divine grace

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Thursday, 30 January 2014 : 3rd Week of Ordinary Time (Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, the key takeouts from today’s readings is that, we must not be afraid! And we must not hide the blessings and graces that God had given us, often without us knowing or acknowledging them, and that we should show to all, the faith that we have in us, rather than be fearful, or reluctant, or hiding them because we are shy or ashamed of doing so.

The Lord has given each and every one of us the gift of faith, hope, and love, and like the parable that Jesus had told His disciples and the people, they cannot be hidden in us or they would be useless and meaningless, and they will wither and die. Instead, whatever had been given to us, we should make best use of them and showcase them for all, that all who sees us and what we do in the name of the Lord, may also believe and therefore be saved.

God had blessed us all who had chosen to be with Him. For all of us who had been baptised either as babies or as adults, we have been given the privilege to become the children, the sons and daughters of God, and God has become our loving Father. This is what King David contemplated on in today’s first reading as he prayed to the Lord, thanking Him for all the blessings and graces that He had received.

Each and every one of us have been given different blessings and good things, and all our talents, our abilities, and our skills are gifts entrusted by the Lord unto us. So it is natural that first, we should be thankful and recognise the great favour that God had entrusted us with. God entrusted these gifts to us for a certain purpose, that is to make this world a better place for each one of us.

Sadly, mankind has this tendency to rejoice and forget to give thanks, and to recognise what good had been given to us. We often forget in our celebration and happiness to give thanks to the Lord for His goodness. We have to remember that without God and His grace, we are actually nothing. The Lord has given us so much that we cannot possibly exist without Him. To Him we owe our life and our every breath, all that we have and all the wealth we have.

And in the wealth of all these gifts and the wonders of His blessings, lie our mission, and our duty. We are the children of the Light, because the Lord who is Light is our Father and our Creator. As the children of the Light therefore, we too should emulate the light in our actions and in our respective lives. We cannot profess as children of the Light and yet act in the same way as children of darkness.

Much is expected from us who have been given a lot, and as Jesus said, that those who are unproductive will be pruned away. Yes, much like that of a fruit tree indeed. A fruit tree is planted to bear fruit and not just for ornamental purposes. If it produces many fruits and if it is also healthy and strong, then the farmer will put even more effort into that tree, to make it produce even more fruits.

Will we then become a fruit tree that is fruitful? Or will we become a fruit tree that is barren? A barren fruit tree has no use at all. It has no fruit that can be sold and make profit from, and therefore there is only something that the farmer would logically do, that is to cut off the tree. If we are like these barren trees, we would therefore also be cast out, and will have no part of God’s grace.

We all have been given a mission by our Lord, that is to spread the love of God among mankind. In each of us had been planted the seeds of faith and love, and if we do not utilise them, they will remain just that, as seeds, dormant and dead. But if we use whatever gifts God had given us, then we will be bountiful and produce much fruits, that is the fruits of love and happiness. The Lord who sees all will see our works and our products, and He will richly bless us.

Brethren, let us therefore from now on, follow the example shown by David, and by the teachings made clear through Jesus, that we will first of all be ever grateful for all the blessings God had given us, that we may have this life. And let us also show our thanks and love to the Lord, through concrete actions and dedication of love to our brethren around us.

Let us all bear fruits, fruits of faith, fruits of hope, and fruits of love. May the Lord who sees our robustness and productivity bless us forever. Amen.

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Wednesday, 29 January 2014 : 3rd Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 88 : 4-5, 27-28, 29-30

I have made a covenant with David, My chosen one; I have made a pledge to My servant. I establish his descendants forever; I build his throne for all generations.

He will call on Me, “You are my Father, my God, my Rock, my Saviour.” I will make him the firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth.

I will keep My covenant firm forever, and My love for him will endure. His dynasty will last forever, and his throne as long as the heavens.

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Wednesday, 29 January 2014 : 3rd Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

2 Samuel 7 : 4-17

But that very night, YHVH’s word came to Nathan, “Go and tell My servant David, this is what YHVH says : Are you able to build a house for Me to live in? I have not dwelt in a house since I brought the Israelites up from Egypt to the present day, but I went about with a tent for shelter.”

“As long as I walked with the Israelites, did I say anything to the chiefs of Israel whom I commanded to shepherd My people Israel? Did I say : Why have you not built Me a house of cedar?”

