9th Week of Ordinary Time

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Sunday, 2 June 2024 : Ninth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday we are all reminded that we all exist for God and all the things we do in this life, our every moments, our whole beings, our whole reason for living should indeed be for the Lord, to glorify and to praise Him ceaselessly, for all the great and wonderful things which He had done for us. Each and every one of us have been called to follow the path of the Law, to obey His Law and to do whatever is needed for us so that our lives may truly be holy and worthy of Him. However, at the same time, we are also reminded that we must practice our faith in the manner that is truly embodying our faith, and develop a genuine and loving relationship with God, through those actions and piety which we have carried out in our daily living, or else, we are no better than hypocrites and unbelievers.

In our first reading this Sunday we heard from the Book of Deuteronomy in which Moses reminded the people of Israel, God’s first chosen people to observe the Sabbath day, which is the last or seventh day in the week. The Sabbath is a day of rest in which work and labour, activities that are not focused on the Lord are not allowed and when the people of God were encouraged to spend their time in prayer and devotion to God, firstly in connection with how the Lord Himself also rested on the seventh day when He created the Universe and the whole world. This day of Sabbath rest was also then meant to remind the people that they were truly God’s people and their livelihood, their activities and all their daily living should have God as the centre and focus of all things.

That was the intention and purpose why the Sabbath Law was enacted and imposed by the Lord on His people, the Israelites. As otherwise, it would have been very easy for the people to forget about God, to go on with their daily lives and activities, in their pursuits for glory and wealth, for worldly satisfactions and pleasures. All of these would have drawn the people ever further away from God and His salvation. Throughout time and history, again and again, people have been swayed by the many temptations of worldly glory, forgetting about God and His teachings, His path and truth that they ended up falling ever more and deeper into the path towards their ruin and destruction in sin. This is what the Lord wanted to prevent, and what He sought to avoid by instituting a day dedicated for everyone to keep holy and committed to Him, rather than to their various jobs and preoccupations.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, we heard from the Gospel of St. Mark in which the Lord was confronted by the Pharisees who were criticising His disciples for having committed and carried out actions that were supposedly forbidden and outlawed during the Sabbath. Contextually, the Pharisees were those who were very particular about the way how the Law was to be observed and practiced, and they paid close attention to the Sabbath Law as well. To them, who advocated very literal and strict interpretation of the Law, absolutely no activity of all sorts could be done by anyone, not even when those activities were to be done out of necessity and for good and worthy purposes. And this was why they criticised the Lord and His disciples for their works and actions on the Sabbath.

The Pharisees upheld such beliefs and practices because, in opposition to the other dominant group, the Sadducees, representing those Jewish elites who had been exposed and supported Hellenic or Greek influences, the Pharisees wanted to preserve the Jewish ways and customs, practices and other beliefs very closely. However, in their obsession to do so, they became stubborn and selfish in their behaviours and ways, thinking that they alone were able to interpret the Law and their version of the Law and its observances alone could be followed, and anyone else who did not practice the Law in the manner that they had done, all of them had erred and ought to be condemned and criticised. The Lord pointed out to them therefore the folly of their ways and their arguments.

The Lord Jesus healed a paralysed man in the synagogue before those self-righteous and proud Pharisees, pointing out to them the folly of their idea that absolutely no actions could be done by anyone, not even those that brought about good deeds and glorification of God. The Lord wanted to remind all of us through this that the Sabbath was meant to help redirect us and our attention towards God, but was never meant to oppress and chain us with obligations and with restrictions that could even cause harm. For example, when those disciples were hungry, as they had been going from places to places to minister to the people of God, they indeed had to eat, and it was a necessity that they had to pluck the grains and feed themselves even on the Sabbath day.

This is why, brothers and sisters in Christ, it is imperative that we truly understand and appreciate why God had reached out to us, showing us the path for us to follow Him through His Law and commandments. Such laws and regulations were put in place to help us all, as God’s people to keep our lives centred and focused on God, but not to make our lives and existence difficult and tough. Otherwise, that led to what happened to those Pharisees who took the Law to the other extreme, by focusing so much on the details and the way the Law had to be applied, observed and practiced, that they forgot and overlooked the true intention and purpose of the Law of God, which is to lead mankind back towards God. Instead, through their overly strict application of the Law and their self-righteous and high-handed actions and manners, those Pharisees had done the opposite instead.

