Catholic writer

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Thursday, 21 July 2016 : 16th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Lawrence of Brindisi, Priest and Doctor of the Church (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Priests)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we heard the readings from the Holy Scriptures regarding the lack of faith and the lack of attentiveness amongst the people of God who refused to believe in Him even though He has in many occasions shown His majesty, glory and truth. God had done so many good things for them, and yet they betrayed Him for the pagan idols and for the pleasures of this world.

Why is this so, brothers and sisters in Christ? Why is it such that the people of God were so stubborn in their refusal to believe, even though they have seen, heard and witnessed all that God had done and performed in this world? And we may also ask why is it that God held Himself back, and not revealed His truth frankly and plainly for all the world to see? Surely if He was to show His great power among the people, then they would believe in Him and follow Him?

But then where will this lead us? We mankind are creatures who are easily tempted and lured by the wonders and goodness of this world. If Jesus was to declare Himself openly and truthfully for all to see, certainly He would have a much easier time, without the need to hide from all of His enemies, and yet, that would lead to the faithful believing in God because of their awe, and not because of the true desire to love and serve the Lord.

What Jesus wanted to teach us all and His disciples is that true faith requires a deeper understanding of God, His actions and His love for us, all of which should transcend the awe and preoccupation with appearances only. We should not be limiting ourselves to look at the exteriors, but instead deepen our own understanding and commitment to the Lord by deepening our relationship with Him.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day, we are all called to be ever more devoted to God in all the things which we say and do. We are all called to commit ourselves by our dedication to the truth of the Lord, and not being afraid to stand up for our faith whenever it is called for. For many would be swayed by the persecutions and the challenges of the world, and many more would also be swayed by the temptations to turn away from the path of God and into the path towards damnation.

In this matter therefore, let us all look at the example of St. Lawrence of Brindisi, the holy saint of God whose devotion has allowed him to become an example for us all in the matter of faith. St. Lawrence of Brindisi was a Capuchin friar who was renowned for his devotion to God, and in his evangelisations, through which he was an integral part of the Counter-Reformation effort against the heresy of Protestantism, which saw many people repenting their heresy and returning to the Holy Mother Church through his efforts.

He went about to do many other works and commitments, leading the army of the faithful against the forces of the heathen and pagan Turks, successfully reclaiming territories of Christendom from the forces of evil. He devoted himself to the very end of his earthly life, and he was then even still remembered through his many writings and works through which he continued to inspire many other people through the generations on how to remain truly faithful to the Lord.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all follow in his footsteps, and also in the footsteps of the many other holy saints, holy men and women of God. Let us glorify God and declare our commitment to Him through our actions which bring joy to the world and to all those whom we have touched and healed with the truth and the word of God. May God help us all, now and forever. Amen.

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Thursday, 21 July 2016 : 16th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Lawrence of Brindisi, Priest and Doctor of the Church (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Priests)

Matthew 13 : 10-17

At that time, the disciples of Jesus came to Him and said, “Why do You speak to them in parables?” Jesus answered, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but not to these people. For the one who has, will be given more and he will have in abundance. But the one who does not have will be deprived of even what he has. That is why I speak to them in parables, because they look and do not see; they hear, but they do not listen or understand.”

“In them the words of the prophet Isaiah are fulfilled : However much you hear, you do not understand; however much you see, you do not perceive. For the heart of this people has grown dull. Their ears hardly hear and their eyes dare not see. If they were to see with their eyes, hear with their ears and understand with their heart, they would turn back, and I would heal them.”

“But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears, because they hear. For I tell you that many prophets and upright people have longed to see the things you see, but they did not see them, and to hear the things you hear, but they did not hear them.”

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Thursday, 21 July 2016 : 16th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Lawrence of Brindisi, Priest and Doctor of the Church (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Priests)

Psalm 35 : 6-7ab, 8-9, 10-11

Your love, o God, reaches the heavens; Your faithfulness, to the clouds. Your justice is like the mighty mountains; Your judgment like the unfathomable deep.

How precious, o God, is Your constant love! Mortals take refuge in the shadow of Your wings. In Your house they find rich food and they drink from Your spring of delight.

For with You is the fountain of life, in Your light we see light. Bestow on Your faithful Your love and give salvation to the upright of heart.

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Thursday, 21 July 2016 : 16th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Lawrence of Brindisi, Priest and Doctor of the Church (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Priests)

Jeremiah 2 : 1-3, 7-8, 12-13

A word of YHVH came to me, “Go and shout this in the hearing of Jerusalem. This is YHVH’s word : I remember your kindness as a youth, the love of your bridal days, when you followed Me in the wilderness, through a land not sown. Israel was holy to YHVH, the first-fruits of His harvest. All who ate of it had to pay and misfortune fell on them – it is YHVH Who speaks.”

