Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Bishops)
Psalm 98 : 5, 6, 7, 9
Extol YHVH, our God; worship at His footstool. Holy is He! And mighty!
Among His priests were Moses and Aaron; and Samuel, among those who called on His Name. They called to YHVH, and He answered them.
In the pillar of cloud He spoke to them; and they kept His statutes and the decrees He gave them.
Extol YHVH our God; worship at His holy mountain. Holy is YHVH our God!
Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Bishops)
Exodus 34 : 29-35
When Moses came down from Mount Sinai, with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hands, he was not aware that the skin of his face was radiant after speaking with YHVH. Aaron and all the sons of Israel saw that Moses’ face was radiant and they were afraid to go near him.
But Moses called them, and Aaron with all the leaders of the community drew near, and Moses spoke to them. Afterwards all the Israelites came near and he told them all that YHVH had commanded him on Mount Sinai. When Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil over his face.
Whenever Moses went before YHVH to speak with Him, he took off the veil until he came out again. And when he came out and told them what he had been commanded, the Israelites saw that his face was radiant. Moses would then replace the veil over his face until he went again to speak with YHVH.
Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Priests)
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are all called to trust in the Lord more and to believe wholeheartedly in Him and His Providence, and not to doubt His guidance and help. God will always be with those who trust in Him and those who have always kept strong in their commitment and devotion to Him. He will not abandon us in our time of great need, and will always stand by us even when everyone else abandoned us and left us behind. That is why we must always put our faith and trust in Him no matter what, and do our very best to walk ever more faithfully in the path that He has shown us, and not to be easily swayed by the temptations and pressures around us to abandon our faith in the Lord.
In our first reading today, we heard of the moment when the Pharaoh, the king and ruler of Egypt regretted having allowed the Israelites to go free and to go to their promised land. Earlier on, God had struck Egypt hard with the Ten Great Plagues, causing sufferings for the Egyptians and their Pharaoh, with the signs of clear Divine displeasure and works against the Pharaoh, the Egyptians and their gods. God showed His might and power against them and eventually the Pharaoh relented and gave in after the tenth and the greatest of the Ten Great Plagues, the death of all the firstborn of Egypt likely affected him personally, killing his own firstborn and heir, not withstanding the devastating effects of that plague and the other nine to the whole country.
However, the Pharaoh hardened his heart yet again and sent his hundreds of chariots after the Israelites with the desire to gather them all back and enslave them all again. And we heard how upon seeing the Pharaoh’s chariots, many among the Israelites were terrified and grumbled against Moses, asking him why he led them to their deaths there in the desert between the sea and the armies of the Pharaoh and the Egyptians. It was there that the Lord showed His power and might before His beloved people, reassuring them and reminding them all to have faith and trust in Him. Those Israelites had seen all the signs and wonders that God had done before them, with all the plagues that struck only the Egyptians and from which the Israelites were spared from, and yet they still failed to believe and have faith in Him and His Providence.
Then, lastly from our Gospel passage today, we heard of the exchange between the Lord Jesus and some Pharisees and teachers of the Law who asked Him to perform and show them some signs and miracles, to which the Lord responded, chiding their lack of faith and refusal to believe in what He had clearly shown them in many occasions. Contextually, those Pharisees and teachers of the Law often followed the Lord and His disciples around as they went to minister to the people and they also listened to and attended the Lord’s preaching and teaching. And yet, despite all of that, they still failed to believe in God and doubted Him, questioning His authority and works, and putting obstacles and even falsely accusing Him of wrongdoing and disobeying the Law.
It was for these attitudes that the Lord had criticised those Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, the ones who were supposedly the most knowledgeable and understanding of the Law of God and the Prophets, and hence, should have believed in all that the Lord Jesus Himself had said, the truth and Good News that He had brought into the world, fulfilling the prophecies of the prophets among other things, and in all the miracles and wonders that God had promised His people, and which had also been prophesied by the prophets as well. But they allowed their ego and pride to cloud their judgment, their ambitions and desires to drag them down the path of rebellion and disobedience against God.