Therefore, brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday as we have been reminded by the Lord to turn our attention and focus back towards Him, let us all hence be committed to Him and be truly genuine in following God in all of our words, actions and deeds, and not merely paying lip service to the Lord and yet our hearts and minds are not directed and focused on Him. Each and every one of us should always strive to grow ever stronger in our commitment and faith, and we should do our best so that we may ourselves be good inspirations and strength for one another, at all times. May the Lord continue to encourage and strengthen us all in faith, and may He bless us all in our every efforts, good works and endeavours, to obey Him genuinely and lovingly through His Law and commandments. Amen.

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Sunday, 2 June 2024 : Ninth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Mark 2 : 23 – Mark 3 : 6

At that time, one Sabbath the Lord was walking through grain fields. As His disciples walked along with Him, they began to pick the heads of grain and crush them in their hands. Then the Pharisees said to Jesus, “Look! They are doing what is forbidden on the Sabbath!”

And He said to them, “Have you never read what David did in his time of need; when he and his men were very hungry? He went into the House of God, when Abiathar was High Priest, and ate; the bread of offering, which only the priests are allowed to eat, and he also gave some to the men who were with him.”

Then Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Master even of the Sabbath.”

Again, Jesus entered the synagogue. A man, who had a paralysed hand, was there; and some people watched Jesus : would He heal the man on the Sabbath? If He did, they could accuse Him.

Jesus said to the man with the paralysed hand, “Stand there, in the centre.” Then He asked them, “What does the Law allow us to do on the Sabbath? To do good or to do harm? To save life or to kill?” But they were silent.

Then Jesus looked around at them with anger and deep sadness at their hardness of heart. And He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was healed. As soon as the Pharisees left, they met with Herod’s supporters, looking for a way to destroy Jesus.

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Sunday, 2 June 2024 : Ninth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Second Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

2 Corinthians 4 : 6-11

God, Who said, ‘Let the light shine out of darkness’, has also made the light shine in our hearts to radiate, and to make known the glory of God, as it shines in the face of Christ.

However, we carry this treasure in vessels of clay, so that this all-surpassing power may not be seen as ours, but as God’s. Trials of every sort come to us, but we are not discouraged.

We are left without answer, but do not despair; persecuted but not abandoned, knocked down but not crushed. At any moment, we carry, in our person, the death of Jesus, so, that, the life of Jesus may also be manifested in us.

For we, the living, are given up continually to death, for the sake of Jesus, so, that, the life of Jesus may appear in our mortal existence.

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Sunday, 2 June 2024 : Ninth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 80 : 3-4, 5-6, 7-8a, 10-11ab

Start the music, strike the timbrel, play melodies on the harp and lyre. Sound the trumpet at the new moon, on our feast day, when the new moon is full.

This is a decree for Israel, an ordinance of the God of Jacob, a statute He wrote for Joseph when he went out of Egypt. They heard a voice they did not know: “Open wide your mouth and I will fill it.”

“I relieved your shoulder from burden; I freed your hands. You called in distress, and I saved you.”

There shall be no strange god among you, you shall not worship any alien god, for I, YHVH, am your God.

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Sunday, 2 June 2024 : Ninth Sunday of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Deuteronomy 5 : 12-15

Take care to keep holy the Sabbath day, as YHVH, your God, commands you. You have six days to work and do your tasks. But the seventh day is the Day of Rest in honour of YHVH, your God. Do not do any work, you or your child, or your servant, or your ox, or your donkey, or any of your animals. Neither will the foreigner who lives in your land work. Your servant will rest just like you.

Remember that you were once enslaved in the land of Egypt from where YHVH, your God, brought you out with His powerful hand and outstretched arm. For that reason, YHVH, your God, commands you to observe the Sabbath.

