Christian sermons

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Saturday, 9 September 2017 : 22nd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Peter Claver, Priest (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

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

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, as we heard in the readings today from particularly the Gospel, that we cannot be like the Pharisees, who refused to believe in Jesus simply because according to them, Jesus had disobeyed the laws of God as revealed through Moses because He often performed His healing miracles on the Sabbath day.

In fact, sometimes the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law purposely placed sick and possessed men or women, at the places where Jesus were teaching the people during the Sabbath day so that they hoped they could trap Jesus in His own actions and they then could accuse Him of disobeying the Sabbath law, thus allowing them to charge Him.

However, Jesus countered their argument, by citing the historical example of king David, the well-known and highly respected king of the nation of Israel. At the time of his great need, hungry and chased by his enemies, David and his men took the bread of offering normally reserved only for the priests, also on the Sabbath day, which was normally forbidden. But in that case, they were under difficult situation and help was greatly needed.

Through all these, we see how the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law failed to understand the true meaning and intention of God’s laws and commandments. They thought that everyone ought to obey the Law as God is a fearsome God Who imposed His laws and commandments on His people, and therefore, all the laws including the law of the Sabbath was treated as inviolable and they persecuted those who did not obey.

But God did not give us all His laws so that He could burden us or pressure us to do all that He has commanded us to do, that we ended up fearing Him and trembling before Him. No, His main intention is love, and He wants each and every one of us to be able to love Him wholeheartedly just as He Himself has loved us first. The Law of God is the Law of love, designed to keep us faithful in His ways, and to help us to learn about God and to devote ourselves ever more closely to Him.

Thus, in the same manner, the law of the Sabbath was instituted, because by setting aside one day when the people might stop their daily business and work, and when they may cease their constant worries and attention on the worldly matters, they might be able to spend that time with God, and strengthen their relationship with Him through prayer and devotion. But, this has been forgotten by the people, and the Pharisees enforced the Law of the Sabbath for the sake of doing it, and not with the purpose of allowing the people to love God more.

That was why Jesus pointed out the errors in their teachings and ways, since they even abhorred good deeds and works that were done on the day of the Sabbath. They did their sacrifices and prayers on one hand, but on the other hand, they discouraged the people from doing what the Lord wants each one of us to do, that is to be loving and to be gracious in how we love, towards both God and to our fellow men and women.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us remember that the Lord Jesus Himself said that when we show our love, care and attention to the least among our brethren, we have done it for none other than the Lord Himself. Therefore, let us all Christians devote ourselves, our time and effort to show love and genuine care for others, especially those who are in need.

Perhaps we should also follow in the footsteps of St. Peter Claver, a devout and holy priest, whose dedication to the slaves in the New World, now the Americas became renowned and remembered by many, who looked up to his examples and commitment. He was a Jesuit priest who worked among the poor and the slaves in that area, converting them and teaching them about the faith.

And he did not hesitate to stand up for their sake when they were poorly and unfairly treated, and St. Peter Claver showed us therefore an example of how we as Christians should live, not through hypocrisy and arrogance like that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, but through genuine love and devotion, via our care for those around us who are in need of our help.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all from now on devote ourselves in the same manner as St. Peter Claver had done. Let us love one another and love the Lord, devoting ourselves more wholeheartedly from now on. May the Lord bless our loving works and continue to strengthen in us the desire to love Him and to serve Him through all that we say and do. Let us all also ask for St. Peter Claver to intercede for us. Amen.

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Friday, 8 September 2017 : Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we celebrate together the day when our Blessed Mother Mary, the Mother of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, was born from the womb of St. Anne, her mother, without any taints of sin just as she had been conceived without sin. This is a day when we rejoice because the Mother of our Lord and Saviour has been born to us.

Some may be wondering why is it that we as Catholics and Christians give so great an honour to Mary, and still yet some may even and has indeed already accused us of idolatry towards Mary and had the very wrong idea and preconceptions that we worship Mary as if she is a goddess. No, this is not the case, brothers and sisters, for there is indeed a very clear dividing line between our worship of God and the honour which we gave to Mary and the other holy saints.