“Now you will tell My servant David, this is what YHVH of hosts says : I took you from the pasture, from tending the sheep, to make you commander of My people Israel. I have been with you whenever you went, cutting down all your enemies before you.”

“Now I will make your name great as the name of the great ones on earth. I will provide a place for My people Israel and plant them that they may live there in peace. They shall no longer be harassed, nor shall wicked men oppress them as before.”

“From the time when I appointed judges over My people Israel it is only you that I have given rest from all your enemies. YHVH also tells you that He will build you a house. When the time comes for you to rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your son after you, the one born of you and I will make his reign secure.”

“He shall build a house for My Name and I will firmly establish his kingship forever. I will be a Father to him and he shall be My son. If he does wrong, I will punish him with the rod, as men do. But I will not withdraw My kindness from him as I did from Saul when I removed him out of your way.”

“Your house and your reign shall last forever before Me, and your throne shall be forever firm.”

Nathan repeated these words and related this vision to David.

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Tuesday, 28 January 2014 : 3rd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Thomas Aquinas, Priest and Doctor of the Church (Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Brothers and sisters in Christ, today you may think that Jesus was being uncharacteristically rude towards His own family, and His own mother in particular. After all, how could such a great Teacher of the faith disown and ridicule His own mother in front of the public He was teaching? Such are the thoughts that may circulate among many of us.

But in fact, Jesus was praising His own mother, Mary, with what He said, because  Mary as the obedient and faithful servant of the Lord, His handmaiden, was the perfect example of what Jesus referred to, as those who were considered part of His family. It is indeed her example of devotion to God that we all should follow.

We are all indeed one big family in Christ, for through baptism, on the day when we were sealed with the Sacrament of Baptism, that we were made to be children, the sons and daughters of God who is our Father. And therefore, Christ His Son, the Divine Word of God, also made us to be His brothers and sisters, to be part of the community of the faithful, which is called the Church, symbolised as the unity of the Body of Christ, as the body of all the faithful ones in God.

Today’s first reading also told us about King David of Israel, when he brought in the Ark of God into the city of Jerusalem. In king David’s example, much like that of Mary, he devoted himself to the Lord, so devoutly that he went straight to praise the Lord with dance and song ahead of the Ark of God, showcasing and representing the joy of the people in the coming of the Lord to them in the Ark.

God did not ask much from us, brothers and sisters in Christ. What is referred to by our Lord Jesus when He told the people about obedience to the will of God, is all about love. Yes, the love that we should have for our brothers and sisters, and the love we have to have for God our Lord and Father. It is pure, genuine, and undivided love and attention that God desires from us, and this is true faith.

What this highlights is that, as mentioned, that we were made sons and daughters of God our Father when we were welcomed into the Church upon our baptism. However, we cannot then just remain at that stage and do nothing. Our faith cannot be just a one-off thing, as our faith must keep growing and must be alive and vibrant.

That means our faith cannot be stagnant or mere lip-service, but like what David and Mary in their actions had shown, faith in God must be made through concrete action and real devotion. God wants from us our love and our devotion, in the same way that had been shown by David and Mary, as well as many other forms of love. Love for God must be genuine and pure, and not be mere incantation of prayers and rituals. Those are important, but they must be done with true understanding and genuine love for God.

Today we celebrate the feast of one of the greatest and well-known saints of Christendom, that is St. Thomas Aquinas, the renowned theologian and avid writer of the faith, in the many volumes of his works, he had inspired countless faithfuls, and inspire them to grow deeper in their faith and devotion to God.

St. Thomas Aquinas wanted to join the religious life from an early age, but was faced with strong opposition from his family. Nevertheless he managed his way to become a devotee in the end despite many attempts from his family to bar his way. St. Thomas Aquinas became a Dominican, the order of Preachers, and yet he was known to be a quiet man.

Nonetheless, as another saint was to announce prophetically about St. Thomas Aquinas, his quiet nature hides the true wisdom and greatness that is inside of him. St. Thomas Aquinas was a well educated person and helped to bring the faith to a clearer light through his various writings and works, as well as through his various evangelisation works as part of the Dominican order.

Of course, St. Thomas Aquinas did not have things going his way all the time. There were numerous oppositions from different sources as he went about doing his works. His teachings were even condemned at times and he was harassed at times too. But he did not budge, and St. Thomas Aquinas continued with his works for the sake of the Lord and His people.

