Advent homily

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Wednesday, 20 December 2017 : 3rd Week of Advent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day as we are just a few days away from Christmas, we are reminded yet again by the readings taken from the Scriptures, speaking to us about the reason of our Christmas joy and celebrations. Christmas is truly about Christ, Who was born of the Blessed Virgin Mary, His mother two millennia ago in Bethlehem.

In the first reading today, we heard the prophet Isaiah in his interaction with the king Ahaz of Judah to whom God asked for him to request for a divine sign. What we have heard in that passage might be strange to us if we do not understand the context in which it had happened. If we read more about the king and the history of the kingdom of Judah in the Book of Kings and the Chronicles, then we will know that many of the kings of Judah had not been faithful to the Lord unlike David, their forefather.

Many of them had misled the people entrusted to them, and instead of obeying God and His commandments as instructed, they chose to worship the pagan gods and idols of their neighbours. Despite the works of the prophets who were sent to them, calling them to repent from their sins, many of the people persisted in their wicked ways and did not repent. They did not have faith in God, but rather in their own human intellect, strength and power.

That was why, when king Ahaz refused a sign from God, saying that he did not want to put God to the test, he was being hypocritical and not being humble or obedient as we might have thought otherwise. When on one hand he seemed to be humble by refusing to ask for a sign from God and testing God, but on the other hand, through his actions, king Ahaz as well as his ancestors had tried the patience of God many times, by their sins and disobedience.

Yet, we come to the essence of Christmas itself, as God Himself is always ever faithful to the Covenant which He had established with us mankind, and the love He has always had for each and every one of us. Christmas is about love, and not just about any kind of love the world knew, but the love of God made Man in Jesus Christ, Son of God, Son of Man, Our Lord and God.

His coming into this world was prophesied by the prophet Isaiah, to show that while we mankind had repeatedly disobeyed, betrayed and abandoned God, but God is ever faithful, and He would show them the ultimate sign and proof of His love, which was fulfilled in Jesus. The Archangel Gabriel who appeared to Mary in our Gospel passage today declared the complete fulfilment of this prophecy, as the Messiah was finally to be born into the world.

And indeed, if we reflect more deeply on today’s Scripture passages, we should immediately notice the contrast between the responses made by king Ahaz of Judah and by Mary, the mother of God. While king Ahaz refused to listen to God or to obey Him, Mary on the other hand listened to the Lord, and despite the uncertainty and fears that must have been in her mind and heart at the time, she devoted herself completely in obedience.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we approach Christmas, let us all realise that God has given us free will to choose whether we want to obey Him or to disobey Him. Thus, now, shall we choose wisely and pick the side of God, as Mary has done? Mary is the perfect role model for our faith, and by following her examples, we can only draw closer to the Lord and find our best and most straight way towards Him.

Let us imitate her humility and devotion to God, her righteous life and obedience to God’s will. By doing so, we will be able to truly appreciate the meaning of Christmas, as a celebration of God’s love. Let us therefore, be loving just as Our God has loved us, and show tender care and compassion for our fellow brothers and sisters, especially to those who are in need, and those who have little to spare for themselves that they too, may be able to rejoice in our celebrations as well.

May our upcoming Christmas celebrations be truly joyful and wonderful for the right reasons, and may through the grace of God, we find true peace and harmony in this wonderful time, as we rejoice for the coming of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Saviour, by Whose birth this world and its people have received salvation. Amen.

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Tuesday, 19 December 2017 : 3rd Week of Advent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we listened to the Scripture passages speaking to us about two faithful servants of God, one from the Old and one other from the New Testament times respectively. We heard today the circumstances that happened before their birth, and how their birth and lives were announced by Angels who appeared to their parents, declaring what they would do to glorify God.

In the first reading today we heard about the Judge of Israel, Samson, who was renowned for his great strength and victories against the Philistines who oppressed the people of Israel. The people disobeyed God and worshipped the pagan gods. Then God withdrew His might and that allowed the Philistines to oppress the Israelites and inflict grievous sufferings on them. But God did not abandon His people, for He still loved them, and He gave them a deliverer in Samson.

Ever since his conception, Samson has been consecrated to God, as a servant of God, and the Angel said that he was not to cut his hair or to consume strong drinks, as was common for all those who dedicated their lives to God at that time, also called the Nazirites. And God was with Samson throughout his life, giving him massive strength with which he liberated the Israelites from the Philistine oppression.

Similarly, in the Gospel today we heard about St. John the Baptist, whose conception and birth was also announced by the Angel to his father, Zechariah in the Temple of God. St. John the Baptist would also be dedicated and consecrated to God since he was in the womb of his mother, Elizabeth, living a life completely dedicated to God. St. John the Baptist was to become the herald of the Messiah, announcing the arrival of the Saviour of the world and calling the people to repentance to prepare the way for Him.

