Catholic homilies

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Thursday, 31 March 2022 : 4th Week of Lent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day as we listened to the words of the Scripture, we are all called to listen to the Lord and to follow Him, cease our rebellion and disobedience against Him. He has given us many opportunities to return to Him and to be reconciled to Him, but it is our stubborn attitude and persistence in our way of sin which often led us back to the path towards downfall and destruction. We have not heeded the Lord’s call and desire to be reunited with us, as we allow sin to rule over us and to keep us separated from Him.

In our first reading today, we heard the Lord speaking to Moses in the Book of Exodus, at the time after He has revealed His Law and the Ten Commandments to Moses at Mount Sinai. At that time, Moses spent forty days with the Lord atop the mountain, listening to Him and receiving from Him the extensive set of laws and guidance meant to be passed to the people of Israel, as a guide and help for all of them to remain true to the path of righteousness. But the people thinking that Moses had perished on the mountain quickly lost their trust and faith in the Lord, and forced Aaron to craft for them a great golden calf idol to worship as god over them.

This happened even though the Israelites had witnessed themselves the great wonders and power of God in freeing them from the hands of the Egyptians and their Pharaoh, as God sent the Ten Great Plagues to crush the Egyptians and force them to let the Israelites go free. And all these happened despite the people of God having themselves witnessed how God opened the Red Sea before them, allowing them to cross free and safely through the seabed, and then destroying the chariots and armies of the Pharaoh of Egypt that were chasing after them.

The people of God still disobeyed Him and refused to have faith in Him even though they had seen all the wonders and good things that God had done for their sake, all of which showed and proved to them how beloved and dear they were to God. Yet, they established a golden calf idol over them, offered it sacrifices and committed other grievous sins against the Lord, when God had been so patient in loving them and caring for them. But Moses stepped in and pleaded with the Lord when He wanted to destroy all the people save for Moses as was just and right for Him to do, and Moses asked the Lord to withhold His anger and judgment, reasoning with Him and reminding Him of the constant love that He has shown to the people.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard of the same attitude being shown by the people of the time of the Lord Jesus, as they showed lack of faith, refusing to believe in the Lord and even in the messenger and herald that He had sent before Him, namely that of St. John the Baptist. St. John the Baptist had called the people of God to repent from their sins and to return to the Lord with faith, and baptised many people who had come to him seeking to walk the path of conversion and redemption, opening their hearts to the Lord and His truth and love.

Yet, the Pharisees and the chief priests in particular were skeptical of St. John the Baptist, doubted his authenticity and authority, and even openly questioned him on the legality and validity of his actions, doubting that he was sent by the Lord, an action which led to St. John the Baptist to rebuke those self-serving and self-righteous leaders as brood of vipers, those who sought their own glory and personal benefits over others’ sufferings and for their efforts that went against God’s good works. The same thing happened to the Lord Himself as well, and this was what the Lord referred to as He spoke to the people in our passage today.

The Lord rebuked the people for their continued lack of faith and trust in Him, despite everything that He had done and shown to them, despite all the miracles and signs that He had made before all of them. They still would not believe and even demanded for more signs and wonders. Their hearts and minds were closed against God in their pride, in thinking that they knew the Law and commandments of God better than any others, and that was why, no matter how much wonders and miracles they had witnessed, they failed to believe much as their ancestors had betrayed and abandoned the Lord, their Saviour and Liberator, for a golden calf idol made by human hands.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we reflect on these passages from the Scriptures, let us all look back in our lives and remind ourselves whether we have been faithful to the Lord wholeheartedly as we should have, or whether we have behaved much like the people of Israel in the past, in their lack of faith and trust in the Lord, preferring to trust in idols and other worldly means, in their own strength and power rather than to trust in the Lord and journey together with Him. We are called to reflect if our way of life have been in accordance to the path that God has shown us, or whether we have walked down the wrong path all these while.

Sin is very dangerous and we should not take it lightly, for the temptations to sin and the allures of worldly desires can tempt even the most resistant to falter and fall away from God and His way. We must not let our weakness and vulnerabilities to sin to affect us, and we have to do our best to resist those temptations, or else we may end up like the Israelites, who succumbed to their fears and to their desires for worldly pleasures, and like the Pharisees and the chief priests, who fell into sin because of the temptations of worldly power and glory, and pride and ego.

Let us all make good use of the remaining time of Lent to prepare ourselves, not just physically but also spiritually and mentally, so that we may be more attuned to the Lord, be more ready and prepared to live in accordance with God’s path. Let us seek the Lord with ever greater faith and commitment, and let us do our very best to glorify Him by our lives and actions, now and always. Amen.

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Wednesday, 30 March 2022 : 4th Week of Lent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we are all reminded yet again through the Sacred Scriptures of the great love of God, the many wonderful things that God had done for our sake. He has showed His love to us repeatedly, again and again, even when we have often betrayed and ignored Him, abandoned and left Him for other idols and distractions in life. He patiently extended to all of us the offer of His love and compassionate mercy, wanting to be reconciled with us sinners, and calling on all of us to return to Him.

In our first reading today, we heard of the words from the Book of the prophet Isaiah in which the Lord spoke to His people of His promised salvation to all of them. He would rescue them from their troubles and deliver them from the hands of the evil one, and all of the plots against them. This is significant given the context of what happened at that time, as the people of Israel, the descendant of the people of God had been going through a lot of challenges and trials, having been torn apart and lost their unity, and not only that, the northern half of the Israelites, the northern kingdom had been crushed by the Assyrians.

Hence, at that time, the people of God clearly knew what happened to those who have not obeyed the Law and the commandments of God, as the northern kingdom had almost always done, and as a result, many of the people were brought off from their ancestral lands, and sent into exile in far-off lands, while foreigners were brought to settle in the lands once settled by the people of God. The same fate would eventually befall the southern kingdom of Judah as well, because the people also continued to sin and disobey against God. But God did not abandon His people, and instead He reassured them through His prophets that He would be with them.

