30th Week of Ordinary Time

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Saturday, 3 November 2018 : 30th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Martin de Porres, Religious (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

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

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we listened to the words of the Scripture speaking to us about the entrusting of ourselves and our lives to God, how we should allow God to work through us and not to be worried about many things and concerns in life. St. Paul in his Epistle to the Church and the faithful in Philippi stated this clearly, that in everything he did, he did it for the sake of Christ, his Lord and Master.

But St. Paul also mentioned how he was torn between dying and living in Christ. What he meant must be understood in the reality of being Christians at that time and era, when being Christians often meant that one must be ready to suffer, to endure persecution and prison, and even to die for the sake of their faith. St. Paul lived through the beginning years of the great persecution of Christians by the Jews, and later by the Romans, when countless Christians would perish because of their faith.

To die for the faith would be painful, but at the same time, it also released the person from the kind of suffering that they had to endure for the sake of their faith. And because the Lord promised that all those who remain faithful to Him will receive eternal life and glory with Him in heaven, then it is actually something that the early Christians looked up towards, as they sought to escape the brutal persecutions and pains inflicted on them.

But St. Paul chose to remain strong and to endure the persecutions daily, instead of openly desiring and seeking for martyrdom, as his intention was such that, if all the Christians were to perish and without showing endurance, then there would be few if not none of those who would be available to serve as witnesses of faith, and there was a great need of the Apostles and disciples of the Lord at that time, to bring the word of God and His truth to the people, many of whom who are still ignorant of the truth, living in sin and darkness.

And unless they had someone to bring the truth to them, those poor souls would have remained in darkness, and therefore, would have fallen into the eternal damnation in hell, if not for the courageous and hard works of St. Paul and the many other disciples and followers of Christ. These brave and faithful servants of God placed their love and concern for their fellow brothers and sisters ahead of their own selfish desires.

Why is that so? That is because it is very easy for us to fall into the temptation of seeking only our own salvation and personal glory, and not minding or caring about the needs of others in our midst. That is just exactly how the Lord Jesus rebuked those who sought first places in banquets and events through His parable in the Gospel today. Those people sought personal honour and glory, as how many of the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law did, and in the end, the Lord said that they would be disappointed.

As Christians we are called to be humble and selfless, in how we live our lives and in how we serve the Lord through our actions and deeds. We should not allow the pride and desire in us to take over us and control our way of life. Instead, we should follow the examples of the Apostles, the many disciples of Christ of the early Church, the saints and martyrs, who willingly let go of their personal desires and pride, in order to serve God with all their hearts.

Today, we celebrate the feast of St. Martin de Porres, a Peruvian native American saint, who was a lay member of the Dominican religious order. He was noted for his great piety and sanctity, and in his great dedication to the service of the poor in his community. He lived simply and with great humility, having to endure poverty himself since his early age. He was unable to join the Dominicans fully because of the law of the time that discriminated against the native population of the New World, the Americas where St. Martin de Porres lived and worked in.

Nonetheless, St. Martin de Porres gave his all in the service to God, and devoted his whole life to serve the needy and the sick, caring for them without regards for his own personal comfort and without the desire to satisfy his own personal desires and ego. He cared for many of the sick during a great epidemic that struck the city of Lima in Peru, helping many of those who suffered to endure through their sickness with dignity and love.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, are we able to follow the good examples of St. Martin de Porres, in his dedication to the Lord, and his love for his fellow men, in his humility, that he did not let pride and greed to distract him from the path towards God’s salvation. Let us all reexamine our own lives, and find ways in which we can make a difference, by turning ourselves ever more wholeheartedly to the Lord.

May the Lord be with us always, and may He continue to guide us in our path, through the good examples shown unto us by his glorious saints, especially St. Martin de Porres, whose exemplary life and actions we ought to adopt as our own. May God bless us always in all of our endeavours and good works. Amen.

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Saturday, 3 November 2018 : 30th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Martin de Porres, Religious (Gospel Reading)

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

Luke 14 : 1, 7-11

At that time, one Sabbath Jesus had gone to eat a meal in the house of a leading Pharisee, and He was carefully watched.

