31 August 2015

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Monday, 31 August 2015 : 22nd Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we heard about how Jesus was rejected in His own hometown of Nazareth in the region of Galilee, where His foster father Joseph and His mother Mary hailed from. Jesus proclaimed the truth about Himself, and He told them of God’s salvation that would come through Him. But the people of Nazareth refused to believe in Him, especially if He did not perform the miracles He had performed in other places.

They were truly a superficial people, a terrible human tendency, which is also often affecting many of us as well. They focused on what they saw and witnessed, and yet they were unable to look beyond the veil of appearances into what lies inside, which also explains why they were unable to understand that Jesus is the Lord, the Messiah, King of kings, although He chose to come into this world in a humble form of a Man, born of a family of poor carpenter.

They were unable to comprehend that appearances, wealth, power and worldly things are not always the measure of everything. These are the things that we mankind often value and treasure, but these are at the same time, temporary and not everlasting. The treasures of the world can be destroyed and changed, and these can be lost, but the true treasures that we all ought to find are everlasting.

Jesus taught us all that those who put their trust in human power shall be disappointed, just as the foolish man who built his house on the foundation of sand. All the human glory, wealth, goodness of this world, all the praise and fame we have, all are merely illusions and replica of what is to come for us. They will not come with us when we go forth to the life that is to come, and when we die, we are to leave all these behind with this world.

Let us think about this as we go on carrying out our daily lives. Are we too preoccupied with maintaining our status, our possessions, our affluence and everything else that distract us from our true destination and goal in life? Are we too preoccupied with things that are unsteady and are truly shaky foundations for our life? We should instead place ourselves on the steady and strong foundation that can be found only in God.

In the first reading today, St. Paul in his epistle to the Church in Thessalonica spoke of what will happen to us all and all those who are still living at the time when the Lord comes again as He had promised. The Lord will come again and reward all those who have kept their faith in Him, and He shall bless all of them forever. This is the promise of eternal inheritance and the true treasures we shall receive if we all remain faithful.

God is always faithful, and when He promised us that those who have died in Him, just and righteous, shall be rewarded and shall receive the promised life eternal, when He calls on them. This is the treasure that we ought to find, and thus not to dwell on the earthly and worldly treasures that do not last and can be destroyed. We seek the eternal gift and treasure that will not be destroyed and lasts forever.

Let us all from now on devote ourselves anew to our Lord, our loving God. Let us all be filled with love for Him, and with joy and hope in the life which He had promised us with. May Almighty God be with us always, and bless us for the faith which we have shown Him from our hearts. May God bless us all, now and forever. Amen.

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Monday, 31 August 2015 : 22nd Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Luke 4 : 16-30

At that time, when Jesus came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, as He usually did. He stood up to read, and they handed Him the book of the prophet Isaiah.

Jesus then unrolled the scroll and found the place where it is written : “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me. He has anointed Me to bring Good News to the poor, to proclaim liberty to captives and new sight to the blind; to free the oppressed and to announce the Lord’s year of mercy.”

Jesus then rolled up the scroll, gave it to the attendant and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him. Then He said to them, “Today these prophetic words come true, even as you listen.”

All agreed with Him, and were lost in wonder, while He spoke of the grace of God. Nevertheless they asked, “Who is this but Joseph’s Son?” So He said, “Doubtless you will quote Me the saying : Doctor, heal Yourself! Do here in Your town what they say You did in Capernaum.”

Jesus added, “No prophet is honoured in his own country. Truly, I say to you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heavens withheld rain for three years and six months and a great famine came over the whole land. Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow of Zarephath, in the country of Sidon.”

“There were also many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha, the prophet, and no one was healed except Naaman, the Syrian.” On hearing these words, the whole assembly became indignant. They rose up and brought Him out of the town, to the edge of the hill on which Nazareth is built, intending to throw Him down the cliff. But He passed through their midst and went His way.

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Monday, 31 August 2015 : 22nd Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 95 : 1 and 3, 4-5, 11-12a, 12b-13

Sing to the Lord a new song, sing to the Lord, all the earth! Recall His glory among the nations, tell all the peoples His wonderful deeds.

How great is the Lord and worthy of praise! Above all gods He is to be feared. For all other gods are worthless idols but YHVH is the One who made the heavens.

Let the heavens be glad, the earth rejoice; let the sea and all that fills it resound; let the fields exult and everything in them.

Let the forest, all the trees, sing for joy. Let them sing before the Lord who comes to judge the earth. He will rule the world with justice and the peoples with fairness.

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Monday, 31 August 2015 : 22nd Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

1 Thessalonians 4 : 13-18

Brothers and sisters, we want you not to be mistaken about those who are already asleep, lest you grieve as do those who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose; it will be the same for those who have died in Jesus. God will bring them together with Jesus and for His sake.

By the same Word of the Lord we assert this : those of us who are to be alive at the Lord’s coming will not go ahead of those who are already asleep. When the command by the archangel’s voice is given, the Lord Himself will come down from heaven, while the divine trumpet call is sounding.

Then those who have died in the Lord will rise first; as for us who are still alive, we will be brought along with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the celestial world. And we will be with the Lord forever. So, then comfort one another with these words.