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Sunday, 15 September 2024 : Twenty-Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday we are all presented from the readings and words of the Lord contained in the Sacred Scriptures, the reminders for all of us to put our faith and trust in the Lord, and not to allow ourselves be easily swayed by the temptations of worldliness, and by the fears, uncertainties and doubts that we may have in our hearts and minds. Instead we have to continue to put our faith and trust in the Lord, and do our very best at all times so that our lives may truly be exemplary and be full of faith and righteousness, that in everything which we say and do, we will continue to proclaim the Lord and His truth, and that our lives may be truly sincere and worthy in all things, our faith truly vibrant, living and real, and not merely empty proclamations of faith and belief, but one that truly embody our love for God.

In our first reading this Sunday, we heard from the accounts of the Book of the prophet Isaiah in which the prophecy of the Suffering Servant or the Suffering Messiah, as the prophet highlighted the prophecy from God on the coming Servant and Man of God Who would have to suffer grievously for the sake of everyone. What we have heard from our first reading account today is a reminder for all of us of the mission which the Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, Our Lord and Saviour, had to take up in order to save us all from eternal damnation and destruction. This prophecy of the prophet Isaiah would indeed be a strange prophecy to the Israelites and their descendants, as God did promise them the coming of His Saviour and salvation, but they could not comprehend why this Saviour must suffer and endure bitter challenges, oppressions and difficulties in doing so.

But this is where we are reminded that as Christians, each and every one of us must not only have faith but we must also act and live our lives in the manner that is compatible and in accordance to the faith which we have in the Lord. In our second reading this Sunday we heard from the Epistle of St. James the Apostle in which the famous phrase uttered by St. James the Apostle was highlighted to us, that is ‘faith without good works is dead’. This is an important tenet and part of our Christian faith and beliefs, as each and every one of us are reminded that if our faith is not made complete with real and authentic actions, good works and efforts in accordance to that faith, then our faith would not have existed or been genuine in the first place, and hence, we will be found wanting by the Lord on the Day of Judgment.

Some people actually misunderstood this, thinking that our Catholic faith and true belief in the Lord involved us gaining entry into Heaven and righteousness, justification and salvation through our good works and efforts. These peope who misunderstood this truth and reality failed to understand that we are ultimately still saved and justified by our faith in God, but such a faith cannot be devoid of true and genuine commitment to God. It is entirely possible for one to profess to have faith in God and yet, his or her faith may be empty and meaningless faith, namely a faith that is merely superficial and external, and does not translate into true and enduring relationship with God, or faith that is truly rooted in our strong and vibrant belief in God, in our genuine and loving relationship with Him.

That is why each and every one of us are reminded by St. James the Apostle to live our lives and embody our faith most genuinely through our efforts, works and contributions in life, in each and every one of our words, actions and deeds, our various interactions with one another and our commitment to love and serve the Lord among other things. We should not be Christians who are merely paying lip service to our faith in the Lord. Instead, we should always aspire to love the Lord wholeheartedly, in each and every moments in our lives, remembering as always His love and kindness, His compassion and mercy towards us, particularly in what we have just discussed earlier, in how He has done so much for us, in enduring the worst of sufferings, oppressions, humiliations and pain for the sake of our salvation and for our reconciliation with Him.

In the Gospel passage this Sunday, we then heard from the Gospel according to St. Mark in which the Lord asked His disciples about who they thought He was, and we heard the different answers they uttered, on whether He was a Prophet or Holy Man of God, but St. Peter courageously spoke the truth before everyone, stating that He was the Messiah, the Saviour Whom the Lord had promised, the Son of God Most High. Then, the Lord told them all that He would suffer and be persecuted just exactly as how the prophet Isaiah had predicted and prophesied that He would. This was met with the confusion and consternation from the disciples of the Lord, and a strong objection from St. Peter who tried to argue with the Lord and dissuade Him from carrying out such a mission.

