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Sunday, 16 June 2024 : Eleventh Sunday of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Ezekiel 17 : 22-24

Thus says YHVH : “At the top of the cedar, I will take one of its uppermost branches, a tender twig, and plant it. On a lofty, massive mountain, on a high mountain of Israel I will plant it. It will produce branches and bear fruit and become a magnificent cedar. Birds of all kinds will nest in it and find shelter in its branches.”

“And all the trees of the field shall know that I am YHVH : I, Who bring down the lofty tree and make the lowly tree tall. I will make the tree that is full of sap, wither, and the dry tree, bloom. I, YHVH, have spoken and this will I do.”

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Saturday, 15 June 2024 : 10th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

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

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are all reminded through them to be truly faithful and obedient to the Lord in all things, and to be His committed disciples, giving our very best in all things so that by our every words, actions and deeds, we will continue to do what is necessary to be ever committed to God. We have all been called so that our whole lives may be pleasing to the Lord and to be exemplary to every one who witness our ways of living our lives and our interactions with one another. Unless we are truly faithful to the Lord and are obedient to Him, to His Law and commandments, how can we then call or consider ourselves as Christians, as His beloved disciples and followers?

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of Kings of Israel and Judah in which the prophet Elijah went to find the man whom God had identified to be his successor in the mission and ministry to the Israelites, namely that of Elisha. Elisha was to be the one to continue the great works and the ministry which Elijah had pioneered among the Israelites, to continue to shepherd, guide and help the people of Israel in their journey to find salvation and righteousness in God. The Israelites back then were rather stubborn, refusing to listen to the Lord and His messengers, and even persecuting all those whom the Lord had sent to them to help and remind them, like that of Elijah himself. And Elijah had indeed gone through a lot and suffered.

These were then the challenges and sufferings which anyone who were to succeed Elijah would have to bear with them, but Elisha obeyed the Lord’s commands, and put his trust completely in Him. He left behind everything he had, all of his works and things, following Elijah and becoming God’s prophet and messenger to the people of Israel. Elisha dedicated himself henceforth to the Lord’s missions, just as Elijah had done before him. He committed himself to the shepherding of the people of God despite the challenges and stubbornness that he had to endure amidst the missions, and the Lord indeed did many great things through Elisha just as He had done earlier on through the prophet Elijah.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard of the words of the Lord to His disciples as recorded by the Gospel of St. Matthew. In that occasion, the Lord told His disciples not to swear or make oaths, to make promises by any means or on anything that is sacred and holy, and He told them instead that they should always strive to be truthful, virtuous, good and worthy in all of their words, actions and deeds. Unless they do this, they were really nothing better than hypocrites and unbelievers. Those who truly believe in the Lord would do their best to obey His commands, trusting in Him and doing whatever He had entrusted and told to them to do, just as the prophets Elijah and Elisha, and many others of the holy men and women had done.

On the other hand, at the time of the Lord Jesus, He particularly warned of this to His disciples and followers because there were those at the time who made great and significant gestures, lots of words and promises, and yet, ultimately all those things were merely empty gestures and not truly filled with true love and commitment towards God. This was a reference to many among the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, who professed to believe in God and were preservers of God’s Law and commandments, and yet, their lack of faith and behaviour all showed that they tend to love the world, all its fame, glory and attractions more than they loved the Lord, their God and Master.

This was why while they supposedly obeyed the Lord’s Law and commandments, the entirety of the massive six hundred and thirteen sets of laws and rules, but the Lord criticised them rightly as hypocrites because many of them did not do so for their love of God and for their commitment to Him. Instead, many of those Pharisees and the teachers of the Law praised themselves and were proud of their way of living and achievements, making a show of their piety and faith so that they could receive more praise and fame from the people of God. Essentially, their hearts and minds were not focused on the right intentions, and not on the Lord, but on their own ego, pride and greed, their attachments to worldly things and matters.

That is why the Lord reminded His disciples that they should be genuine and sincere in their faith in God, and not to make flashy or great shows of their commitment, when they were not truly able to do so. They should just carry out their whole lives and actions with the genuine desire to follow the Lord faithfully in each and every moments of their lives. Anything more than that truly can deceive and mislead us to the path of evil just as the Lord had said it. It is also a reminder for us that we should not overthink things, and when the Lord calls, we should discern things carefully but put our faith and trust in Him without being weighed or bogged down by too many considerations and preoccupations with our many attachments in life. Like the prophet Elisha, who left everything behind to follow the Lord and trusted in Him wholeheartedly, we all should also do the same.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore renew our commitment and desire to love the Lord our God ever more wholeheartedly, and let us dedicate all of our time and efforts to follow the Lord in all of His will, His Law and commandments like that of the prophets Elijah and Elisha, and the many saints, holy men and women who had gone before us. May the Lord continue to strengthen and empower us all in our lives and endeavours, so that we may continue to walk ever more faithfully in our Christian living and in everything that we do, all for the greater glory of God. May God bless us in our every works and efforts, now and always. Amen.

