8th Week of Ordinary Time

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Wednesday, 29 May 2024 : 8th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Pope St. Paul VI, Pope (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Popes)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today the Sacred Scriptures presented us with the words of God’s truth and reminders for us to seek not worldly glory and ambitions in the midst of our Christian living and faith in the Lord, that our lives and actions should not be based on our wants and desires for worldly matters and glory, joy and satisfaction, for any attachments of worldly nature, all of which are truly meaningless and immaterial in the end. As Christians, each and every one of us are called to forgo all these kind of ambitions and desires, unhealthy attachments to the temptations of the world all around us. We are reminded to love the Lord our God, in Whom alone is our sole hope and the only source of our true happiness, as the world cannot provide us all with true happiness that last.

In our first reading today, taken from the Epistle of St. Peter, we heard of the words of the Apostle St. Peter, continuing from what we have heard in the past few days of his exhortations to the faithful people of God, as he spoke to them all about the matter of believing in God and His salvation, in everything that He had done for our sake. St. Peter told the faithful that it is not by our gold and silver that we have been saved, or by any worldly means, but rather through the great love and sacrifice which the Lord, our most loving God has shown us, through His Son, Jesus Christ Our Lord and Saviour, Whom He had sent into our midst that we may witness and experience directly the fullness of His love. This was why St. Peter told all the people of God that they must remember how it was through Christ that they had all been saved.

He exhorted all the faithful to achieve an internal purification and realignment with God, so that their whole lives may indeed be orientated and focused towards Him. In this world, there are indeed a lot of temptations and pleasures of the flesh that can easily mislead us down the wrong path towards our downfall and destruction. We must not allow all those from corrupting us and leading us astray from God’s path and righteousness. That is why as Christians we must always strive to keep our focus in the Lord and not on worldly things and matters. Unfortunately, the reality is such that many people are ensnared in their endless desires for material goods and wealth, for the glory of the world and for other worldly attachments that kept us from truly being able to commit ourselves wholly to the Lord.

Then, in our Gospel passage today from the Gospel of St. Mark, we heard of the moment when the two sons of Zebedee, who were both members of the Twelve, the closest inner circle among the Lord’s disciples, namely St. James and St. John, came together with their mother who asked the Lord to give special preference and treatment to her sons. The mother of St. James and St. John asked if the Lord could grant them a seat at His left and right side when He accomplished His mission, which was then commonly interpreted as the reestablishment of the Kingdom of Israel. As such, they were trying to gain favour from the Lord and gain earthly renown, glory and prestige, as to sit at the sides of the King was truly a very honourable position indeed.

This immediately brought about the ire of the other disciples who resented the two disciples’ efforts to climb over all of them. Contextually, the disciples of the Lord had been competing with each other, debating, quarrelling and grumbling among themselves on who was the most important and the most esteemed one among them. The Lord therefore made it clear to all of them that becoming His disciples and followers is not about chasing after worldly glory, pleasures and ambitions. Those who seek worldly glory and honour, ambitions and power are not worthy to be His disciples, as for the Lord, to follow Him means that they must always be focused on the Lord, and be ready even to suffer for the Lord’s sake, even to the point of losing everything, even their lives.

This is why as Christians, again we are all reminded not to allow ourselves to be easily swayed by the temptations of worldly glory, pleasures and ambitions. We must always focus ourselves on the Lord and His truth, and guard ourselves from the excesses of materialistic lifestyle and all the tempting things which the world has always offered us. The evil one and all of his forces are always ready at hand to strike at us, making use of all these temptations and things to turn us away from the Lord and drag us down the path towards our downfall and destruction. We must always strive to do what is good and right according to God’s will.

Today, the Church also celebrates the Feast of Pope St. Paul VI, one of the recent Popes who reigned beginning from the time of the Second Vatican Council about sixty years ago, and the predecessor of the much beloved Pope St. John Paul II. Pope St. Paul VI was born as Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini or more commonly known as Giovanni Battista Montini, into a family of rural nobility at the turn of the nineteenth to the twentieth centuries. He was born in what is today part of northern Italy, and entered the seminary at a young age, ordained as priest and beginning a long career afterwards in the diplomatic service of the Holy See and the Roman Curia. He was known for his great organisational skills and he eventually became an acquaintance and assistant to Cardinal Eugenio Pacelli, who would become Pope Pius XII.