Mary is honoured even more than other saints because of the very simple reason that she is the Mother of our Lord Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Saviour, and One of the Holy Trinity of God, Father, Son and the Holy Spirit. By the power of the Holy Spirit, and upon the obedience of Mary to the will of God, God Himself came in the flesh, and was conceived in the holy womb of Mary. And through the dogma and traditions of our faith since time immemorial, we have believed that because of this, Mary herself had been set aside by God.

Yes, we all know about how she was conceived without any taints of original sin, unlike that of any other human beings, who were tainted as the descendants of the first sinners, Adam and Eve. That is because Mary is the new Ark of the Covenant, bearing within her the New Covenant of God made through Jesus Christ, her Son, Whom she bore within her womb for an entire nine months. But this at the same time did not elevate her to the status of a divine, unlike what some would like to charge upon us and our faith.

We honour Mary, firstly because we honour her Son and worship Him as our God and King. As it was in the olden days, the mother of a king was highly regarded and respected, honoured and given the same honour as what was accorded to the king, by the virtue of the mother having bore forth the king and took care of him in his early days until he came of age and was capable of taking over and exercising his own authority as a king.

If that was therefore how the kings of this world brought honour upon their mothers and parents, and if that is how we mankind honour the mothers of our rulers, then should we not have done the same with the Mother of our one and only True King, Jesus Christ? Should we not have done the same with the Mother of our God Himself? For His Kingship is greater than any of those of the worldly kings and rulers, and therefore, we honour Mary rightly and justly because of this.

And in Mary, we see a living and vibrant faith, based on total surrender and commitment to the will of God. She is the greatest among all the saints not just because she is the one closest to the throne of her Son in heaven, but also because of her very own exemplary life, filled with love for God, and with devotion to her Son, by following Him throughout His life, throughout His worldly ministries, and even unto the foot of the cross.

Therefore, on this day, on the celebration of the nativity or the birth of the Mother of our Lord and God, Mary, most Blessed Virgin and loving Mother, let us all reflect on the life which Mary had led, her commitment and total surrender to God’s will, and how she has shown us the way forward, that through her we may reach out to her Son, and find our salvation in Him. Let us all rejoice together, that the birth of Mary has brought the new hope of all of us, that as we gaze on her, we see through her, the coming of our salvation in her Son.

Mary, blessed Mother of God, pray for us sinners, and intercede for us before your beloved Son Jesus, our Lord. Be with us through our times of distress, and guide us on our way, so that we may be able to find our path, and walk along that way through your help, to Jesus, our Lord and Saviour. Amen.

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Thursday, 7 September 2017 : 22nd Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day through the readings taken from the Sacred Scriptures, all of us are reminded that each and every one of us have been called by God to be holy, and to be those who had been entrusted to be the fishers of men, to gain for God a holy people, converted and turned from their sinfulness into righteousness.

All of us as Christians, as those who have been called by God, and who had been baptised in the Name of the Most Holy Trinity, have been gathered and called by God to be His people, sealed with the Sacraments of Initiation, of Baptism, Confirmation and the Holy Eucharist. However, out there, there are still many people who have not yet heard of the Lord and His salvation, and there are also still many people who are living in sin because they do not know the way to go on forward, trapped in the darkness of their sins.

And all of us are called to follow in the footsteps of the Apostles, who had been called to gather the race of man, from all nations and states, from all languages and backgrounds, from all kinds of peoples, that all of them may be gathered in the holy presence of God, having been redeemed from the darkness and from their sins. This is what the Lord wants each one of us to do, because the works that He had begun through His Apostles had not yet been complete.

Why is that so? That is because the Church which the Apostles built has been founded upon the faith and the good works that they had done, in going forth to the various places and showing the truth of God to the people, calling many of them to repentance and to turn away from their sinfulness, embracing the Lord Jesus Christ as their Lord, Saviour and God.

And all of us, led by the successors of the Apostles, our bishops and priests, are the ones who have been called to continue their good works. We cannot stand idle thinking that we do not have any obligations or needs to do as Christians, that is as those who follow the Lord and obey His will. We cannot be lukewarm or inactive Christians whose actions do not show that we truly belong to the Lord and that we are faithful to Him.

