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Monday, 10 July 2023 : 14th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, all of us are reminded that we are all the beloved people of God, and He always provides for us, and has always been with us, journeying with us and guiding us throughout the way, in our lives and beyond. God has never abandoned us even in the moments of our greatest hardships and difficulties, and He has always been faithful to the Covenant and true to the promises that He has established and made with us and our ancestors. We must always trust in the Lord and believe in everything that He will do for our sake, in helping and providing for us all in our time and moments of greatest need. God is always with us at all times, even when we do not realise this.

In our first reading today, we heard from the story of Jacob who was on his way in exile, fleeing from the wrath of his brother Esau after he has taken away his inheritance and the blessing that his father Isaac had meant to give to the elder brother. Jacob was by himself, an exile from his own family and homeland, at Bethel, where he laid down his head and slept. God showed Jacob a great heavenly vision, showing him His might and power, and how He was with him, and would be with him throughout his path and journey forward, reaffirming with him the same promises that He had made with Jacob’s grandfather, Abraham, in the Covenant that God Himself has made and established with Abraham and his descendants.

God reaffirmed that everything would come true just as He has promised them all to Jacob and his descendants, and he would receive the land that was promised to him, despite his then predicament and uncertainty. And thus, Jacob also renewed the Covenant by promising to God that if God would guide him through his difficult moments and through the struggles that he would be facing, upon his return, he would dedicate that place to God, and true enough, indeed, that God really guided Jacob, helped him to survive those difficult years afterwards, providing him with a woman whom he truly loved, in Rachel, and through her and Jacob’s other wife, he would have twelve sons, and other children, becoming great in wealth and status.

God did guide Jacob and his whole family back to the promised land, and Jacob made good of his promise, building an altar to God there in that place, and that place was henceforth known as Bethel thereon, because of Jacob’s vision detailed in our first reading today, and because of God’s providence for His people in their time and hour of need. We are assured as we have always been, by the Lord’s constant presence in our midst, in guiding and helping us so that we may find our path in life. We must always trust in Him and follow Him faithfully, even amidst the challenges and hardships that we may have to face in our journey through life. Jacob could not have known what he would have to experience and to endure in the years after the events at Bethel, but he remained steadfast in entrusting himself to God, and his faith was indeed greatly rewarded, in God’s good time.

In our Gospel passage today, we all heard of the time when the Lord Jesus miraculously healed a woman who had suffered from severe bleeding issue for more than twelve years as well as miraculously raising the daughter of a synagogue official from the dead, in the presence of many witnesses who were present then. From those accounts and examples, we can clearly see how the Lord has always shown His care and providence for us, and how He has never abandoned us, but continuously and patiently loving us, and how nothing is truly impossible for Him to do, that when we have given up hope in any earthly means of sustenance and provision, the Lord’s providence never failed. In whatever things we encounter, in our many hardships and challenges that we have had to face, if we put our trust in the Lord, in the end, we shall be triumphant with Him.

That woman who had been suffering from the bleeding problems, likely one that was related to her reproductive organs, must have truly suffered a lot, not just physically but also socially, as according to the old Jewish laws and customs, a woman who was suffering or experiencing bleeding or discharge was considered as unclean and was therefore unable to join the greater community of the people of God until their bleeding or discharge had ceased. And since she had been suffering the problem for over twelve years, she must have either had to endure being ostracised, shunned and cut out for that whole period, or she must have had to hide her condition from others, out of fear and shame, and the treatments that she might have to face, should everyone were to know of her condition, which was why she was looking for the Lord in secret. But her faith in the Lord saved her, and she was healed because she truly believed that the Lord could heal her.

Meanwhile, with regards to the daughter of the synagogue official, who was very sick and eventually passed away before the Lord reached her place, it was the faith that her father, the synagogue official, which was identified as Jairus in another Gospel, which saved her. He trusted in the Lord and sought for him when he needed help, just like that of the woman who was suffering from the haemorrhage. Like Jacob their forefather, they both turned towards the Lord when there was no other hope or means for healing and help, and God showed them His most wonderful and eminent love and compassion, His providence and help, by raising Jairus’ daughter back to life, and healing the woman from her bleeding issue, when no other worldly or earthly means had been possible, while at the same time showing that He was indeed God in the flesh, Son of God and Son of Man alike.