Jesus then told a parable to the guests, for He had noticed how they tried to take the places of honour. And He said, “When you are invited to a wedding party, do not choose the best seat. It may happen that someone more important than you had been invited; and your host, who invited both of you, will come and say to you, ‘Please give this person your place.’ What shame is yours when you take the lowest seat!”

“Whenever you are invited, go rather to the lowest seat, so that your host may come and say to you, ‘Friend, you must come up higher.’ And this will be a great honour for you in the presence of all the other guests. For whoever makes himself out to be great will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be raised.”

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Saturday, 3 November 2018 : 30th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Martin de Porres, Religious (Psalm)

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

Psalm 41 : 2, 3, 5bcde

As a deer longs for flowing streams, so my soul longs for You, o God.

My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I go and see the face of God?

I remember all this – how I used to lead the faithful in procession to the house of God, amid shouts of joy and thanksgiving, among the feasting throng.

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Saturday, 3 November 2018 : 30th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Martin de Porres, Religious (First Reading)

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

Philippians 1 : 18b-26

Christ is proclaimed and because of this I rejoice and have no regrets. I know that all this will be a grace for me because of your prayers and the help given by the Spirit of Christ. I am hopeful, even certain, that I shall not be ashamed. I feel as assured now, as before, that 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. And because I am convinced of this, I know that I will stay and remain with you for your progress and happiness in the faith.

I will surely come to you again, and give you more reason for being proud of belonging to Christ Jesus.

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Friday, 2 November 2018 : Feast of All Souls (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Black or Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day, we celebrate the feast of All Souls’ Day, continuing from yesterday’s Solemnity of All Saints, as the last day of the Allhallowtide. In this period of time, we remember the souls of the faithful departed, and while yesterday we rejoice together in the glory of the saints who have triumphed with God, having been found worthy of the immediate glory of heaven, today, we focus our attention to the holy souls in purgatory.

Why are they called the holy souls in purgatory? That is because these are the ones who have passed on from this world, and have been regarded as belonging among the righteous, that they do not deserve the eternal suffering in hell, which is preserved only for all those who have rejected God and His truth, refusing to turn away from sin and from all of their wickedness down right to their last moments.

But these people, who were not counted among the wicked, and did not deserve hell, also still have with them the residual corruption and taints of sin, those that are not confessed and repented prior to their passing. These are the ones who are currently suffering in purgatory, as they are not condemned to hell, and yet, they still have to wait in order for their sins to be purified in purgatory, before they can ascend to the glory of heaven.

These are the souls of the faithful departed, who are enduring the flames of purgatory, the pain of expectation, and the waiting that agonises them, for they are not yet able to experience the fullness of God’s love and grace, and having to endure the waiting period and the time of purification, to remove from them the residual taints of sin mentioned. God is so holy and good, and no sin can exist in His presence, and that is why, these holy souls suffer.

Yet, they all long and hope for the eternal glory of heaven, and one day, when their sins have been cleansed from them, they will be able to leave purgatory behind and enter the glory of God’s everlasting kingdom. And hence, we pray for their sake, these holy souls in purgatory, that through our prayers, we may move God’s heart to show compassion and mercy on them, and hopefully, forgive them their sins through His grace, and they will be able to enter heaven at the soonest time possible.

It is important that we pray for the holy souls in purgatory, because ultimately, they are still together with us, as part of the one Church of God. They are the Church Suffering, who are suffering in expectation of their release from their temporary confinement in purgatory prior to heaven, just as we are the Church Militant, still living and struggling daily in this world, with our sins and with all the challenges we have to face each and every day.

And together with the saints, whose Solemnity of All Saints we have just celebrated yesterday, the Church Triumphant in heaven, all these three parts form the one Church of God, made of the saints’ Church Triumphant, our Church Militant, and the Church Suffering of the holy souls in purgatory. The saints are constantly praying for both us, as well as the holy souls in purgatory, that God may open the pathway for both of us to join them in glorifying Him in the eternal glory of heaven.