His wisdom was eventually recognised and his piety became an encouragement and a model to everyone. And therefore, brethren, let us follow the examples of St. Thomas Aquinas and that of the other saints, that we may truly shine in our faith, through greater understanding of the faith itself, and that is why it is important for us to read great works of the faith, including that of St. Thomas Aquinas. And also to put that faith into practice, by loving one another, practising the same love that God had shown us through Jesus.

May our loving God continue to be with us and guide us, and bless us that we may continue to be faithful and loving till the end of our days. God be with us all, brethren, and may He bless you richly. Amen.

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Tuesday, 28 January 2014 : 3rd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Thomas Aquinas, Priest and Doctor of the Church (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Mark 3 : 31-35

Then Jesus’ mother and His brothers came. As they stood outside, they sent someone to call Him. The crowd sitting around Jesus told Him, “Your mother and Your brothers are outside asking for You.”

He replied, “Who are My mother and My brothers?” And looking around at those who sat there, He said, “Here are My mother and My brothers. Whoever does the will of God is brother and sister and mother to Me.”

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Tuesday, 28 January 2014 : 3rd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Thomas Aquinas, Priest and Doctor of the Church (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 23 : 7, 8, 9, 10

Lift up, o gateways, your lintels, open up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may enter!

Who is this King of glory? The Lord, the strong, the mighty, the Lord, valiant in battle.

Lift up your lintels, o gateways, open up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may enter!

Who is the King of glory? The Lord of Hosts, He is the King of glory!

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Tuesday, 28 January 2014 : 3rd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Thomas Aquinas, Priest and Doctor of the Church (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

2 Samuel 6 : 12b-15, 17-19

So David went to bring up the Ark of God from the house of Obededom to the city of David, rejoicing. After those who carried the Ark of YHVH had walked six paces, they sacrificed an ox and a fattened calf.

David whirled round dancing with all his heart before YHVH, wearing a linen ephod, for he and all the Israelites brought up the Ark of YHVH, shouting joyfully and sounding the horn.

They brought in the Ark of YHVH and laid it in its place in the tent which David had pitched for it. Then David offered burnt and peace offerings before YHVH. Once the offerings had been made, David blessed the people in the Name of YHVH of hosts, and distributed to each of them, to each man and woman of the entire assembly of Israel, a loaf of bread, a portion of meat and a raisin cake.

With this, all the people left for their homes.

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Sunday, 26 January 2014 : 3rd Sunday of Ordinary Time (Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

God came unto us, to be our Light, the guiding light that enlighten our paths, that we may walk true and upright on His way, that we will not fall into temptation or walk towards the wrong ends. The Light of the world Himself had come in Jesus, that through Him, we who once were aimless and lived in darkness, may now know which direction to go, and how to reach towards salvation in God.

And in order to do so, it is important, as rightfully highlighted by St. Paul in his letter to the Church in Corinth, which was bitterly divided into factions at that time, that they stay united and strong in faith, rather than being divided by petty differences and human ambitions. Yes, this ties in perfectly with how the last week was the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, when we prayed sincerely for the Lord to help His Church to reunite once more, as One and only Church.

We have been divided far too often, ever since the time of the Apostles and the early Church fathers. Brothers and sisters in faith were divided against each other and could not agree on what the faith constitute, and resulting sometimes even in violence and bitter divisions, which sadly endured until this day. Indeed, it can be said that, many times, the Light of the world had come into this world to save it, but mankind continued to rebel against Him, and prefer to dwell in the false light that is Lucifer, Satan! The Devil!

It is important therefore that we all remember that our faith is all about Christ, and is all about devoting ourselves without division or distraction towards He who came to be our Saviour, and who liberated us from the chains of death. Our faith cannot be separated from Christ, or it may risk division as St. Paul had rightly warned the people.

The devil can easily corrupt mankind, and he can easily come into our hearts and sow the seeds of dissension and divisions, that we argue and hate one another, with the goal of separating us from Christ, and veil from us the truth represented by the light of God. That was how many of the divisions in the Church originated from, that is from human ambitions, from human arrogance and pride, and from human stubbornness, much like the stubbornness of the people of Israel of old.

God came to this world to be its Saviour, but His coming was not a leisurely walk in the park. Instead, it was filled with rejection and suffering. Mankind preferred to stay in their state of ignorance and darkness, rather than repenting their sins and walk once again with their God. And yet, Jesus continued to love them, and taught them the truth about Himself and about what God had put in place for all of them.

