29th Week of Ordinary Time

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Saturday, 22 October 2022 : 29th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Pope St. John Paul II, Pope (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Popes)

Ephesians 4 : 7-16

But to each of us, divine grace is given, according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore, it is said : When He ascended to the heights, He brought captives and gave His gifts to people. He ascended, what does it mean, but, that He had also descended to the lower parts of the world? He, Himself, Who went down, then ascended far above all the heavens, to fill all things.

As for His gifts, to some, He gave to be Apostles; to others, prophets, or even evangelists; or pastors and teachers. So, He prepared those who belong to Him, for the ministry, in order to build up the Body of Christ, until we are all united, in the same faith and knowledge of the Son of God. Thus, we shall become the perfect Man, upon reaching maturity, and sharing the fullness of Christ.

Then, no longer shall we be like children, tossed about by any wave, or wind or doctrine; and deceived by the cunning of people, who drag them along into error. Rather, speaking the truth, in love, we shall grow in every way, toward Him, Who is the Head, Christ. From Him, comes the growth of the whole body, to which a network of joints give order and cohesion, taking into account, and making use of, the function of each one. So, the body builds itself, in love.

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Friday, 21 October 2022 : 29th 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 reminded of the need for all of us as Christians to live our lives faithfully at all times, in the path that the Lord has set before us, and in doing what He has commanded all of us to do. The Lord has called on us to do His will, to proclaim His Good News among the people of all the nations, and He has taught us what we should do as His disciples. Each one of us are now therefore called and expected to be dedicated as children of God, in living our lives most worthily as those who have been made God’s own people.

In our first reading today, taken from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Church and the faithful in Ephesus, the Apostle reminded all the faithful there of the calling for all of them to live their lives worthily of God, to be committed and true to their faith, to do the will of God as they have been expected to, and to proclaim His Good News by their lives and actions. All the Christians have been given the vocations as God’s own beloved disciples and people, to walk in the path He has shown them, in loving Him with all of their hearts and might, and in showing that same love to their fellow brothers and sisters, unconditionally just as He has loved them all unconditionally as well.

As I have mentioned in my earlier discourses this past week, the Church community in Ephesus and in many other early Christian communities back then were often divided between the Jewish converts and the converts among the Gentiles or the non-Jewish people made up of various peoples like Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, Syrians, Anatolians and many other people, all of whom had welcomed the Lord and accepted Him as their Lord and Master. But some of those from the Jewish community kept their past prejudices against those who belonged to the non-Jewish community. This is because they considered themselves being superior as they were directly descended from the Israelites of the past, and upheld the strict practices and customs of the Jewish people.

Some of those same Jewish converts, many of whom were likely members of the Pharisees and the scribes, even attempted to impose their excessive version of the Jewish Law and customs on all the faithful, including that of the Gentiles. As such, this would have made it very difficult for the converts from among the Gentiles to follow the Christian faith as contextually we must understand that some of the practices and customs of the Jewish people were seen by many of the Gentiles and pagans of the time as being aberration and strange, or even downright repulsive and undesirable.

Hence, St. Paul wanted the whole Church and all the faithful to realise that they should not be divided one against another by those bias and prejudices, or by any other differences that they might have between them. All of them are reminded to remain united as a whole united Body of Christ, the Church of God, with every members showing love and care for each other. There should be no more division or prejudices among them, whether they saw themselves as Jew or Greek, or any other Gentiles, or whether they were free people or slaves, or whether they were rich or poor, or whether they were males or females. All are equal before the same Lord Who loves us all.

In our Gospel passage today, the Lord told all of His people and disciples that there were signs that they had seen, and they should henceforth act upon what they had seen. He was in fact referring to the signs and wonders which He Himself had done before all of the people, and yet many of them still doubted Him and refused to believe in Him. They would rather remain in their disbelief and in believing their own ways rather than to trust in the Lord, or to open their hearts and minds. They had all seen and heard whatever that the Lord had done, in all of His teachings and miracles, and yet they had failed to believe, and some even opposed the Lord and His disciples openly.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, just as what the Apostle St. Paul spoke to the faithful in Ephesus of, what we heard today in the Gospel passage reminds us all of just how we mankind have often allowed our own selfish nature and pride to undermine us in our path and progress towards God and His salvation. And all of that had prevented us from finding the Lord, keeping us trapped within our own prideful ways and habits. As long as we continue to resist the Lord, and not following Him in the way that we should have done, then we are not truly devout and committed Christians, no matter how much we try to convince ourselves and others otherwise.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as Christians, let us all realise that each and every one of us are expected and have been called to love God and also our fellow brothers and sisters with all of our strength and ability, and not only that, but we are also expected to love others without being biased or prejudiced against anyone. All of us should love one another equally regardless of our background, origin, racial status, wealth, possessions, societal status, gender or whatever other worldly divisions and prejudices we often placed ourselves in. We have to rid ourselves of these, and endeavour to keep the Church and all the faithful united together.

