29th Week of Ordinary Time

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Thursday, 24 October 2024 : 29th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Anthony Mary Claret, Bishop (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Bishops)

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, 23 October 2024 : 29th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. John of Capestrano, Priest (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Priests)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are all reminded again just as we had been yesterday, to be ever more vigilant in each and every moments of our lives so that we may truly follow His path and embrace all the love which He has shown us. God’s great and ever patient and generous love has always been shown to all of us, His beloved children, regardless of our background, identity and groups, and we must realise that all of us are equally beloved by God and dear to Him. He has provided us the various means to lead us all back to Him, and opened the path for us to return to the life everlasting and true happiness that He has intended for us all to enjoy, to get away from the darkness and sin which had separated us all from Him.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Church and the faithful people of God in Ephesus in which the Apostle reiterated the universal nature of God’s ever generous and bountiful love, which He has always shown to us all, to every one of His beloved children, regardless of whether they were Jews or not. At that time, we must understand the context of the situation in the early Church, as significant parts of the early Christian converts were from the Jewish people, including even some of the Pharisees that had many of its members often criticising and opposing the Lord, and who also held a rather exclusivist and supremacist view on who deserved God’s salvation and grace. There were at the same time many converts and believers from among the non-Jewish people, the Gentiles, namely the Greeks, Romans and the many local people in Ephesus and elsewhere.

St. Paul the Apostle spent a lot of time and effort to evangelise and reach out to the non-Jewish people, to dialogue with them and to introduce Christ and His teachings and truth, His Good News and love for everyone. He was also always supportive of the cause of the Gentiles against the excesses of those converts from the more conservative and hardline Pharisees, who had also made attempts to impose strict Jewish customs, rules and requirements on all the faithful, which was completely unnecessary, and the Apostle was especially critical of those who claimed that obedience and observance of those customs, rites and practices were essential and prerequisite for salvation. Instead, St. Paul kept on reiterating the true teachings and Good News of Christ against all those falsehoods, reaching out to many more people to proclaim God’s salvation.

Then, in our Gospel passage today from the Gospel according to St. Luke, we heard of the words of the Lord speaking to His disciples using a parable of the lazy and diligent servant and their master, in order to highlight the importance of being truly faithful and active in living our lives with true Christian charity and dedication, commitment and effort. In that parable the Lord highlighted the story of a master of a household who went away for a business or errand, and his servants who were entrusted with the care of the master’s estate and property. And He also highlighted how the master could return at any time unannounced and suddenly, and all those servants who were lazy and caught not doing what they had been expected and entrusted to do would be punished, while those who obeyed the master and did as expected would be rewarded and honoured.

This is a clear comparison to how the Lord is our Master and we are all His servants, the stewards who have been entrusted with the care of His creation, that is this world, as well as our brothers and sisters around us, in the various unique capacities and opportunities that He had provided to us. If we do not make good use of those opportunities that we have been provided, neglecting our responsibilities and calling, in whatever area that we have been called to proclaim God and His truth, then in the end, we will have to account for our failure to act and obey the Lord’s will, and to do what He has commanded us to do. As Christians, it is imperative that we always use the opportunities, gifts and talents, all the provisions that God has given us so that we may truly fulfil whatever it is that He has entrusted us to do in our lives, to be truly worthy of Him, our Lord and Master.

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of St. John of Capestrano, a renowned Franciscan friar and priest who was courageous in his life and dedication to God, in all the actions he took in ministering to the people of God and in defending the faith against those who seek to harm the faithful. He was once a soldier and then a civil administrator and governor of the region of Perugia in Italy, who was also a lawyer and then theologian. During years of conflict and difficulties, he had a change of heart and calling, embracing a renewed commitment to God and deciding to follow the Lord as a Franciscan friar and priest. He would go on many missionary trips and works, spending a lot of time in various places and cities, proclaiming the Lord and working with the less privileged and fortunate, living truly holy and pious life, which soon made him very popular, drawing huge crowds to his preachings and works.