“I brought you to a fertile land to eat of the choicest fruit. As soon as you came you defiled My land and dishonoured My heritage! The priests did not ask, ‘Where is YHVH?’ The masters of My teaching did not know Me; the pastors of My people betrayed Me; the prophets followed worthless idols and spoke in the name of Baal.”

“Be aghast at that, o heavens! Shudder, be utterly appalled – it is YHVH Who speaks – for My people have done two evils : they have forsaken Me, the fountain of living water, to dig for themselves leaking cisterns that hold no water!”

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Wednesday, 20 July 2016 : 16th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Apollinaris, Bishop and Martyr (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today in the Scripture readings, all of us are called by God to be His servants, that is to be His mouthpiece and examples to the nations, by our own actions and deeds which declare the greatness and the glory of God. And that was shown through the calling of the prophet Jeremiah, and through the parable of the sower told by Jesus to His disciples.

Jeremiah was called by God from among His people, and although he was uncertain and fearful, not being confident in his abilities, but God gave him the strength and the courage to become His messenger, and through His guidance, indeed Jeremiah became a great prophet and messenger through whom the words of God’s truth rang clear amidst the darkness surrounding the people of God.

In the Gospel today, we heard the parable of the sower which our Lord Jesus Christ told to His disciples. This parable spoke to us about how receiving the word of God and having it alone is not enough, as the fate of the seeds spread by the sower showed us. The seeds that fell on the roadside, on the rocky ground and among the thistles and weeds were not able to live and survive, because they were either eaten up by the birds, or scorched by the sun without a strong root to look for water, or were suffocated by the thistles and brambles.

Only the seeds that fell onto the rich soil managed to grow, and when they grew, they produced many times more than what had been sowed. In the same manner, as the seed represents the word of God and our faith in Him, only in a certain, fertile and good condition that the Word and the faith will be able to grow and prosper inside us, that is when we give of ourselves to serve the Lord with all of our strength and with all the sincerity of our hearts.

We may not be strong and great in many things, but God purposefully did not choose the mighty and the great to be those who would do His will and bidding in this world. For the mighty and the great, although not all of them, has the tendency to be focused only on themselves and their greatness, and thus in their myopic vision and understanding of the world around them, they were unable to become good, obedient and effective messengers and bringers of our Lord’s word and will.

Rather, God chose from among the weak and the ordinary. He picked us up among the many in the world, chose us to be His tools and heralds in this world. And in the process, He transformed us all from beings filled with fear and uncertainty, and from beings filled with darkness and vile things, from those who were struggling in faith and were shaken by the world and its temptations, to be the children of light and to be those whom He will bless.

But all these will require our great attention and contribution. Effort and strength must be harnessed in order to make ourselves to be growing in faith and in our commitment to the Lord our God. Only if a farmer toils hard and works hard on his patch of farm, tilling the ground and working on the soil that the seeds there will grow to be great and healthy.

Similarly therefore, we also need to work hard in order to draw closer to our God and to His salvation. Let us all redouble our efforts and commit ourselves to serve Him and to preach His Good News to all the peoples, accepting His calling and serve Him with all of our heart. Let us no longer be hesitant but be courageous and be brave in accepting that mission to which we have been chosen.

St. Apollinaris was one of the great example of that living faith in God, for he was a holy and devoted servant of God who have given all of his life for the service of God and His people. He has led the faithful in the city of Ravenna as its Bishop and he ministered among the people of God without fear or hesitation, doing all that he could to serve the Lord, even though challenges, arrest and torture were always about him, and which he had to endure with great pains.

St. Apollinaris chose to endure all of those sufferings and resist the temptation to give in and abandon his faith in God. He suffered a lot and yet he did not stop serving the Lord, and he became great examples for the faithful, as his perseverance and hard work reminded them of how and what they should do to live as true Christians, as those who have true faith in God.

May God help us all and strengthen our faith, just as He has once strengthened the faith of St. Apollinaris and the many other holy men and women who devoted themselves to Him. May He guide us and lead us to Him, and empower us all to live faithfully by His laws and His ways. God bless us all. Amen.

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Wednesday, 20 July 2016 : 16th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Apollinaris, Bishop and Martyr (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)

Matthew 13 : 1-9

At that time, on the same day Jesus left the house and sat down by the lakeside. Many people gathered around Him, so He got in a boat, and sat down, while the crowds stood on the shore; and He spoke to them in parables about many things.

Jesus said, “The sower went out to sow and, as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and ate them up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground where there was little soil, and the seeds sprouted quickly because the soil was not deep. But as soon as the sun rose, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no roots.”