Through the story of these two devoted servants of God, who in their own respective ways lived faithfully and obeyed the missions entrusted to them, all of us as Christians should be inspired to walk in their footsteps. This is especially appropriate considering that we are in the middle of the season of Advent, as we prepare ourselves to be able to celebrate Christmas properly and worthily.

Let us remember why we celebrate Christmas in the first place, that it is all because of God and His great love for each and every one of us, the sons and daughters of man. It is a celebration about God and His love for us, which He had made truly real and concrete, through the embodiment of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Divine made Flesh, God Who assumed the flesh of Man, that He would become both God and Man, and it is this mystery that we celebrate in Christmas, of God made Man and born into the world.

And as Christians, meaning as those who believe in Christ as Our Lord and Saviour, we should truly understand the true joy of Christmas, and we ought to share this joy with one another, by becoming witnesses of the Gospel and the Good News of Christ, much as what the two servants of God had shown, namely Samson and St. John the Baptist. All of us should be inspired by their courageous faith and commitment, and we should also do the same with our lives.

That means, our Christmas celebrations should be one where we share our joy and blessings with others, especially those who have little or none with themselves which makes it hard for them to be able to rejoice as we are. Rather than focusing on the material aspects of our celebrations, as the world often promotes, let us make our Christmas a celebration that is truly Christ-centred and meaningful, because we embody the spirit of Christmas, that is love.

By loving our brethren in need, and sharing with them our joys, we have lived our faith in accordance to what God had taught us. And through all these, we will eventually grow stronger in our faith, and we will grow to appreciate the true meaning of Christmas ever more. May we have a good season of Advent, to prepare for a truly wonderful Christmas from now onwards. May God bless us all. Amen.

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Monday, 18 December 2017 : 3rd Week of Advent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we listened to the words of the Scriptures telling us more about the prophecy of the coming Saviour of the world, as we are now just about one week away from the celebration of Christmas. In today’s first reading, we heard again yet another of God’s promise to us mankind, that He would raise up for us a King and Saviour, the Son and Heir of David, Who would save the people and restore them to God’s loving grace.

And then in the Gospel passage, we heard about St. Joseph, the one who was betrothed to Mary, the mother of Our Lord Jesus Christ. St. Joseph found out that Mary had become pregnant before they were married, and therefore, by the custom of the Jewish people at the time, she probably had committed adultery with another man prior to her marriage. But St. Joseph was a devout and just man, who was mentioned in the Gospel as someone who would not want to disgrace Mary, her betrothed.

If we read in the Gospels, we would notice one occasion when the Pharisees brought a woman caught in the act of adultery and asked His advice whether she was to be blamed and stoned for her sin. That was how the people committing adulterous behaviour was treated at the time, and the same fate would likely have happened to Mary had St. Joseph revealed her pregnancy out of marriage. Why did he not do that? That is because, likely St. Joseph doubted that Mary could have committed adultery, given her piety and righteous upbringing.

Then, an Angel of God appeared to St. Joseph in a dream, revealing the same truth and God’s Good News that Gabriel the Archangel had delivered to Mary. Mary was pregnant because of God’s will, by the power of the Holy Spirit, bearing the Son of God within her. He is the Messiah or Saviour of the world which God had promised through His prophets, including through the prophet Jeremiah, in our first reading today.

St. Joseph accepted the role which God had entrusted him with, to be the foster-father and the legal father of the Messiah. St. Joseph was born into the family of David, the heir of the long empty throne of the king of Israel. And therefore, through St. Joseph, Jesus Christ is the Heir of David, as prophesied by God through Jeremiah. And through Our Lord Jesus, the salvation of this world has come.

Therefore, there are two things that we should take note today, as we reflect on what we have just heard and discussed with the Scripture passages of this day. First of all, we should always keep in mind, that Christmas is the celebration of Our Lord’s birth into this world, the Messiah long prophesied by the prophets, and finally came into the world. He is the Light of the world Who dispels the darkness of sin and death.

And as our Christmas celebrations are approaching fast, we should prepare ourselves physically, mentally and spiritually that we may be able to celebrate Christmas meaningfully, filled with faith and genuine understanding of its importance for us. Otherwise, we may end up losing the focus of our joy and celebrations, becoming more of a revelry and fun, but without knowing why we do so.

Then secondly, we should follow the examples of St. Joseph, the faithful servant of God, who have willingly embraced the role entrusted to him by the Lord. Our Lord Jesus might not be his biological Son, but St. Joseph loved him and protected Him much as his own Son, together with Mary as the Holy Family, as examples for Christian families everywhere. He protected Mary and the Baby Jesus at the time of her pregnancy, His birth, then exile to Egypt when king Herod wanted to kill Jesus, and then helped to bring up the young Jesus.

We should follow his examples, in his great faith, his upright and just attitude, and in his loving commitment to those whom he loved. As Christians we should devote ourselves in the same way, and seek to do our best to live in accordance with our faith. Let us all seek to be ever closer to God, so that we may be worthy of Him when He comes again at the end of time, to judge all of us. May we always walk in the grace of God. Amen.