Now, we also have to take note that I do not mean that we do not have to suffer or endure hardships if we are to follow the Lord. All those whom I had mentioned, particularly Jacob and the woman who had bleeding problems, both had to endure hardships, cast out and exiled, endured scorn and difficulties for many long years. Yet, they persevered and endured in faith, and in the end, trusted in the Lord, Who showed them His most wonderful love and care, in providing for them and in guiding them towards true joy and freedom, blessed anew and strengthened once again by His hands. Thus, in the same manner, each one of us must also be prepared to face hardships and challenges, and we have to be always ready to stand up for our faith, and to persevere through despite the trials and challenges that we may face, in our paths going forward.

May the Lord continue to help and guide us, and may He always be with us, journeying with us and guiding us as He has always done so far, that no matter what hardships and trials we may have to face, we will always put our trust and faith in Him at all times. May He be with us always and be with His Church in all circumstances, and bless us all and our many good works, our good efforts and endeavours, all for His greater glory. Amen.

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Monday, 10 July 2023 : 14th Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Matthew 9 : 18-26

At that time, while Jesus was speaking to the disciples of John and the Pharisees, an official of the synagogue came up to Him, bowed before Him and said, “My daughter has just died, but come and place Your hands on her, and she will live.”

Jesus stood up and followed him with His disciples. Then a woman, who had suffered from a severe bleeding for twelve years, came up from behind and touched the edge of His cloak; for she thought, “If I only touch His cloak, I will be healed.”

Jesus turned, saw her and said, “Courage, my daughter, your faith has saved you.” And from that moment, the woman was cured. When Jesus arrived at the official’s house and saw the flute players and the excited crowd, He said, “Get out of here! The girl is not dead. She is only sleeping!” And they laughed at Him.

But once the crowd had been turned out, Jesus went in and took the girl by the hand, and she stood up. The news of this spread through the whole area.

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Monday, 10 July 2023 : 14th Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 90 : 1-2, 3-4, 14-15ab

You, who dwell in the shelter of the Most High, who rest in the shadow of the Almighty, say to YHVH, “My Stronghold, my Refuge, my God in Whom I trust!”

He will rescue you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with His pinions and give you refuge under His wings.

“Because they cling to Me, I will rescue them,” says YHVH. “I will protect those who know My Name. When they call to Me, I will answer; in time of trouble, I will be with them.”

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Monday, 10 July 2023 : 14th Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Genesis 28 : 10-22a

Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Haran. When he reached a certain place the sun had set and he spent the night there. He took one of the stones that were there and using it as a pillow, he lay down to sleep.

While Jacob was sleeping, he had a dream in which a ladder stood on the earth with its top reaching to heaven and on it were Angels of God going up and coming down. And YHVH was standing there near him and said, “I am YHVH, the God of your father, Abraham, and the God of Isaac. The land on which you sleep, I give to you and your descendants.”

“Your descendants will be numerous like the specks of dust of the earth and you will spread out to the west and the east, to the north and the south. Through you and your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed. See, I am with you and I will keep you safe wherever you go. I will bring you back to this land and not leave you until I have done what I promised.”

Jacob woke from his dream and said, “Truly YHVH was in this place and I was not aware of it.” He was afraid and said, “How full of awe is this place! It is nothing less than a house of God; it is the Gate to Heaven!” Then Jacob rose early and took the stone he had put under his head and set it up as a pillar and poured oil on the top of it. He named that place Bethel although before that it was called Luz.

Then Jacob made a vow, “If YHVH will be with me and keep me safe during this journey I am making, if He gives me bread to eat and clothes to wear, and if I return in peace to my father’s house, then YHVH will be my God. This stone which I have set up as a pillar will be God’s house.”