That is why we are reminded through these readings of the Scriptures today not to allow ourselves to be swayed in a similar manner as well. If we allow ourselves to be tempted by these desires, ambitions and pride, like how the Pharaoh, the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law had been, then we will only bring ourselves towards doom and destruction. That is why as Christians we are all reminded and called to be humble, to listen to God and to obey Him rather than to follow the whim of our own desires and ambitions. We should always constantly align ourselves to what the Lord wants us all to do, by living a prayerful and holy life, ever centred and focused on the Lord rather than on worldly desires and ambitions, trusting in Him wholeheartedly at all times.
Today, the Church also celebrates the Feast of St. Lawrence of Brindisi, a Capuchin Friar and faithful servant of God, an Italian priest who was born in Brindisi in southern Italy to a family of merchants. He eventually joined the Capuchin friars and was ordained as a priest, and was noted for his great linguistic talents. In his many roles in the Capuchin order, as the superior and then eventually Vicar General, and using his many talents, St. Lawrence of Brindisi carried out many good works for the sake of the Lord and His Church. He continued to work even in the area of diplomacy in service of the Church and peace, as Papal Nuncio in some occasions and others. He did his best throughout his life to glorify God by what he has been blessed with, to the very end of his life, trusting in God for all things.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, therefore as we reflect upon the words of the Sacred Scriptures and as we remember the life and deeds of St. Lawrence of Brindisi, let us all continue to strive to be good and faithful disciples and followers of the Lord at all times. Let us all continue to live our lives with great faith and devotion, acting in ways that are aligned and attuned to the Lord, in all the things that we say and do, in our every interactions with one another and all those whom we encounter in life. May God bless us all and bless our every good efforts and endeavours, now and always. Amen.
Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Priests)
Matthew 12 : 38-42
At that time, some teachers of the Law and some Pharisees spoke up, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.” Jesus answered them, “An evil and unfaithful people want a sign; but no sign will be given them except the sign of the prophet Jonah. In the same way, as Jonah spent three days and three nights in the belly of the whale, so will the Son of Man spend three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”
“At the judgment, the people of Nineveh will rise with this generation, and condemn it; because they reformed their lives at the preaching of Jonah, and here, there is greater than Jonah. At the judgment, the Queen of the South will stand up and condemn you. She came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and here, there is greater than Solomon.”
Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Priests)
Exodus 15 : 1bc-2, 3-4, 5-6
I will sing to YHVH, the Glorious One, horse and rider He has thrown into the sea. YHVH is my strength and my song, and He is my salvation.
He is my God and I will praise Him; the God of my father : I will extol Him. YHVH is a Warrior; YHVH is His Name. The chariots of Pharaoh and his army He has hurled into the sea; his chosen officers were drowned in the Red Sea.
The deep covers them; they went down like a stone. Your hand, o YHVH, glorious and powerful, Your right hand, o YHVH, shatters the enemy.
Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Priests)
Exodus 14 : 5-18
The king of Egypt was told that the people had fled; then Pharaoh and his ministers changed their minds with regard to the people. “What have we done,” they said, “in allowing Israel to go and be free of our service?” Pharaoh prepared his chariot and took his army with him. There were six hundred of his best chariots; indeed he took all the Egyptian chariots, each one with his warriors.
YHVH had hardened the mind of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who set out in pursuit of the Israelites as they marched forth triumphantly. The Egyptians – all the chariots and horses of Pharaoh, his horsemen and his army – gave chase and caught up with them when they had encamped by the sea near Pihahiroth, facing Baalzephon.
The Israelites saw the Egyptians marching after them : Pharaoh was drawing near. They were terrified and cried out to YHVH. Then they said to Moses, “Were there no tombs in Egypt? Why have you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done by bringing us out of Egypt? Is this not what we said when we were in Egypt : Let us work for the Egyptians. Far better serve Egypt than to die in the desert!”
Moses said to the people, “Have no fear! Stay where you are and see the work YHVH will do to save you today. The Egyptians whom you see today, you will never see again! YHVH will fight for you and all you have to do is to keep still.”
YHVH said to Moses, “Why do you cry to Me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward. You will raise your staff and stretch your hand over the sea and divide it to let the Israelites go dryfoot through the sea. I will so harden the minds of the Egyptians that they will follow you. And I will have glory at the expense of Pharaoh, his army, his chariots and horsemen. The Egyptians will know that I am YHVH when I gain glory for Myself at the cost of Pharaoh and his army!”