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Saturday, 10 June 2023 : 9th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

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

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, through what we have heard in our Scripture passages today, each and every one of us are reminded that as Christians, that is as God’s beloved people, all of us are called and expected to do our best to sincerely commit ourselves to the Lord, to His path and truth. Each and every one of us ought to live our lives righteously and devotedly, following the Law and commandments of God and being truly filled with love and faith in the Lord. We should not just pay lip service or be hypocrites in how we live our faith, as what quite a lot of our predecessors had done. Instead, all of us are called and even challenged to be truly devoted in all things, and to show our faith in our world today, even when we are faced with challenges and trials in life, and when things and outlook seem to be dim for us.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of Tobit, we heard of the moment when the Archangel Raphael, who had been sent to him and his family to help them, revealed himself to Tobit, his son Tobias and his family. The Archangel Raphael had been sent with the mission from God to help Tobit and Sara, who would become Tobias’ wife, from their respective predicaments. And although each one of them had suffered greatly from those hardships, but they still entrusted themselves to the Lord, prayed and asked Him for help and guidance. Tobit in particular remained firm in his faith and his righteous way of life, that despite having been brought into exile with quite a few of his fellow Israelites, but he kept on observing the Law and the commandments of the Lord, and kept alive his commitment and dedication to God.

That was why God sent one of His own Archangels to help Tobit and Sara, and in the process helped Tobit to regain his eyesight and also the honour for his family, and for his son Tobias to get a wife in Sara, whom God had also liberated from the tyranny and depredations from the demon Asmodeus. The Lord brought them out of their misery and hardships, and restored them to a blessed and comfortable, happy and fulfilled existence, as a sign and affirmation of just how dearly beloved each and every one of us are by the Lord. Those who have kept their faith in God and has obeyed His Law and commandments will be blessed, protected and guided by Him, and if we give ourselves wholeheartedly to the Lord, then we shall gain in return even more than what we have generously committed to Him.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard something of the sorts with the account of the moment when the Lord criticised the actions and way of life of the teachers of the Law and the Pharisees, whom the Lord criticised as being hypocrites and wicked in their way of life, and while they were outwardly being pious and devoted, in their very much public show of faith and all of their prayers, but the Lord pointed out the nature of their hypocrisy and lack of genuine faith in God. As He then later immediately compared to the actions and the faith of an old and poor widow who came to the Temple and gave everything she had to the Temple treasury although she only had two small coins that she probably might have needed for her own use and survival. Yet, the poor widow willingly gave from her own heart, to be given to God and for others.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, that is why each and every one of us are reminded and constantly told to keep faithfully the Law and commandments of God, and also to resist the many temptations and all the things which have kept us away from God and from His path. All of us are reminded to keep our faith in God alive in us, and we are all reminded that God should be at the centre and He should be the focus and emphasis of our lives, our every actions and works, and He should be the reason why we carry out our actions in life, in everything we say and do. And by doing His will, and obeying His Law and commandments, all of us can be inspiration and great role models for one another, that our every actions and way of life may bring forth good things not just for ourselves but also for our fellow brothers and sisters in faith, especially to those who are still struggling with hardships and trials in their lives.

Just as the examples of Tobit and Sara, and how they kept their faith and trust in the Lord, and how the Lord helped and strengthened them, and rescued them in the end, let us all be inspired and be strengthened in our faith and resolve to devote ourselves with ever greater intensity and commitment, so that we may be truly faithful to the Lord, in all things, and not just in appearances only. Like those Pharisees and the teachers of the Law that the Lord Himself cricitised, they have allowed worldly ambitions, greed and the desires for pleasures, human praise, fame and renown to corrupt and mislead them down the wrong path in life. That was why they ended up putting their own selfish interests and desires above their duty and obligation to serve the Lord and to do His will. They put their own worldly desires as the focus and the centre of attention of their lives, and this was why the Lord criticised them.

Now, are we all willing to commit ourselves to the Lord anew, with renewed vigour and zeal, and return Him to the centre stage of our lives, and to put Him as the focus and emphasis of our existence, in our every moments in life? Are we willing and able to do what God has called on us to do, to be great and committed disciples and servants of His cause, in doing our best to live our lives as best as we can as Christians, in being great role models and inspirational examples in all the things we say and do, and in our every interactions. Through all of these things, that is how we can lead more and more people to come to the Lord and to believe in Him. It is our duty and obligation to be the beacons and channels of God’s light, truth, love and Good News, and we can do this by living our lives as best as we can, in remaining firmly committed to the path that the Lord had shown us, just like Tobit and many others among our holy predecessors had done.

