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Tuesday, 28 June 2016 : 13th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Irenaeus, Bishop and Martyr (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day, we heard again about the wrath of God, which He showed to all those who were wicked and who have not been obedient to His ways. He destroyed the wicked and those who refused to repent, as how it was in the days of Sodom and Gomorrah, where the sins of those two cities had been such that God destroyed and wiped them off the face of the earth.

It is a reminder yet once again for us all that the Lord, while He loves us all, but if we refuse His love and constantly disobey Him by our sins and by all the wicked things which we do, then the Lord Himself will not be lenient upon us when the time of judgment comes. And that is exactly the problem which many of us had, that is the lack of faith and commitment to God, because we do not put our complete trust in God.

They have placed their trust in the powers of men, their own power and might, and did not put their trust and faith in God. And that was why as what we heard in the Gospel today, that the disciples of Jesus were wrecked with fear and anguish when the great storm struck their ship and made them to wander amidst great waves and strong winds in the middle of the lake.

The boat is the Church, and Jesus Who is the Head of the Church guides that boat to its destination, to the safety and the eternal joy of heaven. And all who belong in the boat, all of them are the members of the Church, that is all of us. And they all had a choice. In the fear of the great waves that were about to engulf them, and the strong winds that were about to overturn their boat, would they stay or would they jump into the water?

It was a choice which they had, to save themselves from an uncertain future and what was seemingly a certain destruction, or to put their trust in the Lord their God. Mankind for many generations had proven that they would rather jump off the boat and save themselves, trusting in their own power rather than to trust in the Lord. And that is the way through which they had sinned and disobeyed the Lord.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all ask ourselves and look deep into our hearts. Do we act like those people, or do we trust in the power of God to protect us from all harm and to lead us into the eternal life and joy He had promised all of us? Have we been faithful to Him in the same manner as how He had been faithful to us first? He has not withheld His love even though our sins and wickedness had earned us His wrath.

Let us all look at the examples of St. Irenaeus, the holy bishop and holy martyr of the Faith, whose feast day we are celebrating today. St. Irenaeus was a bishop of the Church in the province of Gaul, an area that is now known as France in the early third century after the birth of Christ our Lord. He was a faithful servant of God. And despite the challenges and difficulties he faced, he persevered on and through his works, he brought much good to the people and the flock he had been entrusted with.

St. Irenaeus was particularly renowned for his works against the heretical Gnostics, those who confused and blurred the truth of the faith with their own brand and version of falsehoods and lies. These people misled the faithful people of God into sin and darkness, and St. Irenaeus struggled against them in various ways, and succeeded in calling back the people of God from falling into irrecoverable state of sin.

The actions of St. Irenaeus is what we should all follow and emulate, for what he has done, despite all the challenges and difficulties he faced, is the way forward for us as Christians. Do we stand with the Church in moments and times of trouble? Or do we rather jump ship when we find ourselves in trouble and abandoned both God and His Church?

Brothers and sisters in Christ, God never abandoned us, no matter how naughty and disobedient we had been, as He always offered us His love and grace. However, there is a limit to everything, including God’s mercy and love. If we continue to disregard His mercy and love, then eventually, God Himself will also reject us and disregard us when He comes to call all of His faithful ones to enter into the eternal kingdom of His glory.

Let us all therefore now find in ourselves a new faith and a new light, that we may draw ever closer to God and find our way to Him and return to His love. May the examples of St. Irenaeus and the other holy saints of God be inspirations for us all to follow as we embark on this journey of faith. God bless us all. Amen.

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Tuesday, 28 June 2016 : 13th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Irenaeus, Bishop and Martyr (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Matthew 8 : 23-27

At that time, Jesus got into the boat and His disciples followed Him. Without warning a fierce storm hit the lake, with waves sweeping the boat. But Jesus was asleep.

They woke Him and cried, “Lord, save us! We are lost!” But Jesus answered, “Why are you so afraid, you of little faith?” Then He stood up and rebuked the wind and sea; and it became completely calm. The disciples were astonished. They said, “What kind of Man is He? Even the winds and the sea obey Him.”

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Tuesday, 28 June 2016 : 13th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Irenaeus, Bishop and Martyr (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Psalm 5 : 5-6, 7, 8

You are not a God Who delights in wickedness; evil has no place in You. The arrogant cannot stand before You. You hate all who do evil.