This was when the Lord rebuked Satan who had been tempting St. Peter and the other disciples, while He Himself also kept His courage and commitment, dedication and desire to save us all strong, to obey fully and wholeheartedly the will of His heavenly Father. This was one of Satan’s many attempts to distract, persuade and coerce the Lord from completing His mission, and to tempt Him much as he had once successfully tempted away Adam and Eve to disobey God and to fall into sin. But the Lord Jesus obeyed perfectly and completely, dedicating Himself wholly, willingly humbling and emptying Himself of all glory and power, to embrace each and every one of us so that we may receive through Him and from Him the promise of eternal life and salvation.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore renew our efforts and convictions so that we can continue to walk ever more faithfully in God’s Holy Presence. If we have not truly devoted ourselves wholly and completely in the Lord’s path, let us all continue from now on, changing our paths and our commitments, so that we no longer merely obey His Law and commandments by external obligations and appearances. Instead, let us all commit ourselves anew and dedicate ourselves in each and every moments to follow the Lord ever more faithfully and wholeheartedly from now on. Let us no longer be idle in how we live our lives and faith, and let us all no longer be ignorant of our responsibilities and calling in life as Christians, as God’s holy and beloved people in all the things we say and do, in every moments of our lives.

May the Lord, our ever loving God and Father, our Creator and Master, continue to guide and strengthen us in our journey of faith through life. May He empower each and every one of us with the strength and courage to continue devoting ourselves to the Lord, in each and every moments of our lives. May God bless each and every one of us in our every good works, efforts and endeavours, now and forevermore. Amen.

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Sunday, 15 September 2024 : Twenty-Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Mark 8 : 27-35

At that time, Jesus set out with His disciples for the villages around Caesarea Philippi; and on the way He asked them, “Who do people say I am?” And they told Him, “Some say You are John the Baptist; others say You are Elijah or one of the prophets.”

Then Jesus asked them, “But you, who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Messiah.” And He ordered them not to tell anyone about Him. Jesus then began to teach them that the Son of Man had to suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the Law. He would be killed, and after three days rise again.

Jesus said all this quite openly, so that Peter took Him aside and began to protest strongly. But Jesus turning around, and looking at His disciples, rebuked Peter, saying, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are thinking not as God does, but as people do.”

Then Jesus called the people and His disciples, and said, “If you want to follow Me, deny yourself; take up your cross and follow Me. For if you choose to save your life, you will lose it; and if you lose your life for My sake, and for the sake of the Gospel, you will save it.”

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Sunday, 15 September 2024 : Twenty-Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Second Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

James 2 : 14-18

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, to profess faith, without showing works? Such faith has no power to save you. If a brother or sister is in need of clothes or food, and one of you says, “May things go well for you; be warm and satisfied,” without attending to their material meeds, what good is that? So, it is, for faith without deeds : it is totally dead.

Say to whoever challenges you, “You have faith and I have good deeds; show me your faith apart from actions and I, for my part, will show you my faith in the way I act.”

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Sunday, 15 September 2024 : Twenty-Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 114 : 1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9

Alleluia! I am pleased that YHVH has heard my voice in supplication, that He has not been deaf to me, the day I called on Him.

When the cords of death entangled me, the snares of the grave laid hold of me, when affliction got the better of me, I called upon the Name of YHVH : “O YHVH, save my life!”

Gracious and righteous is YHVH; full of compassion is our God. YHVH protects the simple : He saved me when I was humbled.

He has freed my soul from death, my eyes from weeping, my feet from stumbling; I will walk before YHVH in the land of the living.

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Sunday, 15 September 2024 : Twenty-Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Isaiah 50 : 5-9a

The Lord YHVH has opened My ear. I have not rebelled, nor have I withdrawn.

I offered My back to those who strike Me, My cheeks to those who pulled My beard; neither did I shield My face from blows, spittle and disgrace. I have not despaired, for the Lord YHVH comes to My help. So, like a flint I set My face, knowing that I will not be disgraced.

He Who avenges Me is near. Who then will accuse Me? Let us confront each other. Who is now My accuser? Let him approach. If the Lord YHVH is my Help, who will condemn Me?

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Saturday, 14 September 2024 : Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we celebrate the great Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross in which we rejoice and honour most wonderful the Triumphant victory which our Lord Himself has won against the forces of evil and darkness, which He has assured us through His Holy and most Precious Cross, the True Cross by which He has purchased on our behalf, the salvation of the whole world, by breaking His own Body and pouring out His own Blood, from His many wounds, to be the source of salvation of all, the Paschal Lamb, the Lamb of God that had been offered and sacrificed, as the one and only worthy offering for the atonement of the sins of all of us, our innumerable sins, that the Lord had shown His mercy and compassion on us, reaching out to us to rescue us.

