3rd Week of Lent

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Wednesday, 11 March 2015 : 3rd Week of Lent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we heard about the Law and commandments which God had given us all His people. The Law and the commandments are meant to be guides on how we should live our lives, and show the people the way to reach salvation in the Lord. He had given us these in order to lead us in our way, so that we will not be lost in the forest of temptations and falsehoods that are aplenty in this world.

It is however still up to us, and we all have a choice whether to follow and obey God’s laws or to follow our own path towards destruction and sin. We have been given free will by the Lord, but more often than not, this free will have been misused or corrupted by the temptations and allure of this world which threaten to lead us away from the path towards salvation and into annihilation.

He has reminded His people with many reminders and warnings, which He made clear through the succession of many prophets and messengers, and many servants who have come one after another to call back the people of God back into His loving embrace, that is to abandon their sinful ways and to turn their back on those sins and embrace instead the way of love of the Lord.

But the people refused to listen and they continued in their sinfulness. They rejected the Lord’s prophets and messengers, persecuting them, torturing them, casting them out of their cities and places, and eventually even killed them. And yet the Lord continued to provide them with opportunities and chances, to the point of fulfilling the promise which He had given them so many years before, in the sending of the Saviour who would save all of the world.

Jesus came as the fulfillment of all God’s promises made to us all throughout the ages. In Him lies the perfect fulfillment of the Law and the prophets. The Law spoke about Him, and the prophets were proclaiming His entry into the world. But by the time of Jesus, the Law and the teachings of the prophets had been so greatly misinterpreted and misappropriated by worldly things that they no longer recognised this fact in Jesus their Lord.

In fact, many of them would refuse the Lord their God when He came, thinking of themselves as better and more reliable arbiters and judges of the fate of the faithful, and of their own fate. They were blinded and deafened by their own pride and human desires which prevented them from seeing their own faults and flaws. As a result, they did not change but instead committed ever more sins in the presence of God and men alike.

Yet, God still wants us all to be saved, despite our rebellions and disobedience against Him. He continues to pour forth His heart and His love to us, but we also have to play our part in this. We have to accept the love and grace of God which He had so generously provided us with. Let us not waste this opportunity given by God to us to repent and change.

Therefore, in this holy season of Lent, we are all called to be better disciples and followers of our God, that is disciples who know how to restrain ourselves, our desires and our wants, our pride and our haughtiness, our human emotions and other things that prevented us from truly expressing our genuine and sincere love for our Lord and God, as well as for our fellow men.

This period of Lent, let us all reaffirm our faith for the Lord, and change our ways profoundly, so that while we were once sinful and disobedient against the Lord, from now on we may walk righteously in the path of the Lord. We hope that we may be justified through our actions, and become righteous and worthy of His salvation. God will reward all those who are faithful to Him, and He will grant them everlasting life. God bless us all. Amen.

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Wednesday, 11 March 2015 : 3rd Week of Lent (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Matthew 5 : 17-19

At that time, Jesus said to the people, “Do not think that I have come to annul the Law and the Prophets. I have not come to annul them but to fulfill them. I tell you this : as long as heaven and earth last, not the smallest letter or dot in the Law will change until all is fulfilled.”

“So then, whoever breaks the least important of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be the least in the kingdom of heaven. On the other hand, whoever obeys them, and teaches others to do the same, will be great in the kingdom of heaven.”

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Wednesday, 11 March 2015 : 3rd Week of Lent (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Psalm 147 : 12-13, 15-16, 19-20

Exalt the Lord, o Jerusalem; praise your God, o Zion! For He strengthens the bars of your gates and blesses your children within you.

He sends His command to the earth and swiftly runs His word. He spreads snow like wool; He scatters frost like ashes.

It is He who tells Jacob His words, His laws and decrees to Israel. This He has not done for other nations, so His laws remain unknown to them. Alleluia!

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Wednesday, 11 March 2015 : 3rd Week of Lent (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Deuteronomy 4 : 1, 5-9

And now, Israel, listen to the norms and laws which I teach that you may put them into practice. And you will live and enter and take possession of the land which YHVH, the God of your fathers, gives you.

See, as YHVH, my God, ordered me, I am teaching you the norms and the laws that you may put them into practice in the land you are going to enter and have as your own. If you observe and practice them, other peoples will regard you as wise and intelligent. When they come to know of all these laws, they will say, “There is no people as wise and as intelligent as this great nation.”

For in truth, is there a nation as great as ours, whose gods are as near to it as YHVH,  our God, is to us whenever we call upon Him? And is there a nation as great as ours whose norms and laws are as just as this Law which I give you today? But be careful and be on your guard.

Do not forget this these things which your own eyes have seen nor let them depart from your heart as long as you live. But on the contrary, teach them to your children and to your children’s children.