Therefore, we, the Church Militant, just as we often pray for one another, we too should also pray for the souls in purgatory, and even we should ask the saints for their intercession as well. We hope that through our prayers, these holy souls of those who have gone before us, including perhaps many of those whom we personally knee, they may all come to enjoy at the soonest opportunity, God’s love and grace in the eternal heavenly rest.

Now, brothers and sisters in Christ, as we pray for the souls in purgatory, today, as we remember our loved ones who have gone before us, and who may now be in purgatory, let us all reflect on our own lives. Let us all look deeply and carefully on our own actions in life, and how we have lived our lives thus far. Why is this important? That is because just as those souls had ended up in purgatory because of their residual sins, that can be our fate as well.

If we have not lived our faith through actions and deeds in our life, and if we have neglected the important observances and expressions of our faith, then not only we may end up in purgatory as well, but worse still, we may turn up to deserve the fall into hell, out of which there can be no escape, unlike purgatory which is just temporary suffering and which end point is still the heavenly glory God promised us.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, God loves each and every one of us very much, but at the same time, He also detests our sins and wickedness, and unless we change our ways and make the effort to turn away from those sins, we are in danger of entering into the eternal damnation in hell. Therefore today, and from now on, just as we continue to pray for the holy souls in purgatory, let us also reform our lives, that we may become ever closer to God and be more faithful to Him, with each and every passing day.

May the Lord be with us all, and may He guide us in our journey, now and always. May He look mercifully upon the sufferings of those in purgatory who long to be with Him in the glory of heaven, that He may forgive them completely their sins, allowing them to enter into heaven at the soonest opportunity. Amen.

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Friday, 2 November 2018 : Feast of All Souls (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Black or Purple/Violet

Matthew 11 : 25-30

At that time, Jesus said, “Father, Lord of heaven and earth, I praise You; because You have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to simple people. Yes, Father, this was Your gracious will.”

“Everything has been entrusted to Me by My Father. No one knows the Son except the Father; and no one knows the Father except the Son, and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him.”

“Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble of heart; and you will find rest. For My yoke is easy; and My burden is light.”

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Friday, 2 November 2018 : Feast of All Souls (Second Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Black or Purple/Violet

Romans 5 : 5-11

And hope does not disappoint us, because the Holy Spirit has been given to us, pouring into our hearts the love of God. Consider, moreover, the time that Christ died for us : when we were still helpless and unable to do anything. Few would accept to die for an upright person; although, for a very good person, perhaps someone would dare to die.

But see how God manifested His love for us : while we were still sinners, Christ died for us; and we have become just, through His Blood. With much more reason now He will save us from any condemnation. Once enemies, we have been reconciled with God through the death of His Son; with much more reason, now we may be saved, through His life.

Not only that, but we even boast in God because of Christ Jesus, our Lord, through Whom we have been reconciled.

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Friday, 2 November 2018 : Feast of All Souls (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Black or Purple/Violet

Psalm 26 : 1, 4, 7-9, 13-14

YHVH is my light and my salvation – whom shall I fear? YHVH is the rampart of my life; I will not be afraid.

One thing I ask of YHVH, one thing I seek – that I may dwell in His house all the days of my life, to gaze at His jewel and to visit His Sanctuary.

Hear my voice when I call, o YHVH, have mercy on me and answer. My heart says to You, “I seek Your face, o YHVH.” Do not hide Your face from me nor turn away Your servant in anger. You are my protector, do not reject me; abandon me not, o God my Saviour!

I hope, I am sure, that I will see the goodness of YHVH in the land of the living. Trust in YHVH, be strong and courageous, yes, put your hope in YHVH!

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Friday, 2 November 2018 : Feast of All Souls (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Black or Purple/Violet

Isaiah 25 : 6-9

On this mountain YHVH Sabaoth will prepare for all peoples a feast of rich food and choice wines, meat full of marrow, fine wine strained. On this mountain He will destroy the pall cast over all peoples, this very shroud spread over all nations, and death will be no more.