By His Cross, Our Lord has reassured us all that the power of sin and death over us are not absolute, and in the end, we shall share in the ultimate victory and triumph together with the Holy Cross of Our Lord and Saviour. This celebration today is a combination of three great events in the history of the Church related to the True Cross of Our Lord, namely the finding of the True Cross by the Roman Empress Helena, mother of the famous Emperor Constantine the Great, and then the Dedication of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, one of the greatest churches of Christendom on the site of Calvary itself, where the Lord had suffered and died on the Cross, and was then buried, and lastly, the triumphant entry of the True Cross back to Jerusalem during the reign of the Emperor Heraclius after the True Cross had been seized earlier on by the Persians.

The first event, that of the rediscovery of the True Cross by the Empress Helena happened at the time not long after the official persecution of Christians had ended, first with the famous Edict of Milan by the Roman Emperor Constantine the Great, Helena’s son, and his co-Emperor, Licinius. Then, when Licinius began persecuting Christians living in the Eastern part of the Empire that was his domain, Emperor Constantine defeated the former and reunited the whole entire Roman Empire, extending toleration and acceptance of the Christian faith to the whole Empire. It was then that the mother of the Emperor, Empress Helena went on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem to find the relic of the True Cross of the Saviour, the very Cross on which the Lord Himself had suffered and died for the salvation of the whole world.

At that time, they discovered the site of the crucifixion buried underneath a pagan temple built after the destruction of Jerusalem more than two centuries earlier. There the Empress Helena and her people discovered three crosses, one of which is the True Cross while the other two crosses belonged to the two thieves who were hung there with the Lord at Calvary. According to Church tradition and history, Empress Helena brought the crosses and touched them to a sick man, and only one of them, which is the True Cross, healed the sick man immediately and miraculously. Thus, the True Cross was restored and venerated henceforth as the physical reminder and most important relic of our Lord’s loving sacrifice on the Cross, and of the triumphant victory which He has won for us.

Then, as mentioned, this celebration also marks the Dedication of the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre, one of the most important shrines and pilgrimage sites in all of Christendom, as it marks the very place where Our Lord has suffered, died and was buried, and is the place of His empty tomb, as the clear evidence and reminder of His glorious Resurrection, the triumphant victory that He had won over sin and death. Up to this day, many pilgrims continue to come and visit the Lord’s empty tomb, remembering His Passion, His suffering and death, and the Triumph of the Cross. And if the earlier mentioned rediscovery of the True Cross by Empress Helena marked the triumph of Christians against their oppressors and persecutors, thus, this event we commemorate regarding the Church of the Holy Sepulchre reminded us of the triumph of Christ on His Cross.

Lastly, this Feast also marks the triumphant return of the True Cross to Jerusalem during the last and most devastating war between the Roman Empire and the Persians under the Sassanids. Taking place about three centuries after the rediscovery of the True Cross and about fourteen centuries ago, this marks the culmination of the efforts and the victories that the forces of Christendom against the forces of the unbelievers, as the Persians earlier on had captured the True Cross relic when they conquered Jerusalem and the region and brought it back to their lands as a war booty. The defeat of the Persians and the victorious triumph of the then Emperor Heraclius was centred upon the triumphant return of the True Cross to Jerusalem.

In our first reading today, we listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures in which we heard of the moment when the Israelites rebelled against the Lord because they grumbled about their lives and all that they had to endure amidst the journey they had been making on the way from Egypt to the Promised Land of Canaan. The Lord had been with them throughout their journey, providing them whatever they needed, giving them food through the manna, the heavenly bread and the flocks of birds that He had been sending their way throughout their path. But they were still unhappy and unsatisfied, refusing to obey His words, Law and commandments, and instead, committed what was evil and wicked in His sight, and as such, through their sins, they had fallen into the darkness, and they had to face the consequences of their sins, the fiery serpents that the Lord sent to them.

We heard how the Lord then showed mercy on them all as He instructed Moses who asked Him to show kindness and compassion on His people to construct a bronze serpent placed on a staff, raised up high for everyone to see, and we heard how all those who have been bitten and then saw the bronze serpent survived and did not perish. This was in fact a prefigurement of the role that Christ, Our Saviour Himself would play in the story of our salvation. This was a fact which He Himself told to the faithful Pharisee, Nicodemus as we heard in our Gospel passage today, who asked Him about what the Lord had planned for us all mankind. As the other alternative first reading or the second reading today from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Philippians highlighted, Christ obeyed His Father’s will and committed Himself so humbly and thoroughly that He would be raised up high on the Cross, to be the salvation for everyone who believe in Him.