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Saturday, 15 June 2024 : 10th Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

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

Matthew 5 : 33-37

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “You have also heard that people were told in the past : Do not break your oath; an oath sworn to the Lord must be kept. But I tell you this : do not take oaths. Do not swear by the heavens, for they are God’s throne; nor by the earth, because it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, because it is the city of the great King.”

“Do not even swear by your head, because you cannot make a single hair white of black. Let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes’ and your ‘No’ mean ‘No.’ Anything else you say comes from the evil one.”

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Saturday, 15 June 2024 : 10th Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

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

Psalm 15 : 1-2a and 5, 7-8, 9-10

Keep me safe, o God, for in You I take refuge. I say to the Lord, “O Lord, my inheritance and my cup, my chosen portion – hold secure my lot.”

I bless the Lord Who counsels me; even at night my inmost self instructs me. I keep the Lord always before me; for with Him at my right hand, I will never be shaken.

My heart, therefore, exults, my soul rejoices; my body too will rest assured. For You will not abandon my soul to the grave, nor will You suffer Your Holy One to see decay in the land of the dead.

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Saturday, 15 June 2024 : 10th Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

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

1 Kings 19 : 19-21

Elijah left. He found Elisha, son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen; he was following the twelfth. Elijah passed by him and cast his cloak over him. Elisha left the oxen, ran after Elijah and said, “Let me say goodbye to my father and mother; then I will follow you.”

Elijah said to him, “Return if you want, do not worry about what I did.” However, Elisha turned back, took the yoke of oxen and slew them. He roasted their meat on the pieces of the yoke and gave it to his people who ate of it. After this, he followed Elijah and began ministering to him.

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Friday, 14 June 2024 : 10th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, in today’s Scripture readings we are all presented with the calling of God which He called on all of us to follow Him and to do what He has entrusted to us and what He has taught us all to do in our respective lives. Each and every one of us as Christians have been entrusted with the various responsibilities and missions in our diverse commitments and vocations, in each and every parts of our lives. As God’s people and disciples, as His beloved and holy ones, we must indeed strive to be truly worthy of Him, to do whatever we must so that by our exemplary deeds and actions, by our virtues and obedience to God we may indeed become the shining beacons of His light and truth at all times.

In our first reading today, we heard from the First Book of Kings in which the prophet Elijah was called by God to the holy mountain, Mount Sinai, the same place which the Israelites had once gone to during the time of their Exodus and journey from Egypt towards the Promised Land of Canaan. At that occasion, the prophet Elijah was journeying from the land of Israel after being persecuted by the king of Israel, Ahab, and the king’s wife, Jezebel, all of whom had been wicked and refused to believe in the Lord as they should have. The prophets and messengers of God had been persecuted and killed, and Elijah himself had to flee for his life, and at the same time, the transgressions committed by the Israelite king and his people became worse and worse.

God called Elijah to follow Him, and to go where He called him to go. He protected and provided Elijah with food and nourishment in the wilderness, and eventually with that strength, he went on a long journey to Mount Sinai, which we heard about today. Elijah witnessed God coming towards him at Mount Sinai, first manifesting His coming through a great windstorm, an earthquake and a great fire, but God was not in all of them. Instead, God came with the sign of a gentle breeze, which was in fact a reminder to Elijah and to all the Israelites that while He is a truly mighty, all-powerful and fearsome God, Who destroyed His enemies and punished the sinners and the wicked ones, but at the same time, He is also always full of love, compassion and mercy.

God sent Elijah on a mission to go back to the land of the Israelites and beyond, to prepare for the coming works and missions that had been entrusted to him and those whom he would prepare and appoint to continue the great works of God. The Lord gave Elijah three tasks, all of which were meant to bring about great things for the reconciliation of the people of Israel with their Lord and God. First we heard of the appointment of Hazael as the new king over the Arameans, who then were the bitter rivals of the Israelites. Hazael would be the one to chastise the Israelites for their wickedness and sins, to remind them of the consequences of their rebellions against God, and hence, the people hopefully would turn once again back towards God.

Then we heard of the appointment of Jehu, to be the new king of Israel anointed and approved by God, who would be the one to overthrow the rule of the then king, king Ahab and his family or dynasty. Jehu would bring about God’s punishments and retribution to those who have led the people of God into ruin and destruction through sin. He would then as king of Israel be one of the few kings who obeyed God’s commandments and Law, leading the people of God once again back towards Him. Lastly, Elijah was told to appoint Elisha to be his successor, to be the one to succeed him in his mission as a prophet, to continue the good works that God had entrusted to the Elijah himself, guiding the people of God back towards their Lord and Master.

