Catholic Church

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Tuesday, 27 September 2016 : 26th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Vincent de Paul, Priest (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White
Psalm 87 : 2-3, 4-5, 6, 7-8

O Lord, my God, I call for help by day; before You I cry out by night. May my prayer come to You; incline Your ear to my cry for help.

My soul is deeply troubled; my life draws near to the grave. I am like those without strength. Counted among those going down into the pit.

I lie forsaken among the dead, like those You remember no more, cut off from Your care.

You have plunged me into the darkest depths of the pit. With Your wrath heavy upon me, You have battered me with all Your waves.

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Tuesday, 27 September 2016 : 26th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Vincent de Paul, Priest (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White
Job 3 : 1-3, 11-17, 20-23

At length it was Job who spoke, cursing the day of his birth. This is what he said : “Cursed be the day I was born, and the night which whispered : A boy has been conceived. Why did I not die at birth, or come from the womb without breath? Why the knees that received me, why the breasts that suckled me?”

“For then I should have lain down asleep and been at rest with kings and rulers of the earth who built for themselves lonely tombs; or with princes who had gold to spare and houses stuffed with silver. Why was I not stillborn, like others who did not see the light of morn? There the trouble of the wicked ceases, there the weary find repose.”

“Why is light given to the miserable, and life to the embittered? To those who long for death more than for hidden treasure? They rejoice at the sight of their end, they are happy upon reaching the grave. Why give light to a man whose path has vanished, whose ways God blocks at every side?”

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Monday, 26 September 2016 : 26th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Cosmas and St. Damian, Martyrs (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we heard the Scripture passage taken from the Book of Job, the faithful servant of God, whom the devil or Satan had persecuted and troubled, because he was jealous of the great faith and devotion that this man of God is showing the Lord and the world. Satan is told to be our accuser and our enemy before God, casting out our sins and our wickedness, our shortcomings and evils before Him that we will be condemned to eternity with Satan and his angels in hellfire.

Indeed, Satan and his allies desire our destruction and demise, but then we may be confused as to why God would allow the devil then to have his ways on us as he had done with Job, the faithful man of God? After all, he had been faithful all of his life, and then God would allow Job to be tested by Satan, who destroyed all of his possessions, all of his cattle and herds, stole away all of his belongings and even destroyed his beloved ones, his sons and daughters.

It is easy for us all to accuse God of wrongdoing in this manner, that He had deliberately abandoned His servant in his time of need, allowing an enemy to strike at him and destroy him, crushing him with sorrow and despair. However, if we look through the entirety of the Book of Job, we should realise that it was not God Who desired our destruction, and neither would He deliberately allow us to be crushed, as if that was the case, He could have easily just cast Job into hell to be tormented for eternity.

But that was not what God had done to Job, and neither had He done that to any of us mankind. After all, He Who created us all out of love would not have destroyed us without good reason, and there is truly no reason good enough for each and every one of us has that same potential for conversion and change. But no, we all suffer in this world because of none other than ourselves, because of our sins and our disobedience against God which had made us to go astray from the Lord.

In the first place, God created us to enjoy forever the bliss and happiness with Him in Eden, where everything was created good and perfect, and then it was our ancestors’ inability to hold and bridle their desires which led them to disobedience and sin, and as a result, by their own actions they had brought suffering upon themselves, and as a result as well, death becomes a part of our life. Death is the consequence for our sins, but it was not the intention of the Lord to burden us with it.

And our death is not going to last forever, because we who believe in the Lord know that He is the Life-giving Lord, Who blesses all of His faithful ones with the promise of everlasting life, which He Himself had declared through Jesus Christ His Son, by His death on the cross, as well as then through His glorious resurrection from the dead, which led to the hope for each and every one of us, that there is a way out of our suffering in this world.

And that way is through believing in God, putting our trust in Him as Job had done. Job has remained true to his faith in God throughout all those sufferings and difficult years, and even amidst all the persuasions and the pressures from others to do otherwise. He did complained against God as being unjust in dealing with his situation, but nonetheless, he remained truly faithful to the very end.