The then Monsignor Montini worked in the Secretariat of State together with Archbishop Domenico Tardini as close confidants of Pope Pius XII during the years of the Second World War and its aftermath. He helped to reply the letters to the Pope from various parts of the world in his capacity as an assistant and secretary, as the Pro-Secretary of State of the Holy See, managing the often difficult diplomatic situations at the time, as well as the problems with refugees and food shortage in Rome and its vicinity. And then, afterwards, after the war, Pope Pius XII eventually appointed Archbishop Montini to be the Archbishop of Milan after the death of the previous Archbishop. As Archbishop of Milan, Archbishop Montini, the future Pope continued to work diligently for the sake of his flock, and he was noted for his closeness to the workers and the less privileged.

When Pope St. John XXIII succeeded Pope Pius XII, he made Archbishop Montini as a Cardinal, and in the later preparations for the Second Vatican Council, Cardinal Montini was often involved in its many preparatory sessions. When Pope St. John XXIII passed away early in the sessions of the Second Vatican Council, Cardinal Montini was the clear favourite to succeed him, and he was indeed elected as Pope in the Year of Our Lord 1963, where he continued the good works of his predecessors, reforming the Church through the successful completion and conclusion of the Second Vatican Council, together with other series of reforms to the pastoral approach and governance of the Church.

Through his many efforts in reaching out to the marginalised and in reforming the approaches of the Church in evangelisation and in the interactions between the Church and the world, Pope St. Paul VI helped to bring the Church to more and more people, proclaiming the faith to more of those who have not yet known the Lord, and at the same time also help the world to understand the Church and the Christian faith, its teachings and all the precepts of the Christian faith more clearly. Pope St. Paul VI continued to work hard and to do lots of wonderful deeds throughout his Pontificate, inspiring many of the faithful even to this day through his good examples and commitment to God. He showed us all how we should live our lives as Christians, ever centred on God and not on the many worldly temptations around us.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore commit ourselves anew to the Lord in the same way, following the good examples of Pope St. Paul VI and the many other great saints, holy men and women of God, in their lives and examples so that our own lives may truly shine forth, proclaiming God’s truth and salvation to more and more people. May all of us continue to do our part in our own respective ways, in our various callings and missions, to do what the Lord had entrusted to us to do, for His greater glory, and not for our own personal ambitions or worldly fame, satisfaction or pleasures. Let us all shun all the worldly ambitions, our ego and pride, and do our best so that our lives may truly be holy and worthy of God, at all times. Amen.

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Wednesday, 29 May 2024 : 8th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Pope St. Paul VI, Pope (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Popes)

Mark 10 : 32-45

At that time, Jesus and His disciples were on the road going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead. The Twelve were anxious, and those who followed were afraid. Once more Jesus took the Twelve aside to tell them what was to happen to Him.

“You see we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be given over to the chief priests and the teachers of the Law. They will condemn Him to death, and hand Him over to the foreigners, who will make fun of Him, spit on Him, scourge Him and kill Him; but three days later He will rise.”

James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus and said to Him, “Master, we want You to grant us what we are going to ask of You.” And He said, “What do you want Me to do for you?” They answered, “Grant us to sit, one at Your right hand and one at Your left, when You come in Your glory.”

But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I drink, or be baptised in the way I am baptised?” They answered, “We can.” And Jesus told them, “The cup that I drink, you will drink; and you will be baptised in the way that I am baptised; but to sit at My right hand or at My left is not Mine to grant. It has been prepared for others.”

On hearing this, the other ten were angry with James and John. Jesus then called them to Him and said, “As you know, the so-called rulers of the nations behave like tyrants, and those in authority oppress the people. But it shall not be so among you; whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you shall make himself slave of all. Think of the Son of Man, Who has not come to be served but to serve, and to give His life to redeem many.”

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Wednesday, 29 May 2024 : 8th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Pope St. Paul VI, Pope (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Popes)

Psalm 147 : 12-13, 14-15, 19-20

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

He grants peace on your borders and feeds you with the finest grain. He sends His command to the earth and swiftly runs His word.

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, 29 May 2024 : 8th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Pope St. Paul VI, Pope (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Popes)

1 Peter 1 : 18-25

Remember, that you were freed from the useless way of life of your ancestors, not with gold and silver, but with the precious Blood of the Lamb without spot or blemish. God, Who has known Christ before the world began, revealed Him to you in the last days. Through Him, you have faith in God, Who raised Him from the dead, and glorified Him, in order that you might put all your faith and hope in God.