He sent His prophets like Isaiah and many others to remind the people of His constant love and the Covenant that He had made with them. He has shown them the path to salvation and righteousness as He had always done again and again, which culminated with the sending of Christ, His only begotten Son, into this world. By this action, He has given us the means to enter into the joy and glory of eternal life together with Him, that is through His Son, Our Lord and Saviour.

What we have heard today in our Gospel passage today is the affirmation of this truth, as spoken by the Lord Himself, as He revealed what He would do for our sake. Through Him, the Son of God and the Divine Word Incarnate, the Lord willed and wanted to be reconciled with us, and He came bearing the salvation of God and also the reminder that unless we are reconciled with Him, or if we reject His generous offer of mercy and love, then we will be judged and condemned by our own sins and wickedness.

Those who side with the Lord and accept His love and mercy shall have eternal life. But those who walked away from the Lord and refused to be reconciled with Him will have nothing but eternity of suffering and damnation in hell. We have always been given many opportunities to return to the Lord and to be reconciled with Him, but more often than not we have squandered off these opportunities because we still remained firmly attached to the path of sin. We were often unable to resist the many temptations of sin and therefore we still continue to walk down this ruinous path.

That is why, brothers and sisters in Christ, having been constantly reminded of our predicament and what awaits us in the end should we choose to remain in this path. Do we want this to happen to us? Surely not right? That is why this Lenten season we are given yet more opportunities and reminders to return to the Lord with contrite heart desiring His forgiveness and to turn our way of life and outlook that we no longer walk in the path of evil and instead do whatever God has called and commanded us to do, to be righteous and just as His disciples and followers, to be exemplary in our way of life, in all things we say and do.

May the Lord continue to help and guide us in our respective journey of faith, and may He empower us all to live ever more worthily of His presence from now on, if we have not yet done so. Let us consciously reject the temptations to sin, and strive to live a good and worthy life at all times. May God bless us all and our every actions, so that we may always strive to glorify Him by those same actions and deeds. Amen.

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Tuesday, 29 March 2022 : 4th Week of Lent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we listened to the words of the Lord speaking to us through the passages of the Scriptures reminding us that in Him alone lies true healing, happiness and joy. For in the Lord is our true hope and liberation, our path out of the darkness, the light that dispels the despair and the troubles facing us. If only that we have enough faith in Him and are willing to turn towards Him with renewed conviction and commitment, we shall surely be blessed and be truly happy.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the prophet Ezekiel in which the vision of Ezekiel of the heavenly Temple of God is told to us. The prophet Ezekiel saw the vision of the great heavenly Temple and sanctuary in which God Himself resides, and saw great rushing of water that came from the Temple. That water is a life-giving water that bursts forth from God’s presence, a great purifying stream that purifies all things. The water makes everything wholesome again, purifying the sea of foul water and giving life wherever it went, and all these are symbolic reminders from the Lord of all that He would do for us.

Through Him, we have received the promise of healing and purification, the cleansing of our corruption and sins, the healing from our sickness and troubles. Through our Lord, we have received the guarantee and sure hope of everlasting life, by the coming of His Son in our midst, Our Lord and Saviour, through Whom the love of God has been made manifest. Through Him, the Lord has renewed the Covenant and promise He had made with us from time immemorial, reminding us yet again and again of His ever enduring love and kindness.

Then, we heard of how the Lord Jesus healed the man who had been sick and was likely paralysed and unable to move for a whole period of thirty-eight years. He had pity on that man who had been waiting forever to have a chance to be healed by the miraculous waters of the Pool of Bethzatha. No one had helped him to come near the water whenever the Angel of God came to touch the water and caused the people who came to it first to be healed. The Lord has shown Him the love that He has again and again showed us, and He became that life-giving water, renewing the life and hope in the sick man.

Thus, the Lord helped and made the sick man whole once again, allowing him to walk once again. He healed him from his troubles and gave him strength. This happened after all those thirty-eight years long suffering he had endured. In the end, he was satisfied and redeemed by the Lord, Who by His great power liberated him from the clutches of his disease and disability. Thus, we heard how God rescued us in our time of greatest trials and troubles, which He did for all of us through the offering and sacrifice He made on the Cross, by which the atonement of our sins had been done and completed.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to these readings from the Scriptures, we are all reminded that in this season of Lent, we ought to redirect our attention towards the Lord once again. We are all called to follow Him and to return to Him with faith. Are we willing and able to do so? Are we willing to turn away from our sinful path and our wickedness, and embrace our Lord again with genuine and true love and devotion? These are the questions that we should ask ourselves as we continue to journey through this season of Lent ever closer to Holy Week and Easter.

We have long been dominated and taken control over by sin, which corrupted us and made us weak, sick and diseased, for sin is indeed the corruption of our soul caused by our disobedience against God and refusal to listen to His words, commandments and will. And there is no cure for sin save for the forgiveness, grace and mercy from God. However, we often refuse to allow God’s mercy and love to works wonders with us because we are simply to proud to admit that we could have been wrong or mistaken in our way of life. We refuse to admit that we are sinners and are sickened by those sins, in need of help and healing from God.

Are we willing to humble ourselves and ask the Lord to heal us from those malignant sins within us? Are we willing to make the effort to walk with the Lord and to follow Him wholeheartedly from now on? We are all called to drink from the fountain of God’s mercy, and to receive from Him the life-giving water, the spring of life coming from God Himself. Let us all seek Him and turn ourselves towards Him, looking at His mercy, kindness and love, and entrust ourselves to Him from now on. May our Lenten observances be fruitful and help us to get ever closer to God. May God bless us and our actions, our efforts to walk ever more faithfully in His path, now and always. Amen.