If we then wonder if we are capable of doing what the Lord had asked us to do, let us all remember that many of the Apostles and disciples of the Lord were merely fishermen, tax collectors, and sinners, many of them who came from the low strata in the society, and many were poor and uneducated. He did not choose the mighty, the powerful and the intellectuals to serve Him, but instead, He called on normal people, whom He then transformed wonderfully to be His disciples.

Are we still not sure on what we are to do then, brothers and sisters in Christ? Let us all remember that each and every one of us have been given unique abilities and talents by the Lord our God, and we should make use of these talents and abilities for the good of our brethren in need. We should be active as the members of the Church of God, as Christians, to bring the Word of God to others whom we are in contact with.

Do not worry about how we are going to do it. Instead, let us just place our trust in God, and let Him guide us in our efforts. Let us then do our best, to the best of our abilities, that in each of our actions, words and deeds we will always bring glory to God, and we will always be exemplary in all that we do, so that through us, many more people will be saved. May God be with us always and may He continue to bless us in our good works. Amen.

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Wednesday, 6 September 2017 : 22nd Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we heard of the works of Jesus among His people, curing the sick, casting demons and evil spirits out from those who were possessed. We heard how the people sought for Jesus, hoping that He would touch them and heal then from their sicknesses. And Jesus, having pity on them, healed them and made them whole again.

But at the same time, when Jesus was begged to stay at that place where He had performed the miracles, Jesus said to His disciples that He must go on to other places, and not to stay in that place for too long, for there were also many other people who needed His help and providence, and He was sent into this world so that all the people might hear the word of God’s truth and be saved through Him.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, what then is the significance of what we have heard in the Scripture passages today? First of all, the Lord is calling us to serve Him and to do His good works among the people, by caring in the same manner as how the Lord had cared for His people. The Lord has entrusted us all Christians to care for one another, and the authority has been given to us, through the Church, for those whom God had appointed, to cast out demons and to bring healing to the people afflicted.

Yet at the same time as we have heard in the Gospel, we see how it is easy for us to be tempted to remain in our comfort zone and to be slack in our faith. Why so? Just as Jesus was begged by the people to stay at where He had performed His healing miracles and exorcisms, all of us will also be tempted to remain within our comfort zone, within the boundaries of what we are familiar and comfortable with, that we end up refusing to do what we should have been able to do as Christians.

In this, therefore, all of us are challenged to do what we can do, and contribute in whatever way we can, to show love, care and concern for others, especially to all those who are less fortunate than us, those who are without love and affection, to those who have been rejected by others and by the community. All of us should be loving in all of our actions and deeds, and we should reach out to those who are needy, and share with them the blessings we have received from God.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, have all of us been devoted to God in this manner? And have we done what the Lord had challenged us to do in our lives? Have we as Christians committed our time and effort in order to touch the lives of others around us? Or have we rather ignored the plea and the cries of the needy and the hungry, those who were suffering and in pain?

Let us all from now on dedicate ourselves anew, walking faithfully in God’s ways, and do whatever we can, beginning from ourselves and from all those whom we encounter in life. We may think that as a mere human being and as a mere person, we may not be able to do a lot or in a significant manner for all those who need our help. Yet, everything needs a beginning, or else it will never begin. If we do not start to take action now, when will it be then?

Let us all renew our effort and double down on what we can do, to care for those who need our help. Let our actions and works be the extensions of the good work of God. May the Lord also bless us all and help us on our path, that we may always be ready to do the work of God, and following the footsteps of our Lord, Who is ever ready to extend His merciful grace to those who are sick, physically and spiritually. May He be with us always and with our endeavours. Amen.

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Tuesday, 5 September 2017 : 22nd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Teresa of Kolkata, Religious (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Religious)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we heard the Word of God through the Scriptures, speaking to us about the love and mercy of God, through which He desired to bring us all into reconciliation with Him, that we may be free from the sins and troubles that had kept us from God’s grace. That is what God wanted for each one of us, for us to be redeemed and saved.

And that is why, even though once we lived in the darkness, and were engulfed by the wickedness of the world, now we exist in the light, because God has revealed to us His salvation through His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, Whose coming into this world has brought unto us the fullness of the revelation of God’s grace and love. We see all that through the many good works and miracles which He had done among the people.