At the same time, he was also working tirelessly against heresies and all sorts of falsehoods that had threatened many Christians of his time. He wrote many treatises and works countering all the falsehoods of the heresies and the false teachings that were quite rampant at the time. He was also active in helping to reform the Church and many religious orders and congregations of his time, rooting out wickedness and corrupt worldly practices and influences from the Church and from among the faithful. This included the reform of his own Franciscan order that he belonged to, and he was also involved even in the Crusade against the forces of unbelievers, the mighty Ottomans that were then threatening the security and safety of Christendom and many Christians, persecuted by those who sought to turn them away from the Lord’s truth. In his many works and efforts, St. John of Capestrano always did his best to reach out to more and more people, teaching them about the truth of Christ, directing them away from heresies, while leading them ever closer towards God.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all discerned from the words of the Scriptures and from the life and examples of St. John of Capestrano, we are all reminded to do our best at all times, to be ever faithful and committed to Him, exemplary and inspirational to one another in our own words, actions and deeds, in each and every things that we do in life, we will always be the beacons of God’s light, His Good News, His love and truth, and all the things which He has shown us. We should never think that our actions and words, our deeds and interactions, no matter how small, may have no effect or impact on others around us. They can be either good and worthy of God, or wicked and unworthy, and it is up to us to decide how we are to live our lives, and how we are to act and to do things even in the smallest things that we do.

May the Lord, our ever loving and compassionate God and Father, our Lord and Master, continue to love us all most generously and help us all to come towards Him with great faith and dedication, now and always. May He continue to strengthen us with the resolve to do His will, to do what is right, just and worthy according to His will, that we may help one another to come and reach the Lord, through each and every things we do in life, to help more and more people to come towards the Holy Presence of God, to be forgiven and reconciled with Him together with us. Amen.

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Wednesday, 23 October 2024 : 29th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. John of Capestrano, Priest (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Priests)

Luke 12 : 39-48

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “Pay attention to this : If the master of the house had known at what time the thief would come, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be ready, for the Son of Man will come at an hour you do not expect.”

Peter said, “Lord, did You tell this parable only for us, or for everyone?” And the Lord replied, “Imagine, then, the wise and faithful steward, whom the master sets over his other servants, to give them wheat at the proper time. Fortunate is this servant if his master, on coming home, finds him doing his work. Truly, I say to you, the master will put him in charge of all his property.”

“But it may be that the steward thinks, ‘My lord delays in coming,’ and he begins to abuse the male servants and the servant girls, eating and drinking and getting drunk. Then the master will come on a day he does not expect, and at an hour he does not know. He will cut him off, and send him to the same fate as the unfaithful.”

“The servant who knew his master’s will, but did not prepare and do what his master wanted, will be soundly beaten; but the one who does unconsciously what deserves punishment, shall receive fewer blows. Much will be required of the one who has been given much, and more will be asked of the one who has been entrusted with more.”

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Wednesday, 23 October 2024 : 29th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. John of Capestrano, Priest (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Priests)

Isaiah 12 : 2-3, 4bcd, 5-6

He is the God of my salvation; in Him I trust and am not afraid, YHVH is my strength : Him I will praise, the One Who saved me.

You will draw water with joy from the very fountain of salvation. Then you will say : “Praise to the Lord, break into songs of joy for Him, proclaim His marvellous deeds among the nations and exalt His Name.”

“Sing to the Lord : wonders He has done, let these be known all over the earth. Sing for joy, o people of Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.”

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Wednesday, 23 October 2024 : 29th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. John of Capestrano, Priest (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Priests)

Ephesians 3 : 2-12

You may have heard of the graces God bestowed on me for your sake. By a revelation He gave me the knowledge of His mysterious design, as I have explained in a few words. On reading them, you will have some idea of how I understand the mystery of Christ. This mystery was not made known to past generations but only now, through revelations given to holy Apostles and prophets.

Now the non-Jewish people share the Inheritance; in Christ Jesus the non-Jews are incorporated and are to enjoy the Promise. This is the Good News, of which I have become a minister, by a gift of God; a grace He gave me, when His power worked in me.

This grace, was given to me, the least, among all the holy ones : to announce to the pagan nations, the immeasurable riches of Christ, and to make clear to all, how the mystery, hidden from the beginning, in God, the Creator of all things, is to be fulfilled.

Even the heavenly forces and powers will now discover, through the Church, the wisdom of God in its manifold expression, as the plan is being fulfilled, which God designed from the beginning, in Christ Jesus, Our Lord. In Him, we receive boldness and confidence to approach God.