This is why all of us are reminded today on this important Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross that we have to remember everything that the Lord had lovingly and caringly done for us through His Cross. By His loving kindness and by His persistence in desiring to be reunited and reconciled with us, He has done everything He could, even to the point of humbling and emptying Himself of all glory and honour, to be led to the slaughter place, and to offer Himself as the perfect and most worthy offering for the atonement of all of our sins, evils and wickedness. Hence, we must be thankful and appreciate all that the Lord had done for us, in having been patient in bearing with us and our infidelities, our stubbornness and arrogance, in having resisted His efforts and attempts to reach out to us all these while.

May the Lord, our Triumphant Lord and King, by Whose Holy Cross has triumphed over evil, sin and death, continue to love us and strengthen us in our respective journeys in life, so that in each and every moments of our lives and existence, we will continue to do whatever we can to honour Him, and to focus our attention on Him once again, and no longer be distracted, swayed and tempted by the many false allures and temptations of sin and all the worldliness around us. May all of us continue to put our gaze towards the Cross of Our Lord and Saviour, and remember at all times, how He has been most generous in His love and compassion, so that we will continue to walk ever more faithfully in His path, now and forevermore. Amen.

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Saturday, 14 September 2024 : Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

John 3 : 13-17

At that time, Jesus said to Nicodemus, “No one has ever gone up to heaven except the One Who came from heaven, the Son of Man. As Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that whoever believes in Him may have eternal life.”

“Yes, God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him may not be lost, but may have eternal life. God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world; instead, through Him the world is to be saved.”

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Saturday, 14 September 2024 : Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Psalm 77 : 1-2, 34-35, 36-37, 38

Give heed, o My people, to My teaching; listen to the words of My mouth! I will speak in parables; I will talk of old mysteries.

When He slew them, they repented and sought Him earnestly. They remembered that God was their Rock, the Most High, their Redeemer.

But they flattered Him with their mouths; they lied to Him with their tongues, while their hearts were unfaithful; they were untrue to His Covenant.

Even then, in His compassion, He forgave their offences and did not destroy them. Many a time He restrained His anger, and did not fully stir up His wrath.

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Saturday, 14 September 2024 : Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Numbers 21 : 4b-9

The people were discouraged by the journey and began to complain against God and Moses, “Why have you brought us out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is neither bread nor water here and we are disgusted with this tasteless manna.”

YHVH then sent fiery serpents against them. They bit the people and many of the Israelites died. Then the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned, speaking against YHVH and against you. Plead with YHVH to take the serpents away.”

Moses pleaded for the people and YHVH said to him, “Make a fiery serpent and set it on a standard; whoever has been bitten and then looks at it shall live.” So Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on a standard. Whenever a man was bitten, he looked towards the bronze serpent and he lived.

Alternative reading (Second Reading if this Feast is celebrated as a Solemnity)

Philippians 2 : 6-11

Though He was in the form of God, He did not regard equality with God as something to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking on the nature of a servant, made in human likeness, and in His appearance found as a Man.

He humbled Himself by being obedient to death, death on the cross. That is why God exalted Him and gave Him the Name which outshines all names, so that at the Name of Jesus all knees should bend in heaven, on earth and among the dead, and all tongues proclaim that Christ Jesus is the Lord to the glory of God the Father.

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Friday, 13 September 2024 : 23rd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. John Chrysostom, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day all of us listened to the words of the Lord contained in the Sacred Scriptures in which we are reminded not to be proud, arrogant or egoistic in how we carry on living our lives. Instead, the greater we are, and the more knowledgeable we are, the wiser and the better we are, the more we should be humble and willing to listen to others, especially the Lord Himself in how we should be living our lives. We must not allow our ego and pride to become our downfall and be the serious obstacles and challenges in our path, preventing us from truly being able to approach the Lord and be filled with His grace and love. If we allow ourselves to be swayed by those evils and ambitions, and if we harden and close our hearts and minds against Him and against others, then more often than not we may find ourselves falling into the wrong path in life.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Church and faithful people of God in Corinth in which the Apostle spoke of the matter about his ministry and how he did not boast about his accomplishments and achievements before everyone. Instead, he highlighted that being Christians, that is as the disciples and followers of Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, one must be more humble and focused on the Lord in all things, rather than to be proud and full of oneself. He reminded all Christians to be always vigilant against the various temptations of worldly glory and ambitions, all of which can lead one astray and away from the Lord and His salvation unless we are careful and vigilant in how we live our lives.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, we heard the Lord Jesus speaking to His disciples and followers in which He rebuked those hypocrites and those who have been blinded by their arrogance, pride and greed that they failed to see the truth of God and His love. He was clearly referring to the actions and attitudes of the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, many of whom had not welcomed Him and in fact opposed Him vehemently, always making a lot of efforts to put stumbling blocks and obstacles in the path that the Lord had taken, opposing His ministry and good works, doubting Him and His authority, sowing seeds of dissension and divisions by their constant and repeated efforts at refusing to follow the Lord and what He has taught and shown to the people of God.