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Tuesday, 10 March 2015 : 3rd Week of Lent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we heard about the value of forgiveness, and how if we are to become the followers of our Lord Jesus Christ, then we will have to be generous with our forgiveness while still being aware and vigilant to the corrupting forces of sin. For God had forgiven us all our sins even though our sins were so great they should have merited our death and destruction.

Remember whenever we pray the Lord’s Prayer, the Pater Noster, that we pray this phrase, ‘Forgive us all our sins as we forgive those who sinned against us?’ This is exactly what is the essence of today’s readings and particularly that of the Gospel. What Jesus had mentioned is also that there should be no limit to mercy, and no limit to the graces which we should show to those who have cause us hurt.

Much of the evils and suffering in this world can actually be attributed to our inability to forgive one another. We continue to linger in hatred and jealousy over others. We feel hurt by what others had done badly for us, be in on body, in spirit, in mind or heart. We are afflicted, yes, but if we stop the cycle there and begin to learn to forgive, then the pain will also cease to grow further.

Instead, we take revenge, we retaliate, we fight back and cause even more injury to others, contending that because we have been hurt, then others should be hurt in the same manner if not worse than what they had afflicted upon us. Many of the worst wars and conflicts in the world today are caused by this inability to forgive and to let go of the pains which have been caused to us.

The parable of the ungrateful and unforgiving servant tells us about the lord who had forgiven the immense debt of a servant, and yet that servant refused to forgive another servant who owed him a debt that was far smaller in size. This is a clear representation of the interactions between the Lord and all of us, and how we interact with one another, our fellow brethren.

The master of the house represents the Lord, who had forgiven the servant who was deep in debt to his master. That servant represents all of us, who have great debts to God, and we have been forgiven this debt, that is all of us who believe in Him. This debt is sin, and sin has weighed us down greatly. We have so much sin if we are to count for all the sins which we have committed throughout this life.

And yet, God has forgiven us all these sins, and did not count against us all of the mistakes which we have committed. Despite all the weight of sin on our shoulders, we have been relieved by our Lord who have generously let us go from the threat of destruction because of our sins. We would have deserved death, but we were absolved from our faults.

Thus, we too should forgive one another our faults to each other. Compared to the sins from which we had been forgiven, the faults we committed against one another is relatively insignificant indeed. We should not be like the unforgiving and ungrateful servant who struck at the fellow servant for a trivial debt, ungrateful at having been forgiven his huge debt by his master.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all commit ourselves to forgive one another during this holy season of Lent. This is the moment for us to change our attitudes and seek to follow our Lord and His ways ever more in our lives. Let us all be thoroughly reformed in our actions, that we no longer keep hatred and negativities in our hearts. Forgive and let go all the anger in our hearts and learn to accept each others’ differences and live together with each other in harmony and love.

May Almighty God have mercy on us all, forgive us and bring us all to everlasting life. God bless us all. Amen.

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Tuesday, 10 March 2015 : 3rd Week of Lent (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Matthew 18 : 21-35

At that time, Peter asked Jesus, “Lord, how many times must I forgive the offenses of my brother or sister? Seven times?” Jesus answered, “No, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.”

“This story throws light on the kingdom of Heaven : A king decided to settle the accounts of his servants. Among the first was one who owed him ten thousand pieces of gold. As the man could not repay the debt, the king commanded that he be sold as a slave with his wife, his children and all his goods, as repayment.”

“The servant threw himself at the feet of the king and said, ‘Give me time, and I will pay you back everything.’ The king took pity on him, and not only set him free, but even cancelled his debt.”

“When the servant left the king’s presence, he met one of his companions, who owed him a hundred pieces of silver. He grabbed him by the neck and almost choked him, shouting, ‘Pay me what you owe!’ His companion threw himself at his feet and begged him, ‘Give me time, and I will pay everything.’ The other did not agree, but sent him to prison until he had paid all his debt.”

“Now his fellow servants saw what had happened. They were extremely upset, and so they went and reported everything to their lord. Then the lord summoned his servant and said, ‘Wicked servant, I forgave you all that you owed when you begged me to do so. Were you not bound to have pity on your companion, as I had pity on you?'”

“The lord was now angry, so he handed his servant over to be punished, until he had paid his whole debt.” Jesus added, “So will My heavenly Father do with you, unless you sincerely forgive your brothers and sisters.”

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Tuesday, 10 March 2015 : 3rd Week of Lent (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Psalm 24 : 4-5ab, 6 and 7bc, 8-9

Teach me Your ways, o Lord; make known to me Your paths. Guide me in Your truth and instruct me, for You are my God.

Remember Your compassion, o Lord, Your unfailing love from of old. Remember not the sins of my youth, but in Your love remember me.

Good and upright, the Lord teaches sinners His way. He teaches the humble of heart and guides them in what is right.