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Monday, 28 March 2022 : 4th Week of Lent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, we are all reminded to have faith in the Lord and to trust in Him and His love, His providence and ever wonderful kindness to us. We are all precious in the eyes of God and all of us will enjoy the fullness of His love and favour once again, if only we turn to Him and entrust ourselves to His loving heart. Our Lord has always loved us since the very beginning, and He wants us all to rediscover our love in Him and to put our trust in Him once again.

In our first reading today from the Book of the prophet Isaiah, we heard the reassurance from the Lord for His people as He called on them all to return to Him with faith, to be converted from their sinfulness and evil ways. He called on all of them to follow Him once again as He told them how they would enjoy the glorious wonders that await them, the vision of the new and heavenly Jerusalem, the great kingdom of God that awaits all those who are faithful to God. God would gather them all and make them His people once again.

This was important in the context that many of the people of God had been scattered by the time of the prophet Isaiah, with the downfall of the northern kingdom of Israel, in which many of the descendants of the Israelites having lived in that kingdom and after it had been destroyed by the Assyrians just shortly before the time of Isaiah, they had been scattered among the nations. Their cities and lands had been ravaged and destroyed, and they and their descendants had been uprooted from their ancestral lands and forced into bitter exile.

Thus, Isaiah’s words are reminders for all the people of God’s ever wonderful love and compassion which He extends to His beloved ones. He wants them all to return to Him. However, it was often the people themselves who stubbornly refused to follow the Lord and did not do as they had been taught and shown to do. Instead, they preferred to depend on their own strength and on worldly means, all of which led them further astray and away from God and His saving grace. Nonetheless, God was ever patient and has always called on His beloved people to turn back towards Him with repentance and love.

In our Gospel passage today, we then heard of the miracle that happened in Capernaum in Galilee, as He healed the child of an official there. The official believed in the Lord and asked Him to make his son whole again. He had faith in the Lord Jesus, even just by hearing His words and commands, saying that his son would be well. He did not need to have the Lord coming physically to his place and make his son well again, or to see the miracle happening before his own eyes. Contextually, again this must be understood in the light of what likely had happened before, as many among the people still did not believe in the Lord after all the wonders He had shown them, particularly the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law who often criticised and opposed Him.

That was why, the official’s faith in the Lord was indeed significant, as compared to the lack of faith in many others, and should serve as a reminder for all of us what it means for us to be faithful to the Lord. We must not take our faith for granted and we have to be inspired by that great faith possessed by the official who believed wholeheartedly in the Lord and in the end, truly having his son healed and made well again, even only by the mere words and proclamation of the Lord. Can we have the same faith in the Lord too, brothers and sisters in Christ?

Today as we listened to these words, we are all reminded of how we need to deepen our faith in the Lord and grow further in our relationship with Him. We are all called to return to the Lord and to follow Him wholeheartedly. God has always been generous with His love and mercy, and we should respond to His call with faith. Let us all make good use of the opportunities that He has given us especially during this season of Lent to turn back to Him and return to His loving embrace. Let us inspire one another to draw ever closer to God and commit ourselves to Him anew with love.

May the Lord help us that we may always be strong and can endure the many trials and challenges that may come our way amidst the journey of faith in our life in this world. May He empower and strengthen each one of us so that we may be ever more faithful to Him and trust in Him more, allowing Him to lead us forward through life, and be ever courageous in standing up for our faith in Him, now and always. Amen.

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Sunday, 27 March 2022 : Fourth Sunday of Lent, Laetare Sunday (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

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

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday, the fourth one in the season of Lent, we celebrate what is known as Laetare Sunday, one of the only two occasions in the entire liturgical year when the colour rose is used. The other occasion is the Gaudete Sunday during the season of Advent. The word Laetare has the meaning of ‘rejoice’ just as Gaudete is, both having similar meanings. This word comes from the beginning of today’s Introit at the start of the Holy Mass, namely, ‘Laetare Jerusalem, et conventum facite omnes qui diligitis eam…’ which means ‘Rejoice, o Jerusalem, and gather round, all you who love her…’

Today, just as on Gaudete Sunday in Advent, we have a reprieve and more joyful celebration amidst the more sombre and penitential nature of this season. We have something like a break amidst the usually more toned down nature of our Lenten observances, as music and flowers are allowed to be used again, unlike how it is during the other parts of the Lenten season. Why is that so? That is because today we focus on the Joy that we are looking forward to and have been preparing ourselves for in these past few weeks of Lent. We look forward to the joy of the coming of Christ, and the salvation that He has given to all of us in Easter.

We remember the great love of God and how He patiently reached out to us, desiring to forgive us our sins and be reconciled with us. We must consider ourselves truly very fortunate to have such a loving God by our side. We are a people who have deserved destruction and annihilation, condemnation and eternal suffering because of our many sins, our disobedience against God, our waywardness and wickedness. Yet, because of God’s enduring love for each and every one of us, even to the greatest among sinners, He desires to be reconciled with us, so that we, having been forgiven from our sins through our repentance and genuine desire to change for the better, may enjoy once again the fullness of His love and grace.

In our first reading today, we heard the story of the joyful moment when the Israelites under the leadership of Joshua, Moses’ successor, finally entered the Promised Land after forty long years of wandering in the desert and wilderness after their Exodus out of Egypt. God led them to the land promised to their ancestors, and they would have reached it much earlier if not for the stubbornness of many of them who gave in to their fears and lacking trust in God, chose to rebel against God and did not trust Him to guide them safely into the land promised to them. And hence, they had to wander the desert and the wilderness for those forty long years.

That forty long years is symbolically marked by us as well every year when we observe the season of Lent, the time of purification and internal reorientation of our focus in life, for the forty days as we prepare ourselves to celebrate the great and most joyful occasion in the coming of Easter. And Our Lord Himself also spent the same forty days in the desert after He was baptised in the Jordan and before He began His ministry, fasting and praying to God at that moment, tempted and rejecting the temptations of the devil. In the end, the Lord triumphed against the devil and through that, we have hope of our salvation in Christ, Our Lord and Saviour.

