachers of the Law and the Pharisees began to harass Him, asking Him endless questions, setting traps to catch Him in something He might say.