You destroy all who speak falsehood, who thirst for blood and live on lies; all of them the Lord detests.

But I, by Your love and grace, may come into Your house. In reverence I bow down and worship at Your holy Temple.

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Tuesday, 28 June 2016 : 13th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Irenaeus, Bishop and Martyr (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Amos 3 : 1-8 and Amos 4 : 11-12

Hear this word which YHVH speaks against you, people of Israel, against the whole family which He brought up from the land of Egypt. Only you have I known of all the families of the earth; therefore I will call you to account for all your wrongdoings.”

Do two walk together unless they have agreed? Does a lion roar in the forest when it has no prey? Does a young lion growl in its den unless it has seized something? Does a bird get caught in a snare if the snare has not been baited? Does a tiger spring up from the ground unless it has caught something?

If a trumpet sounds in a city, will the people not be frightened? If disaster strikes a city, has not YHVH caused it? Yet YHVH does nothing without revealing His plan to His servants, the prophets. If the lion roars, who will not be afraid? If YHVH speaks, who will not prophesy?

“I overthrew you, a divine punishment, as happened to Sodom and Gomorrah; you were like a brand snatched from the blaze, yet you never returned to Me,” says YHVH. “Therefore I will deal with you in My own way, Israel, and since I will do this to you, prepare, Israel, to meet your God!”

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Monday, 27 June 2016 : 13th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Cyril of Alexandria, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Bishops)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we heard about the great anger of God which He had raised against His own people, all because of their disloyalty, their insubordination and extremely rebellious attitude, refusing to listen to the Lord their God and preferring to walk on their own decided paths. They sold themselves to debauchery and to the pagan idols of their neighbours, and turned a deaf ear to the Lord and to His prophets.

God had done so much for their sake, destroying their enemies before them and protecting them from all those who desired for their destruction, and He also brought them to deliverance from their suffering and slavery in the land of Egypt, giving them land to stay and dwell in, showing His great power and majesty in carrying them out into freedom.

And yet, through the generations, they had been unfaithful. They complained when God brought them out of Egypt into the desert, raising up a golden calf for themselves to worship as a god. And they disobeyed and complained on the harsh laws and rules which the Lord gave to them, because they were themselves lazy, poisoned by the laziness of this world, and the complacency which led to the raise of temptations of the flesh.

Thus, that was why even many of the people of God eventually slid down the slippery slope of sin and disobedience, abandoning the Lord their God, because they found the world and its temptations to be more appealing and attractive to them rather than what the Lord offered them in the discipline of the faith. They found that following the Lord was too difficult and too demanding for them, and thus, they faltered.

And that is the same reality which our Lord Jesus mentioned to the teacher of the Law and to His disciples about following Him and His ways. When two of them came up to Him and said that they needed to do so and so first before following Him, and saying that they would follow Him wherever He went, He mentioned to them that to follow the Lord, one cannot be divided or to be distracted in his or her heart.

It was those distractions and temptations which had led the people of Israel in the past to wander and to drift away from the Lord into wickedness and sin, and that was what Jesus had warned His disciples about, that following Him is a difficult matter, and challenges and oppression would come upon all those who professed their faith in Him, for He was taking them out of the world, and the world controlled by Satan does not like that.

It is a reminder to us all that being a Christian is not a part-time job, and neither should it be a mere formality. To be a Christian means for us to commit ourselves, body, heart, mind and soul in obeying the Lord and His commandments, and to devote ourselves, our time and our commitment to transform ourselves and others around us by righteousness and through our devotion to the ways of God.

It is a reminder also that we have to be the bearers of the truth of Christ, by showing love to one another and by showing that we truly belong to the Lord through our ways. We should no longer say things or act in the way which would identify us as those who do not belong to God. We have to persevere and stand by our faith even though it will indeed be difficult for us, and we will be ridiculed, rejected and even persecuted for doing so. But great is our reward in the Lord.

Let us all see the example of St. Cyril of Alexandria, the holy saint whose feast we are celebrating today. St. Cyril of Alexandria was the Bishop and Patriarch of Alexandria, one of the greatest early centres of Christianity. St. Cyril of Alexandria lived and served the Lord and His people at a time of great turmoil and trouble for the faithful, a truly difficult time to live in.