In obeying the truth, you have gained interior purification, from which comes sincere mutual love. Love one another, then, with all your heart, since you are born again, not from mortal beings, but with enduring life, through the word of God, Who lives and remains forever. It is written : All flesh is grass and its glory like the flowers of the field. The grass withers and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord endures forever. This word, is the Gospel, which has been brought to you.

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Tuesday, 28 May 2024 : 8th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, we are all reminded of the words of the Sacred Scriptures today of the need for us all as Christians to be always committed to God at all times, so that by our every efforts and endeavours, in our every words, actions and deeds throughout our lives, we will always be faithful to God. We are all also called to be holy as our Lord is Holy, and to be exemplary in all that we do that despite the challenges we may be facing in life, we will always inspire one another and strengthen our fellow brothers and sisters to persevere through those many challenges that we may have to face amidst those difficult moments. We are reminded that as Christians we may have to bear through difficulties and sufferings in our journey just as the Lord Himself had suffered.

In our first reading today, we heard from the First Epistle of St. Peter in which St. Peter the Apostle continued with his exhortation to all the faithful people of God in the Church to remind them all of everything which God had done through His Son, Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Saviour, and the Holy Spirit that He had sent into the world, to strengthen all of His beloved people despite the trials and challenges that they might have to face. St. Peter also quoted the prophets of the days past, who had foretold of the coming of the Lord and His salvation in Christ, who did not know of the full details and truth, and yet longed to see the salvation and light of God. Those prophets themselves also faced a lot of hardships and struggles as we all will know well if we read through the Old Testament.

St. Peter was preparing the faithful for the trials and tribulations that they might have to face and endure amidst those challenging moments, when their faith would be tested by those who seek the destruction of the Church and the Christian faith. He was telling them all not to give up on their faith and to remain true to their commitment and dedication to God, so that in everything that they say and do, they would continue to obey the Lord, following His path and being true to their Christian faith despite the challenges and trials that they might have to suffer from. This would indeed come true as the Church would face lots of hardships, persecutions and trials from not only the Jewish authorities, but also the Roman government and other organisations and figures that refused to believe in the Lord and His truth.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard from the Gospel of St. Mark, in which a similar theme was raised to us, as the Lord Jesus spoke to His disciples about the matter of following Him and committing themselves to Him and His path. As He has called them all to be His followers and disciples and at that time, they had to leave behind their families and professions, everything that they do so that they can commit themselves wholly and completely to the Lord’s missions and works, He told them all that each and every one of their sacrifices and what they had done for the Lord’s sake and for the salvation of many are known to the Lord and will not be forgotten. The Lord wanted to reassure them all that no matter what sufferings and hardships that they might encounter in their journey and ministry, He would always be with them to the very end.

This is the same hope and light that we also look forward to in our own respective lives, brothers and sisters in Christ, that is the light and hope of God’s salvation and grace, the eternal life and true joy that we all shall experience with Him at the end of it all. We believe that the Lord is always with us, His beloved Church, His people and flock, all of whom He had called and gathered from all over throughout the whole world to be His disciples and followers. We may indeed encounter hardships, challenges and trials in our path, but we must not easily be dissuaded or coerced to give up our struggle and faith in God, because ultimately, whatever sufferings we face and encounter, all of these will not be the end, but our end will be the ultimate joy and glory we will have in the Lord.

That is why we should look upon the inspiration and examples shown to us by our holy predecessors, the many holy men and women who had gone before us, the saints and martyrs of the Church. Many among them had to experience these challenges and hardships which had caused them lots of pains and inconveniences, tears and struggles, and even most painful deaths and humiliations, but they faced it all with grace and submission to God. Like the Apostles before them, and as St. Peter had said, God Himself was with His people, patiently guiding and helping them in their respective journeys and ministries. He has given them all His strength and encouragement so that they might continue to strive and persevere through the difficult moments in their lives.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore continue to put our faith and trust in the Lord despite the difficulties and challenges that we may be facing now in our lives. Let us all remember that God Himself has sent to us His only begotten Son, Our Lord and Saviour Himself, to be with us and to suffer for our sake. He has suffered the most grievous and most painful death for our salvation, to journey together with all of us and to carry His Cross together with the crosses that we carry in our own respective lives. Let us all be ever grateful and appreciative of everything that He had done for our sake, for the salvation of our souls and the liberation from the power of sin and death. And let us all be generous in helping one another to endure these various sufferings and burdens that each one of us have to endure as well.