Because of his obedience and faith, God rewarded Job with much more than what he had once lost, a proof of God’s ever-present love for His beloved people. Indeed He will not abandon us to the darkness, but He will ever love us with ever more and more care and attention, so long as we too learn how to love Him and show Him our faith and appreciation.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, we should also heed the examples of St. Cosmas and St. Damian, the two saints and holy martyrs whose memory we remember and celebrate today. St. Cosmas and St. Damian were told to be brothers who were good physicians who often tended to the sick and to the poor in their community, who often tended to these people without asking for money or payment.

For their great and sincere love for their brethren, many were touched and inspired by their examples, and came to believe in the Lord as these brothers had as well. They have brought many into the embrace of the Lord, and many were saved because of them. But eventually, they were found out by the local authorities, who at that time, at the height of the last great persecution of Christians under the Roman Emperor Diocletian, arrested and tortured these two saints, and martyred them.

The good works and the perseverance of these two saints, the obedience and faith of Job should be inspiration to all of us. Let our faith be like that of a child’s faith, pure and true, unbridled and unlimited by our desires and worldly wants, but instead, we should learn to welcome the Lord into our hearts, that just like how Jesus welcomed the children brought to Him, He too may embrace us and welcome us all into His presence.

May God bless us all and keep us in His love always, and may He grant us the gift of grace and life everlasting He has promised to all of us, His beloved and faithful ones. Amen.

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Monday, 26 September 2016 : 26th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Cosmas and St. Damian, Martyrs (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)
Luke 9 : 46-50

At that time, the disciples were arguing about which of them was the most important. But Jesus knew their thoughts, so He took a little child and stood him by His side. Then He said to them, “Whoever welcomes this little child in My Name, welcomes Me; and whoever welcomes Me, welcomes the One Who sent Me. And listen : the one who is found to be the least among you all, is the one who is the greatest.”

Then John spoke up, “Master, we saw someone who drives out demons by calling upon Your Name, and we tried to forbid him, because he does not follow You with us.” But Jesus said, “Do not forbid him. He who is not against you is for you.”

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Monday, 26 September 2016 : 26th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Cosmas and St. Damian, Martyrs (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)
Psalm 16 : 1, 2-3, 6-7

Hear a just cause, o Lord, listen to my complaint. Give heed to my prayer for there is no deceit on my lips.

Let my defence come forth from You. Your eyes see what is right. You have probed my heart, searched me at night, tested me by fire, and You have seen no wickedness in me.

I call on You, You will answer me, o God; incline Your ear and hear my word. For You do wonders for Your faithful, You save those fleeing from the enemy as they seek refuge at Your right hand.

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Monday, 26 September 2016 : 26th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Cosmas and St. Damian, Martyrs (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)
Job 1 : 6-22

One day the heavenly beings came to present themselves before YHVH, and Satan came with them. YHVH asked Satan, “Where have you been?” Satan answered, “Going up and down the earth, roaming about.” YHVH asked again, “Have you noticed My servant Job? No one on earth is as blameless and upright as he, a man who fears God and avoids evil.”

But Satan returned the question, “Does Job fear God for nothing? Have You not built a protective wall around him and his family and all his possessions? You have blessed and prospered him, with his livestock all over the land. But stretch out Your hand and strike where his riches are, and I bet he will curse You to Your face.”

YHVH said to Satan, “Very well, all that he has is in your power. But do not lay a finger upon the man himself.” So Satan left the presence of YHVH. One day, while his sons and daughters were feasting in the house of their eldest brother, a messenger came to Job and said, “Your oxen were plowing, and your donkeys were grazing nearby when the Sabaeans came and carried them off. They killed the herdsmen, I alone escaped to tell you.”

While he was still speaking, another messenger came, “God’s fire fell from the sky and burned all your sheep and the shepherds as well. I alone have escaped to tell you.” He had hardly finished speaking when another messenger arrived, “Three raiding teams of Chaldeans have killed your servants and carried off your camels. I alone have escaped to tell you.”