May the Lord continue to be with us and guide us, and may He empower each and every one of us so that we may truly be good examples of our Christian faith to all the people, so that we may always proclaim the Lord, His truth and love by our every actions, words and deeds. May God be with us always and may He bless us in our every good efforts and endeavours, now and forevermore. Amen.

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Friday, 21 October 2022 : 29th Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Luke 12 : 54-59

At that time, Jesus said to the crowds, “When you see a cloud rising in the west, you say at once, ‘A shower is coming’; and so it happens. And when the wind blows from the south, you say, ‘It will be hot’; and so it is. You superficial people! You understand the signs of the earth and the sky, but you do not understand the present times.”

“And why do you not judge for yourselves what is fit? When you go with your accuser before the court, try to settle the case on the way, lest he drag you before the judge, and the judge deliver you to the jailer, and the jail throw you into prison. I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the very last penny.”

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Friday, 21 October 2022 : 29th Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 23 : 1-2, 3-4ab, 5-6

The earth and its fullness belong to YHVH, the world and all that dwell in it. He has founded it upon the ocean and set it firmly upon the waters.

Who will ascend the mountain of YHVH? Who will stand in His holy place? Those with clean hands and pure heart, who desire not what is vain.

They will receive blessings from YHVH, a reward from God, their Saviour. Such are the people who seek Him, who seek the face of Jacob’s God.

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Friday, 21 October 2022 : 29th Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Ephesians 4 : 1-6

Therefore, I, the prisoner of Christ, invite you, to live the vocation you have received. Be humble, kind, patient and bear with one another in love. Make every effort to keep among you, the unity of spirit, through bonds of peace. Let there be one body, and one Spirit, just as one hope is the goal of your calling by God. One Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God, the Father of all, Who is above all, and works through all, and is in all.

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Thursday, 20 October 2022 : 29th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we heard from the Scriptures, a reminder that following Christ, His truth and salvation is not as easy as it may seem to be. There will likely be challenges and trials, and often we may have to endure opposition and difficulties along the way. But we must not lose faith or hope because as long as we remain firm in our faith and trust in the Lord, then we will always be taken care of and provided for by the Lord. There will be hardships and as history has shown us, some if not many of us even may have to endure persecutions and martyrdom for our faith, but in the end, we all will be triumphant together with God.

In our first reading today, taken from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Church and the faithful people of God in Ephesus, we heard the Apostle telling the people there about what he desired of them to do, and as he prayed for their sake to the Lord, asking on God to bless them and to provide for them, with strength and wisdom, with guidance and encouragement, St. Paul also reminded all the faithful to believe wholeheartedly in the Lord, to trust in the truth and faith which they had received from the Lord and His Apostles and missionaries, and he also prayed for them that they all would be blessed in all things, and that God would be glorified through their words, actions and deeds.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard through the Lord Jesus Himself, Who came to tell all of His followers that His coming did not mean that those who follow Him and believe in Him will immediately be free and spared from all hardships, trials and challenges. We must understand the context that back then, many of the people kind of expected that the Messiah or the Saviour to come to them and deliver them immediately out of their troubles, freeing them from their enemies and from the dominion of foreign rulers, and reestablish the kingdom of Israel. Hence, many of them had hoped that by following Christ, they would be free from hardships and troubles.

On the contrary, as the Lord Himself presented it to them, His coming and His truth would cause divisions even among the believers and between the believers and those who were close to them. There would be challenges and hardships that they would have to encounter, as there would definitely be those who refused to listen to the truth of God and preferred to follow their own paths, and throughout the history of the Church this had happened again and again, as the faithful especially in the early days of the Church had to contend with opposition from their own family members, relatives and friends, and many were oppressed and martyred because of that.