The Israelites rejoiced greatly at that moment when they finally entered the Promised Land after forty years long, and they celebrated there, and renewed their Covenant with God. The Lord also from then on did not provide them with manna any longer as He had done for the previous forty years, as they could already live off from the bounty of the land, the promised land overflowing with milk and honey that had been promised to them. And we all today share in their rejoicing, remembering the joy that they had felt, as we remind ourselves why we observe this season of Lent in the first place.

First and foremost, we celebrate this season of Lent because we desire to return to the Lord, to be reconciled with Him as mentioned just earlier. We have erred, made mistakes and disobeyed the Lord, and yet, the Lord Who is ever merciful has always extended His mercy to us, which we are free to accept and reject. For us to accept this mercy fully, we have to go through a thorough internal reorganisation and retrospection, changing our way of life and outlook, rejecting our past, sinful way of life and instead committing ourselves to a new way of life that is in accordance with God and His ways.

In our second reading today, we heard of St. Paul in his Epistle to the Corinthians reminding us that God has willingly reconciled us to Himself, through Christ, His Son, reminding us all that He has done so much for us, even to the extent of bearing the burdens of our sins, all the punishments due for our sins and took them all up onto His own shoulders. We can rejoice today because of everything He has done for us, in breaking His back and getting all the bruises and wounds, which were caused by our own infidelity and wickedness, all the sins we have committed. Those sins separated us from God, but God Who has always loved us sent us His Son to be the bridge connecting us back to Himself, through His Cross and His sacrifice on that Cross.

In our Gospel passage today, we then heard the famous parable of the prodigal son, a reminder for us all yet again of who we are, sinners wandering in this world in great need of healing and reconciliation with God, our ever loving Father and Creator. We are the prodigal sons of God, Who had been swayed by sin and by the temptations to sin, to walk away from God and His path, like the prodigal son who asked for his inheritance from his father and then went off to a distant land to live his life with pleasure, until he had nothing left and was forced to beg to survive.

This is a reminder to us that no matter whatever riches and wonders we have in life, in our world today, none of these will last us and they will not avail us, and eventually they will even become our downfall if we depend on them as what happened to the prodigal son in the parable of the Lord. That prodigal son had to suffer and wander off in a foreign land because of his disobedience against his father and his downfall into sin. Yet, what is important and what each one of us must take note of is what he decided to do next. He could remain proud and refuse to return to his father, as it would have been shameful to do so, and therefore perish in that foreign land, but he did not do so.

Instead, the prodigal son decided to return to his father, swallowing his pride and ego, seeking his forgiveness and mercy. He chose to abandon his way of sin and coming back to the father full of regret and desire to be forgiven, and even humbling himself as such, abashing himself and ready to be treated like one of his father’s slaves. He himself reasoned that it was better for him to live as one of his father’s slaves rather than to die in pride and perish in a land where no one knew him or even would mourn his passing. All his so-called friends and benefactors must have left him behind once he had no more money or possessions with him.

Yet, when he returned, we all know how happy and joyful the father was when the prodigal son came back. The prodigal son had been worried that the father must have been angry. But in truth, whatever anger the father might have felt, his love far surpassed that anger, and seeing his son, as wayward as he might be, coming back to him and desiring to be reconciled with him, full of regret for his own past actions, it was more than enough for the father to welcome his child back to his embrace. The repentant prodigal son was welcomed back with great joy, and he was once again a beloved son of the father’s household.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, through the story of the parable of the prodigal son, all of us are again reminded of how fortunate we are to have God Who is always loving us and has always been kind to us, and desires to be reconciled with us. Even though we are sinners, He has always waited patiently for us to return to Him. But are we willing to return to Him and be reconciled with Him? Are we willing to return to our Lord and Father just as how the prodigal son decided to return to his father with contrite heart full of regrets and sorrow over his faults and mistakes?

We have to realise that it is often our pride and ego that often come before us and God’s salvation. Too often we are too proud to admit that we had been wrong and are in the need for healing and reconciliation with God. And unless we let go of our pride and be willing to embrace God with genuine faith and love once again, we are likely going to still be separated from God and His love. If we allow our attachments to worldly desires and other temptations to distract us from the path of righteousness, we will end up falling into the path towards damnation.

At the same time, we must also not behave like the elder son who was envious and jealous that the younger, prodigal son was welcomed with great fanfare while he, who had always remained at the side of his father, did not have such an opportunity. This is a reminder for all of us not to look down upon or discriminate against our less fortunate brothers and sisters, and more importantly, never be judgmental and be condescending in our attitude towards others, like what the Pharisees did, in looking down on others and thinking that we are better, holier and more worthy and deserving of God’s blessings and graces than others. We are all sinners after all, and in doing what the elder son did, we may forget this fact, and end up derailing our own path towards full reconciliation with God.

Instead, we have to help one another, and remind each other of the joy awaiting us at the end of our respective journeys of faith through life. In this world, we are all still wandering through the darkness and called towards the light, much as how the Israelites wandered in the desert for forty years. This season of Lent is a reminder for us of this reality, and especially the need for all of us for God’s forgiveness and healing, to be reconciled with Him, our most loving Father. We have to draw closer to Him and to humble ourselves, like that of the prodigal son, that we may overcome the obstacles of our pride, ego and all the other things preventing us from coming back to our heavenly Father.

Let us rejoice today with the hope of the true joy that we will enjoy forevermore with our Lord, an eternity of true happiness with God, as we continue living our lives with faith. Let our rejoicing today on Laetare Sunday be a preparation for us to enter worthily into the celebrations of Holy Week and Easter that are coming soon. Let us make good use of the opportunities and time given to us, especially during this time of Lent, to find our way towards the Lord, as prodigal children, wayward sons and daughters, all sinners in need of healing and reconciliation with our God. May God bless us always, now and forevermore. Amen.