In the Gospel today, we also witness one of those miracles, when Jesus cast out evil spirits from within a man possessed by the devil. The man had been in the darkness, and was under the dominion of the devil, but God came to free him, casting out that evil spirit from him, and having been freed, therefore, the man came to reconciliation with God and was healed from his afflictions.

That is what the Lord wants for each and every one of us, without exception. He wants the salvation of us all, even to the greatest among the sinners. God gave us His assurance of salvation as long as we ourselves want to be saved, and has that desire to be reconciled with Him, through repentance and genuine regret for our sins and wickedness. And through His Son, Jesus, He has touched each one of us and healed us.

Yet, the good works of God has not yet been completed. As we should be aware of, there are still many people out there who are still lost in the darkness, trapped in ignorance and rejection of the truth of God. There are still many out there who are in need of God’s loving grace and protection, and it is by the works of our hands that God is exercising His power and work among us, we who are God’s Church.

That is why it is just appropriate that today we also celebrate the feast of St. Teresa of Calcutta, the person whom we also fondly remember as Mother Teresa of Calcutta, a recently proclaimed saint whose works among the poor, the sick and dying, and the least fortunate among the children of God in Calcutta has been renowned throughout the world. It was her approach and efforts to help the last, the least and the weakest of our fellow brothers and sisters that had inspired many others to do the same.

St. Teresa of Calcutta showed us all that if we are truly God’s followers and disciples, then we ought to be committed to work for the greater glory of God and for the good of His people, our fellow men and women. And St. Teresa of Calcutta exactly did just that, by her selfless giving and commitment, and by her hard work and zeal through which she showed her faith in God via her loving and tender care for her fellow brethren, those who are suffering in this world.

Now, let us all ask ourselves, brothers and sisters in Christ. Are we also able to do the same? Are we capable of giving our very best to our fellow men and women? Are we able to walk in the footsteps of St. Teresa of Calcutta and the many other holy saints of God, who had given themselves to the care and love, the service and commitment towards the hungry, the poor, the sick and the dying?

All of us have to realise that there are still so many things which we can do and contribute through our actions in life, in fulfilling what God had taught and commanded all of us to do, that is to love one another just as much as we have loved ourselves. Therefore, let us all, with renewed zeal and desire to commit, seek to bring one another to the salvation in God, by our good works and charity, through every action we do in our lives and through every effort we have made.

May the Lord bless all of us and all of our endeavours. May He empower us all to be ever more dedicated and committed to Him, so that in all the things we do, we will always proclaim His glory and bring ever more souls closer to righteousness and salvation in God. Amen.

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Monday, 4 September 2017 : 22nd Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day first of all we heard the assurance which St. Paul mentioned in his Epistle to the Church and the faithful in the city of Corinth, when he told them of what will happen to all those who are faithful to God and have kept His laws and commandments. God will lift them all up and together with all those who have gone before them, and were faithful, all these God will raise up together to enjoy forever His everlasting inheritance.

This is the promise which God has given us, and which He has revealed to us through His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, Who is our Lord and Saviour born from a humble virgin of Nazareth named Mary. Through His Son, God has endeavoured to bring all of His faithful and beloved people to salvation, and through Him, God has revealed His love and favour to His people. Yet, as we heard in the Gospel passage today, even His own townspeople in Nazareth rejected Him and refused to believe in Him.

Why was that, brothers and sisters in Christ? That is because they refused to open themselves, their hearts and minds to the Lord Who desired to speak to them and to let them know His truth. Yet, the people of Nazareth were blinded by their presumption of knowledge, thinking that because they had seen Him growing up from a very young age, Son of the local carpenter, a job not seen by many with respect, then they had the right to consider what the Lord Jesus had proclaimed to them as something false and preposterous.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us reflect on this passage from the Scriptures and how the people of Nazareth had treated Jesus. And let us also look at our own lives, in how we have related ourselves to the Lord. Have we been truly faithful to Him in our ways? Or have we instead been like the people of Nazareth who refused to believe in Jesus and in His truth? And it is often that we do not believe in Him as we should.