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Sunday, 9 July 2023 : Fourteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, all of us are reminded that God has revealed to us His most amazing kindness and love, which He has extended to us through His Son, Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, by His coming into this world and by His works, as He set to save us all from our many predicaments and troubles, gathering us all into His loving embrace and caring for each one of us. All of us are reminded of the love which God has shown us, a most generous love surpassing all others, and which He has shown as an example for each one of us, so that we may follow His examples in how we live our own lives, in committing ourselves to His cause and walking ever more faithfully in His path, as a people whom He has called and chosen from this world.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Zechariah, we heard the joyful proclamations from the prophet Zechariah to the people of God, made during the time of his ministry, which happened according to historical sources during the reign of the Persian ruler Darius, of the Achaemenid Empire. At that time, the city of Jerusalem and the nation of Judah and Israel had been crushed and destroyed by their conquerors and oppressors, as the people had abandoned the Lord and refused to walk in the path that He had shown them. As a result, they were defeated by their enemies, their cities and towns ransacked and destroyed, and the city of Jerusalem itself and its Holy Temple, the House of God built by King Solomon had been destroyed and ruined, with the Ark of the Covenant missing and nowhere to be found.

The prophet Zechariah in today’s passage made that famous prophecy that the Saviour, the King of Israel, the Messiah, would come to the city of Jerusalem and to God’s people on a donkey, a prophecy which would later on be fulfilled by the coming of the Lord Jesus Who rode into the city of Jerusalem on a humble donkey, welcomed by the people of the city who waved palm branches and spread their cloaks and clothes in His path, joyfully singing and praising, ‘Hosanna! Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He Who comes in the Name of the Lord!’ As we are all surely familiar with, the Lord’s glorious and triumphal entry into Jerusalem marked the fulfilment of the prophecy that God has revealed through the prophet Zechariah, a prophecy that was meant to strengthen the faith of a people who had been downtrodden and beaten because of their sins.

Then, our second and Gospel reading passages reminded us that God, in His most amazing and enduring love for us, has sent us all the most wonderful gift and the grace of His salvation, in the Person of Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son, Our Saviour. The Lord Himself has robed Himself in the flesh, in our nature and appearance as Man, as the Son of Man, so that by coming into our midst, and by dwelling among us, as St. Paul mentioned in our second reading today, in his Epistle to the Romans, that the Lord may bring us all from death into life, and from the downfall due to our many sins and faults, into the everlasting life and true joy in Heaven with God, His Angels and His saints. Through His Son, God has made it possible for us to find our way to salvation and liberation, opening the very gates of Heaven, bridging the chasm that existed between us and God.

And Christ did so by His Cross, which He bore willingly for each one of us, so that all of us, a people who have been bereft of joy and true grace and love of God, just like that of the Israelites in their Babylonian exile, may now see the true Light of God’s salvation, and have hope once again through Him. By His Cross, the Lord has offered the most perfect offering of love, of His own Most Precious Body and Blood, that He, as the Lamb of God, might free us from the bondage of sin and death. His Body and Blood alone, Most Holy and worthy, are good enough to reconcile us completely to our Heavenly Father, our Creator and Master. Through Him all of us have received the assurances of God’s ever-present and ever-enduring love, which He has manifested perfectly in His Son, and through what He has done for us.

Now, are we then going to heed the Lord’s call that He had made to us, calling us all to follow Him as we heard Him saying, ‘Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.’? Through these words, all of us are reminded that first of all, it is in God alone that we have true hope of redemption and liberation of all of our troubles and trials, all the bondage we have to sin. Through Christ alone there is hope for salvation and eternal life, as we all should realise. That is why we all should follow Him and commit ourselves to Him, so that in everything that we say and do, we will always obey the Lord and do what we have been called and tasked to do, as Christians, as those who believe in the Lord, in His salvation and in His Passion, death and Resurrection, by which He has redeemed the world.

We are all Christ’s witnesses in this world, the ones who should be proclaiming His truth and Good News. However, just as the Lord Himself also mentioned, that His yoke is light, which means that following Him will likely require sacrifice and efforts, that we should not think being Christians means that we will have an easy and good life ahead of us. There will definitely be challenges and obstacles facing us, but what matters is that, we have to realise just how God is journeying with us and being with us in these struggles of life. Thus, we should always keep our faith in Him and trust in Him, remembering the salvation and help that He has provided to us, His faithfulness to the Covenant and the promises that He has made for us, that He gave us all His only begotten Son, to suffer and die for our sake, that by His death, all of us may be saved and have life in us.