He was still speaking when another messenger came and said to Job, “Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking in the house of their eldest brother when suddenly a great wind blew across the desert and struck the house. It collapsed on the young people and they all died. I alone have escaped to tell you.”

In grief Job tore his clothes and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground and worshipped, saying, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, naked shall I return. YHVH gave, YHVH has taken away. Blessed be His Name!” In spite of this calamity, Job did not sin by blaspheming God.

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Sunday, 25 September 2016 : 26th Sunday of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today the Lord our God spoke to us to remind us about how we ought to live our respective lives in this world, so that we do not give ourselves in to debauchery and excesses of life, and not to sell our bodies and our beings to enjoy and be corrupted by the pleasures of the life of this world, which will then lead us into danger of falling into eternal damnation in hellfire.

That is what the passage from the Book of the prophet Amos, our first reading today, spoke to us when the prophet Amos rebuked the people of Israel for their lives lived in wickedness and in disregard of the laws and the commandments of the Lord, following the whims of their own desires and living lavishly and with pomp and grandeur, without regard to God and as what we can assume, without regards for those who were poor and less fortunate as well.

And this is exactly what the Lord also wanted to reiterate to us through His Church when we hear about the parable that our Lord Jesus told to His disciples, about Lazarus the poor and the rich man, which many of us should probably be quite familiar with. We heard how Lazarus the poor man had nothing upon himself, and he had to beg even in order to get food. And yet the rich man who had plenty on himself did not spare anything for Lazarus, and thus that poor man died in agony and suffering.

Yet, as we all heard, Lazarus was given rest from all of his sufferings and pains, and was brought up to heaven to enjoy forever with all the saints and all the holy and people worthy of God, the eternal bliss and joy of heaven. Meanwhile, the rich man also eventually died by an unknown cause, and when he died, he was cast down into the great depth and darkness of hell, where he suffered from the great pain and agony there for eternity.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, what is important is that we must understand that God does not despise the rich nor that He hated these people for having wealth, possession, money and all the things that they have. He does not hate them, for after all, rich or poor, strong or weak, famous or unknown, male or female, all are equal in the sight of God, for everyone are all equally the beloved children of God, our loving Father and Creator.

God does not look at the riches or the strength of mankind when He loves us all. What He sees instead is the heart, the inside of our heart, our minds and our souls. He sees what we have done and committed in our daily lives, and we cannot hide anything from Him or deny Him anything. Yes, that is because He is God Who created us and Who knows everything, omniscient and omnipotent, Almighty in all of His deeds.

Even rich men and all endowed with wealth can be good and generous with their deeds, giving and caring for others who have less or none. There were many examples in the past and present, where generous people have stepped up to the occasion, offering whatever they could to help their fellow brethren to be able to meet their life requirements. In fact, because they had greater wealth and things with them, they could be generous and give more to help even more people to make their ends meet.

On the other hand, there were also people who were poor, but they also oppressed those who were poor as they were, and these people mistreated their fellow men and even made profit out of the situation. In God’s eyes, those who are rich and yet give generously and act kindly and with love and concern for their brethren are better than those who are poor and yet are wicked and oppress their fellows for their own benefit.

God sees our deeds, brothers and sisters in Christ, and He knows everything that we do, and what we have failed to do. The rich man has been blessed with great riches, and he had everything that he needed to lead a comfortable life and even more. And yet, when given many opportunities to help the poor Lazarus, and by assumption, other poor people around him, he failed to do so. He did not lift even a finger to help them or to alleviate their sufferings.

We also have been given many opportunities in this life to care for our fellow brethren, helping them either in terms of material, that they can make their ends meet, or in terms of spiritual needs and love. Wherever we are, we are always encountering those who are in need of our help, of our presence, and even among our friends and families, there are also those who are in need.