And lastly, He gave up Himself, and shedding His own Body and Blood, He offered Himself as the perfect Lamb of sacrifice, in atonement for our sins, that we all are made worthy and pure again through that sacrifice. And through His glorious resurrection, He defeated death forever, and released mankind from their bond and slavery to death and evil. It was this fact and this truth, which St. Paul tried very hard to project and spread to all peoples, together with the other disciples and apostles of Christ.

And many still refused to truly believe in the message of salvation. Many of them believed but many also did so halfheartedly. They did not give their total devotion to God, but instead keeping themselves at a distance from truly reaching out towards the Lord. That was why Satan was able to come and influence them, and as a result divisions, hatred, and conflict easily arose among the people of God.

And this had happened many times in the long history of the Church and the faith. Many, lured by the temptations of worldly power and corrupted by the sin of ambition, greed and pride, tore apart the unity of the Church, and spread false teachings that came not from God but from Satan, the false lightbringer. They spread chaos and confusion among the faithful, and often even taking advantage of the chaotic situation of the time, to spread their seeds of heresy.

Many examples of such dissension and heresies as we all know happen throughout the history of the Church, and they remain a very serious problem even today, and even as it will be in the future. Many people think that they are even better than God and His truth, and end up becoming false Messiah, bearing false news and false teachings that misled many and condemned many to damnation together with them.

Therefore, brothers and sisters in Christ, amid this increasingly difficult times, we should always hold firm our faith in God, that is in Jesus, the one and only true Light of the world, from whom we gain light and revelation of the truth, against all the falsehoods that Satan had placed in all of us. Jesus is our beacon of light, and the One who guides our way towards God the Father. If we do not turn to Him and devote ourselves entirely, seriously, and completely to Him, then we too may fall.

It is also our duty, brethren, to bring the Light of Christ to all peoples, especially to those who had been lost in darkness of this world and to those who had turned their back on Him. But we cannot do so, if we ourselves are divided against each other, and if we hate one another, because of the divisions and dissensions that separated us.

Even though the week of prayer for Christian unity is over, but we should not stop praying and working just there. Instead, day after day, month after month, and year after year we should continue to work hard for the unity of the faithful, and then, after that had been achieved, to bring the Light of Christ to the hearts of many, opening them to the Light, and hope that they may be redeemed in Christ, rejecting their past lives of sin and embracing new life in God.

May our Lord Jesus Christ be with us all, and continue to bless us and shine upon our way with His light, that we will be able to continue to proceed on the way towards salvation, until the end when we reach Him, and together, we will enjoy forever the fruits of eternal glory with God. Amen.

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Friday, 24 January 2014 : 2nd Week of Ordinary Time, Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, Memorial of St. Francis de Sales, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Brothers and sisters in Christ, Jesus called His disciples in the Gospel today, the ones He had chosen to be the messengers of His Good News, to be the ones who would continue His works in this world after His departure. They were called to be the servants of God’s people, in the same way that Christ Himself had made Himself a servant of God’s people.

They were called to be the examples of God’s message to mankind. God revealed Himself to the world in Jesus, and He taught the people the revelation of God’s true purpose for mankind, and to His Apostles, the Twelve called and chosen, He revealed even greater amount of the truth of the Lord.

And today in particular, we should focus on the values of mercy and love. Today’s first reading is about the story of David and Saul, when David was in run from the king and his forces, who sought to kill him and remove the threat David posed to the kingship of Saul. It was what David did, which showed us a lot about the true nature of our faith, and the nature of mercy and love.

Continuing from the same theme of the previous days’ topic on obedience and human fragility, we see how David was surely tempted by the attraction of power and glory. Indeed, David had been chosen by God to be the next king of His people Israel. He was the anointed one, who had been chosen to be the king, and there in the cave, the opportunity to gain the rightful position he had been chosen for! David had the opportunity handed to him on a golden platter.

He was the chosen king, and God had withdrawn His favour from Saul. David could just strike at Saul and claim His rightful throne at that time, but he did not do so, and he turned away from that golden chance. He had been given great favour by the Lord, but David did not boast of his favoured status and remained humble and even loyal. After all, Saul was still the king of Israel, and also anointed one of God.

David also expressed great regret after having decided to cut a piece of cloth from the sleeves of Saul, and even revealed the truth about the temptations that faced him to Saul, who considered him his mortal enemy. He was honest, upright, and merciful, as well as forgiving. He loved his enemies, even when his enemies wanted to kill and destroy him.