We are often too busy with our daily preoccupations, and we are often too distracted with our worldly concerns, that we forgot about God, and we ignore Him. That is when we distance ourselves from Him and end up falling into sin. We have spent so much time trying to gain for ourselves positions of honour, power, glory and worldly possessions, yet what can all these things bring us, brothers and sisters in Christ?

None of them can bring us lasting satisfaction, and in the end, only God can fully satisfy us, for it is He alone Who knows all that we ever needed and will ever need. He has come into this world to reveal this truth, that He is the true source of our joy and happiness, and not in all the distractions which had prevented us from truly being able to love Him and devote ourselves to Him. And it is often our ego and pride that came between us and God.

The people of Nazareth, a small and poor village, stood by their ego and pride, refusing that such an insignificant little village like theirs could have been the place where the Messiah of God would come from, and less still, to be the One Whom they have seen growing up, the Son of a local carpenter. And thus, doubt remained in their hearts, and they refused to believe, because they had hardened their hearts and minds against God.

Is it what we should do, brothers and sisters in Christ? No, it is not. Rather, as Christians, all of us must walk a different path, that is a path of humility and obedience to God. We should open our hearts and minds to welcome the word of God speaking to us in our hearts, so that we may be able to listen to Him and realise what it is that He really wants us to do with our respective lives.

Therefore, brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all commit ourselves to the Lord anew, and let us all be open to welcome His truth and love inside each and every one of us. Let us listen to God’s will and endeavour to walk in His path henceforth, from now on, ever faithful to His laws and ways. May God be with us always. Amen.

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Sunday, 3 September 2017 : Twenty-Second Sunday of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this Sunday readings we heard of the reminder that as Christians, all of us must carry our crosses in life and follow the Lord in our respective journeys of faith. We cannot be idle or be ignorant of our obligations, that we have to endure challenges, difficulties and even persecutions as those who believe in God. That was what the Lord Jesus told to His disciples as He foretold His own Passion, suffering and death on the cross, as He would be condemned by His enemies.

In that passage we heard, Jesus clearly told His disciples upfront of what was going to happen to Him, and how the chief priests and the Pharisees would arrest Him and made Him to suffer, endure the torture and humiliations, until His death on the cross, but at the same time, He also revealed the truth about His upcoming glorious resurrection from the dead, in which He would be triumphant over death and evil.

But His disciples were dismayed at what He had said before them, and they refused to believe that it was true, particularly St. Peter, who took Him aside and even berated Him for having said such things. Yet, the Lord Jesus rebuked St. Peter and warned of Satan’s influence, tempting Jesus not to proceed with His plan of salvation. Such was what Satan usually used to tempt us to break away from the way of the Lord, that is by manipulating our fears and our natural selfishness.

Yes, brothers and sisters in Christ, as we mankind are by our nature, prideful, filled with ego and the desire to protect ourselves first before anything else. It is our nature, and our world’s customary ways that we should seek our own personal advancement and glory before we even care to look at others. And that is what the devil has been tempting us to do since the very beginning, to seek the greater glory for ourselves, and not that of God.

And Satan has done it through the world, by the force of persuasion and pressure, for us to conform to his way, and not the way of the Lord. In the second reading today, in his Epistle to the Church and the faithful in Rome, St. Paul begged the people of God to live righteously and faithfully in accordance with the ways of the Lord, and not to give in to the world’s demands, that they would not be shaped by the world they lived in, but instead be shaped by the Lord’s ways.

This is therefore the challenge which the Lord presented to us all, Christians who live in this world today. Are we able to resist the temptations of the devil through this world, the temptation to satisfy our personal needs and desires, our ego and pride, our greed and all that have become barriers in our relationship with God? Are we able to dedicate ourselves to God in the manner that our Lord Jesus Himself had done, and as His Apostles and many other holy saints had done?

It is easy for many of us to forget about our priorities in life, when we are inundated with so many worldliness, with so many busy schedules and work, in our daily commitments, in all the things we do in our lives, and we end up being engrossed in our pursuit, for power, for wealth and possessions, for recognition and fame in our society and amongst our friends, for pleasures in various kinds and types, to satisfy our needs and desires.