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Tuesday, 22 October 2024 : 29th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Pope St. John Paul II, Pope (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Popes)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are all reminded of the need for all of us to seek the Lord, His love and compassionate mercy, at all times, and for us all not to be afraid to come towards Him, as God is and has always been full of mercy and compassion, wanting each and every one of us to be reconciled and reunited with Him. We must never be afraid because through His Son, Our Lord has opened for us the path to eternal life and true happiness with Him, and what we all now need is for us to embrace this love and mercy, and we have to answer Him calling each and every one of us in the depths of our hearts. We must always be prepared for the Lord Who can come at any time on us, and we may have to reckon our lives and actions, and account for everything that we have done and whatever it is that we have failed to do.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Ephesians in which the Apostle spoke of how God has reconciled us all to Himself, through the actions of His Son, Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, through Whom God had embraced our human nature and existence, entering into our world to reach out to us and to show His love for us, which He has always generously provided for us, and which He has endeavoured to make tangible and approachable to us through His Son. God has always loved us, His beloved children, which He has kept on doing all throughout time despite our frequent and constant disobedience against Him. He has always kept on His promises and love, giving us assurances, one after another through His many prophets and messengers, and eventually, by the sending of His Son.

Through all that Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, had done, we have been called to reconciliation and reunion with our loving God and Father, as His most loving and selfless sacrifice, offering and gift for us from the Cross, at the moment of His Passion and death, has become for us the source of Hope and Joy, the assurance and promise of everlasting life and total liberation from the dominion and power of darkness, sin and all the evils which had ruled over us and dominated us all these while. As the Lord Himself has shown us His love so generously and so wonderfully through Christ, His Son, let us all therefore have truly firm faith and conviction to follow Him wholeheartedly and devoutly, not allowing ourselves to be swayed by temptations or fears in our path in life, in journeying towards Him and following Him.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, we heard from the Gospel according to St. Luke in which the Lord told His disciples and all the people to be always prepared and ever ready at all times, using the comparison to the return of a master to his household, property and servants right after a wedding or function that he was attending, which could not be predicted and anticipated precisely. The Lord used that example to compare to our own situation, representing the Lord our God as the Master, while all of us are the servants in this world, and as the Lord Himself has promised and assured us all, He will return once again in glory, as we all believe, to judge all the living and the dead, and to usher in the eternal kingdom of glory and happiness that He has brought into our midst. No one knows exactly when this will happen, other than the fact that it will certainly happen.

Therefore, it is a very important reminder for us all to live our lives with genuine faith in God and to continue to do our best to practice love in each and every actions of our daily living moments. We should always do our best to proclaim the Lord through our every actions, deeds and interactions in life, in our every words and dealings with those who are around us, and in how we live our lives embodying the faith we have in Christ. Each and every one of us should continue to walk in the path of God’s grace, and also follow the great examples set by our holy predecessors, all of whom have spent many times and moments in difficulties and tribulations, enduring various challenges for the Lord, but they remained truly faithful and committed to Him because they remember the great love and examples which He Himself has shown us through His Son.

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of one of the great and holy pastors of the Church, the recent Pope, Pope St. John Paul II, the first Polish Pope and the first one who was not an Italian in over four hundred and fifty years. Pope St. John Paul II was born as Karol Jozef Wojytla in Wadowice in Poland during the time right after the First World War, also known as the Great War at that time. He was born in a devout family, but was faced with a lot of difficulties from early on in his life. He encountered many personal tragedies when he was young, as his mother passed away early, and so was his elder brother due to sickness. His father cared for him well, and the young Karol grew up into a fine young man. However, circumstances would again cause him great tribulations and sufferings, as merely twenty years after the First World War, the Second World War erupted in Europe with the invasion of Poland by the NAZI German state.

This would begin the many years and decades of sufferings and persecutions for the Polish people, first of all by the NAZI Germans who invaded Poland and persecuted not just the Jewish people they then targetted, but many of the non-Jewish Poles as well. The years of war were difficult, and the young Karol also had to contend with losing his beloved father during those years, and it was at that time, that he joined the seminary, preparing for his priestly formation clandestinely and quietly amidst all the conflicts and destruction happening all around due to the NAZI atrocities and the war. Even the young Karol almost lost his life in one occasion, but God’s grace was with him, and he survived through all the challenges, and was eventually ordained as a priest of the Lord after the war. But that was not the end of his challenges and difficulties.

For then the Soviets and the Communists took over control over the country and subjugated many Polish Catholics and its leadership to a lot of challenges and persecutions, both officially and unofficially. Father Karol Wojtyla remained rather unassuming and quiet in his ministry among the faithful people of God, and he was particularly popular among the youths and students, a ministry which he continue to carry out faithfully until he was appointed as the Auxiliary Bishop of Krakow by the Pope, and then eventually succeeding as the Metropolitan Archbishop of Krakow. For many years after, the then Archbishop and afterwards Cardinal Wojtyla gradually became the centre of the faithful resistance against the atheist Communist government of Poland, such as a well-known moment when he stood up courageously against the efforts of the Communists to establish a new city, Nowa Huta, without a church, unlike others in Poland. Then Cardinal Wojtyla spent efforts to establish a church there, with the foundation stone blessed by the Pope himself, then Pope St. Paul VI.