May the Lord, our most loving Master and Creator continue to help and guide us all throughout our journey in life. And may He empower each one of us so that we may indeed be worthy disciples and followers of His, and that we may be able and willing to commit ourselves wholeheartedly and thoroughly to His cause, and able to give of ourselves generously to Him, just as the poor, old widow in our Gospel passage today had done. May God bless our every efforts, good works and endeavours, now and always. Amen.

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Saturday, 10 June 2023 : 9th Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

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

Mark 12 : 38-44

At that time, as Jesus was teaching, He also said to His disciples, “Beware of those teachers of the Law, who enjoy walking around in long robes and being greeted in the marketplace, and who like to occupy reserved seats in the synagogues, and the first places at feasts. They even devour the widow’s and the orphan’s goods while making a show of long prayers. How severe a sentence they will receive!”

Jesus sat down opposite the Temple treasury, and watched the people dropping money into the treasury box; and many rich people put in large offerings. But a poor widow also cane and dropped in two small coins. Then Jesus called His disciples and said to them, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all those who gave offerings. For all of them gave from their plenty, but she gave from her poverty, and put in everything she had, her very living.”

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Saturday, 10 June 2023 : 9th Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

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

Tobit 13 : 2cdef, 6fghi, 7klmn

God makes people go down to hell and rise up again. No one can escape His hand.

If you turn back to Him with all your heart and soul, and live justly before Him, then He will turn back to you and will no longer hide His face from you.

See what He has done for you and return Him thanks aloud. Bless the Lord who alone is just and praise the King of ages.

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Saturday, 10 June 2023 : 9th Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

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

Tobit 12 : 1, 5-15, 20

At that time, when the wedding feast was over, Tobit called Tobias, his son, and said to him, “Be sure you give the wages to the man who accompanied you, and we should add something extra.”

Then Tobias called the Angel and said to him, “Please take half of all that you have brought.” The Angel took Tobit and Tobias to one side and said to them, “Bless God, return thanks to Him, proclaim His glory and render Him thanks before all the living for all He has done for you. It is good to praise God and to exalt His Name, by making known in a worthy manner the story of God’s deeds. Do not be slow in giving Him thanks.”

“It is good to hide the secrets of kings but to make known publicly the works of God. Do the works of God. Do good, and evil will not harm you. It is a good thing to accompany prayer with fasting, almsgiving and justice. It is better to do a little with honour than much with injustice. It is better to give alms than to treasure up gold. Almsgiving preserves from death; it purifies from all sin. Those people who give alms and act justly will have a long life, but sinners only harm themselves.”

“I will hide nothing from you. Yes, I have said that it is good to keep the secrets of kings but to make known publicly the glorious works of God. Tobit, when you and your daughter-in-law Sara prayed, I kept the remembrance of your prayer before the Holy One; when you, Tobit, buried the dead, I was with you in the same way; and when you did not hesitate to rise up and leave your meal in order to hide the dead man, your good deed did not go unnoticed because I was with you.”

“Well, God sent me to cure you and also to cure Sara, your daughter-in-law. I am Raphael, one of the seven holy Angels who present the prayers of holy people and who stand before the glory of God. Now bless and give thanks to God, because I am returning to the One Who sent me. Write down in a book all that has happened.”

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Friday, 9 June 2023 : 9th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Ephrem, Deacon and Doctor of the Church (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Doctors of the Church)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, we are all reminded that healing and salvation will eventually come upon all the faithful, to all of us regardless of how and what we have suffered from, throughout all these time and moments while we are living in this world. The Lord gave us all His help and providence through various means and from sources and origins that we may not even be familiar with in the first place. Yet, everything will happen according to His will, and in the end, all those who have kept their faith in Him, will be rescued and strengthened, and they will no longer face suffering in the life that is to come, freed and liberated completely from the bondage and tyranny of sin and which He has promised to all of us. This is why we need to learn to have faith in the Lord and to trust in His love and grace.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of Tobit, we heard about the culmination of the tale of Tobit and his suffering from blindness, as Tobias, his son, has come together with the Archangel Raphael in disguise of a young man, Azarias, with the healing from God. Thus we heard how not only that God had freed and liberated Sara, the daughter of Ragouel from the assaults of the demon Asmodeus, and gave her to Tobias as wife, but also how Tobit, the righteous man of God was cured of his blindness, and received help from the Lord, Who remembered all the good deeds which Tobit had done and how he had turned to God during his darkest and most difficult moments, praying for Him to help and guide him throughout those difficult moments that he had to face throughout his journey and life.