That is why the prayers of St. Paul for the Church and the faithful in Ephesus became even more significant as it reminds us all of those challenges and trials that we as Christians may and will have to face in our journey of faith, as we embark on this mission in life to proclaim the truth of God through our lives and works. St. Paul prayed that God would strengthen and encourage the faithful so that they all will be filled with grace and perseverance, with the wisdom and the ability to comprehend the truth of God. He prayed over them that they would not easily fall prey to temptations to bring them apart from the Lord and His Church.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, what is the significance of what we have heard in our Scripture readings today? It reminds us all that we have to continue to be faithful to God despite the obstacles, trials and challenges that we may face as Christians in our journey of faith, and we also need the guidance, strength, wisdom and providence from God to help us in this struggle and journey. We cannot do this alone, or else we will very soon realise that the challenges facing us are greater than what we can solve and handle on our own. God and His Church are with us in this, and we have to always remember this fact, and not give up the faith, as our predecessors had done.

This also means that all of us are reminded to give our best to serve the Lord by living our lives to the fullest as devout Christians, in loving God and in living our lives according to His Law and precepts, and also by helping and inspiring one another to remain faithful to the Lord in all things. We must remain strong in the Lord, in our conviction and desire to serve Him and to love Him, and dedicate our time and effort to remain true to our faith so that whatever happen, we may encourage each other to stay in our path of faith towards God and His salvation, and not be tempted to abandon the Lord for the other paths towards our downfall.

Let us all strive to be good and faithful, worthy and committed disciples of the Lord and be good examples and inspirations for one another. May the Lord continue to bless us all in all things and help us in our journey of faith through life. May God strengthen us and empower us to remain resilient despite the challenges, trials and struggles we may have to face in our Christian journey through life. Amen.

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Thursday, 20 October 2022 : 29th Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Luke 12 : 49-53

At that time, Jesus said to the people, “I have come to bring fire upon the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! But I have a baptism to undergo, and what anguish I feel until it is finished! Do you think that I have come to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. From now on, in one house five will be divided : three against two, and two against three.”

“They will be divided, father against son and son against father; mother against daughter and daughter against mother; mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law, and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.”

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Thursday, 20 October 2022 : 29th Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 32 : 1-2, 4-5, 11-12, 18-19

Rejoice in the Lord, you who are just, praise is fitting for the upright. Give thanks to Him on the harp and lyre, making melody and chanting praises.

For upright is the Lord’s word and worthy of trust is His work. The Lord loves justice and righteousness; the earth is full of His kindness.

But His plan stands forever, and His heart’s design, through all generations. Blessed is the nation whose God is YHVH – the people He has chosen for His inheritance.

But the Lord’s eyes are upon those who fear Him, upon those who trust in His loving-kindness to deliver them from death and preserve them from famine.

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Thursday, 20 October 2022 : 29th Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Ephesians 3 : 14-21

And, now, I kneel in the presence of the Father, from Whom, every family in heaven and on earth has received its name. May He strengthen in you, the inner self, through His Spirit, according to the riches of His glory; may Christ dwell in your hearts, through faith; may you be rooted and founded in love.

All of this, so that you may understand, with all the holy ones, the width, the length, the height and the depth – in a word, that you may know the love of Christ, that surpasses all knowledge, that you may be filled, and reach the fullness of God.

Glory to God, Who shows His power in us, and can do much more than we could ask or imagine; glory to Him, in the Church, and in Christ Jesus, through all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

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Wednesday, 19 October 2022 : 29th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. John de 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 responsibilities and the missions which God has entrusted to us as we have been called to be His disciples and followers, and as His beloved ones, His own children and people, all of us are expected to be like our Father and Lord in all things, and each one of us share the same responsibilities as members and parts of the same Church of God. And what is this mission, brothers and sisters in Christ? It is to proclaim the word of God and His truth to all the people of all the nations, all those whom we encounter in our lives each day and at every moments.

In our first reading today, taken from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Church and the faithful people of God in Ephesus, the Apostle spoke of the revelation of truth which had come to them all through the Apostles and the many other disciples, followers and missionaries of the Lord. And this revelation is such that God has called on all of the people, all the children of mankind to follow Him, both from among the Jewish people and origin, and those from the non-Jewish or Gentile origin alike, and whether they had already been faithful to God, or whether they were once pagans and unbelievers.