May the Lord our most loving God and Master continue to be with us in our every efforts and endeavours, in all of our journeys and works, in everything that we do for the sake of His greater glory and for the salvation of many souls, our fellow brothers and sisters. May He continue to strengthen us all that we may continue to be good and worthy role models in every moments of our lives, that we may truly be the worthy beacons of God’s light, truth and Good News to all the people. Amen.

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Tuesday, 28 May 2024 : 8th Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Mark 10 : 28-31

At that time, Peter spoke up and said, “We have given up everything to follow You.” Jesus answered, “Truly, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters, or father or mother, or children, or lands, for My sake and for the Gospel, who will not receive his reward.”

“I say to you : even in the midst of persecution, he will receive a hundred times as many houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and lands in the present time, and in the world to come eternal life. Do pay attention : many who are now first will be last, and the last, first.”

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Tuesday, 28 May 2024 : 8th Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 97 : 1, 2-3ab, 3cd-4

Sing to YHVH a new song, for He has done wonders; His right hand, His holy arm, has won victory for Him.

YHVH has shown His salvation, revealing His justice to the nations. He has not forgotten His love, nor His faithfulness to Israel.

The farthest ends of the earth all have seen God’s saving power. All you, lands, make a joyful noise to YHVH, break into song and sing praise.

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Tuesday, 28 May 2024 : 8th Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

1 Peter 1 : 10-16

This was the salvation for which the prophets so eagerly looked when, in days past, they foretold the favour of God, with regard to you. But they could only investigate when the Spirit of Christ present within them, pointed out the time and the circumstances, of this – the sufferings of Christ, and the glories which would follow.

It was revealed to them, that they were working, not for themselves, but for you. Thus, in these days, after the Holy Spirit has been sent from heaven, the Gospel’s preachers have taught you these mysteries, which even the Angels long to see.

So, then, let your spirit be ready. Be alert, with confident trust, in the grace you will receive, when Jesus Christ appears. Like obedient children, do not return to your former life, given over to ignorance and passions. Imitate the One Who called you. As He is holy, so you, too, be holy, in all your conduct, since Scripture says : Be holy for I am holy.

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Monday, 27 May 2024 : 8th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Augustine of Canterbury, Bishop (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Bishops)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day as we listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are all reminded that to be true and genuine Christians, often times we may have to face hardships, challenges and trials, all of which may be part of our path and journey in life. We have also been reminded of the need for all of us to follow and obey God’s Law and commandments, all the things which He had revealed and given to us to be our guide and help in our journey towards Him, as a means to help us to keep a most worthy and virtuous life, that by our every words, actions and deeds, everyone will know that we are indeed Christians, those whom God had called and chosen to be His own. This is what God had entrusted to us, and what God has also expected for us to do in each and every one of our lives.

In our first reading today, we heard from the first Epistle of St. Peter in which St. Peter the Apostle spoke of the great joy that all of the faithful ought to experience and commemorate because of everything that the Lord Himself had done for them, in sending His own Son to be our Saviour, to lift us all up from our sorry state in this world, to uplift us from all of our sufferings and to assure us of the everlasting life that will be ours if we put our faith and trust in Him, and if we continue to uphold the faith which we all should have in Him and in all the things He has done for us. At the same time, St. Peter also reminded the faithful and hence all of us that there will likely be sufferings and challenges facing us, just as there will be joy for us in being the followers and disciples of the Lord.

This is a reminder for all of us that we must always do whatever we can so that our lives and our whole existence will always be focused and centred on the Lord, our God in all things. We must not allow the many temptations and coercions present all around us from tempting and pulling us away from the path towards God and His salvation. We must also not easily lose our faith in Him, especially whenever we are facing hardships and difficulties in the midst of following God and His commandments. There may be time when all the challenges and hardships facing us may tempt us to give in to the pressures of the world all around us, but we should always be strong and we should inspire one another to remain faithful to God.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, we heard something similar to what we have heard from the Epistle of St. Peter earlier on. In this occasion, we first heard of the encounter between the Lord Jesus and a rich man who wanted to follow Him, and when the Lord asked him about having fulfilled and obeyed the commandments of God, the rich man could not commit himself to leave everything that he had behind, all the riches and the properties, all the goods and material wealth that he had possessed and follow the Lord. The Lord then used this example to show His disciples that becoming His disciples and followers is not something that may be as easy as they thought.