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Sunday, 17 December 2017 : Third Sunday of Advent, Gaudete Sunday (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Rose (Gaudete Sunday) or Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this Sunday we enter into the third Sunday in the season of Advent, the time of preparation for the coming of Christmas. And we may have noticed something peculiar about today’s celebration of the Holy Mass, as we use a different liturgical colour, that is rose instead of purple or violet. That is because today we celebrate what is also known as Gaudete Sunday.

The word Gaudete comes from the first word in today’s Introit proper in Latin, ‘Gaudete’ which means ‘Joy’. In each of the four Sundays of Advent, we reflect on different aspects of our upcoming Christmas celebrations, from Peace, Hope, Joy and Love. And today we focus on the joyful aspect of our Christmas celebrations, and therefore the change in the liturgical colour signifies an allowance for a more vibrant celebration today as compared to the more solemn and penitential nature of the rest of the Advent season.

Yet, the first thing that we must ask ourselves today, is what is the joy of our Christmas celebrations. This may seem to be a silly question and many of us may be wondering why am I asking such a rhetorical and obvious question. However, do we realise that while many of us may know the answer to that question, ‘What is the joy of our Christmas celebrations?’, yet in our actions we are not doing what we think we know.

What am I talking about? I am talking about how many Christians know that Christmas is the joyous celebration remembering the historic and momentous event when Our Lord and God Himself, Who chose willingly to assume our humanity in Jesus Christ, His Son, was born into the world and God has entered into our midst, fulfilling His long promised salvation for us all who are faithful to Him. And yet, many of us do not celebrate Christmas for the right reasons.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, we know just how aggressive the marketing campaign for Christmas can be. Almost everywhere in the world where Christmas is celebrated, there are plenty of festivities and celebrations, and increasingly, year after year, the celebrations become ever more elaborate, materialistic and the saddest of all, secularised.

What I mean is that, more and more people dissociate Christmas from the very One person after Whom Christmas was named, and the very One Whose birth is commemorated at Christmas, that is Christ, Our Lord Jesus Christ. While there are still places where the Lord Jesus features prominently in the Christmas celebrations, how much less popular He is in many other places compared to other familiar Christmas figures we know of!

For example, we can be sure that in almost all Christmas celebrations we always have a Christmas tree, wonderfully decorated with lights and presents underneath the tree. Yet, how many of us know the reason why we make Christmas trees and decorate them as such to celebrate this momentous event?

The Christmas tree in fact represents Christ, as the evergreen tree used for the tree represents the life that Christ gives to the world. At most of the places where Christmas is celebrated, it occurs during the time of winter, when everything is covered with snow and temperature is so low that nothing can live except the evergreen trees that can withstand the harsh conditions. It is symbolic of Christ giving life into the world by His coming through Christmas.

How about the lights and all the decorations that are placed on the Christmas trees? How about the gifts we place under the tree and the star that usually crowns the top of the Christmas tree? They also represent Christ, Who is the light of the world. As the prophet Isaiah said in the reading used for the Christmas Midnight Mass, ‘a people who lived in darkness have seen a great light’, and this Light is Christ.

The gifts represent the gift of Christ, as we should remember in the Gospel of St. John chapter 3 verse 16, the famous phrase, ‘God so loved the world, that He gave us His Beloved Son, that through Him all may be saved’. This is the ultimate gift that God has given us, the gift of love, and not just any kind of love, but ‘ultimate love’, for Christ Himself said, ‘there is no greater love than for someone to lay down his life for a friend’ and He laid down His life for us.

And the star atop the Christmas tree represent the Star of Bethlehem, which the three Magi saw, and they travelled a great distance from their homeland to come to the Saviour and King that the Star’s presence announced to the world. This Star is a symbol of faith and hope, and faith because the Magi had faith in God and they used the Star as a guiding light and their destination, and hope amidst the darkness of the land. As from the ancient times until today, the light of stars, sun and moon have guided us mankind in our journey, and therefore, Christ is our Light, our Hope and our Destination.

Therefore, as you can see, pretty much everything about the Christmas tree itself is about Christ! And yet, many of us may not have realised this fact, or that we are focusing on the wrong things. Many of us want to please our guests and family members who come to our houses for the Christmas celebrations, and many shopping malls and cities, companies and others try to outdo each other in raising up the best, the best decorated, the most beautiful and even largest Christmas trees. Yet, if we think about it carefully, are they, and indeed we, missing the point and the true spirit of Christmas?

And we always see Santa Claus and his chariot, driven by the reindeers around. We all know the story of how Santa Claus supposedly lives in the North Pole and has many elves who run a gift factory preparing many gifts for children around the world. And we know how Santa goes around in his magical chariot on Christmas Eve, and goes down the chimney to put the gifts secretly in the middle of the night, and magically the gifts appear in the morning to happy children?

