8 November 2016

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Tuesday, 8 November 2016 : 32nd Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we heard from the Sacred Scriptures about the importance of obedience and self-control for all of us as Christians, the people and followers of our God. Each and every one of us should be alert and be strong amidst the numerous persuasions and temptations made by the world against us Christians.

There are many temptations, from the temptations of the pleasures of the flesh, of sexual and inappropriate relationships, the temptation of money and wealth, corrupt dealings and dishonesty, all that lead to wickedness and to our downfall, as these tend to cause us to sin. And it has caused many people to fall and be trapped in sin, leading them to their downfall.

It is very easy for us to be tempted if we do not prepare ourselves well. And it is very easy for us to fall into sin, just as our ancestors have fallen into it, succumbing to the pull of their desires and their wants. It is part of our human nature that we desire for worldly things, and in many things, when we have them we will tend to want more and demand more.

Thus, as Christians, it is important that we exercise self-control, and discipline our human desires and greed, or else we may be ensnared by those sins and those desires, and grew further apart and be separated further from the Lord our God and from His love. And the devil and his allies are always going about, trying to find the best opportunity in order to lure us away to our downfall, tempting us with many goodness of the world.

How do we then resist the devil, brothers and sisters in Christ? This is then where we should really seek to live our faith with genuine devotion and commitment. We should not be lukewarm in our faith and be ignorant of the tenets and ways of the Lord. As what the Lord Jesus told the disciples, using the example of a master and his servants, the servant should obey the master and know that their purpose is to serve their master well and not more than that.

Brethren, the Lord God is our Master, the One Who had created us all, gave us life and allowed us to enjoy the life we now have in this world. If in the Gospel passage today Jesus spoke of the servants who ought to obey the master for having took care of them, and them having had to do the duties assigned to them, then all the more we should obey the Lord and His ways, practice them in our own daily lives.

We should deepen our relationships with God, understanding His will and ways, by committing ourselves to a life filled with service and obedience to Him, filled with prayers and devotions, that we may become closer to God, able to communicate with Him and understand truly what He wants from us. And most likely, what He wants us to do, is to live with love and compassion, caring for our brethren in need, forgiving one another our trespasses and mistakes, and devoting ourselves to works of mercy and kindness.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, today we are all called to be new and committed disciples and followers of our Lord. This is the challenge given to each and every one of us as Christians today. We should not be ignorant of what God wants us to do, or be fearful or be uncertain of what is expected of us. Rather, let us learn to surrender everything we have, everything that we are, to the Lord, so that by doing so, we may learn to obey the Lord and be closer to Him, and resist the temptations of evil, that in the end, we will be found worthy and faithful.

May the Lord bless us and all of our works, and may He inspire in our hearts, the strong desire to follow Him, to obey Him and all of His laws and precepts, that all the things we say and do, we will do it for the greater glory of God and not for our own selfish desires and benefits. God be with us all. Amen.

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Tuesday, 8 November 2016 : 32nd Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green
Luke 17 : 7-10

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “Who among you would say to your servant, coming in from the fields after plowing or tending sheep, ‘Go ahead and have your dinner?’ No, you tell him, ‘Prepare my dinner. Put on your apron, and wait on me while I eat and drink. You can eat and drink afterwards.'”

“Do you thank this servant for doing what you told him to do? I do not think so. And therefore, when you have done all that you have been told to do, you should say, ‘We are no more than servants; we have only done our duty.'”

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Tuesday, 8 November 2016 : 32nd Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green
Psalm 36 : 2, 18 and 23, 27 and 29

For they will fade as any green herb and soon be gone like withered grass.

The Lord watches over the lives of the upright; forever will their inheritance abide. The Lord is the One Who makes people stand, He gives firmness to those He likes.

Do good and shun evil, so that you will live secure forever. The righteous will possess the land; they will make it their home forever.

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Tuesday, 8 November 2016 : 32nd Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green
Titus 2 : 1-8, 11-14

Let your words strengthen sound doctrine. Tell the older men to be sober, serious, wise, sound in faith, love and perseverance. The older women in like manner must behave as befits holy women, not given to gossiping or drinking wine, but as good counsellors, able to teach younger women to love their husbands and children, to be judicious and chaste, to take care of their households, to be kind and submissive to their husbands, lest our faith be attacked.

Encourage the young men to be self-controlled. Set them an example by your own way of doing. Let your teaching be earnest and sincere, and your preaching beyond reproach. Then your opponents will feel ashamed and will have nothing to criticise.

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all, teaching us to reject an irreligious way of life and worldly greed, and to live in this world as responsible persons, upright and serving God, while we await our blessed hope – the glorious manifestation of our great God and Saviour Christ Jesus. He gave Himself for us, to redeem us from every evil and to purify a people He wanted to be His own and dedicated to what is good.