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Saturday, 26 March 2022 : 3rd Week of Lent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scripture, each and every one of us are reminded to be meek and humble, and seek the Lord’s mercy and forgiveness for our many sins, for all the faults and mistakes we have committed in life against God and against our fellow brothers and sisters. All of us have deserved punishment and even annihilation because of those sins that we have committed, and yet God still wants to forgive us our sins and be reconciled with us because He truly loves us very, very much.

In our first reading today, we listened to the words of the prophet Hosea reminding the people of God to turn away from their sins and to embrace once again God’s love and grace, to change their ways for the better and reject their old ways of sin and disobedience. The Lord has always been kind and patient with us, and He has always provided us in our time of need. He calls us all to return to Him so that we may find our way and be saved through Him. Yet it was often our pride, ego and hubris, our inability to resist the temptations to sin which became great obstacles in our journey back towards the Lord.

In our Gospel passage today, this was clearly highlighted by the Lord Himself in the parable which He used to bring across this fact to the people who were listening to Him. The Lord used the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector to highlight how our attitudes can be a very significant factor in either leading us towards or away from God’s grace and salvation. In that occasion, the Pharisee and the tax collector both were in the Temple praying before the Lord, but how they prayed reflect the differences in attitudes that were generally correct for that time.

The Pharisee prayed looking up to Heaven and praising himself and all his deeds before God and anyone who could hear him, saying all that he had done in accordance with the Law and everything that he was superior in as compared to the tax collector who was a great sinner in the eyes of the people and especially for the Pharisee himself. Meanwhile, the tax collector did not even dare to look up and abashing himself, he humbly sought forgiveness from God for his many sins, all the faults he had committed and perhaps all the unlawful and selfish profiteering and other misdeeds he had committed.

Contextually, we must understand that the Pharisees at that time were the group of educated and intellectual elite in the community who make up one major portion of the Council of the Sanhedrin or the Jewish High Council. The Pharisees together with the scribes or the teachers of the Law were very particular and strict in their interpretation of the Law of God as revealed through Moses. They were unbending in their very rigid and literal understanding of the Law, and they would not allow anyone to challenge them in this manner.

Over the many centuries, through the long period of time, the Law went through many additions, modifications, changes, reinterpretations and many other things that made it excessive and even punitive and difficult for the people to follow and observe. And worst of it all was the way the Pharisees used the Law as means for them to gain more power and favour for themselves. They prayed aloud and made great show of their piety in public places like marketplaces.

That is why the Lord used this example to highlight how it was difficult for many of us to be forgiven and to seek God’s path and righteousness, as our pride and ego often makes us feeling self-righteous and self-justified, and failing to recognise our own sins and faults, as what happened to the Pharisee clearly showed us. The Pharisee was so focused on his self-righteousness, pride and hubris that he failed to realise that he himself was also a sinner. And in condemning the tax collector instead of reaching out to him, in his part in making it difficult and tough for many to follow the Law, he and the other Pharisees had committed sins before God and man alike.

And unlike the tax collector, because of his pride in not recognising such sins, the sin of the Pharisee remained, and as long as those sins remained unforgiven, then he shall be judged by those same sins, and if found wanting, may end up in eternal damnation, while the tax collector, the supposedly greater sinner, having been forgiven from his sins because of his honesty, humility and the desire to be reconciled with God, may end up in Heaven.

Yes, brothers and sisters in Christ, today we are therefore reminded that during this Lent, all of us are called to deepen our relationship with God and be more attuned with ourselves and we are all called to live our lives with greater fidelity to God, and to humble ourselves more before Him, as sinners all coming to seek His mercy and forgiveness, depending on His ever generous love and compassion. May the Lord be with us in our Lenten journey, and may He help us that we may draw ever closer to Him and find righteousness through following His path, and be fully reconciled with Him. May God bless us all, now and always. Amen.

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Friday, 25 March 2022 : Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we celebrate the great Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord, marking the moment when the Archangel Gabriel came to the little town of Nazareth before Mary, the one God had chosen to be the bearer of His Messiah, and revealed to her the Good News that all of us mankind had awaited for a very long time. The word Annunciation itself has the same meaning as the word ‘announce’ as the Good News was announced and revealed in this world at long last, that God’s salvation was finally at hand.

The Lord has promised His salvation to all of us from the very beginning of time. In our first reading today, when we heard the account from the Book of the prophet Isaiah regarding the sign from God which Isaiah prophesied would come despite the lack of faith from the king, as when Isaiah told king Ahaz of Judah to ask for a sign from God, he refused to do so, and the prophet chastised the king for his refusal as that refusal was made not so much so by humility but rather by his lack of faith and trust in the Lord. Ahaz was one of the kings of Judah who was considered to be one of the unfaithful and wicked kings, whose actions further misled the people away from God.

Isaiah mentioned how God would show His sign in due time to all the people, that a woman would bear a Child, and that woman is a Virgin, who bears the Child with a most peculiar name, that is Emmanuel, or God-is-with-us. That was in fact an early revelation of what God would do for His people, that He Himself would come upon us through the Virgin, the Woman whom He had in fact spoken about right from the beginning of time, when mankind first fell into sin. In the Book of Genesis, we heard of how Adam and Eve, our first ancestors sinned against God, and how they ate of the forbidden tree’s fruits, and Satan deceived Eve in order to do that.

God sent Adam and Eve to wander on earth, into this world to endure the sufferings as the just consequences of our sins. However, at the same time, He still reassured us all of His love, and while we have to suffer the consequences of those disobedience and wickedness we had committed, but He still loved us no matter what, and He proclaimed before Satan, Adam and Eve, that while Satan might strike at the children of man, implying how he would come to drag more and more of the children of man into sin and therefore into damnation, but through the Woman He spoke of, God reassured and promised us all of the deliverance that would come, and that Saviour would crush the head of Satan.