St. Cyril lived at the time when the faithful and the Church in Alexandria were divided among the different groups, where several of these were in open heresy against the true faith. He was in constant struggle over the supporters of the heretic Nestorius and his false teachings, known to us as the Nestorians. Those people alleged that the divine and the human nature of Jesus was separate as two distinct beings, which were false and untrue.

And thus St. Cyril of Alexandria worked hard through his works, writings and preachings to condemn the false teachings of the heretics and convinced the people of God to remain faithful to God and His truth, even though his enemies made his life difficult and challenged him wherever he went. He endured persecutions and oppositions, and to the very end, he remained faithful and committed to save the people of God from the falsehoods of Satan.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, St. Cyril of Alexandria remained faithful and true to the Lord even though he suffered rejection, ridicule and even persecution for his faithfulness. Are we able to do the same as well? Are we all able to commit ourselves to God just as he had committed himself fully to the Lord his God and Saviour? Let us all discern and ponder all these deep in our hearts.

May God our Lord and Master help us to find the courage to stand up for Him and for the Church, that we will not tolerate or be complacent in our faith, that in all things, we may always remain true to He Who loves us all and Who will bless us the faithful ones with the eternal glory and joy of heaven. God bless us all. Amen.

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Monday, 27 June 2016 : 13th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Cyril of Alexandria, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Bishops)

Matthew 8 : 18-22

At that time, when Jesus saw the crowd press around Him, He gave orders to cross to the other shore. A teacher of the Law approached Him and said, “Master, I will follow You wherever You go.” Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”

Another disciple said to Him, “Lord, let me go and bury my father first.” But Jesus answered him, “Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”

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Monday, 27 June 2016 : 13th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Cyril of Alexandria, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Bishops)

Psalm 49 : 16bc-17, 18-19, 20-21, 22-23

What right have you to mouth My laws, or to talk about My covenant? You hate My commands and cast My words behind you.

You join a thief when you meet one; you keep company with adulterers. You have a mouth of evil and a deceitful tongue.

You speak ill of your brother, and slander your own mother’s son. Because I was silent while you did these things, you thought I was like you. But now I rebuke you and make this charge against you.

Give this a thought, you who forget God, lest I tear you to pieces with no one to help you. Those who give with thanks offerings honour Me, but the one who walks blamelessly, I will show him the salvation of God.

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Monday, 27 June 2016 : 13th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Cyril of Alexandria, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Bishops)

Amos 2 : 6-10, 13-16

YHVH says this, “Because Israel has sinned, not once but three times and even more, I will not relent. They sell the just for money and the needy for a pair of sandals; they tread on the head of the poor and trample them upon the dust of the earth, while they silence the right of the afflicted; a man and his father go to the same woman to profane My Holy Name; they stretch out upon garments taken in pledge, beside every altar; they take the wine of those they swindle and are drunk in the house of their God.”

“It was I Who destroyed the Amorites before them, whose height was like the height of the cedar, a people as sturdy as an oak. I destroyed their fruit above and their roots below. It was I Who brought you up from the land of Egypt and led you forty years in the wilderness to take possession of the land of the Amorites.”

“Behold, I will crush you to the ground, as a cart does when it is full of sheaves. The swift shall be unable to flee and the strong man shall lose his strength. The warrior shall not save himself nor the bowman stand his ground. The swift of foot shall not escape nor the horseman save himself. Even the most stout-hearted among the warriors shall flee away naked on that day,” says YHVH.

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Sunday, 26 June 2016 : 13th Sunday of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we heard the passages from the Holy Scriptures, all of which spoke about being called and chosen by our God, to be His servant and follower, and to dedicate our lives to Him as we have been called to do so. In the first reading, we heard about the calling of the prophet Elisha, whom God called through Elijah His prophet, so that Elisha might continue what good works Elijah had started.

And in the Gospel today we heard about Jesus Who called His disciples and the people to follow Him and to leave everything they had behind them, even families, possessions and all other things that prevented them from devoting themselves fully to God. And truly indeed, it is not something that is easy to be done. Jesus Himself mentioned to them that while even animals had places to lay their heads, He had none.

What does that mean, brothers and sisters in Christ? That means Jesus was telling His disciples that to follow Him and to be His true disciples, it requires a great deal of effort and sacrifice, and also that by no means that it would be easy. Challenges and difficulties would come their way, and just as the world had rejected and persecuted Jesus, they too would share in His rejection, persecution and suffering.