But if we ask ourselves, what is the purpose and meaning behind all of that? How will gaining all of those things benefit us in the end? We human beings are by our nature very difficult to be satisfied, and no sooner that we have gained what we want, we will start to crave for more of what we have received. That is our natural human greed, the temptation of Satan to please ourselves and to satisfy our needs and our ego.

We have to realise that no matter how much wealth we accumulate, how great power and authority we gather for ourselves, how much fame we attain, how great a prestige and honour we have received, and how mighty we are in the sight of the people of the world, none of this will be carried by us over to the world that is to come, when we meet the moment of our death and the time for us to render the account of our lives to the One Who will judge us, that is God.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, if we have been so busy trying to preserve ourselves and attain our selfish desires, ahead that of serving the will of God, then in the end, there will be nothing for us to gain, but death, condemnation and eternal suffering. For God will reject all those who have not obeyed His commandments, all those who gave in to the temptations of the devil and all forms of worldliness, and consider them to be outcasts.

And the Lord Jesus Himself showed us the perfect example of obedience to the will of God, as even though He knew that He would have to endure great sufferings, pains and even death on the cross, for the sake of the people, many of whom did not even recognise His work among them, and even though He knew that He would die for the sake of sinners who were often tempted to fall again and again into sin, Jesus went on regardless.

Jesus was also tempted by Satan, who tempted Him to turn the stone into bread when He was hungry during His forty days of fasting, and then, he also asked Him to fall from the top of the Temple in Jerusalem, so that the Angels might lift Him up and all the peoples who saw Him might praise His miraculous deeds. And lastly, we know how the devil showed Jesus all the kingdoms and the grandeurs of the entire world, trying to persuade the Lord to abandon His mission. But Jesus did not give up.

All of these should bring us to the realisation that for each of us Christians, the path forward is not necessarily an easy one. And there will be challenges, opposition and temptations that we will face, pressuring us to give up the faith. And we will face those pressures both from outside, from even our friends and families, as well as from within. Now the question is that, are we able to handle those pressures? Are we able to turn away from our pride, ego, greed and all the temptations of the world?

Brothers and sisters in Christ, many of us Christians are not truly faithful to the Lord, and that is why we easily fall into temptation, because our relationship with Him is not strong. We are often too distracted by the business of our lives, that we end up forgetting about God and getting more and more distant from Him. This is not what each of us should be doing. Remember, brethren, that the devil is always active trying to snatch us away from God.

Therefore, brothers and sisters in Christ, remembering this fact, let us all, each and every one of us Christians pray for strength, that we will be able to persevere through the challenges and difficulties we will encounter, and indeed have encountered in our journey of faith. Let us all spend more of our time to do what the Lord had asked us to do, to love our fellow brethren, to be generous in giving our time and attention to those who are less fortunate than us, rather than being preoccupied with our own selfish needs and desires.

Let us all seek God through our actions, and let us draw closer to Him, knowing that it is in Him alone that we will gain true and complete satisfaction in life, and not in the false promises and the pleasures offered to us by Satan or his allies. Let us carry together our crosses in life with faith, always trying our best to remain strong in faith and generous in love, that God will always bless us and that He will bring us all into His eternal kingdom. May God be with us always, now and forevermore. Amen.

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Saturday, 2 September 2017 : 21st Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

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

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we heard from the Gospel the parable of the silver talents, in which our Lord Jesus related the story to the people and to His disciples, telling them of what they need to do if they are to remain faithful as His disciples. They cannot be idle or be lukewarm in our faith, and He showed this through the example of the silver talents entrusted by the master to the servants.

The master represents the Lord our God, Who has given each and every one of us with different abilities and gifts, in each of our own capacities, so that we may use them in what He has willed us to do, and to utilise these gifts and abilities He has granted us, all the blessings He has bestowed upon us, for our common good. However, this is something which many of us tend to overlook, and which the Lord wants us to remember through the Scriptures we heard today.

There were three servants who were given different silver talents depending on their abilities, as one was given five silver talents, another was given two silver talents, and one was given one silver talent to be taken care of while the master was away on his official business. Yet the one who has one silver talent hid his silver talent piece away when the two other servants invested their silver talents and gained profit as a result.