Cardinal Wojtyla would then unexpectedly be elected as Pope, succeeding his predecessor, Blessed Pope John Paul I who had just reigned for thirty-three days. His Pontificate was one of the longest in the recent centuries, spanning over twenty-seven years, and during those periods, he continue to dedicate himself faithfully in the Lord, becoming an instrumental figure in the downfall of Communism in many parts of Central and Eastern Europe and also elsewhere around the world, becoming a great world figure and peacemaker in many occasions. In his numerous trips all around the world, visiting many countries and places where no Pope has ever set foot before, even in those places where there were only few Catholics, Pope St. John Paul II showed the great love of God manifested through Christ and His Church to countless people around the world.

Pope St. John Paul II also faced an assassination attempt early in his Pontificate, but he survived, and was well-known for his visit to his would-be assassin, and how he forgave his assailant, praying for him and his conversion. Pope St. John Paul II continued to do many other great things for the good of the Church and the faithful all throughout the world, and even in his final years, when he was faced with a lot of personal sufferings and hardships from his Parkinson’s disease and other complications, he continued to serve the Lord faithfully, becoming the face of God’s love and persistent compassion and mercy to many who were also suffering in this world. To the very end of his life, Pope St. John Paul II continued to remain firm in his conviction and dedication in serving God, and this should be an inspiration to many of us as well.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, from the life of Pope St. John Paul II, and also from what we have discussed earlier on from the Sacred Scriptures, let us all therefore ponder upon the great love of God which all of us have had the privilege of receiving so that we may continue to live our lives faithfully in God’s Presence. Let us all continue to dedicate ourselves and our every moments in life with great faith and strive to glorify the Lord ever more by our exemplary lives and actions, following in the good examples that Christ Himself has shown us, and as His saints, like Pope St. John Paul II had done. May the Lord be with us and bless us all in our every good efforts and endeavours, now and always. Amen.

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Tuesday, 22 October 2024 : 29th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Pope St. John Paul II, Pope (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Popes)

Luke 12 : 35-38

At that time, Jesus said to the people, “Be ready, dressed for service, and keep your lamps lit, like people waiting for their master to return from the wedding. As soon as he comes and knocks, they will open the door to him. Happy are those servants whom the master finds wide-awake when he comes.”

“Truly, I tell you, he will put an apron, and have them sit at table, and he will wait on them. Happy are those servants, if he finds them awake when he comes at midnight or daybreak!”

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Tuesday, 22 October 2024 : 29th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Pope St. John Paul II, Pope (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Popes)

Psalm 84 : 9ab and 10, 11-12, 13-14

Would, that I hear God’s proclamation, that He promise peace to His people, His saints. Yet, His salvation is near to those who fear Him, and His glory will dwell in our land.

Love and faithfulness have met; righteousness and peace have embraced. Faithfulness will reach up from the earth while justice bends down from heaven.

YHVH will give what is good, and our land will yield its fruit. Justice will go before Him, and peace will follow along His path.

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Tuesday, 22 October 2024 : 29th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Pope St. John Paul II, Pope (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Popes)

Ephesians 2 : 12-22

At that time, you were without Christ, you did not belong to the community of Israel; the Covenants of God, and His promises, were not for you; you had no hope, and were without God in this world.

But now, in Christ Jesus, and by His Blood, you, who were once far off, have come near. For Christ is our peace; He, Who has made the two people, one; destroying, in His own flesh, the wall – the hatred – which separated us. He abolished the Law, with its commandments and precepts. He made peace, in uniting the two people, in Him; creating, out of the two, one New Man.

He destroyed hatred and reconciled us both to God, through the cross, making the two, one body. He came to proclaim peace; peace to you who were far off, peace to the Jews who were near. Through Him, we – the two people – approach the Father, in one Spirit.

Now, you are no longer strangers or guests, but fellow citizens of the holy people : you are of the household of God. You are the house, whose foundations are the Apostles and prophets, and whose cornerstone is Christ Jesus.

In Him, the whole structure is joined together, and rises, to be a holy Temple, in the Lord. In Him, you, too, are being built, to become the spiritual Sanctuary of God.

