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Thursday, 26 December 2013 : Feast of St. Stephen, Protomartyr (Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Brothers and sisters in Christ, today we celebrate the feast day of the first martyr of the faith, that is St. Stephen, known also as the Protomartyr or simply the first martyr in Greek. We celebrate today the memory of this great and zealous defender of the faith, the very first one to gave up his life for the sake of Jesus the Lord.

Many of you may ask, why do we suddenly and so quickly jump from the joyous celebrations of Christmas into the sombre celebration of one’s death, a martyr of the faith no less? That is because St. Stephen died not for nothing, but because he gave up his life as an example to the faithful, that we should never ever leave behind or abandon the true joy of Christmas in Jesus.

St. Stephen met his death because he rebuked harshly the Pharisees and the chief priests who were judging him, because of their lack of faith in Jesus, and because of their compliance in killing the very One sent by God to deliver everyone from sin and death, themselves included. He met his death because he spoke the truth, about the Lord who came to save His people in Jesus, the joy and glory we celebrate on Christmas day.

Therefore it is no less fitting that we celebrate in honour of this saint who had courageously defended the Christ who was reviled, rejected, and cast out by His own beloved people. He did not fear man but God alone. And he truly followed the way of the Lord, imitating even Jesus in death. Remember that Jesus forgave His executioners and those who condemned Him, asking the Father not to punish them for what they had done? What St. Stephen had done was essentially the same thing.

We rejoice in the Lord at Christmas, and we celebrate with great joy and festivities, but have we put Christ at the centre of our joy and our celebrations? Or have we forgotten entirely about Him in our festivities? We cannot be Christians if we do not put Christ at the centre of our lives, just as we cannot have Christmas if we do not put Christ at the heart of what we are celebrating.

To be Christian is to follow what St. Stephen had done, maybe not into martyrdom as what had happened to him, but in terms of zealous and unchanging faith, even in the midst of persecution and societal pressure for us to do otherwise. It is sad to see how many of the faithful have changed their views of the faith, and even the faith that they have itself, to accommodate to the currently popular ways of the world.

Many of them did these because they fear persecution, opposition, ridicule, and many other similar reasons. Many did them because of the pressure to conform to the societal ‘norms’, especially the socially acceptable ones. Many did so because they do not want to look weird or unacceptable to their peers and friends. And some did so because they craved power and popularity, which they could not have gained if they keep faithfully the faith in the Lord in its completeness.

And Christmas too have often become none other than just another party time or shopping and holiday season. Christmas had become so commercialised and infused with the greed and the values of the world that we have often forgotten about Christ. Between Christmas and how we live our lives according to our faith, both are no different, assailed at all sides by the forces of the evil one seeking our destruction.

That is why, brothers and sisters in Christ, it is important that in this Christmas season that we look at, and emulate the examples that St. Stephen had presented to us, and what he had shown to his opponents in that judging session. St. Stephen proudly and without fear, proclaimed his faith in God aloud, without compromise and without seeking for acceptance at the price of his faith.

St. Stephen served God’s people as one of the first seven deacons, and even though his service might have been very short indeed, but his holiness and exemplary actions show that, being a Christian, and in the celebration of Christmas, firstly Christ must always be at the centre of everything, be it our lives, how we live our daily lives, in our words and actions, and in everything. We cannot be half-hearted Christians, who believed in only what we like to believe in, or what is often called to be “market” or “cafetaria” Christians.

Therefore, brothers and sisters in Christ, as we continue our celebration of Christmas, and as we rejoice in the great saint, Stephen the martyr, let us always remember to devote ourselves wholly and without distractions to the Lord, keeping the faith we have for Him devoutly, without compromising anything for the sake of the world. Both St. Stephen and Jesus Himself did not compromise anything, for the sake of what they are called to do in this world. For St. Stephen, it is for the glory of God, and for Jesus, it is for the salvation of all.

May St. Stephen pray for us, that the Lord will send His help to us, to strengthen our faith, and to be ready to stand up for our faith in the same way as St. Stephen had done, fearing not the powers of this world and proclaim our faith in its entirety. May we all have a blessed time this Christmas season and may God be with us all always. Amen.

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Tuesday, 10 September 2013 : 23rd Week of Ordinary Time (Scripture Reflection)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Brothers and sisters in Christ, today we realise that the Lord our God loves us and He is willing to call us from the depth of our sins and the depth of our iniquities, to be with Him and to rejoice with Him in salvation. He did this through Christ His Son, who had descended into the world to be among us and to be the source of our salvation.