All of them are fairy tales and fables crafted to entertain children and to entertain worldly fantasies. Unfortunately, not many people know the true origin of Santa Claus. Many of them associate Santa Claus with an elderly man dressed in red and white, with long moustache and beards, bearing a large sack filled with gifts. But the real Santa Claus is a saint, and one who was famous for his love for children, and the tradition that he gave gifts to children most likely have ended up being twisted eventually into the modern Santa Claus we know.

But the real Santa Claus is St. Nicholas of Myra, whose feast day we just celebrated earlier this month, a loving and kind servant of God, and yet one who was also zealous and filled with genuine devotion to God, and as tradition has it, he did not even hesitate to punch a heretic in the face, when Arius the heretic espoused and spoke heresies assembled at the Ecumenical Council of Nicaea.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, after our long discourse today about Christmas and all of its paraphernalia, and all the true reasons and purposes for all the Christmas traditions we see around us, are we convinced that our true joy of Christmas should indeed be Christ? Christmas is joyful because we have nothing less than God Himself, Master and Lord of all the universe, Who has willingly lowered and emptied Himself to take up our human existence, united to His divinity in Jesus Christ, equally God and equally Man, that through Him, and His ultimate loving sacrifice on the cross, we may have life in us?

Let us all tarry no longer and be distracted no longer by all the materialistic and secular celebrations of Christmas, but instead let us all seek to rediscover this true joy of our Christmas celebrations, that is Our Lord Jesus Christ. Let us restore Him to His rightful place in all of our celebrations, that is at the very centre and focus of all of our Christmas joy and happiness.

And as the Lord Himself has shown us, the examples of His love, then each and every one of us as Christians must also be empowered in the Christmas spirit of giving. Rather than giving expensive gifts to one another and expect a return from those who can give us back what we have given them, how about we give to those who have no joy with them this Christmas because they are not even able to make ends meet? Let us be generous with our charity and giving this Christmas.

As we continue to approach the time of Christmas, let us strive to be ever more understanding of the true meaning and joy of Christmas, that despite all the distractions of this world, we will not forget the true focus of all of our celebrations on this momentous occasion. May all of us draw ever closer to the Lord, and may we all find our true joy of Christmas. May God bless us all, now and always. Amen.

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Saturday, 16 December 2017 : 2nd Week of Advent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we listened to the discourses from the Sacred Scriptures speaking to us about two great persona in the Old and New Testament, whom through the revelation of Our Lord Jesus Himself, revealed the link between them. In the first reading, we heard about the prophet Elijah from the prophet Isaiah, who wrote about the wondrous miracles he performed, as well as the miraculous circumstances surrounding the moment when Elijah was taken up into heaven by flaming chariots, as one of the greatest of God’s prophets.

And then, in the Gospel passage today, the Lord Jesus spoke about the prophet Elijah, who according to the prophecies of the prophets, would come again, because he did not suffer death but lifted up into heaven by the will of God. And He explained indirectly that the prophet Elijah had indeed come again into the world, but many of the people did not believe in Him, and His disciples deduced that Jesus was referring to St. John the Baptist, who was the Herald of the Messiah.

Whether St. John the Baptist was truly Elijah in person who came down from heaven, was not really known to us, and in one occasion in the Gospel, when the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law asked St. John the Baptist, whether he was the prophet Elijah, he denied that he was the prophet. However, whatever God has done, is a mystery of our faith, and through the revelations that Our Lord Himself has revealed, our faith indeed has become richer and more meaningful.

For both the prophet Elijah and St. John the Baptist were truly faithful and devoted servants of God with many parallels to their stories. They had to contend with powerful rulers and kings, as the prophet Elijah had to deal with the wicked kings of Israel, particularly the king Ahab and his wicked wife, Jezebel, who led the people into sin of idolatry and pagan worship, while St. John the Baptist had to contend with king Herod Antipas who unlawfully married Herodias, his brother’s wife, as well as with the influential Pharisees and the teachers of the Law.

And the prophet Elijah had to flee from the wrath of the king for his works and wander in the desert, for many days, weeks and months, surviving in the wilderness, much like St. John the Baptist who lived in the same wilderness, while working the good works of the Lord, preparing the way for the Lord’s coming. Despite all the challenges and difficulties that these two faithful servants of God faced, they remained true and faithful to the missions to which they have been called to do.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we reflect on the lives and contributions that both the prophet Elijah and St. John the Baptist had done in their lives, let us be inspired by their zeal and commitment, in serving God and obeying His will, despite the challenges and difficulties which they had to face day after day, facing rejection and ridicule even from those who are close to them, much like Our Lord Himself.