That was what Christ had taught His disciples and the people who heard His teachings. It is all familiar to us, is it not? Love your enemies and pray for those who persecuted you, and love one another just as the Lord has loved you. Brothers and sisters in Christ, God called not just David and the Apostles, the Twelve, to be His servants and disciples. He also called all of us, that we too may walk in the same way as they did.

God calls us to be like His servant David, to be upright in all our ways, and to love God with all our hearts, as well as to give our love to those who hated us and who persecuted us, to be rich in forgiveness and mercy, like what David had done to Saul, despite what Saul was trying to do with him.

It is not easy to do so, but we need to make the first step, or otherwise, we will never proceed on the way. Let us be ever better servants of the Lord with each passing day, giving thanks to the Lord for all the love and grace that He had shown us.

Today we celebrate the feast of St. Francis de Sales, a renowned saint who lived during a time of great tragedy and division in the Church, at the time when the Church was fighting back the tide of heresy that had befallen the Church due to the heretical Protestants and their so-called reformation. St. Francis de Sales was a God-fearing man, who trembled at first in his youth, against the wrath of God, with St. Francis de Sales having come to the full realisation of his sinfulness.

But later on, St. Francis de Sales would learn of the Lord’s infinite mercy and love, and therefore came to terms with his fear of the Lord, and from then on, he tried his best to share that fact, through his works and actions with the people of God. He promoted virtuous living and loving conversion of the heretics back to the true faith, not through violence, but through love and gentleness.

Yes, for even though the Protestant heretics deserved condemnation and destruction for their sins of having disobeyed the authority of the Lord in the Church and causing a split in the One united Body of Christ, God wanted them to repent their sins and return to the true faith, and it was St. Francis de Sales who became God’s tool of delivering this message of love and mercy to them.

St. Francis de Sales showed us that we too have the capacity to do as what he had done, that is to spread the love of God to others, and to bring back to the light a people who had fallen into the darkness. We are called to be the disciples of the Lord, and to follow in the footsteps of those that God had chosen, including the Twelve Apostles, as well as that of St. Francis de Sales, and we are encouraged to imitate what they had done. For God truly loves us, very much.

May He give to us the same blessing as He had given to David His servant, that we too, like the Twelve Apostles, may be His beloved and chosen people called to greatness. Amen.

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Friday, 24 January 2014 : 2nd Week of Ordinary Time, Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, Memorial of St. Francis de Sales, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

1 Samuel 24 : 3-21

So Saul took three thousand picked men from all Israel and went in search of David and his men to the east of the Wild Goat crags. When he came to the sheepfolds along the way, he entered a cave to relieve himself.

Now David and his men were far back in the cave. David’s men said to him, “This is the day which YHVH spoke of : look I will deliver your enemy into your hands and you will do with him as you see fit.” So David moved up and stealthily cut off an end of Saul’s robe.

But afterward, David regretted having cut off an end of Saul’s robe, and he said to his men, “Let me not lay my hands on my master, for he is YHVH’s anointed.” With these words, David restrained his men and did not allow them to attack Saul. Saul then left the cave and went on his way.

Then David himself stepped out of the cave and called after Saul, “My master, the king!” When Saul looked back, David knelt and then bowed to the ground in homage and asked him, “Why do you listen to those who say that I want to harm you? Look, today you have seen that YHVH delivered you into my hands in the cave, and I was told to kill you but I held myself back and I said : ‘I will not lift my hands against my master who is YHVH’s anointed.'”

“My father, look at this end of your robe which I am holding! I cut off the end of your robe but did not kill you. Now you may know that I mean you no harm or treason. I have done you no wrong and yet you are hunting me down to kill me. May YHVH be judge between you and me and may He exact justice from you in my case, but I shall do you no harm.”

“As the saying goes, ‘From the wicked comes wickedness.’; as for me, my hand shall not harm you. But who is it you are after, o king of Israel? Are you pursuing a dead dog? A flea? May YHVH be judge between you and me. May He see and uphold my cause and deliver me from your hands.”

After David had spoken these words, Saul asked, “Is that your voice, my son David?” He wept aloud and said to David, “You are right and I am wrong, for you have repaid with kindness the harm I have inflicted on you. This day you have shown your righteousness to me by not taking my life when YHVH put me into your hands.”

“For if a man finds his enemy, will he let him go unharmed? May YHVH reward you for what you have done for me today. Now I know for certain that you shall reign and the kingdom of Israel will be firm in your hand.”