He cares for us and wants us to leave behind our world of sin that leads to death and damnation. That was why He offered all of us His enduring love, love that He carried through all the way to the cross on Calvary. He willed us to live, and that was why He did not hesitate even to give His own life for us that we may live.

He called the Apostles, the chosen twelve among His disciples, to be the primary helpers of His good works during His ministry in this world and even after He had departed it. They helped Him to administer the people and become the listening ear to His many teachings, through which He revealed much about Himself and God’s plan of salvation for mankind.

He offered them and all, a new hope in Himself, that all those who believe in Him and place their trust in Him will not suffer death and punishment for their sins and iniquities. Instead, it was indeed Christ who had undergone much suffering, pain, and eventually death in our place. The Body and Blood He offered us, through His pierced Body and the Blood outpouring from His wounds on the cross, become the gate into this new life.

Yes, brethren, and those who walk through this gate, will receive eternal life in God. The Body of Christ we receive in the Communion bread and the Blood in the wine bring Christ into ourselves, and thereafter, He dwells within us, becoming a light within our hearts. However, not everyone can just receive the Lord without due consideration.

We must first be welcomed into the Church of God, that is the entire community of the faithful ones in God, and become one body with all the faithful, as part of the one living Church, that is through the waters of baptism. Baptism marks that clear break between us and our past, the sinful lives and idol worshipping lives we had once led, and be purified in the Lord, to be made worthy to receive the salvation offered freely by the Lord.

That was why those who had not yet been received into the Church, may not receive the Lord because they are unworthy and had not yet placed their hearts and their beliefs fully in God. For those of us who had been received into the Church and receive the Lord into ourselves, we have accepted the Lord as our Lord and Saviour, just as the Apostles had done before.

However, it is not that we must be stagnant and be idle after we have been received into the Church. Otherwise we would be condemned by the Lord, just as He had done to the Pharisees, who had not done what was asked of them, and instead slandering the prophets and the Lord Himself. Constant vigilance and cultivation of that opportunity God has given us is therefore necessary and indeed, expected of us.

The Apostles themselves did not remain idle, even though after their baptism of fire, they can be certain of salvation. Yes, the Apostles received their baptism of fire by the Holy Spirit, on the day of the Pentecost, that truly marked the beginning of their ministry after the departure of Jesus from this world. The Apostles. They faced much opposition and rejection, just as they were received by many. Yet they did not fear, for God is with them, and they even gave their lives in the end, for the sake of the Gospel of Christ.

Dear brothers and sisters, today we are also called, to be the apostles of our modern day world. Let us therefore strive to follow in the footsteps of the Apostles, we who had been called and received into the Church. We must never be idle but we must be proactive and take the initiative to be the active disciples of Christ, spreading the Good News to all the people.

May the Lord guide us and protect us as we embark on this journey of evangelisation, that we may be fruitful and great, in our works for the sake of the Lord. God bless us all. Amen.

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(Special) Sunday, 23 June 2013 : Vigil Mass of the Solemnity of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist (Scripture Reflection)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we are celebrating the feast of the birth of St. John the Baptist, the relative of our Lord Jesus Christ by virtue of his mother, Elizabeth, being the cousin of Mary, the mother of our Lord. St. John the Baptist is known for his role in preparing the way for Christ, straightening the path for His arrival into this world, preceding the Lord Himself by a few months. He baptised peoples and asked them to repent from their sins, so that they would not fall into damnation, and be open for Christ when He came.

St. John the Baptist is a great saint, brothers and sisters, and he is considered by many to be one of the prophets reborn once again, particularly that of Elijah, sent by the Lord for the sake of Christ, as His messenger, and as His herald, proclaiming His arrival into the world. The events surrounding his birth is not ordinary either, because he was born out of an aging parent, an aging mother who could no longer conceive, but because of the power of the Lord and the Holy Spirit, conceived, and brought John into this world.

Like the passage in the first reading from the book of the prophet Jeremiah, the words themselves spoke about St. John the Baptist and his life, in that he had been chosen by the Lord since his conception, and before he was even born, as the angel told Zechariah, John’s father in the Temple of Jerusalem. He had been chosen from among many, to be the messenger of the Lord’s message and words, and to prepare the way for the Word Himself, Christ, our Saviour, who is also the Word of God.

Being chosen by the Lord, St. John the Baptist did not shy away in fear, but instead fully embraced the tasks that had been entrusted on him, and passionately went into his ministry, preaching to the people of God and repeatedly asking them to repent and return to the Lord who loves them. He worked tirelessly throughout his ministry in this world, and he did not show any fear even to the corrupt authority, the way he chastised King Herod for his improper relationship with the brother of his wife, Herodias.