As faithful Christians, all of us should walk the same path that Christ Himself had walked, the path of the cross, and the great sufferings associated with that cross. Did Christ not say that those who follow Him ought to take up their crosses and follow Him? If we are to be true Christians, then we must be prepared to face the difficulties and challenges which may come our way as we live our lives according to our Christian faith.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all prepare ourselves thoroughly for the celebrations of Christmas, that we may celebrate it worthily with true joy, rejoicing at the anniversary of the Lord’s arrival into this world. Let us devote our effort, time and attention, to serve the Lord with ever more commitment and faith. May the Lord strengthen our faith, and may He bless us all with His guidance and help, that we may continue to persevere in faith. Amen.

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Friday, 15 December 2017 : 2nd Week of Advent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we heard about God and His revelation, that His ways are not like that of the ways of the world. What is acceptable to the world may not be acceptable to God, and vice versa. In the first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Isaiah, God mentioned how had the people obeyed Him and listened to Him, they would have prospered and had joy with them.

This was in context of the history of the time, because at the time of the prophet Isaiah, the kingdom of Israel has been divided into two parts, the northern kingdom also known as Israel, as well as the southern kingdom of Judah. And both kingdoms warred against each other many times, and more importantly, they were beset by many enemies surrounding them.

Many people suffered from the repeated invasions and raids, and in just a few years after, the northern kingdom would be conquered by the Assyrians, and its people carried off into exile. This sets up therefore, the context in which the Lord’s words truly rang true, because most of the kings of the northern kingdom and many of the kings of the southern kingdom have disobeyed the Lord and led the people into sin.

That was why the Lord was not pleased with them, because they constantly disobeyed Him and chose to walk down their own paths. They would not listen to His prophets and messengers, and preferred to remain in sin and rebellion against Him. They trusted more in the powers of the world and in worldly matters rather than to put their trust and faith in God.

That is why they also hardened their hearts against the Lord when He came to them, and sent His herald, St. John the Baptist, to prepare them to receive His truth and message. That is because they were not thinking in the same way as the Lord does, and they thought in the way that the world thought. To them, the Lord’s message is weird and unacceptable, as they were unwilling to let go of their worldly ways and affairs, and as a result, they rejected the truth of God, and even persecuted Him and His disciples.

For all of us Christians living today in this world, all of these historical examples and precedents from the time of the prophet Isaiah and from the time of Our Lord Jesus Himself, should be clear reminders for each one of us, that as Christians, we should seek to be faithful to the Lord and follow His ways, even when the conventions and wisdom of the world say otherwise. And there may even be moments when we may be ridiculed and rejected by the world, and even by those known to us when we are faithful to God and do His will.

But we should not be afraid, or be hesitant to be faithful because of all these. If we see the Scripture passages today, we will realise just how much ridicule, rejection and difficulties that the prophets had to encounter, because the people refused to listen to them or to believe in their message. And not least, Our Lord Jesus Himself experienced ridicule, rejection and persecution because of His works among His own people.

This should inspire us to persevere more fervently in living our faith more faithfully in each and every days of our lives. We should spend more time and effort trying to listen to the Lord, and to align ourselves ever more closely to Him. Let us do our best from now on, that we may be able to draw closer to God, and drawing our strength from Him, may we all remain true to our faith despite the challenges and difficulties we may face in this world. May God be with us always, now and forever. Amen.

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Thursday, 14 December 2017 : 2nd Week of Advent, Memorial of St. John of the Cross, Priest and Doctor of the Church (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we heard again about St. John the Baptist in the Gospel passage today, as Our Lord Jesus exalted this faithful servant of God, in his faith and conviction to serve Him, being the one who has been trusted with the mission of proclaiming the coming of the Saviour of the world, preparing the way for His coming and entry into this world.

He proclaimed the Good News which was long awaited by all mankind, as through the Saviour all of us have been saved from our fated destruction because of our sins and disobedience against God. In the book of the prophet Isaiah, from which is taken our first reading today, we heard God’s promise to His people, that He will help His people and will no longer turn His back against them.

And this prophecy was fulfilled completely and perfectly in the Lord Jesus Christ, Our God and Saviour, by Whose coming and entry into this world, and later on by His death on the cross and glorious resurrection from the dead has delivered us all from death into life, for He fulfilled His promise to those who have faith in Him, that He will redeem them and protect them from their enemies, and gather them as He gathers all of His flock to Himself.

And St. John the Baptist was the important servant of God, who became His mouthpiece and messenger, calling upon the people to repent from their sins and turn back towards their Lord. He revealed to them that the Lord would soon come and redeem His people as He promised, and they should prepare themselves for His coming. That is why St. John the Baptist laboured hard among the people, devoting himself completely to God.

St. John the Baptist is the epitome of the discipleship in Christ, as he obeyed the Lord and His will, and faithfully carried out the mission which he has been entrusted with. He did not sway away from the purpose of his mission, and as we witness in the Gospels, when asked whether he was the Messiah, he could have been tempted to claim that he was the One. Yet, he did not do so, and he humbly mentioned that he was not the One Who was to come after him.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we prepare for the coming of Christmas season, we need to heed the examples of St. John the Baptist in his faith, devotion and commitment to the Lord. We should also listen to what he has also preached, calling on us to repent from our sinful ways to prepare ourselves for the coming of the Lord. For as I have mentioned a few times in the past month, as we prepare for Christmas, we do not just recall His historic birth in Bethlehem, but we should also remember that He will come again the second time, at the time of the final judgment.