Then let us ask ourselves, are we able to devote ourselves to help these needy people? Or do we rather be like the rich man who did nothing to help the plight of Lazarus and perhaps the other poor and weak people as well? God has given us many blessings, graces and sustenance in this life. Some indeed have more and some have less, but that should not be the reason why some would have to suffer and perish just because they have little of what they need to survive.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all devote ourselves from today onwards to be more charitable and generous with our giving. Let us all not be selfish and greedy, which are the things that have brought much misery to the world today, not because wealth and possessions are necessarily evil in the first place, but because we mankind are unable to resist the temptation of greed and desire, which led us into such situations where we cause harm and agony for others.

God knows all of our deeds, and all the things that we have not done in order to help alleviate the suffering of our own fellow men, when we are clearly capable of doing so. It will be accounted from us on the day of judgment, and if we are found wanting in our faith and in our actions, we will end up like that rich man, who is suffering for eternity the consequences of his ignorance and his lack of love for his brethren.

Let us all realise, brothers and sisters in Christ, that the more we have been given, the greater is the responsibility which we have been given. Let us all not be hesitant and be ignorant of the needs of those who are around us, but instead open our hearts and minds to them, and pour out our love for them. Let us all bring the love of God to our fellow men, and make them realise that God is with them, and His love is ever present in our world today, despite all the sufferings and pains that mankind are suffering from.

May God help us all today, that we may be ever more like true Christians in how we live our lives, that we may be filled with love and devotion for our Lord, as well as caring and loving for our fellow men. May He bless us all and keep us in His grace, and may He welcome us all into His heavenly glory, the same glory and joy which Lazarus enjoyed, and which will be ours as well, if we are ever always faithful to our loving God. May God be with us all, now and forevermore. Amen.

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Sunday, 25 September 2016 : 26th Sunday of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green
Luke 16 : 19-31

At that time, Jesus told His disciples this story, “Once there was a rich man who dressed in purple and fine linen and feasted every day. At his gate lay Lazarus, a poor man covered with sores, who longed to eat just the scraps falling from the rich man’s table. Even dogs used to come and lick his sores.”

“It happened that the poor man died, and Angels carried him to take his place with Abraham. The rich man also died, and was buried. From hell, where he was in torment, the rich man looked up and saw Abraham afar off, and with him Lazarus at rest. He called out, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me, and send Lazarus, with the tip of his finger dipped in water, to cool my tongue, for I suffer so much in this fire.'”

“Abraham replied, ‘My son, remember that in your lifetime you were well-off, while the lot of Lazarus was misfortune. Now he is in comfort, and you are in agony. But that is not all. Between your place and ours a great chasm has been fixed, so that no one can cross over from here to you, or from your side to us.'”

“The rich man implored once more, ‘Then I beg you, Father Abraham, to send Lazarus to my father’s house, where my five brothers live. Let him warn them, so that they may not end up in this place of torment.’ Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the prophets. Let them listen to them.'”

“But the rich man said, ‘No, Father Abraham; but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’ Abraham said, ‘If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be convinced, even if someone rises from the dead.'”

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Sunday, 25 September 2016 : 26th Sunday of Ordinary Time (Second Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green
1 Timothy 6 : 11-16

But you, man of God, shun all this. Strive to be holy and godly. Live in faith and love, with endurance and gentleness. Fight with good fight of faith and win everlasting life to which you were called when you made the good profession of faith in the presence of so many witnesses.

Now, in the presence of God Who gives life to all things, and of Jesus Christ Who expressed before Pontius Pilate the authentic profession of faith : preserve the revealed message to all. Keep yourself pure and blameless until the glorious coming of Christ Jesus, our Lord, which God will bring about at the proper time, He, the magnificent Sovereign, King of kings and Lord of lords.

To Him, alone immortal, Who lives in unapproachable light and Whom no one has ever seen or can see, to Him be honour and power forever and ever. Amen!

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Sunday, 25 September 2016 : 26th Sunday of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green
Psalm 145 : 6c-7, 8-9a, 9bc-10

The Lord is forever faithful; He gives justice to the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets the prisoners free.

The Lord gives sight to the blind, the Lord straightens the bent. The Lord loves the virtuous, but He brings to ruin the way of the wicked. The Lord protects the stranger.

He sustains the widow and the orphan. The Lord will reign forever, your God, o Zion, from generation to generation. Alleluia!