Back then, as it was common throughout the Jewish diaspora and communities, there were often frictions and disagreements between the Jews and the Gentiles as the former saw themselves as the chosen people of God, as the descendants of the Israelites, the inheritors of the kingdoms of King David and King Solomon. To those people, especially the ones who were belonging to the group of the Pharisees and teachers of the Law, they took great pride in such a status, and considered the Gentiles to be unworthy and even unclean, as back then, even going to visit and enter the house of a Gentile or a pagan could make one unclean according to the customs of the Jewish laws.

St. Paul was therefore reminding the people of the real truth which the Lord Jesus Himself had revealed to everyone, that God’s salvation is meant to all the people, regardless of their background or origin, regardless of their races or past status and beliefs. There is no discrimination by God and hence, the Church and the community of the faithful should not be biased or discriminate against anyone at all either. The Jewish converts to the Christian faith was reminded to be welcoming and to drop their condescending attitude on the Gentiles, both those who have embraced God and those who have not yet believed in God.

It is this self-righteous attitude which often led to the downfall of many among the righteous, not only that they caused them to commit wicked and unworthy acts against their own fellow brothers and sisters, who are all beloved equally by God, but also because such attitude would eventually lead to the faithful becoming slack and complacent in their way of living their lives. Why is that so? That is because then those who saw and thought themselves as being worthy and righteous like many among the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law would spend their time and effort on self-aggrandisement and praise, inflated by their ego and pride, and ending up falling into sin and temptations to sin instead.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, that is why in our Gospel passage today we are reminded through the parable which our Lord has told His disciples, telling them all the story of the diligent steward and the lazy, irresponsible steward. In that parable, the stewards are representative of each and every one of us, God’s disciples and followers. The diligent and committed steward represents those who listened to the word of God, embraced His calling and dutifully carried out the mission that they had been entrusted with. Meanwhile, the lazy and irresponsible steward represents those who have not listened to the Lord and refused to act on the mission which had been entrusted to them.

As Christians, all of us are expected and called to be active in our faith, so that we will not end up being like the lazy and irresponsible steward. The Lord had made clear the consequences of such inaction and lack of responsibility, and clearly all of us should heed and take note what we need to do in obeying God’s call and how to be active in living our lives with genuine faith. All of us have been called to devote our time, effort and attention to do the will of God, and we should not delay or drag our feet any longer. Instead, we should be inspired by the examples of the saints and martyrs, particularly of those whose feasts we are celebrating today, namely the Martyr Saints of Canada, as well as St. Paul of the Cross.

The Holy Martyrs of Canada, also known as the North American Martyrs were the Jesuit priests and missionaries who had embarked on very difficult and challenging mission in what is today parts of Canada and the northern segments of the United States of America. Some of them like St. Isaac Jogues and St. John de Brebeuf, among others braved through the very harsh conditions of that region, particularly the severe Canadian winter, in order to preach the Good News and the salvation in Jesus Christ to the indigenous peoples of the Americas. They had great successes and were welcomed by some of the natives, but also faced bitter and harsh challenges from other natives who opposed them and refused to listen to them. They never gave up their struggle, even unto their martyrdom at the hands of their persecutors.

Meanwhile St. Paul of the Cross was a great priest and founder of the Passionists, a religious order dedicated particularly to the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and which members spent a lot of effort in reaching out to the faithful and ministering to their spiritual needs. St. Paul of the Cross himself answered God’s call to follow Him and to be a priest, dedicating his time and effort henceforth to serve the people of God, encouraging faithful practices such as praying the Divine Office and other devotions meant to help the faithful to focus their attention towards God, and to bring them ever closer to Him. St. Paul of the Cross tirelessly worked throughout his life and ministry to reach out to more of the people of God, and also wrote extensively on many matters of the faith.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us therefore emulate the good examples and faith which our holy predecessors had done before us, that of the Holy Canadian Martyrs, St. Paul of the Cross and the many innumerable other holy men and women of God. May the Lord our God continue to help and guide us in our journey of faith through life, and may He ever always strengthen us and empower us all to live in the manner that God has called us to do. May all of us be good examples and inspirations for one another, now and always, evermore. Amen.