The Lord mentioned that it was indeed hard for those who have riches to enter into the kingdom of God. However, we must understand that the Lord was not actually against those who are rich and have more material possessions. Instead, the issue was actually more with those who are so attached to the worldly possessions, glory and pleasures that they are unable to let them go. All these wealth, possessions and worldly things are not in themselves evil, as they can both be used for good and evil things. But it is when we allow our desires and attachments to those worldly matters and pleasures to overcome us and to lead us astray that it becomes a problem, and it is this attachment and desires that the Lord is warning us against.

The Lord wants us all to know that we must always prioritise Him in all things, to live our lives always in His path and doing whatever it is that He has taught us to do. Each and every one of us as His beloved and holy people should always strive to keep ourselves free from sins, from all wickedness and from the excessive attachments and desires of the world. Instead, we should always be full of genuine love, care and concern for our fellow brothers and sisters around us, showing God’s love in all of our words, actions and deeds that we may truly love Him first and foremost, and then show the same love to all the others, our fellow brothers and sisters. Those of us who have been blessed with more, we should share our bountiful blessings with those who have less or none. The more we have been entrusted with, the more then we have been called to share.criticising all the rich people and all those who did have lots of wealth and possessions.

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Augustine of Canterbury, a great missionary and servant of God who was also the first Archbishop of Canterbury that played a great role in the reestablishment of the Church structures, hierarchy and institutions in the then Anglo-Saxon period England. St. Augustine of Canterbury was born in what is today Italy during the late sixth century, and he was the prior of a monastery in the vicinity of Rome before he embarked on a missionary journey to Britain under the command from Pope St. Gregory the Great, who sent him and other missionaries to various parts of the world to evangelise and to spread the Good News of the Lord to more and more people all throughout the known world.

St. Augustine of Canterbury landed in Britain and began his ministry among the Anglo-Saxons in the region of Kent in southern England. The Christian faith had been established earlier on in Britain prior to the arrival of St. Augustine of Canterbury and his mission, but due to the invasion of the Anglo-Saxons in the two centuries before the coming of St. Augustine of Canterbury, the pagan Anglo-Saxons had undone much of the works which the earlier Christians had laid. St. Augustine of Canterbury initially faced quite a significant set of hardships and challenges in his mission, as while he managed to gain great successes with the conversion of many among the pagan Anglo-Saxons, including the King of Kent himself, but he faced opposition from the other more resistant pagans and from the native British bishops who refused to submit to his authority.

Nonetheless, St. Augustine of Canterbury laboured hard and spent a lot of effort in establishing the firm foundation of the Church in England, establishing the Church institutions and continuing the works of evangelisation through which many more people would come to embrace the Christian faith, as well as preparing for the successor that would continue his works after he had gone from this world. St. Augustine has always worked very hard to do even beyond his calling and ministry, in persevering to do God’s will even amidst the hardest challenges and trials. He is our great role model and inspiration, for all of us to follow in his footsteps in doing our best, sharing our love and faith with one another, in living our lives most worthily and righteously in God’s path at all times.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the examples of St. Augustine of Canterbury, his commitment and dedication to the mission entrusted to him by the Lord and the Pope, and everything that he had done for the propagation of the Christian faith, let us all continue to be good role models and inspirations for one another, and be the faithful and worthy bearers of God’s truth and Good News at all times. May the Lord continue to help us to persevere amidst all the challenges and trials that we may have to face in our journey. May God bless our every endeavours and may He strengthen one of us in our various vocations and missions in life, that we may be holy and missionary, courageous and evangelising as St. Augustine of Canterbury had done. Amen.

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Monday, 27 May 2024 : 8th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Augustine of Canterbury, Bishop (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Bishops)

Mark 10 : 17-27

At that time, just as Jesus was setting out on His journey again, a man ran up, knelt before Him and asked, “Good Master, what must I do to have eternal life?”

Jesus answered, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments : Do not kill, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not bear false witness, do not cheat, honour your father and mother.” The man replied, “I have obeyed all these commandments since my childhood.”

Then Jesus looked steadily at him and loved him and He said, “For you, one thing is lacking. Go, sell what you have and give the money to the poor, and you will have riches in heaven. Then come and follow Me.” On hearing these words, his face fell and he went away sorrowful, for he was a man of great wealth.

Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, “How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God” The disciples were shocked at these words, but Jesus insisted, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”

They were more astonished than ever and wondered, “Who, then, can be saved?” Jesus looked steadily at them and said, “For human beings it is impossible, but not for God; all things are possible with God.”