“Again other seeds fell among thistles, and the thistles grew and choked the plants. Still other seeds fell on good soil and produced a crop : some a hundredfold, others sixty, and others thirty. If you have ears, then hear!”

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Wednesday, 20 July 2016 : 16th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Apollinaris, Bishop and Martyr (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)

Psalm 70 : 1-2, 3-4a, 5-6ab, 15ab and 17

In You, o Lord, I seek refuge; let me not be disgraced. In Your justice help me and deliver me, turn Your ear to me and save me!

Be my Rock of refuge, a stronghold to give me safety, for You are my Rock and my Fortress. Rescue me, o my God, from the hand of the wicked.

For You, o Lord, have been my hope, my trust, o God, from my youth. I have relied on You from birth : from my mother’s womb You brought me forth.

My lips will proclaim Your intervention and tell of Your salvation all day. You have taught me from my youth and until now I proclaim Your marvels.

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Wednesday, 20 July 2016 : 16th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Apollinaris, Bishop and Martyr (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)

Jeremiah 1 : 1, 4-10

These are the words of Jeremiah, son of Hilkiah, one of the priests at Anathoth in the territory of Benjamin.

A word of YHVH came to me, “Even before I formed you in the womb I have known you; even before you were born I had set you apart, and appointed you a prophet to the nations!”

I said, “Ah, Lord YHVH! I do not know how to speak; I am still young!” But YHVH replied, “Do not say; ‘I am still young’, for now you will go whatever be the mission I am entrusting to you, and you will speak of whatever I command you to say. Do not be afraid of them, for I will be with you to protect you – it is YHVH Who speaks!”

Then YHVH stretched out His hand and touched my mouth and said to me, “Now I have put My words in your mouth. See! Today I give you authority over nations and over kingdoms, to uproot and to pull down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.”

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Tuesday, 19 July 2016 : 16th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we heard what God wanted from all of us, from what we heard in the Gospel, where Jesus laid out what is expected from all of us, whom He has deemed as His brothers and sisters, as the members of His own Body, the Church. And by establishing the Church, He has made all of us, all those who have given themselves to the Lord and who embrace His ways and obey His laws to be those whom He regards as His own.

In the first reading today, taken from the book of the prophet Micah, we heard the prophet Micah relating to us all how our God is a loving and caring God, He Who shepherds His people and guides them to His presence, that they may not perish or lose their way, but instead find their way to Him and receive the richness of grace and mercy which has been promised to all those who would follow the Lord.

And in the Gospel, Jesus showed us that in order to be truly faithful to Him, and to belong truly in His Church, then all of us have to do just one thing, which is easy to be said and yet difficult to be done and implemented. It is to obey the Law of God, to obey the will of God our Lord and Father, and do it in all the aspects and parts of our lives. If we do not do these, then we will have no part in the inheritance and grace which our Lord gives only to those who are faithful.

Yes, indeed, it is easy to say that we have obeyed the Lord, or to make it in statement that we have listened to Him and obeyed His laws. However, are we truly embodying that faith which we ought to have for the Lord? Are we truly devoted and committed to Him in all things and not just paying lip service alone? If we are able to attune all of our dealings and actions to align with His will, then we are on the right path, otherwise we are not.

It is by starting and doing the simple things we can do through which we are then able to devote ourselves to love Him in the way that He wants us to. We should not think that just because we are only one person, or a small group of people, then we are not able to make a difference after all, since the impact of our action is limited. The Church and its efforts to make a difference for the salvation of many peoples cannot happen without us.

In fact, if we look at what happens when we pick up a piece of stone and throw it into a lake, we will see that the stone will bounce a few times, and each bounce will produce ripples that will become even stronger if we throw more stones into the lake. It means that if we start doing something in our lives that is in accordance with what God wants us to do, and begin with our immediate surroundings, we may not feel the effect immediately, but if everyone is to also put their effort into such works, in the end, the effect will be really great.

All of us as Christians have to work together, brothers and sisters in Christ, and all of us must put aside our differences and learn to work together as one people, and as all the same members of the same Church, the Body of Christ. It is only then that we will be able to help the efforts of the Church in bringing the goodness and the love of God into this world.

May God help us in our endeavours, and may He bless us always with His grace, that we may always be faithful to Him, and walk faithfully in His ways, resisting the temptations to do otherwise. May He help us to be truly active and devoted in our faith. God bless us all. Amen.

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Tuesday, 19 July 2016 : 16th Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Matthew 12 : 46-50

At that time, while Jesus was still talking to the people, His mother and His brothers wanted to speak to Him, and they waited outside. So someone said to Him, “Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside; they want to speak with You.”

Jesus answered, “Who is My mother? Who are My brothers?” Then He pointed to His disciples and said, “Look! Here are My mother and My brothers. Whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is for Me brother, sister or mother.”