When the master came back to his place, and asked for an account from each of his servants, he praised the diligence and astuteness of the two servants who have invested their silver talents and gained great profits from what they have been given, and they were entrusted with even more of the master’s wealth, who knew that those servants could be depended on because of their performance.

Yet, the one who hid his silver talent and did nothing to it, was punished because he failed to do as what his master had said, that is to use the silver talent and invest it so that it would not just remain a silver talent, but instead giving great returns and profits, that when the master himself returned, he would have been able to gain more from what he has entrusted to the servant.

In the same manner, therefore, God will punish us if we have failed to do whatever it is that He had commanded us to do, and in today’s Gospel, He reminded us that He had granted us those many gifts and blessings, each according to our abilities and capacities. If we keep all these things to ourselves without using them, we will be just like the servant who was lazy and did not invest his silver talent.

And then, we should also not say that because God does not bless us with many things in this life, or that because we think that we do not have any special abilities, gifts or anything that we can give, share or use for the benefit of all. If we pay attention to the parable, we notice how the master gave each of the servants different amount of silver talents, each according to the servants’ abilities. Surely God has done the same with us as well. He knows what He has given us, and whatever little we have, even those we can use as well, for the common benefit of all.

Therefore, brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all make the pledge from now on, to be generous in our giving, to those who have less than us, in material and most importantly in our love. Let us share what we have received with one another, that God’s blessings in us may multiply and grow greater, just as the silver talents invested by the good servants bore profits.

May the Lord bless our endeavours, and may He be with us throughout our journey in life, that we will ever bear fruits and be filled with goodness in all of our actions. May He empower us to live in His presence with faith, joy and hope at all times. Amen.

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Friday, 1 September 2017 : 21st Week of Ordinary Time, World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we are reminded yet again, to be prepared for the coming of the Lord, just as we have been reminded in the Scripture passage yesterday, which told us about the faithful and the lazy servants, whose were found by their master to be faithful and lazy in their works, and they were rewarded accordingly, one receiving great praises and glory, while the other one was punished severely.

Then in the Gospel passage today, all of us heard another parable by the Lord Jesus, Who told the people the parable of the five wise women and five foolish women, as yet another reminder that each and every one of us as Christians must be prepared and must be vigilant at all times, through our actions, that we continue to be mindful of this as we proceed through our lives in our actions and deeds, in how we relate with one another.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, the parable showed us how we mankind can respond to God’s calling to us. As Christians, all of us in particular need to know that we need to be vigilant because we will never know when it is that the Lord will come again, as He has promised. Otherwise we will be like the five foolish women who did not prepare and plan well in advance for any possibilities, and when the bridegroom comes at a surprising time, they were caught unprepared.

As I have asked it yesterday, now I think it is just the right opportunity for me to ask it again from each one of us. How do we want to lead our lives, and what is it that we want to be in the end? To be like the five foolish women who were unprepared for the coming of the bridegroom, or would we rather be like the five wise women who were prepared for all possibilities and prepared everything well in advance?

Brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day, we are given this choice, to do what we should do in order to walk in the path of the Lord, that we will be able to welcome the Lord when He comes again, and when He sees us, He Who knows everything will find us worthy of His grace and love, and we will receive from Him what He has promised all of us, the gift of eternal life.

We have been entrusted this world for our care, and as we live our lives in this world, God entrusted us to be caretakers for one another, both for our fellow men and for the rest of creation. This is in time with what we pray for today, as together as one Church, we have today, the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, remembering that as Christians, we have the obligations to care for all that God had entrusted to us.

This is how we are being prepared, by being righteous, hardworking and committed stewards of creation, and as those who are called by God, all of us should responsibly discharge our duties, by being loving and forgiving, in our relationship with one another, and by being responsible in our relationship with the nature and all that God had created for us.

What does that mean? That means, besides being good to one another we must also be friendly to this world that we live in, in all the beauty and all the animals and plants God had created for us, that we must take great care that we do not abuse them, or bring destruction upon them due to our selfishness and lack of responsibility. Yesterday we just heard the Lord speaking to us about the faithful and loyal servant, who did all that were asked of him, and that is what we should be as well.