Are we ready to welcome Him should He come again at a time we do not expect at all? The coming of the Lord will be sudden and swift, catching many by surprise. Surely we do not want to be counted among those who are caught unprepared if this happens. Then, we should follow the examples and faith of St. John the Baptist, in his humility and commitment to the Lord.

And we should also heed the examples of St. John of the Cross, the saint whose feast day we celebrate today. St. John of the Cross was known as a holy and devout priest, who together with St. Teresa of Avila were remembered for their roles in reforming and purifying the religious order of the Carmelites. Through the reform, both saints sought to return the religious order and its members to a more faithful observation of a devout spiritual life, filled with prayers and devotions to God, deepening their commitments to God.

Through his many works and writings, St. John of the Cross inspired many others to seek a deeper understanding of their faith, and to walk more faithfully in the ways of the Lord. His pious examples and simple lifestyle, and humility echoed that of St. John the Baptist, whose life we just discussed earlier on today. That is how all of us Christians should also be, putting our trust in God, and be ever humble before the Lord, remembering that without the Lord, we are truly nothing.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, therefore, as we approach the time of our Christmas celebrations, let us reform our lives, that we throw away the excesses of this world, as well as all sorts of temptations and other things that have become obstacles in our ability to love the Lord and to devote ourselves wholeheartedly to Him. May He continue to bless each and every one of us, that we may draw ever closer to Him, and be found worthy to receive His eternal glory when He comes again. St. John the Baptist and St. John of the Cross, pray for us always. Amen.

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Wednesday, 13 December 2017 : 2nd Week of Advent, Memorial of St. Lucy, Virgin and Martyr (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we listened to the words of the Scripture giving us assurance that if we put our trust in God, we will not be disappointed, that is because He is the only One Who can be completely trusted and depended on, even though we may find His path to be difficult and challenging.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, God has given each and every one of us free will, that we may choose how we are to live our lives, and whether we want to choose Him as Our Lord and Saviour, or whether we would rather follow the devil in rebelling against God’s laws and ways. He has given us this choice, that we may decide whether we want to follow the path He has laid before us, or rather take a different path.

Yet, many of us are not aware of God’s grace and love. We are not aware that He has given us the opportunity to be filled with grace, by walking in His path, and He even invites us all to come to Him, as what the Lord Jesus said to His disciples, “Come to Me, all of you who are weary and heavily burdened, and I will give you rest.” This is the reality and truth which Our Lord wants to present to us.

This means that He wants us to realise that despite the challenges that we may encounter if we remain faithful to Him, but in the end, it leads to an eternity of joy and happiness, rather than an eternity of suffering because of our damnation, if we choose the seemingly easier path of the devil. Yet, unfortunately, many of us willingly chose to follow the path of the evil one, because of the temptations and persuasions he has levelled on us.

Many of us are rather short-sighted in a sense that we would rather experience joy and happiness for the moment that we live in. We do not want difficulties or suffering, and we would rather choose the easy way out, and that is why, we end up being tempted by the devil with false promises of comfort and safety, and we succumbed to those temptations, falling into sin. Only when we have been trapped deep within his traps, that we realise our folly, and it may be then too late for us to get out of the trouble.

Let us instead look up to the examples of our holy predecessors, many of whom have resolutely remained faithful despite the challenges and difficulties they have encountered. Many of them chose to remain faithful despite threats and indeed facts of suffering and martyrdom that they encountered. And thus was the story of St. Lucy or St. Lucia, the saint whose feast we celebrate today, a holy virgin and martyr.

St. Lucy was a Christian woman born to a noble family in Syracuse, and her father died while she was still young. She dedicated her life and consecrated her virginity to God from the time of her youth. However, she had many suitors as she was reported to be very beautiful. She was also arranged in marriage to a pagan nobleman. However, St. Lucy continued in her faith and devotion, giving much of her riches to charity to the poor and the homeless, much to the consternation of the pagan nobleman.

She was therefore denounced before the governor as a Christian, and was ordered by the governor to offer sacrifice to the Roman Emperor as was mandatory, but she refused to do so. She would rather choose suffering and death rather than to abandon her faith, and when the governor tried to defile her sacred virginity in a brothel, miraculously no one could move her from the place where she was at, and in the end, her life was ended with a sword.

The devotion to St. Lucy continues until today, as many people are inspired by her faith and piety, by her commitment and charitable actions, through which she showed her way of following the Lord’s path, which may be filled with challenges, sorrow and difficulties, and yet in the end, only eternal glory awaits her and all those who have chosen the same path.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore follow in her footsteps and seek to remain true to our faith, remembering that the Lord Jesus Himself had said that all those who want to follow Him must take up their crosses and follow Him. Let us all therefore, faithfully bear up our crosses in life, with its joys and sorrows, and help one another to persevere on our way to reach out to the Lord. May God be with us always, and bless each and every one of us and our endeavours. Amen.