From all these, we ought to reflect how it is like to be a Christian, and to be a faithful follower of our Lord Jesus in this modern era, in these difficult and challenging times. It is just as difficult and challenging now as it was in those times, when the Lord still walked on this world with His Apostles and disciples. And as it was then, there is still a great need for those who would listen to God or His calling and follow that calling.

Firstly, it is referring to our priests and all who have given their lives to the service of the Lord. These people have given their time, effort and attention to God, and through their dedication, they have done many good things for the Church, that is for the people of God. After all, without them, there would be no one who would carry the message of the Gospels and the Good News to us and to many others who have not received the salvation in God.

But is it only about our priests, our bishops and our religious, all those who devoted their whole lives to God? No! In fact it is also about all of us, including all of the laity and all the people who followed the Lord and yet continued to live their lives as usual in this world. Each and every one of us have a part to play in following our God and in obeying His laws.

How many of us truly live our lives faithfully? How many of us are willing to put the concerns of the world aside for our God? And just how many among us have ignored our God and left Him behind in the pursuit of worldly happiness, joy and celebrations? How many of us can claim that we have stayed true to our God in all things? It is important that we should understand this, or else we are going to continue in our downwards path, for we often act, but we do not think or discern carefully.

Have we given something or done something to contribute to the works of the Church? Have we helped the faithful servants of God, our priests, bishops, all the religious and all others who have devoted themselves to God with all their hearts? If we have not done so in all these, it is most likely because we are either too afraid to do so because of the challenges which we are facing, or rather that we may be too distracted by our temptations so as to follow God’s path faithfully.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all hesitate no longer! After all, God did not hesitate at all when He sent us His only beloved Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, to be our Saviour. He Himself suffered and bore the burdens of our sins on His back, being tortured and humiliated for our mistakes, so that through Him and the sacrifice which He had given to God for our sake, we all may be saved and have life in Him.

The Church cannot function properly without active participation from all of its members, and we are all part of the same Church, God’s one and only Church in this world. And we are also in dire need of faithful servants of God, those who followed in the footsteps of Elijah and Elisha the prophets, and the Apostles and the disciples of Christ.

I was referring to the vocations to the priesthood. We have many good young men around us who were willing to embrace the calling of the Lord, only for their families and the society around them to shun them and to dampen their spirits, or worse, that is to prevent them sometimes even with violence, from becoming who they were meant to be, the consecrated priests and servants of the Lord.

And that is where we all, the laity and all others must work together as one Church, and support the works of the Lord through His Church. Parents, let us not hamper or prevent our children who have heard the calling of God to serve Him from doing so. And young men and women, those who have been called to their respective vocations, embrace God’s calling and be who you are meant to be, God’s workers and labourers in the field of this world.

And when all of us are working together, participating actively in God’s saving works, all of us will be justified in Him and He shall bless us and give us His grace. Let us all not lose sight or be discouraged by the challenges that we meet on our path, but instead, let us all renew our commitment to the Lord, that we may be ever more committed to serve the Lord and to bring His light into this darkened world.

May God bless us all and all of our endeavours, so that we may draw ever closer to Him, and find salvation and eternal life, all of us, brothers and sisters, children of the same Lord our God. Amen.

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Sunday, 26 June 2016 : 13th Sunday of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Luke 9 : 51-62

At that time, as the time drew near when Jesus would be taken up to heaven, He made up His mind to go to Jerusalem. He sent ahead of Him some messengers, who entered a Samaritan village to prepare a lodging for Him. But the people would not receive Him, because He was on His way to Jerusalem.

Seeing this, James and John, His disciples, said, “Lord, do You want us to call down fire from heaven to reduce them to ashes?” Jesus turned and rebuked them, and they went on to another village.

As they went on their way, a man said to Him, “I will follow You wherever You go.” Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” To another Jesus said, “Follow Me!” But he answered, “Let me go back now, for first I want to bury my father.”

And Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their dead; as for you, leave them, and proclaim the kingdom of God.” Another said to Him, “I will follow You, Lord, but first let me say goodbye to my family.” And Jesus said to him, “Whoever has put his hand to the plow, and looks back, is not fit for the kingdom of God.”