Thus, the words of the prophet Isaiah was in fact yet another reassurance from God of the truth behind all that He would do for the sake of His people. God would come Himself upon us, by willingly taking up on our human existence and flesh, becoming incarnate through Mary, His mother, that He became tangible and approachable to us, conceived by the Holy Spirit and then born into this world, the Saviour Who had been long awaited for by the whole world. He is Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Saviour, the Son of God Most High and the Son of Man. Mary’s acceptance of her role in the bringing forth of God’s salvation into this world made all these possible.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we heard in our Gospel passage today, Mary had listened to the words of the Archangel Gabriel, revealing to her how she was to become the Mother of the Son of God Most High, and her acceptance of the role that the Lord had entrusted to her, sealed her role in the history of our salvation. That is why the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord is exactly nine months before Christmas, as it was at the very moment that Mary answered the Archangel Gabriel with total submission to the will of God, ‘I am the handmaid of the Lord, let it be done to me as you have said,’ that by the power of the Holy Spirit, Our Lord was conceived in the womb of Mary, the Virgin who was to bear a Child, the Saviour of the world.

Mary’s obedience to the Lord and her total commitment to Him marks her as the New Eve as opposed to the first and old Eve of the Book of Genesis. While the old Eve disobeyed the Lord and gave in to her desires and listened to the lies of Satan tempting her with the allures of wisdom and knowledge, Mary as the New Eve remained faithful to the Lord and committed herself to Him, despite all the challenges and trials she might have to face for the path that she was led into. As an unmarried woman, to have a Child outside the bond of marriage it was very risky for her as she could have been stoned to death for her supposed adultery, and naturally Mary must have some hesitation in her heart, knowing all that. But she trusted wholeheartedly in the Lord and gave herself to what the Lord entrusted her with.

Mary has indeed been specially prepared by the Lord as we all know, conceived immaculate as the Immaculate Conception, set aside to be the worthy vessel to bear the Lord, as she is not just the New Eve but also the Ark of the New Covenant, the Covenant to be made and established by Jesus, her Son, Who resided in her womb for nine months. However, although she was made immaculate and free from the taint of original sin, to prepare her for her role, this did not strip from her the free will to choose. She chose consciously to follow God, to obey Him and to listen to Him instead of following the path of the evil one.

And that is not all, brothers and sisters in Christ. Just as we heard from our second reading passage today, from the Epistle to the Hebrews, the author of that Epistle spoke of the worthy offering offered to the Lord, and highlighted how the offerings of blood and animals of old cannot fully satisfy these offerings and requirements to the Lord. But the perfect and most worthy offering has then been made by none other than Christ Himself, the perfect offering of His own Most Precious Body and Blood, offered willingly and out of perfect and total obedience to the will of God, His heavenly Father.

In that way, Christ has become the New Adam much as His mother Mary is the New Eve. As the old Adam disobeyed the Lord and refused to follow His commands, and instead listened to the lies of Satan to satisfy his own desires and in seeking worldly achievements, thus Christ has rebuked and rejected Satan, showing us that we can break free from the power and domination of evil, from his lies and falsehoods, from all of his temptations and the pressures that he had placed on us in trying to mislead us and to distract us to fall into the path of sin. And not only that, but Christ also showed His perfect obedience to the will of His Father as a model for us all to follow.

Today, as we celebrate this great Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord, all of us are reminded of the assurances that God has given to us all these time, all that He had done for our sake and everything He has promised to us. If we are faithful to Him, we truly have nothing to fear. For He has shown us the path forward to eternal life, true happiness and joy with Him. Unfortunately, more often than not it is we who have faltered, stubbornly refusing to follow the Lord and all that He has shown us. The Lord has always patiently led us to Himself, and He wants us to know that all of us are beloved to Him, and He loves us all dearly.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all remind ourselves today not to succumb to the temptations to sin, but instead be inspired by Mary, the Mother of Our Lord and God, Jesus Christ, and Our Lord Himself, who as the New Eve and New Adam respectively have shown us all the path out of the darkness of sin and evil, into the light of righteousness and faith. They have shown us that sin and death do not have the final say or power over us, as long as we have faith in God, walk in His path and devote ourselves wholeheartedly to Him.

The question is, are we all willing to walk down this path that God has shown us? Are we willing to walk down the path with God Who has always been with us, reassured us again and again, and Who has come down into our midst, to live with us and to be Emmanuel, God Who is with us, tangible and approachable? He has shown us all His light, the path and hope amidst the darkness of this world. Are we all willing to follow Him? Or are we still stuck in living in the darkness of this world and in following the temptations and pressures to disobey Him and to sin?

On this great Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord therefore, let us all reflect on these and discern carefully our path forward in life. Let us all follow the obedience showed by Mary, the Mother of God as she obeyed the will of God so perfectly, entrusting herself to the care of her Lord, and followed Him in all things. And let us all also follow the example of her Son, Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, in His faith and total obedience to the will of His heavenly Father. May all of us draw ever closer to God and may He strengthen us all to live ever more worthily in His presence, now and always. Amen.

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Thursday, 24 March 2022 : 3rd Week of Lent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, we are all reminded of the love of God and all that He had done for the sake of His beloved people, for all of us whom the Lord has always cared for since the beginning of time. The Lord will not abandon us His people, although we have often disappointed and angered Him with our various disobedience and lack of trust and faith in Him. We have often preferred to follow the false idols and guides in life, instead of entrusting ourselves wholeheartedly in God.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the prophet Jeremiah in which the Lord spoke to His people through Jeremiah, telling His prophet to remind and even rebuke the people for their disobedience and lack of faith. He reminded them all through Jeremiah how He had shown them the path to His righteousness and justice, and how He has presented them with His Law and commandments, all that He had done to guide them and help them find their way to Him, and yet, they still stubbornly refused to follow and disobeyed Him.