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Tuesday, 10 March 2015 : 3rd Week of Lent (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Daniel 3 : 25, 34-43

Azariah stood up in the midst of the fire and prayed aloud : “Do not abandon us forever, do not reject Your covenant for Your Name’s sake. Do not withdraw Your mercy from us, for the sake of Abraham, Your friend, of Isaac, Your servant, of Israel, Your holy one, to whom You promised to multiply their race as the stars of heaven and the sand on the shore of the sea.”

“Lord, see, we have become the least among the nations in all the world, and we are humiliated because of our sins. At this time, we no longer have a king, or prophet, or leader. We cannot offer You holocausts, sacrifices, offerings, or incense. We have no place to present to You the first fruits of our crops, and so obtain Your favour.”

“But at least when we present ourselves with a contrite soul and humbled spirit may we then be acceptable to You, more than by offerings of rams and calves as holocausts, and of thousands of fat lambs. May this sacrifice of ours today obtain for us Your favour for we know that those who trust in You shall never be disappointed.”

“And now, we serve You with our whole heart, we fear You and we seek Your face. Do not leave us in our humiliation, but treat us according to Your kindness and Your great mercy. Free us in keeping with Your wonders, and give us the glory of Your Name, Lord.”

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Monday, 9 March 2015 : 3rd Week of Lent, Memorial of St. Frances of Rome, Religious (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, the message of today’s Scripture readings is very clear. That we all have to listen and obey the Lord’s will and follow Him in all of our ways, sinning no more and deviating no more from His path. And then we also have to open our hearts to Him and allow Him to speak into our hearts, and we will then be saved. And also it is highlighted yet again, how God desires the salvation of all mankind, which He desires greatly, and all men are equal before Him, equally loved and equally deserving for His mercy.

In the first reading we heard about the healing of Naaman, the Syrian general. Syria or Aram was the great rival of Israel at the time and the two countries often came to war. Naaman was a great and mighty general, who won many wars, but he was down and afflicted with leprosy, a terrible and infectious disease which at the time would make him shunned and shamed by the entire society.

Thus he sought help and healing in the land of Israel, when at that time the prophet Elisha, the successor of Elijah, was ministering to the people of God. Yet at that time, the king of Israel and most of the people were wayward in their ways and they refused to listen to Elisha and to all of his warnings. And thus, they received no grace and blessing from God, and the one to receive His blessing was in fact a foreigner, who did not belong to the community of the people of God.

And in the Gospel we heard how Jesus was rejected by His own people, by His own townsfellow, the people of Nazareth where He stayed since His youth. This paralleled the rejection of the Lord and His prophets by His own sinful people. This goes on to show that the Lord sees all the people, all mankind equally and love them all equally. No difference or distinction between any depending on either race, wealth, fame, prestige or any other worldly distinctions.

What matters would be the attitude and the actions which we are doing in life. Do we show that we are truly disciples and children of our Lord? Or do we instead show that we are the children of this world? We cannot be a hypocrite, in living our faith we show that our faith is not just mere proclamation or mere words, but is as real as it can be. This is the kind of faith that we need, that is to follow what our Lord had taught us.

What Naaman did before he was healed should be a good lesson for all of us, in that when he was defiant and reluctant to follow what Elisha had said to him, he represented what all of us are often doing in our own lives. How often is it that we defy the will of God and refuse to follow what He had asked us to do, and instead trust in our own judgments and follow our own human desires? It has been too often indeed for most of us.

Today we celebrate the feast of St. Frances of Rome, whose life hopefully will be able to inspire us to see and know what is meant by being a servant and follower of our God. St. Frances of Rome was born to a rich, influential and aristocratic family in Rome, who was married off to another aristocrat at a young age, and who was a usual and common mother for many years.

St. Frances encountered many difficult moments in her life, losing her children, being involved in family disputes and difficulties of life at the time, with conflict and challenges, but all these did not prevent her from committing herself to good cause, by her ample charitable acts and works to help many of the destitute and the poor, opening her house to welcome many of those who were less fortunate.

Although she was born to privilege and wealth, but she did not regard them as making her special above the rest. Instead, she used what she had to help all those who are in need, and she also dedicated herself to a life of prayer close to God. She left many things in the world in order to pursue her true desire, that is the Lord and to be close to Him.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, many of us are like Naaman who in his pride initially refused to follow the will of God and stood defiant. However, we all have to take note that he eventually obeyed the commands, and for that, he was healed from his leprosy. We too are sick from leprosy, brothers and sisters, but not leprosy of the body, rather that of the soul.

Sin is the leprosy, the sickness that is eating upon our soul, corrupting it and making it unworthy for the Lord. It is therefore what we should fight against and resist during this season of Lent. May this season by a time for us to reflect on our actions and find a way on how to become closer to our God and to walk faithfully and act justly according to His will. God bless us all. Amen.

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Monday, 9 March 2015 : 3rd Week of Lent, Memorial of St. Frances of Rome, Religious (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Luke 4 : 24-30

At that time, Jesus said to the people of Nazareth, “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.