The Lord YHVH will wipe away the tears from all cheeks and eyes; He will take away the humiliation of His people all over the world : for YHVH has spoken. On that day you will say : This is our God. We have waited for Him to save us, let us be glad and rejoice in His salvation.

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Thursday, 1 November 2018 : Solemnity of All Saints (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we celebrate the great Solemnity of All Saints, celebrating the glory of those whom the Church has examined and deemed officially to be worthy of the everlasting glory of heaven, to be together with God and to be in His presence after they passed on from this world, without the need to pass through the purifying flames of purgatory.

The saints were those whom the Church has accorded this dignity, by the virtue of its authority, that after their lives have been carefully scrutinised, their actions and works, inspirations and writings have been evaluated, they were deemed to be sufficient of being accorded the honour of immediate glory of heaven. And that is why, one of the requirements of someone to be declared a saint, is for the saint to have performed some miracles among the people of God, through intercession in their name.

And this brings us to the fact that the saints are not those who are distant from us, but instead, they are part of the same Church that we are in, and although they have already passed on from this world, but they are not distant or forgotten from us. Neither do they forget us, all of us, their relatives, their friends and peers, and as fellow brothers and sisters in the

Lord, all those who are still living in this world filled with sin and darkness.

The saints are constantly praying for us, before the throne of God, interceding for our sake, and hoping that through their prayers and by God’s grace, we may turn away from sin and repent from all of our wicked ways, that one day, we too may join them all, in honouring and glorifying God in heaven, in His presence, through our genuine conversion of heart and faith in Him.

But we also should not think of the saints as those who are superhuman or extraordinary beings beyond our reach. In fact, all of us are called to follow their examples in holiness and to be holy ourselves. All of us have this potential in us, to become saints through our own actions and deeds, which are in accordance with God’s will. The saints themselves once walked this world, and they were sinners just like ourselves, before their glorification in heaven.

Yes, all saints were also sinners once, with the sole exception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Our Lord and God, Jesus Christ, who has been especially prepared by God, to be free from the taints of sin, in order to be the worthy vessel and Ark of the New Covenant, Christ Himself, that by bearing God in her, she is also pure from all taints of sin and corruption of evil. All other saints were sinners, some were venial in nature, but some were in fact notorious in their wickedness.

Take for example, St. Augustine of Hippo, who was once an adulterer and great sinner, who engaged in all sorts of hedonistic behaviour and lifestyle during his younger days, when he was tempted by the many worldly pursuits and temptations, following the wrong paths and the wrong ideas, influenced by his peers and friends. But through the constant prayers of his mother, St. Monica, and by God’s grace, St. Augustine eventually saw the errors of his ways, repented and turned towards God with a newfound faith.

And we know of St. Matthew, one of the Twelve Apostles of the Lord, who was a tax collector among the people. Tax collectors at that time were known to be corrupt, and they helped the Romans to oppress the people through harsh imposition of taxes, that the people had to pay to the Roman government, through the intermediary of the tax collectors, some if not many of whom, were corrupt.

But St. Matthew listened to the Lord’s call when He called him to follow Him. He abandoned all of his works and his profession, and committing himself to the Lord, he turned away from the sins of his profession and instead of collecting and seeking for money from the people, he became a collector of souls of the people for the Lord, by saving them from their own sins, through his courageous defence of the faith and by his inspirational Gospel, the Gospel of St. Matthew that became the source of faith for countless people.

There were many other saints who were even murderers, prostitutes and also sinners in the eyes and opinion of most of the people. And yet, interestingly, these also became saints in the end. How is that possible, brothers and sisters in Christ? It is indeed possible, because God’s grace and mercy is so vast, that as long as we are willing to embrace His love and mercy, His forgiveness for our sins and have that courage and commitment to carry on living our lives with a renewed faith and direction, then everything is possible for God.