And not only that, but they have also persecuted the Lord’s prophets and messengers, refusing to listen to them and making their lives and works very difficult, much as what Jeremiah himself would also endure during his time working and ministering to the people of God in Judah. They would accuse Jeremiah of wrongdoing and even treason, for speaking the truth and the words of God, when the people preferred to listen instead to the false prophets who brought forth their false words and lies to tempt and misguide the people of God into the path of sin.

That was exactly what the Lord experienced as we heard in our Gospel passage today. In that occasion, we heard how the Lord Jesus was criticised and even wrongly accused of colluding and working with the prince of demons, Beelzebul, by the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, who opposed and had done a lot in resisting the Lord and His works among the people of God. Not only that they made it difficult for Him to perform His works, but they even made such false accusations and slander to discredit Him in the eyes of the people and to prevent Him from doing the good works of God.

That was where the Lord immediately rebuked those faithless and unreasonable people who had often pestered and made His works difficult, by pointing out how unreasonable and foolish their false accusations had been, by arguing that the Lord had colluded with the prince of demons in order to drive out evil spirits. He pointed out how the devil and all of his allies, namely all the evil spirits, demons and all the forces of evil and wickedness are all ought not to be divided against each other, or they would have destroyed each other and would not have been able to harm us.

Instead, on the contrary, the Lord wanted to point out that the devil and his allies were in fact strongly united in their common desire to see about our downfall and annihilation. They would do all they could and unite their efforts to bring us down and to drag us into the path of condemnation and destruction. It was in fact we mankind who are divided among ourselves by our allowance and complicity in allowing these wicked spirits and forces from dividing us and misleading us through their lies and efforts, much as what the people had done to the prophets and Jeremiah, and what the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law had done to the Lord.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, during this season of Lent, all of us are called through these readings of the Sacred Scriptures we have heard today to discern carefully our path in life and ask ourselves well, if we have done the same as those who had little faith in the Lord. Have we treated the Lord and His servants, all those whom He had called and chosen to be the ones to lay the path of righteousness before us, with contempt and opposition, or have we instead humbly and willingly listened to them speaking the words of truth in our hearts and minds?

Let us all consider our path carefully in this life going forward, brothers and sisters in Christ. Let us all not allow the devil and all of his forces of evil and wickedness from misleading us and tempting us away from God and His righteousness, from His salvation and grace. Let us all make the conscious effort to resist all of their lies and evil, and strive to do our best in following God and in living our lives to the best of our abilities in doing His will and obeying His Law and commandments, and being exemplary in all things we say and do in life. May God be with us all always and may He bless our works and efforts, that we may inspire many others to do the same as well. Amen.

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Wednesday, 23 March 2022 : 3rd Week of Lent, Memorial of St. Turibius de Mogrovejo, Bishop (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, we are all reminded of the obligation and duty we have in fulfilling God’s Law and commandments, as Christians who profess to believe in Him and who proclaim ourselves as His beloved children and people, as those whom He had called to be His own, walking down the path that He has shown each and every one of us. This is what He wants to remind us today, and to help us to be faithful always to Him.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of Deuteronomy of the words that Moses, the leader of the Israelites had spoken before all the whole assembly of the Israelites, at the time when he was already old and advanced in age, and it was then towards the end of the long sojourn of the Israelites in the desert, a period that lasted a total of forty years. We have to understand how it happened in the first place, that due to the disobedience of the people and their refusal to obey the Law and their stubbornness in not putting their faith in God led to them having to endure that forty years of journey.

Moses thus reminded those who have endured the sufferings and the long journey, those who have not perished because of their disobedience and sins, that based on what they themselves had endured and experienced, they should know better than to disobey the Lord again. They should not wander off again to the wrong paths and to the wicked ways of their predecessors, who have chosen to follow the idols and foreign gods and ways instead of listening to God and His servant, Moses. Those who have done so had already received their just punishments, while those who have kept their faith in God would be rewarded for their patience.

Yes, those who have persevered in faith would be led into the promised land, the land that God Himself had promised to them and their ancestors, the land overflowing with milk and honey, with great bounty and produce, which their predecessors foolishly refused to enter out of fear and lacking in faith in God. Despite God’s guidance and assurance, those people had preferred to walk their own path and as a result, they ended up with nothing but destruction and annihilation. This was what Moses reminded the people of as he exhorted them to remain true to God and His Law.

In our Gospel passage today, we then heard of the Lord Jesus speaking to His disciples as He spoke to them with regards to the matter of the Law and what He came to do in this world. And likely as a response to the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law who must have criticised Him again and again with regards to the Law, accusing Him without end of trying to destroy and replace the Law of God, the Lord Jesus simply said that He came to fulfil the Law and everything that God had revealed to His people through the Law would be fulfilled through Him. He did not come to destroy or replace the Law but instead to reveal it in its truth and entirety.

For until that time, God’s Law had been re-read, reinterpreted and reorganised many times across the different generations, and as in the past there was no organised writing of the Law into a proper codex or statutes of the Law, but instead depending a lot on oral tradition and word of mouth, the Law of God as revealed and passed down through Moses, which earlier on we just discussed how he exhorted the Israelites to keep faithfully through them and their descendants, all these had been corrupted and misinterpreted by the descendants of the people of God.