Let us all therefore be genuine and faithful Christians, ever committed and courageous in our calling and mission to proclaim the Lord, Our Saviour and King, to all the whole world. Let us all embrace the Lord and His love for us, and then bear His love, and His light of truth so that many more may come to believe in Him as well and be saved. May the Lord continue to bless and guide us in our missions and journey of faith, and in our every good works, efforts and endeavours, now and always. Amen.

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Sunday, 9 July 2023 : Fourteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Matthew 11 : 25-30

At that time, Jesus said, “Father, Lord of heaven and earth, I praise You; because You have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to simple people. Yes, Father, this was Your gracious will. Everything has been entrusted to Me by My Father. No one knows the Son except the Father; and no one knows the Father except the Son, and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him.”

“Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble of heart; and you will find rest. For My yoke is easy; and My burden is light.”

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Sunday, 9 July 2023 : Fourteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Second Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Romans 8 : 9, 11-13

Yet, your existence is not in the flesh, but in the spirit, because the Spirit of God is within you. If you did not have the Spirit of Christ, you would not belong to Him. And if the Spirit of Him, Who raised Jesus from the dead, is within you, He, Who raised Jesus Christ from among the dead, will also give life to your mortal bodies. Yes, He will do it, through His Spirit, Who dwells within you.

Then, brothers, let us leave the flesh and no longer live according to it. If not, we will die. Rather, walking in the spirit, let us put to death the body’s deeds, so that we may live.

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Sunday, 9 July 2023 : Fourteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 144 : 1-2, 8-9, 10-11, 13cd-14

I will extol You, my God and King; I will praise Your Name forever. I will praise You, day after day; and exalt Your Name forever.

Compassionate and gracious is YHVH, slow to anger and abounding in love. YHVH is good to everyone; His mercy embraces all His creation.

All Your works will give You thanks; all Your saints, o YHVH, will praise You. They will tell of the glory of Your kingdom; and speak of Your power.

YHVH is true to His promises and lets His mercy show in all He does. YHVH lifts up those who are falling and raises those who are beaten down.

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Sunday, 9 July 2023 : Fourteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Zechariah 9 : 9-10

Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion! Shout for joy, daughter of Jerusalem! For your King is coming, just and victorious, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

No more chariots in Ephraim, no more horses in Jerusalem, for He will do away with them. The warrior’s bow shall be broken when He dictates peace to the nations. He will reign from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth.

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Saturday, 8 July 2023 : 13th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

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

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, each and every one of us are called to follow the path that the Lord has shown us, the new way of life that He has presented to us, as the path that each one of us should walk, as we live in this world. Each one of us as Christians have received the grace of God, the revelation of His way and truth. Therefore, it is only natural that each one of us should live our lives in the manner that all of us as Christians should be doing, in obeying God’s will and in carrying out what He has presented to us, or else we cannot consider ourselves as true and genuine Christians, followers and disciples of the Lord. True Christians will be willing to commit their lives and dedicate themselves wholeheartedly, even against the challenges of this world.

In our first reading today, we heard from the passage in the Book of Genesis in which we were told of the tale of how the inheritance of Isaac, the son of Abraham, his blessing and gifts were bestowed upon Jacob, the younger son of Isaac, while Esau, the elder son, forsook his inheritance and birthright, and how Isaac was also tricked by Jacob and his mother Rebekah, to give the blessing to Jacob instead of Esau. Upon listening and reading of this passage, we may think that what Rebekah and Jacob had planned was indeed devious and unjust, but the reality is that, everything happened as it should be in accordance with God’s will. It does not mean that what Rebekah and Jacob did in tricking Isaac was something that is right, but in the end, God’s grace and blessings, His will still rested upon Jacob, and upon his descendants.