We should not condone the acts of those who destroy the environment, for their own selfish gains, and neither should we walk in the same path. We should be responsible in how we obtain what we need in life, in our procurement of food and other things we need for the sustenance of life. We should not be greedy for more than what the Lord has blessed us, and we should not be overcome with the desire for money and wealth, that we destroy what God had given us, just to satisfy our selfish needs and wants.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, therefore, today, let us all pray together, as the whole Church, that there will be more and more people who will be called by God, to walk His path and to be prepared thoroughly for His coming, by the good care they have shown for His creation, their responsible life and behaviour, so that they become good stewards of this world, and God will deem them all, all of us here, worthy of Him when He comes.

Let us pray that each of us will be moved to devote our time and energy to volunteer and help out in the many efforts that the Church had begun in ensuring the stability and sustenance of our world around us, and at the same time, not forgetting all those who are hungry and suffering, that we may be generous to give what we can spare, and also our time and effort to help them.

May the Lord be with us all, and may He guide us throughout this journey, that we may be ever more dedicated in living our lives faithfully and filled with the love and care for our fellow men and for the whole world. Let us follow the examples of the five wise women, and in our wisdom, let us be prepared for God at all times. Amen.

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Thursday, 31 August 2017 : 21st Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day the Word of God in the Scriptures speak to us the need to be ever vigilant, day and night, from time to time, that we will not be caught unaware and unprepared, should the Lord come again in His own time, as He had promised. This we heard ourselves from the parable which Jesus our Lord spoke to the people, the parable of the faithful and the bad servants.

In that parable, Jesus spoke first of a faithful and devoted servant to whom his master entrusted his household, his servants and his entire properties while he was away from his residence, essentially becoming his steward and the caretaker of his many possessions. And the faithful servant did all that his master had ordered him to do, fulfilling all that was required of him, and when his master came back, the servant was richly rewarded.

And then, we also heard about another servant, who was also entrusted with the possessions and the household of his master when he was away. Yet this servant was different from the previous one, as this servant was lazy, and he misused the authority given to him by his master, abusing the other servants and by shirking his duties and abandoning his responsibilities, thinking that he could get away with all that, as his master was away.

The reality only came to strike at that lazy servant when the master suddenly came back without warning and found the lazy servant to be idling at his work and even abusing the servants. The servant was punished and earned what he deserved, and all these are reminders for us all that these things will come to us as well if we are not vigilant in how we live our lives daily.

What does this mean, brothers and sisters in Christ? It means that each one of us have been entrusted by God with this life we have, just as the master of the house entrusted his properties and household to the servants. And how well we do in this life, we will then be judged by the Lord, Who is our Lord and Master. He will know of what we have done in our lives, as well as what we have not done.

Now, the question is that, who is it that we want to be, brothers and sisters in Christ? Do we want to be like the faithful servant, whom the master found to be faithful and good in his work, even though those labours and works might be hard, and yet, provided him with bountiful returns and rewards? Or would we rather be like the lazy servant, who had done nothing and wasted his time?

That brings us then to the need to question ourselves, what have done as a Christian and as a member of the Church of God? We cannot be lukewarm in our faith, and that means, we cannot be ignorant of what we need to do, that is to love God with all of our heart, with all of our mind and our strength, indeed, with our whole being. And that means for us to spend time with Him and to be true to our faith to Him in all the things we say and do.

We may think that it is something that is easy to be done, but in reality, it can be quite difficult. There are plenty of temptations and pressures around us tempting us to do otherwise. And we must also not forget that as Christians, we are also called to love our fellow brethren just as much as we love ourselves and just as how we loved God. Are we ready and able to give our love to our brethren, unconditionally and generously?

Therefore, brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all reflect on these questions and indeed think through of what each and every one of us are able to do in order to be good servants of God, walking faithfully in His ways, that in the end, when God comes again, and when it is time for us to render our accounts of our own lives, we will be able to receive worthily the graces and blessings which God had promised all of us.

May the Lord be with all of us, and may He bless us at all times, that He will always guide us on this journey of faith, that we may draw ever closer to Him with each passing day. Amen.