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Tuesday, 12 December 2017 : 2nd Week of Advent, Memorial of Our Lady of Guadalupe (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet or White (Our Lady of Guadalupe)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we celebrate the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, a very popular devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, who appeared approximately five hundred years ago in the area that is now Mexico, at the site where now a great Basilica built in honour of Our Lady of Guadalupe now stands. Today let us reflect on the many wonders which we mankind have received through her intercession.

At that time, during the early years of Spanish America, Our Lady chose to appear to a local native, St. John Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin, whose feast day we celebrated just a few days ago. At that time, she made her appearance on a hill known as the Tepeyac hill to St. John Diego, who then related her apparition and message to the local bishop. The local bishop was skeptical of St. John Diego’s account and wanted a proof of her authentic apparition.

Therefore, as Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared again to St. John Diego, she asked him to gather some flowers from the spot she pointed out on the hill, which were miraculous, as those flowers, Castilian flowers, were not existent at that part of the world. St. John Diego gathered the flowers in the cloak that he was wearing, called a tilma, and brought the flowers as a sign and proof to the bishop.

When St. John Diego came to the bishop and presented the miraculous flowers to him, what amazed the bishop much more and to his great surprise was that the very image of Our Lady of Guadalupe was imprinted on the tilma or cloak that St. John Diego was wearing. Many people came to believe in this miracle and apparition, and came to greater devotion to God through His mother, who appeared as Our Lady of Guadalupe. The Pope eventually recognised this apparition as authentic, and great devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe had continued ever since.

Today, as we recall this great apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary at Guadalupe, we should take note how Mary appeared many times to many different people, at Guadalupe, at Lourdes, at Fatima, and at many other places as deemed authentic by the Holy See. And all these apparitions were in fact ways through which Mary, the great Mother of God, is still ever active trying to bring us all, her adopted children, towards reconciliation and salvation in her Son, Our God.

For Mary has a special role in our salvation, and the Church has recognised her as the co-Redemptrix of mankind. It was not that she by her own power has saved mankind, but rather, it was through her that God made His salvation to be able to reach out to us. Her obedience and willingness to be part of God’s plan of salvation for us mankind has brought forth the Saviour into this world, just as prophesied by the prophet Isaiah.

Our Lord Himself has also entrusted all of us mankind to her, symbolically represented as He entrusted St. John the Evangelist to her, and at the same time entrusting her to his care. Through this, all of us have been made to be her children, as Jesus her Son, is also our Brother. As she has now been assumed to Heaven, to sit at the side of her Son, she is the greatest of all our intercessors, constantly praying for our sake. And this is also why she frequently appeared to us, appealing for us to repent from our sins and change our lives.

She loves each and every one of us mankind, just as she loved her Son Jesus with all of her loving heart. Every man and woman who died with sins unforgiven and unrepentant are in danger of eternal damnation, and is sorrowful for her. Remember, brothers and sisters in Christ, that she was with her Son throughout His Passion, as He walked the path to Calvary, bearing the heavy burden of the cross and our sins. Just as she was sorrowful because of the suffering endured by her Son, she is also sorrowful for all the souls who will endure eternal damnation and suffering because of their sins.

Therefore, brothers and sisters in Christ, as we celebrate and rejoice in the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe today, let us also then remember to reflect about our own lives and actions. Have we been truly faithful to God in all of our actions? Or have we rather allowed ourselves to fall into sin, and forgetting God and all of His love for us? Many of us have lapsed from our faith, and have not been active in practicing our faith in God, and we have allowed ourselves to be busy with worldly matters and forgetting about God.

In this season of Advent, during this time of preparation for the celebration of Christmas therefore, we need to prepare ourselves, our hearts and minds, our bodies and our souls, our whole beings, to be able to celebrate Christmas worthily and understand better its importance for our salvation. Christmas is the celebration of Our Lord’s birth and entry into this world, as the Light of the world that dawned and pierced through the darkness of this world.

And as the Church teaches us, the best way to reach out to the Lord, Our Light, is through His Mother, Mary, Our Lady of Guadalupe, who constantly appeared to mankind, in order to guide us all to her Son. It is imperative therefore, that we make whatever opportunity that we have been given, this very life, to reach out to the Lord, and humbly seeks His mercy and forgiveness for our sins, that we may come to be worthy of His eternal glory.

We should follow the examples of our holy and devout predecessors, the saints, in the examples of their lives. And there is no greater example than Mary herself, whose obedience and adherence to God’s will, whose commitment of love for her Son, Our Lord, made it possible for salvation to come to us from God. We are all now called to follow in her footsteps, that she may lead us all down the path towards salvation and eternal life.