The Lord Himself mentioned before the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law how the tax collectors and prostitutes were going on ahead on the journey towards the kingdom of God as compared to the former. That is because the tax collectors and the prostitutes made the conscious effort to seek God’s forgiveness and mercy, and opened their hearts and minds, to allow the Lord to enter into them and made a change and difference in their lives, while the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law hardened themselves with pride, and refused to listen to the truth of God.

It is important that we recognise in each and every one of us, the potential to be saints. The Lord has given to us all, those who are now saints, all of us living and present in the world today, and even those who have willingly chosen condemnation and eternal suffering in hell, all of us received the same gifts, the same love and the same grace from God. But what God has given us, will not bear good fruits of faith as desired, unless we do something about what God gave us.

The saints of God are called the members of the Church Triumphant, for they have won against death just as the Lord Himself had done. They have won for themselves, by the grace of God, an eternity of glory, peace and joy with the Lord, for their righteousness, good actions and faithfulness. And they should be our role models in how we live our lives, as we, who are still living in this world, are the members of the Church Militant.

This was why I mentioned earlier that while the saints are no longer physically with us in this world, but they are still together with us, and the holy souls in purgatory, the Church Suffering, part of the same one Church of God. And the saints inspire each one of us to live according to how they have lived, in their courageous living of their faith, and in their great dedication to the Lord, which is why they are now part of the great Church Triumphant.

All of us can also be saints, just as all saints, with the exception of Mary, were sinners too once. What is important is that, they all experienced genuine conversion in life, turning away from their past sins and wickedness, and embracing fully God’s ways and truth through their lives. Many of them even had to endure suffering and persecutions for God’s sake, because of their total conversion and radical change in life.

And for those who charge that we are committing idolatry by worshipping the saints, we also must be very clear why we have this devotion to saints of God. The saints are not glorified by their own power, glory or deeds. They are not like God, but instead, they reflect the glory of God through their actions and deeds in life. A comparison can be made on the beautiful stained glasses in our churches, where we usually wonder at their beauty and marvel at the amazing work of art found in them.

However, stained glass that is left in the darkness cannot be seen, just as in a darkened church, the stained glass cannot be seen either, as the stained glass do not emit light on its own. But when light passes through the stained glass, the beauty of the stained glass is shown, because of the light that passes through it, which illuminates the stained glass. In the similar way, the saints are glorified and venerated, not because their own power, virtue or glory, but because of God’s work through their lives. God is the source of all the glory and honour.

And when we venerate the saints, we give even greater glory to God, for the saints are servants of God, and when His servants are glorified and honoured, of course He is also glorified and honoured even more. But today, we need to realise that the best way to honour and venerate the saints, are not for us to go and touch their relics, or to visit their shrines and places of honour. The best way for us to honour and venerate the saints, is for us to emulate their examples and follow in their footsteps, in living our faith in the way that the Lord had shown us through those same saints.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, therefore, as we rejoice together with all the saints and holy men and women of God in heaven, the Church Triumphant today, on this Solemnity of All Saints, let us all, as members of the Church Militant, strive to do our best in our lives, to lead a holy and faithful life, from now on if we have not done so thus far. Let us all seek to follow the examples of the saints, and do our best to keep ourselves close to God, by having a deep personal relationship with Him.

Let us all turn away from our sins, and from our wicked ways, and instead, commit ourselves to a prayerful life, to a loving existence to all those whom we encounter in life, by showing love, care and concern for all those who we meet in life, to our friends and family members, to our relatives and to even strangers that we encounter in our daily living. Let us all turn towards God with all of our hearts, and commit ourselves wholeheartedly just as the saints of God had done.

And today, as we also prepare for the Feast of All Souls tomorrow, also pray for the sake of the holy souls in purgatory, the souls of the faithful departed, who are still longing for the glory of heaven, but because of their residual sins, have to wait in the purifying flames of purgatory. Let us pray for them together with the saints, and ask them to pray for us as well, that we may turn completely from sin, and avoid falling into purgatory, or worse still, hell. May the Lord be with us always, and may He always be glorified through the glory of His saints! Amen.