Then, in our Gospel passage today taken from the Gospel of St. Matthew, the Lord spoke to His disciples on the matter of true obedience to the Lord, to His Law and commandments, reminding each and every one of them that they should all be truly faithful to God, and to do whatever they can so that they would not fall into the temptations to sin and to disobey God. He mentioned without mincing His words, that should any of them were tempted and swayed to sin by any of their body parts, they should cut them off without hesitation, to remind them figuratively that sin is truly dangerous and if we do not keep vigilant against all the temptations to sin, we can indeed fall into eternal damnation and destruction, out of which there is no way out.

Essentially, the Lord was telling His disciples and all of us that we must truly understand and appreciate His Law, His way and His path. We cannot be those who merely carry on living our lives day after day and then not understanding what it is that He is calling all of us to do. Each and every one of us need to grow ever stronger in our relationship with God, to find out more what He wants us to be, to be holy and worthy of Him in all things. He has called us all to do His will just like how He had called the prophet Elijah to do His will. Are we willing to commit ourselves to path that the Lord has shown us? And are we willing to devote our time and attention to be ever more dedicated to God in all things, so that our every good works, efforts and endeavours will always proclaim God’s glory?

Brothers and sisters in Christ, today let us all discern carefully our path in life, and how we should live our lives so that we may grow ever stronger and more committed to our Christian faith and life. We have been entrusted with various commitments and missions in life, in our different areas and various communities, that in our own distinct and unique way of living our Christian lives in the most authentic way possible, we may continue to profess our faith in the Lord and proclaim Him ever more courageously and faithfully in each and every moments of our lives. All of us are the missionaries of the Lord and in our own respective lives, we should continue to be evangelising, missionary and being vibrant in the living of our faith.

May the Lord continue to bless us all and be with His Church, so that we may continue to be strengthened and encouraged to overcome whatever challenges and difficulties that may come our way. May He continue to empower us so that we may truly be ever closer to Him and be ever more willing to dedicate ourselves to His cause, for the salvation of the whole world, like that of the prophet Elijah and those holy predecessors, the holy saints, holy men and women of God who had gone before us. Amen.

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Friday, 14 June 2024 : 10th Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Matthew 5 : 27-32

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “You have heard that it was said : Do not commit adultery. But I tell you this : anyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent, has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”

“So, if your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and throw it away! It is much better for you to lose a part of your body, than to have your whole body thrown into hell. If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away! It is better for you to lose a part of your body, than to have your whole body thrown into hell.”

“It was also said : Anyone who divorces his wife, must give her a written notice of divorce. But what I tell you is this : if a man divorces his wife, except in the case of unlawful union, he causes her to commit adultery. And the man who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.”

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Friday, 14 June 2024 : 10th Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 26 : 7-8a, 8b-9abc, 13-14

Hear my voice when I call, o Lord, have mercy on me and answer. My heart says to You, “I seek Your face, o Lord.”

Do not hide Your face from me nor turn away Your servant in anger. You are my Protector, do not reject me.

I hope, I am sure, that I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Trust in the Lord, be strong and courageous. Yes, put your hope in the Lord!

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Friday, 14 June 2024 : 10th Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

1 Kings 19 : 9a, 11-16

On reaching the place, Elijah came to the cave and stayed in it. Then YHVH said, “Go up and stand on the mount, waiting for YHVH.” And YHVH passed by.

There was first a windstorm, wild wind which rent the mountains and broke the rocks into pieces before YHVH, but YHVH was not in the wind. After the storm, an earthquake, but YHVH was not in the earthquake; after the earthquake, a fire, but YHVH was not in the fire; after the fire, the murmur of a gentle breeze.

When Elijah perceived it, he covered his face with his cloak, went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Then he heard a voice addressing him again, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” He answered, “I am burning with jealous love for YHVH, the God of Hosts, because the Israelites have forsaken Your Covenant, thrown down Your altars and slain Your prophets with the sword. No one is left but myself, yet they still seek my life to take it away.”

YHVH said to him, “Take the road back through the desert and go to Damascus, for you must anoint Hazael as king of Syria. You shall also anoint Jehu, son of Nimshi, as king over Israel. And Elisha, son of Shaphat, from Abel Meholah, you shall anoint as prophet in your place.”

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Thursday, 13 June 2024 : 10th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Anthony of Padua, Priest and Doctor of the Church (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Lord speaking to us through the Sacred Scriptures, we are reminded that each and every one of us ought to obey the Lord our God, listen to Him and His words, walking in the path that He has shown to us. All of us as God’s beloved and holy people had been called to a life that is truly full of His grace and love by living our lives each day with the desire to be righteous, full of virtue and truly being worthy of the Lord. All of us have been called to be like God Himself, full of love, compassion and mercy towards each other, just as the Lord has always been loving and compassionate towards us in each and every moments of our lives.