Let us now look closer into the story to understand better its significance and meaning. Esau and Jacob were the two sons of Isaac, and were therefore the grandsons of Abraham, the one with whom God had established His Covenant. Abraham has been promised the blessings of God, the guidance and providence from God, which have now been passed on to Isaac, as Abraham’s heir. As the oldest son, Esau should have stood to gain the inheritance from his father, but when Jacob earlier on told Esau about exchanging his inheritance and rights for the food that he had made, as prelude to today’s reading, we should note how Esau took lightly of his inheritance and birthright. He did not take his inheritance seriously, and chose to sold off his rights and inheritance. Thus was how Jacob gained his rights to the inheritance, as agreed by Esau himself.

Not only that, but Jewish and prophetic traditions, as well as Church traditions and teachings highlighted that Esau had also been unworthy to be the heir of Isaac, because of his actions and misdeeds. It was also told that Esau married two Hittite women which was disapproved greatly by his parents, who preferred that their sons married some from within their extended relatives’ family, as Jacob eventually did. Regardless of the reasons, it can be seen that Esau had been less than worthy of God’s blessings, and yet, in the end, much like Ishmael before him, the elder half-brother of Isaac, God still cared for him and blessed him nonetheless. Esau would become the father of great nation, the Edomites, who lived alongside the descendants of Jacob, the Israelites, God’s first chosen people.

In his later life, Jacob had to face a lot of trial and tribulations, as he fled to far-off land in hiding from his brother, Esau’s wrath. He had to labour for many years in his uncle, Laban’s fields and care for his uncle’s flock, but he remained faithful to God and entrusted himself to His care and providence. Here we can see that Jacob has somewhat atoned for his mistakes and mischievousness, and most importantly, as contrasted to his elder brother, who disobeyed his parents and was also more wicked in his actions, Jacob kept his faith in God even amidst the difficult and troubling times of his exile. God blessed Jacob and guided him, and eventually made him to have a large family, that he led down back to the Promised Land, where he was eventually reunited with his father Isaac, and was also reconciled with his brother Esau, who had forgotten the feud and forgiven Jacob.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard the Lord telling His disciples when the disciples of St. John the Baptist came to them asking why they did not fast in the manner of how they and the Pharisees all fasted, that all of them follow His new path, the path of truth that He Himself has brought into this world. It was not that the old path and ways were wrong, but they had been used incorrectly in many occasions, and the Lord had come forth bearing the new revelations and truth to perfect the Law and the commandments. God has therefore called on all of His followers to commit themselves to the new path of righteousness, and not to be like especially the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law who often fasted and performed other pious actions because they wanted to be seen and praised by others around them for their actions.

That was why the Lord used the parable of the wine and wineskin, and the parable of the old and new cloth and their patches to highlight this matter to His disciples and followers. As the people at that time should be familiar with, old wine cannot be placed into new wineskin, or new wine cannot be placed into old wineskin. Similarly, it was also shown how the old cloth cannot be patched with a new piece of cloth and vice versa. This highlighted that to become true disciples and followers of the Lord, we should have the courage and the willingness to follow Him and to commit ourselves to His way of righteousness, and leaving behind our attachments to worldly matters and desires, which often distracted and tempted us all away from the true path towards righteousness in God.

Now, after listening to the stories and tales from the Scriptures, are we all more inspired and strengthened in our resolve to live our lives in a more Christ-like manner? Are we willing to embrace the Lord more wholeheartedly in His ways, and endeavour to do our best in glorifying Him by our lives, that is by our every words, actions and deeds? Can we commit ourselves to focus our energy and attention ever on the Lord and not upon the glories and pleasures of the world, so that we will always ever firm in our calling and mission as Christians? This is what we all need to discern on, and what we should do in our respective lives and vocations, as we continue to progress in our journey of faith, and in obeying God’s will and carrying out His commandments. We should always be ready to listen to God speaking to us, calling us and telling us what we are to do with our lives.

May the Lord, our ever loving God and Master, continue to provide for us, and strengthen each and every one of us so that in everything we say and do, and in our every commitments and works, we will always be ever worthy of Him, and that we will always walk in His path. Amen.