May the Lord continue to bless each and every one of us, and may His blessed mother, Our Lady of Guadalupe continue to intercede for us sinners still living in this world. May all of us strive to be ever more committed to serve the Lord in all of our ways, and repent from our sins, that we may draw ever closer to God and His grace, and be worthy of the glory of eternal life. O Blessed Mother of God, Our Lady of Guadalupe, pray for us. Amen.

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Monday, 11 December 2017 : 2nd Week of Advent, Memorial of Pope St. Damasus I, Pope (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet or White (Popes)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we listened from the Scripture passages, relating to us about the healing that came from God. The prophet Isaiah in his book wrote about the coming of the Lord’s healing and forgiveness upon His people, shown with miraculous signs such as the opening of the eyes of the blind, loosening of the tongues of the dumb, healing of those who has paralysis and also possession by evil spirits.

All these healings have also been done by some of the prophets of old, but those are healing of the physical body. What the prophet Isaiah prophesied came about in its complete fulfilment in the Lord Jesus Christ, our God and Saviour, Who in the Gospel passage today healed the paralytic man, despite the opposition from the Pharisees and teachers of the Law.

Those people were furious at Jesus because He healed the man who had paralysis by saying that ‘Your sins are forgiven’. In fact, Jesus was healing the man in body and in spirit, as He has the just right to do so. They alleged that only God could forgive sins, and by uttering such words, Jesus had blasphemed against God, but that was because they refused to believe that Jesus is indeed God, the Son of God.

This reading has a particular significance for us as Christians, as all of us know that the celebration of Christmas, for which we are preparing this Advent season, is centred on the birth of Our Lord Jesus Christ, and therefore, we believe that God Himself has entered into this world, descending from heaven, and through Mary, His mother, He took up the flesh and appearance of Man.

Hence, we believe in Jesus, Our Lord, Who is both fully divine and fully human, through the mystery of the Incarnation of the Word of God, and His nativity or birth through Mary into the world. We believe that Jesus Christ, the Messiah or Saviour of the world, has two natures, human and divine, but which at the same time, perfectly united in the one person, Jesus Christ Himself.

Thus, if we believe that Jesus is Lord and God, as our faith describes, then we should believe that He is capable to heal our sins, as sin is indeed a disease that afflicts us, corrupting our inmost selves, from the depths of our souls, to our hearts and minds, and of course, our bodies as well. Sin is the very reason for our separation from the fullness of God’s grace and love since our corrupted beings cannot bear to be in the presence of God.

But God is ever loving and merciful towards us. He has always loved us from the very beginning, even though we have often rejected His love and abandoned His laws and precepts. He is willing to forgive us our sins, and He indeed wants to heal us from our afflictions, as He has demonstrated through the many healing miracles He had performed during His earthly ministry, and which is continued by His disciples and the Church He established.

However, the question is, do we want to be healed? Do we want to be forgiven from our sins? God is always forgiving and He will constantly forgive without cease as long as we are willing to be forgiven. Yet, forgiveness cannot be complete without genuine repentance, as in order for us to be completely forgiven, we also need to be truly sorry for our sins and mistakes, and commit ourselves to a new life without sin.

Do we remember what the Lord Jesus did with the woman caught in the act of adultery by the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law? We know how the story goes, and the woman was spared stoning because no one was willing to admit that they themselves had no sin on their own, and thus worthy to cast the first stone. But we often forget that Jesus told the woman, that while He does not judge her at that moment, she should sin no more.

Therefore, today, as we continue to progress through the season of Advent, let us all reflect on our lives, and on the fact that each and every one of us are sinners, for whom the Lord has come, and indeed has suffered and died for, on the cross. Whenever we look at the Lord Jesus at the crucifix, let us remember this immense love and mercy He has shown us by laying down His own life that each and every one of us may be healed and absolved from our sins.

Today we celebrate the feast of Pope St. Damasus I, a holy Pope who lived in the first millennium after the birth of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Pope St. Damasus was renowned for his great piety and exemplary life. He helped to guide his flock to be faithful to the Lord amidst challenges and difficulties that were facing the Church and the faithful at the time. His holiness and many good works for the sake of the Church has saved many souls who repented from their sins and turned themselves back to the Lord.

Therefore, we should be inspired by his examples, as well as the many other inspiring lives by the other holy saints of God. Many of those saints were themselves great sinners, but they allowed the Lord to transform their lives, and their lives were forever changed, from a life of sin and darkness into a life filled with God’s grace. Let us therefore, pledge ourselves anew to the Lord, and devote ourselves, our time and effort to serve Him, to love Him and to help one another to reach out to Him.

May the Lord bless each and every one of us, and may He empower all of us to be able to live faithfully in accordance with His ways. May we draw ever closer to Him, that in the end, we may be worthy of Him and will stand to receive the eternal glory He has promised to all of His faithful ones. May God bless us all. Amen.