In our first reading today, we heard from the First Book of Kings of Israel and Judah of the continuation of the story of the life and ministry of the prophet Elijah that happened during the reign of king Ahab of Israel, the wicked and unfaithful king who had led the people of Israel down a path of rebellion and disobedience against God. At that time, the people of the northern kingdom of Israel had long been disobedient against God, refusing to follow His Law and commandments because of the kings that had been wicked and stubborn in their ways, promoting pagan worship and the establishment of pagan idols and abominations, altars and sacrifices that were not directed to the Lord, their one and only true God.

And king Ahab brought this to a new low by his wicked actions and further disobedience against God. He persecuted the prophets and messengers of God, slaughtering and destroying them, refusing to listen to the words of premonition and warning which these prophets had spoken in reminding the people of the consequences of their wickedness and their sins against God. Elijah was the only prophet of God who remained active and alive back then, and he had to endure many hardships amidst his ministry. Elijah spoke of a great drought and famine that would strike against the whole land of Israel, and everything indeed happened as he had said, as rain did not come towards the land of Israel for several years.

In what we have heard in our first reading today was the moment when God through the prophet Elijah was showing His power to king Ahab of Israel. He showed to Ahab just how He had withheld the rain from coming over the land for years, He also brought the rain back over the land. By doing this, He essentially showed that He is truly in charge of all things, and just as He has also shown His might at Mount Carmel earlier on, bringing down fire upon the sacrificial offerings of Elijah while Baal, the god that king Ahab and the Israelites worshipped failed to do so, all these served to further highlight to the king and to the people of Israel of their folly of not obeying the words and the Law of God, their Lord and Master. The people have sinned because they preferred to follow their own ways and did not truly believe in God as they should have done.

In our Gospel passage today, we are all also reminded of this by the Lord Himself, Who told the people to be truly and genuinely faithful to the Lord, and to believe in Him in a way more genuine and appropriate than those of the teachers of the Law and the Pharisees. The Lord has mentioned this because those teachers of the Law and the Pharisees had been opposing Him on various occasions, doubting and questioning Him and His disciples because they disagreed on how the Lord and His disciples had been observing and practicing the Law of God. However, the reality was such that those teachers of the Law and the Pharisees were so focused and even obsessed with trivial details and rituals, the way how the Law and the commandments ought to be observed that they ended up failing to understand the true purpose, importance and significance of the Law of God.

What does this mean? It means that they observed the Law more with their external appearances and actions, but it was often not accompanied by genuine obedience and understanding of the Law and the commandments of God. This means that they often merely paid lip service and were doing everything that they had done in fulfilling the commandments and rules of the Law more so that they could feel proud of their accomplishments and their sense of superiority against others around them whom they deemed to be inferior and less worthy than them in their way of observing God’s Law and commandments. Essentially they have also made idols out of their preoccupation and obsession with the way how the Law should be observed in their minds, and like those of king Ahab and the Israelites in the past, all these distracted them from their faith to the Lord.

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Anthony of Padua, a great and renowned saint whose faith and life was truly inspirational and are good examples for us all to follow in our own lives, in how we should dedicate ourselves to serve the Lord at all times. St. Anthony of Padua was born into a wealthy family in what is now Portugal, and he was called by God to be His servant and follower, dedicating himself to be a priest and missionary of God. He became a member of the Franciscans and was ordained a priest. However, his dream and desire to go forth in missionary works was prevented by sickness, and instead, St. Anthony of Padua chose to continue his missions and works among the people of the places he ministered in.

St. Anthony of Padua was well-known for his great eloquence and wisdom, his care, love and concern for the poor and the needy. That was why through the works of St. Anthony of Padua, many people were touched in their lives and came to believe in the Lord, and they were also touched by the loving words of St. Anthony of Padua who had revealed to them the truth and love of God. St. Anthony of Padua dedicated his time and effort to care for those who have been neglected by the world, and he has also put the effort to reach out to everyone, finding those who have been lost from God and helping them all to come back towards Him. His inspirations and help for us have inspired countless people throughout history and even right up to this very day.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, today let us all therefore be reminded of the need for each and every one of us to renew our faith and commitment to the Lord. Through the words of the Lord and the life and actions of St. Anthony of Padua, all of us are reminded that as Christians, each and every one of us must indeed centre and focus our whole lives, our attention and all of our efforts on the Lord. May the Lord our loving God continue to strengthen us in faith and in our conviction so that by our every words, actions and deeds we may continue to glorify Him and proclaim Him and His Good News to all the people around us. Amen.