He did not fear death while doing so, and faced death willingly when he was beheaded by the order of King Herod. In his humility he told his own disciples to follow Christ, and proclaimed to them the Messiah, with his words, “Behold the Lamb of God!”, and many who followed John then followed Christ in turn. He did not seek human glory and praise, and in his humility, told his disciples that while Christ increase, he must decrease.

He recognised his own human weakness and accepted the will of God without hesitation. He followed the Lord and obeyed His will. St. John the Baptist is indeed an example for all of us, how to be the true disciples of the Lord. When we are called by the Lord to be His servants, we must not give in to fear and doubt, but place all of our trust in the Lord, just the way that St. John had done, that we can truly give our all in the work for the sake of the Lord, and for the sake of God’s people, that is all mankind.

We should not give in to doubt as Zechariah, John’s father had done. It may be understandable because it may seem impossible for humans that an elderly woman should be able to bear a child. But to God, nothing is impossible. Therefore, brothers and sisters, we who have received the Good News of Christ, let us be renewed by the Holy Spirit of the Lord, and let us be courageous and passionate in spreading the Good News and salvation of the Lord, inspired by the example of St. John the Baptist.

Remember that God chose us and not we chose Him. He called us from the many, to be His disciples, and those of us who had accepted Him as their Lord and Saviour, gained salvation and life eternal. May God remain with us, bless us, and strengthen us in our task, that is to bring the Word of God to many in this world. St. John the Baptist, pray for us too. Amen.

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Tuesday, 14 May 2013 : 7th Week of Easter, Feast of St. Matthias, Apostle (Scripture Reflection)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, in less than a week’s time, Easter season will be drawing to a close with the feast of the Pentecost, when we celebrate the birthday of the Church, that is when the Holy Spirit came down on the Apostles and marked the official ‘beginning’ of their ministry in spreading the Good News to all over the world, to all nations and to all mankind.

But Easter does not end here and at that time, my dear brothers and sisters, for indeed, the mission Christ had entrusted to the Apostles still continues today, that is to baptise all the nations in the name of the Holy Trinity and to make disciples of all the nations. That is the charge placed by God upon us, and we should then do something in order to fulfill this mission.

Remember that we too are disciples and apostles of the Lord, apostles and witnesses of Christ in our own times and in our own places, bearing witness for the Lord in our own societies and in our own neighbourhoods, among our own friends, our own family, and our own surroundings. We reflect Christ through our own words, our thoughts, our actions, and how we interact with others, especially whether we have reflected the love of God in all that we do.

Today, we celebrate the feast day of St. Matthias, one of the Twelve Apostles. But, St. Matthias was in fact not in the original Twelve, which include Judas Iscariot, the betrayer of Jesus in their number. After Judas had betrayed Jesus, he was filled with the sense of regret for having sold his Master for a mere thirty pieces of silver and that he had betrayed innocent blood. Alas, it was way too late for him. He was condemned and his place was taken by another.

Yes, that was because he was unworthy of being one of God’s disciples, and therefore was cast off and replaced with someone who was more worthy of that honour, and St. Matthias was chosen by God to fill up that role. St. Matthias was also one of the longest followers of Jesus but was not included in the Twelve until after the Lord’s death, resurrection, and ascension into heaven. Yet he is equally as good as any of the remaining Eleven Apostles of the events surrounding the salvific mission of our Lord Jesus Christ.

That clearly shows that the work of evangelisation and conversion of the world to the cause of Christ is not yet done, and will always continue, that is until the second coming of our Lord into this world. This world is still bathed in darkness, and much of mankind with it, without seeing the light of Christ. We, the disciples of the Lord, who have received the faith from the teachings of the Church and thus the Apostles, therefore have the duty to continue the mission that has been entrusted to us.

St. Matthias carried out his task with fervour and strong love for God, evangelising the faith to the people in the distant regions of Asia and met martyrdom in the region now known as Georgia. He was martyred while in the midst of working in the fields of God, spreading the seeds of faith on the soil of mankind. Many did heed his call and became believers, but there are many too who rejected the faith and also caused St. Matthias’ own martyrdom.

In our world today, there are many who had drifted away from the light of Christ. Many of them were even former believers in Christ, but drifted away due to various reasons, many of which involve the worldly temptations and developments that took them further from the words of God. The loud noises made by the world has shut the Lord’s voice from them, that they can no longer listen to Him in their hearts and minds.

It is therefore up to us, brothers and sisters, to bring the words of the Lord back to them, to show them once again the true path to salvation that Christ had revealed to all of us. Let us follow in the example of St. Matthias and the Apostles in evangelisation, in order to bring the Good News of the Lord to the ends of the earth, and to all mankind, that they all may live. Amen.