And worse still, the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law had made their interpretation of the Law rather excessive and oppressive. Many of them also used the Law as means to advance their own position, power and interests, while outwardly appearing zealous and obedient to God. Yet, in their hearts and minds, they were divided with serving their own self-interests. Hence, the Lord was reminding not only the people but also those same Pharisees and the teachers of the Law that He came into this world to restore the Law to its true form and to call everyone to return to the truth of God, and not the misguided ways as promoted by the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, through all these readings from the Scriptures all of us are therefore also reminded that we have to keep the Law of God as well. The Lord has come into our midst and revealed the truth about Himself and perfected the understanding of the Law He has given us, and which He has entrusted to us through His Church. And this is why we need to obey the Lord through His Church, through all the rules, ordinances and all the things that He has laid down and passed to us, through His Apostles and their successors, our bishops and all the priests assisting them.

Today all of us are called to look upon the good examples of our predecessors, especially one St. Turibius de Mogrovejo, a faithful and committed servant of God who has dedicated his life to the mission of evangelisation and in caring for the needs of his flock, the reform of the Church administration and the purification of its members, especially that of the clergy from the worldly corruptions and wickedness. He was appointed as the Archbishop of Lima in Peru in the New World despite his initial refusal to do so. Very soon he dedicated his life to minister to all the people entrusted in his care.

St. Turibius worked very hard and it was told that during all his years of mission, he baptised and confirmed no less than a million and a half if not more people and touched the hearts and minds of many. He was also instrumental in the great reforms of his diocese, in its administration and clergy as mentioned. His efforts encountered opposition from those priests and others who themselves were sources of these corruptions, but all those did not stop or discourage St. Turibius from continuing to do his best for the greater glory of God and for the good and benefits of His people.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, we should be inspired by the faithful and good examples of St. Turibius de Mogrovejo to show the same faith and commitment in our lives as well. We should dedicate more of our time, effort and works to the Lord and do whatever we can to be righteous, good and faithful in all things, following and obeying God’s Law and commandments at all possible opportunities. Let us be ever more dedicated to the Lord and commit ourselves to His cause with ever greater zeal and faith from now on. May this Lent be a great season and time of renewal for us, for us to renew our faith and be ever stronger in our love for our Lord. Amen.

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Tuesday, 22 March 2022 : 3rd Week of Lent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today through what we had listened from the words of the Scriptures, we are all reminded of the love that God has generously given to us, provided us and patiently offered to us, all these while, that through His love we have received such great benefits and bounty, through the many examples that He has shown us through our various predecessors, and through the parable that Our Lord has spoken to His disciples, the parable of the unforgiving servant in our Gospel passage today.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of Daniel of the story of the persecution of the faithful, the famous story of how the three friends of Daniel, namely Azariah, Hananiah and Mishael. They were all thrown into a great furnace by the orders of the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar. They refused to obey the king’s orders to all the people to worship the great golden statue and idol in his own image that he had built and erected over the land. The three of them alone refused to bow down and worship the statue of the king, and remained faithful to the Lord.

The king was made even more furious because the three men stood by their faith and spoke up courageously in the defence of their faith in God. They would rather suffer and die instead of betraying and abandoning their Lord and Master. The king ordered the furnace to be made even hotter than usual, and threw the three men into it. We heard in our first reading today, the prayer that Azariah had made, entrusting themselves to God and asking Him to show His mercy and love to them, showing their utter commitment and dedication to Him.

Azariah prayed to the Lord also on behalf of the entire people of God, who were then mostly exiled and brought far away from their homeland. The people of the ten tribes of the northern Israel kingdom had been brought off into exile much earlier on, while by the actions of same king Nebuchadnezzar, the people of the southern kingdom of Judah had also been brought into exile, cast out of their homeland, having their homes and cities destroyed and occupied by strangers and foreigners. All these were caused by their infidelities and their wickedness, the sins that they and their ancestors had committed. God listened to them and protected them from the fire, and made the whole people and king Nebuchadnezzar astonished and amazed at their miraculous survival.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard of the parable that the Lord told His disciples and the people gathered to listen to Him, regarding the unforgiving servant, who was forgiven his debts by his master and yet refused to forgive the debt owed to him by his fellow servant. The master showed pity on the servant because he was unable to pay off his debts, and forgave him all of his debts which would have seen his properties, loved ones and more seized. But that servant was not really appreciative and thankful of what he had received from his master.

Instead, he persecuted his own fellow servant who owed him much lesser than what he had owned his master earlier on. This incident was a reminder from the Lord how we often treat one another with lack of mercy, love and compassion while the Lord has shown us so much of that mercy and love. The master is a representation of the Lord Himself, while the servants represent all of us. The Lord showed His mercy and compassion, forgiving us our sins, and He expected us all to do the same as well. When the master punished the unforgiving servant for his lack of mercy, that is a reminder for us that unless we love one another and show mercy and love for our brothers and sisters, then no mercy shall be shown to us either.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all make good use of this time and season of Lent to be more generous with our love, compassion and mercy to each other, just as the Lord Himself has shown us His great love and mercy. The example of Azariah, Hananiah and Mishael has shown us just how much beloved we are by God, and how He wants to reconcile us to Himself. God has always loved us since the very beginning, and while He could have destroyed us due to our many sins, represented by the debts the servants owed to the master, but He was ever generous and loving, willingly forgiving us our sins.

As we say in the Lord’s Prayer that we are all familiar with, ‘Forgive us our sins just as we forgive those who have sinned against us’. This is the calling made to all of us Christians to show more love and compassion to our fellow brethren, to be more like Christ, Our Lord and our most loving Saviour. Just as He has reached out to us with the outpouring of God’s love and compassion, seeking out the worst of sinners and rebels, we too have to do the same with our own lives. We should do whatever we can to show works of charity, generosity, life and kindness at every possible opportunities and even in the smallest things we do.

May the Lord be with us all and may He empower each and every one of us. May He strengthen us all with the courage and strength to live faithfully in His presence at all times. May all of us draw ever closer to God and help us to be more loving, compassionate and kind to one another, and be willing to walk in the path of repentance as well, accepting God’s generous offer of mercy and love. Amen.