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Monday, 21 October 2024 : 29th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are all reminded that we should always strive to seek God’s mercy and forgiveness for our many sins and wickedness, for all the things that have separated us from God. God has always been ever generous in showing us His love and kindness, His compassion and mercy, but we should never take His generosity and kindness for granted, and we should not think that we can do whatever we wanted in life without any consequences, as ultimately each and every one of us will have to account for our every words, actions, deeds and interactions, and even also for what we have failed to do in life.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Church and the faithful people of God in Ephesus where the Apostle spoke of the salvation which has come from God and how this salvation has been revealed and made tangible for us all through God’s Son, Jesus Christ, the One Whom He had sent into our midst to be our Saviour and the Source of all our Hope and deliverance. God has manifested His love and compassion to us through His Son so that all of us may receive via this great grace the justification and sanctification necessary for us to enter into His eternal kingdom and to experience the fullness of His love and glory. However, it is us mankind who have often rejected this love and squandered all the many gifts and graces which God has always readily made available to us.

St. Paul also spoke of how we often followed the whim of our desires and greed, our desires and ambitions, attachments to worldly matters and things that we often crave for in our lives, in our daily actions and efforts. He reminded all the faithful people of God that they should not let those temptations from bringing them to the wrong path by drawing them away from the Lord, or by thinking that it was due to our own greatness or glory, our own ambitions and power that we were able to achieve salvation and justification in God. Without God, there could be no hope for us and there can be no salvation and eternal life. With God, and with us cooperating faithfully and courageously with Him, in our daily living, works and efforts, we can truly manifest our faith through our every actions, words, deeds and more, and hence, are worthy to receive God’s grace and salvation.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, we heard of the words of the Lord Jesus to His disciples where He told them all about the dangers of worldly desires, ambitions and all the greed and ego in our hearts, which can become significant stumbling blocks, preventing us from coming towards the Lord and embracing Him wholeheartedly. The Gospel began with the moment when one of the people in the crowd listening to the Lord asked Him to be an arbiter between him and his brother, as they were feuding about their family inheritance, presumably hoping that the Lord could help him to get a favourable outcome on that feud and disagreements. But the Lord was quick to point out that all of them must not let all these temptations and desires to lead them astray into the path of darkness and sin.

Mankind has always been drawn by the many desires we have in the world, the desire for money, wealth and material possessions, for fame and renown, for glory and power, as well as for many other things that this world has often tried to tempt us with, that we have walked ever further away from the Lord in our ceaseless pursuits for those ambitions and desires. Throughout history, many people have allowed themselves to be swayed by their desires for material wealth and goods of the world, which usually led to even more and further ambitions and desires, and not to true happiness, as all those ambitions and desires are ultimately illusory and temporary, and all the satisfaction they provide are not one that can truly satisfy our souls, which can find the true happiness and refuge in God alone.

The Lord also affirmed this further through what He had told His disciples and the others listening to Him with the parable detailing how a rich man was planning for the years ahead and desiring for even more places to store all of his built-up and assembled riches and wealth. The Lord used this example to point out the folly of such an action and path in life as He rightly showed that we are all ultimately mortals, no matter how great or rich we may be in this life. And no matter how much we have accumulated in wealth, power and glory in this world, the reality is such that none of those will be following us to the afterlife beyond death. From the richest to the poorest, none of us will bring along with us our worldly possessions, connections and status, and before the Lord, all of us are equal. If our preoccupation with all those worldly desires had made us to disobey God and not being faithful to His commandments, 

Brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, all of us are reminded therefore to stay away from all the worldly vices and attachments that can tempt and drag us away from God and His assurance of salvation and grace. We are reminded to resist the many false treasures and pleasures of life, all of which may delude us into thinking that they can give us lasting satisfaction, joy and fulfilment, all of which can also make us to be addicted and attached to them, giving in to the never-ending desire and pursuit of worldliness, which is something that all of us as Christians should not have with us. We must always keep ourselves focused on the Lord and His truth, His Good News and love, and continue to live our own lives, at each and every moments with true faith, dedication and commitment, distancing ourselves from whatever things that may corrupt us into the darkness.

May the Lord, our ever loving, compassionate and patient God, continue to show His love towards us, and help us always in guiding each and every one of us to walk ever more faithfully and with ever greater commitment in His path. May He continue to encourage us and bless our every good efforts and endeavours, in every things that we have done for His greater glory, so that by our inspirational and exemplary lives as the followers and disciples of the Lord, many more people may come to know God and be saved through them being touched by us and our own worthy examples, living as the people whose lives are truly centred on God and not on all sorts of worldly things, temptations and attachments. Amen.