Liturgical Colour : White
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures today, we are all reminded of God’s love and providence, His kindness and compassion for all those who are dear and beloved to Him. God has always remembered us all in our good and bad times, and we are never forgotten or abandoned even when we cannot feel or see His Presence and works immediately. God is always with us regardless of the circumstances because He truly cares for us, and He has shown us His wonders and love again and again throughout history, in what He had done to His first-called people, the Israelites when they suffered in Egypt, and also in giving us all the best and most perfect gift of all, His own Begotten Son, Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
In our first reading today, we heard the continuation of the account from the Book of Exodus in which the moment when Moses was born was told to us. Moses was the one whom God had promised to His people to be the one to lead them all out of their slavery in the land of Egypt. At that time, the new generation of Pharaohs had arisen in Egypt that did not know about the great deeds of Joseph and his exploits, and feared the rapidly growing numbers and prosperity of the Israelites who were dwelling in the region of Goshen somewhere in the Nile River delta region. Therefore as we heard yesterday, the Pharaoh decreed first the enslavement of the Israelites, forced to do hard labour for the Egyptians, and then, in a more desperate effort, the order to throw all the sons born to the Israelites into the Nile River to try to destroy them as a nation.
But God was with His people and despite all these challenges that they faced, they kept on growing in numbers and in one of the babies which had been saved from the water by God’s interventions, it was Moses who was named as such because he had been taken out and rescued from the water by his adoptive mother, the Pharaoh’s daughter. According to tradition, the Pharaoh’s daughter was childless and hence, she took upon herself the Hebrew baby that she found floating on the Nile as her own adopted son, and that was how Moses grew up in the court of Pharaoh as an Egyptian prince. But then we heard how Moses grew up seeing the injustice faced by his people, the Israelites, who were persecuted and oppressed by the Egyptians, and he fled from Egypt after killing one of the Egyptian slavemasters that struck upon a Hebrew, one of his own people.
But God would be with Moses, who fled to the land of the Midianites, and after many years later, he would be called by God and would return back to Egypt with God’s mission and words to the Pharaoh, beginning the fulfilment of His promises to them and their ancestors, where by His power and might, God would rescue all of them, with the Ten Great Plagues that He sent unto Egypt, the Egyptians and their Pharaoh. All of these show us the great might of God and the enduring love and patience which God has always had for those who are dearly beloved to Him. And this is an important reminder for all of us not to take this same love which He has shown all of us for granted. We should always be grateful of God’s love and Providence, everything that He had done for our sake.
Then, in our Gospel passage, taken from the Gospel according to St. Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist, we heard of the Lord Jesus and His lamentations on the cities in the region of Galilee such as Capernaum, Chorazin and Bethsaida. Why did the Lord make such denunciations and lamentations? That is because of the lack of faith which many of the people in those places had shown despite having witnessed and seen all the miracles and wonders that the Lord had performed before them all. Some among them, especially from among the Pharisees, doubted and criticised the Lord for His actions and teachings, questioning His authority and authenticity, and even accusing Him of colluding with evil spirits and demons in doing His works.
It is all these lack of faith and trust in the Lord, in all that God had done through His Son, sent into our midst, into this world to bring all of us into His loving embrace and salvation which had led to the lamentations and anguish that the Lord had spoken against those places. This was compared to the faith of those whom the people of God then often deemed to be sinners and unworthy, like those of the Syro-Phoenicians, those living in the region of Tyre and Sidon that the Lord mentioned, as a Syro-Phoenician woman had such great faith in the Lord that she believed in Him so wholeheartedly even against His harsh words towards her. And the Samaritans whom the Jewish people often regarded as heretics and pagans, proved to be more welcoming to the Lord and His words and teachings.
All these showed us that we must not be prejudiced against anyone, and we must realise that God truly loves each one of us, all of us mankind without limits and boundaries. He loves each one of us unconditionally and He has always patiently done so, even when we ourselves had not been faithful to Him, and even when we have taken His love and kindness for granted. Each and every one of us should strive to do what is right and just, in loving, following and obeying the Lord to the best of our abilities, in each and every moments in life so that by our love for Him and in loving one another in the same manner, we may truly be worthy to be called as Christians, as those whom God had called and chosen as His own holy and beloved people.
Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Bonaventure, a renowned Franciscan bishop and Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church who was remembered for his great many works and writings that eventually also earned him the honour of being one of the Doctors of the Church. St. Bonaventure was born in Italy during the High Middle Ages and while nothing much was known about his childhood and younger years, he eventually joined the Franciscans, and at the same time gaining great experiences and respect as an academic, earning his doctorate in theology which inspired him further in his many writings and works later on. St. Bonaventure was then also elected as the Minister General of the Franciscan Order, the overall head and authority over all the Franciscans.
He was also involved deeply in the works of reform of the Church at that time, before and after he helped the election of Pope Gregory X, who then appointed him as a Cardinal, as the Cardinal Bishop of Albano for his role in his election. St. Bonaventure continued to do great works in his various capacities, and it was well-known that he led the Franciscans in a moderate way, balancing faith and reason, making them very popular and outstanding in the Church. While he passed away not long after his appointment as Cardinal, St. Bonaventure’s legacy and inspiring works in various areas, especially in many matters of the faith and theology continued to touch the lives of many people even long after his lifetime.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore reflect upon the words of the Scriptures that we have received today, remembering the love that He has always shown us, and through the inspiration and examples of St. Bonaventure, who has dedicated his life in the service of God and his fellow brothers and sisters. May the Lord help us all to be ever more faithful and committed to Him, to follow Him ever more wholeheartedly in each and every moments, becoming good role models and examples in faith to one another, now and always. Amen.
Liturgical Colour : White
Matthew 11 : 20-24
At that time, Jesus began to denounce the cities in which He had performed most of His miracles, because the people there did not change their ways.
“Alas for you Chorazin and Bethsaida! If the miracles worked in you had taken place in Tyre and Sidon, the people there would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I assure you, for Tyre and Sidon; it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you.”
“And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to heaven? You will be thrown down to the place of the dead! For if the miracles which were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would still be there today! But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.”
Liturgical Colour : White
Psalm 68 : 3, 14, 30-31, 33-34
I am sunk in the miry depths, where there is no foothold; I have come into deep waters, swept and engulfed by the flood.
But I pray to You, o YHVH. At a time most favourable to You, in Your great love, o God, answer me, with Your unfailing help.
But I myself, am humbled and wounded; Your salvation, o God, will lift me up. I will praise the Name of God in song; I will glorify Him with thanksgiving.
Let the lowly witness this, and be glad. You who seek God, may your hearts be revived. For YHVH hears the needy; and does not despise those in captivity.
Liturgical Colour : White
Exodus 2 : 1-15a
Now a man belonging to the clan of Levi married a woman of his own tribe. She gave birth to a boy and, seeing that he was a beautiful child, she kept him hidden for three months. As she could not conceal him any longer, she made a basket out of papyrus leaves and coated it with tar and pitch. She then laid the child in the basket and placed it among the reeds near the bank of the Nile; but the sister of the child kept at a distance to see what would happen to him.
Now the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe in the Nile; her attendants meanwhile walked along the bank. When she saw the basket among the reeds, she sent her maidservant to fetch it. She opened the basket and saw the child – a boy, and he was crying! She felt sorry for him, for she thought : “This is one of the Hebrew children.”
Then the sister of the child said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and get one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?” Pharaoh’s daughter agreed, and the girl went to call the mother of the child. Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take the child and nurse him for me and I will pay you.”
So the woman took the child and nursed him and, when the child had grown, she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter who adopted him as her son. And she named him Moses to recall that she had drawn him out of the water. After a fairly long time, Moses, by now a grown man, wanted to meet his fellow Hebrews. He noticed how heavily they were burdened and he saw an Egyptian striking a Hebrew, one of his own people.
He looked around and seeing no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. When he went out the next day he saw two Hebrews quarrelling. Moses said to the man in the wrong, “Why are you striking a fellow countryman?” But he answered, “Who has set you prince and judge over us? Do you intend to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?”
Moses was afraid and thought, “What I did must be known.” When Pharaoh heard about it he tried to kill Moses, but Moses fled from Pharaoh and went to live in the land of Midian.
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