All these likely came about because of their great pride and sense of self-entitlement given their standing in the community of the people of God, as well as their strong sense of superiority against those others whom they deemed to be inferior and less worthy than they were, so much so that they frequently criticised and condemned many people, such as the tax collectors, prostitutes and those afflicted by diseases, thinking that those people were wicked and unworthy of God, and had been cursed by their many sins. But they failed to realise that they themselves were sinners and by their indulging in their pride, ego and ambition, they have allowed themselves to be led into the path of rebellion against God, and closed the doors of their heart from the Lord.

That was why they were ‘blind’ because they had been blinded by all that pride and ego, all of which kept them from truly being able to appreciate the truth and Good News which the Lord had brought into our midst. This is an important reminder therefore for each and every one of us not to fall into this same trap, falling into the same predicament of hardening our hearts and minds, closing ourselves off from the Lord and His ever generous offer of love and His truth. We should instead be more humble, the greater we are. We must not let all these pride and wickedness of the world to distract us from our true goal in Christ, in His truth and love, His grace and salvation. We must always be willing to let the Lord to come into our hearts and minds, while humbly seeking Him to forgive us all our own sins and imperfections.

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of St. John Chrysostom, a great servant of God and bishop, who was honoured afterwards as one of the great and esteemed Doctors of the Church for his many contributions and works, and his commitment to God in the early periods of the Church’s history. St. John Chrysostom was one of the famous Early Church fathers who dedicated himself to his mission of evangelisation and care for the flock of God’s holy and beloved people and who was remembered well for his great courage and determination to stand up for his beliefs and convictions amidst the various challenges and difficulties that he might have to face in the process of his efforts and works, in his commitment as a good and faithful shepherd of the Lord’s people. St. John Chrysostom is truly a worthy role model for all of us to follow in how we ought to live our lives with faith.

St. John Chrysostom was born in a pagan family to a high-ranking military officer who died early in St. John Chrysostom’s life. His mother raised him and gave him good education in various areas of academics and other philosophical pursuits. However, he soon developed strong desire to learn more about God, devoting his time more to his Christian faith and embraced deep learning of theology. He then became a hermit for a while, adopting an ascetic lifestyle, before becoming a deacon in Antioch, gaining great popularity for his great charism and eloquence in his service and dedication, in his wonderful style of preaching and teaching to the people regarding various matters of the faith. Eventually, he was chosen as the Archbishop of Constantinople, a position of truly great influence in the Roman Empire at that time, being the Eastern capital of the Empire.

During his time as the Archbishop and shepherd of the flock of the people of God in Constantinople, St. John Chrysostom had to face a lot of challenges and difficulties, as he soon gained the enmity and the wrath of the powerful nobles, especially that of the Roman Empress Eudoxia, the wife of the Emperor Arcadius. The Empress was angry at St. John Chrysostom spoke out courageously against excesses of worldly wealth and also display of feminine elegance and ornamentations, which she presumed to be directed against her. She therefore managed to get him to be banished from his See and persecuted, which led to violent opposition by those who supported St. John Chrysostom, and this, coupled with the omen of an earthquake that struck the very night the man of God was arrested led to him being released and reinstated. However, the troubles did not end there are conflicts kept on going between the Empress and the Archbishop of Constantinople, which led him to be exiled again and persecuted to the end of his life. But all these did not dampen his efforts, and St. John Chrysostom remained firmly faithful to the very end.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore be inspired by the faithful examples of St. John Chrysostom, who dedicated himself wholly and thoroughly to God, and that he spoke up courageously against those who abused their power and against all those who acted with pride, ego and arrogance, and who humbly dedicated himself to God and His people despite his status and the prestige that he enjoyed. He did not allow himself to be swayed by the temptations of sin, of pride and ego, of ambition and greed. Each and every one of us should be inspired to follow in his footsteps and continue to do our best so that we may grow ever stronger in our faith and commitment to God, and we may distance ourselves from all the things that may lead to our downfall and destruction, and keeping us away from God. May the Lord be with us all and may He continue to bless us in all of our efforts and endeavours, to come ever closer to Him, now and always. Amen.