Through the Archangel Raphael, who silently and secretly gave assistance to both Tobit and Sara, God helped His faithful ones from their respective predicaments, and both therefore were rescued and everything ended well for both of them. Afterwards, the Archangel Raphael would reveal himself to Tobit and his family, and reminding them that God has heard the prayers of His faithful ones, and reminded them to continue observing the Law and commandments of the Lord, to live righteously and justly in the presence of God at all times. This story of the healing of Tobit and the rescue of Sara should indeed serve as a source of great inspiration for all of us as Christians so that we may always live our lives ever more faithfully and devoutly in God’s Presence, and being ever committed to serve Him at all times.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, we also heard the Lord Jesus in our Gospel passage today, speaking about the coming of God’s salvation, which was in fact referring to Himself as the fulfilment of God’s promises and reassurances for His people, Himself as the Son and Heir of David, but also pointing out that He was not just like any other mere Man, as He was also the Son of God, the Almighty God Himself in the flesh, the Divine Word Incarnate. And His coming into this world heralded the coming of salvation and help for all of His faithful ones, and He reassured all of us therefore that He has always been there for us, providing for us and guiding us, and ultimately, giving us even His own most beloved Son, so that through Him, His Passion and loving sacrifice on the Cross, all of us may be saved from our impending destruction.

Today all of us through whatever we have heard and received from the Sacred Scriptures, we are all reminded that the Lord is always with us, by our side, journeying with us and watching over us. And we are all truly fortunate and blessed that we have such a loving God, Master and Father caring for us, even when we have often disobeyed Him, veered off and walked away from the path that He has shown us, betrayed Him and abandoned Him for other idols, pursuits of life and other distractions and temptations that have kept us away from the Lord and His true path. That is why today all of us are reminded to stay away from all those distractions and temptations, and we are reminded to remain vigilant and strong, to resist and to refuse to follow the lies and temptations of evil.

Today, the Church celebrates the feast of St. Ephrem the Deacon, a great man of God and servant of God whose life, works and dedications should serve as source of inspiration for all of us as Christians, in how each and every one of us ought to be living our lives with faith, with dedication and commitment to God. St. Ephrem was a Syrian Christian born during the last parts of the Diocletianic persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire, and he was baptised in his youth, eventually growing up as a devout Christian and becoming a venerable teacher of the faith, and was ordained as a Deacon to assist in the ministry of the Church in his local region. St. Ephrem spent significant amount time to teach and proclaim the Christian faith, the Good News of God and the Lord’s truth and love to many of the people around the region.

St. Ephrem was also credited in his teaching ministry and in the many works he was working on, in many matters of the faith and in theology, where he became the author of many great and inspirational works which still influenced and helped many future theologians and Church philosophers. St. Ephrem wrote extensively on many issues and he helped many people to come to know the Lord better, in his many songs, proses and many other works through which he helped to correct many of the faithful’s wrong ideas and thoughts, in his famous ‘Hymns against Heresies’ by which he helped many people to stay away from the false teachings of those who sought to divide the Church and harm the faithful people of God, misleading them for their own selfish desires and benefits. St. Ephrem was always hard at work to counter all these. For all of his many contributions and works, he was declared as one of the Doctors of the Church.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, are we able to remember the love and providence from God, which He has always provided for us? Are we willing to make the commitment and to put in the effort to do His will, as how St. Ephrem the Deacon and many others had done in their own lives? Let us all do whatever we can in our own lives, in our own areas of responsibilities so that we may truly be inspirational and good role models for our fellow brothers and sisters, in everything that we say and do. May the Lord also continue to guide and strengthen us in our lives, and empower us all to carry on living our Christian faith with ever greater devotion from now on. Amen.