Friday

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Friday, 4 December 2020 : 1st Week of Advent, Memorial of St. John Damascene, Priest and Doctor of the Church (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet or White (Priests)

Isaiah 29 : 17-24

In a very short time, Lebanon will become a fruitful field and the fruitful field will be as a forest. On that day the deaf will hear the words of the book, and out of the dark and obscurity the eyes of the blind will see. The meek will find joy and the poor among men will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.

For the tyrant will be no more and the scoffers gone forever, and all who plan to do evil will be cut down – those who by a word make you guilty, those who for a bribe can lay a snare and send home the just empty-handed.

Therefore YHVH, Abraham’s Redeemer, speaks concerning the people of Jacob : No longer will Jacob be ashamed; no longer will his face grow pale. When he sees the work of My hands, his children again in his midst, they will sanctify My Name, they will sanctify the Holy One of Jacob, and stand in awe of the God of Israel. Those who err in spirit will understand; those who murmur will learn.

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Friday, 27 November 2020 : Last Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we continue to hear the reminders from the Sacred Scriptures of the need for us to be ever vigilant and strong, to be prepared and ready to welcome the Lord again when He comes just as He has promised us. We must never be complacent and lukewarm in the living of our faith because that will lead us down the path of ruin, and Satan will have his way in persuading us, coercing us and forcing us to live wickedly in the state of sin by his many efforts and attacks on us.

We have to live faithfully and embrace fully the teachings and ways that He has taught us, and which He Himself had shown us by His actions, His loving care and compassionate mercy. And in today’s first reading taken from the Book of Revelations of St. John, we heard of the final defeat of Satan, the great enemy and deceiver of all the faithful. For all of his might and power, he was nothing before God, and his rebellion against Him will be destroyed and defeated completely, and he and his rebel angels and all those who follow him will be thrown into eternal darkness.

Tying this to the Gospel reading today, which concurs with the message of the past few days as we come to the end of this current liturgical year cycle, the Lord said that the signs of times denotes change and omens of things to come, and this is the same with the moment of the Lord’s return into this world, just as He has promised. While we do not know the exact time and moment of the Lord’s coming, but we can be assured that He will come as He has said, and we have to be ready for Him.

If we read through the accounts of the Book of Revelations, St. John saw great persecutions against Christians, by all those who refuse to believe in God and chose to follow the devil and his false prophets. St. John the Apostle saw how many people are swayed by the antichrist and the false prophets and therefore fall into their ruin in the end when the Lord comes to judge all the creation, as also mentioned in our first reading today.

The Lord has revealed everything to us, what will come to happen in the future, His love for each and every one of us, His kindness and compassion, His desire to see us reconciled and forgiven from our sins, and yet, are we all willing to embrace and accept His love and mercy? Or do we rather continue to live in sin and to indulge in whatever temptations and false leads that the devil and his allies are trying to ruin us with? We must not let these wicked forces destroy us, brothers and sisters in Christ.

That is why, as we listen to these readings and reflect again on their meaning and importance to us, we are all called to think about our Christian calling and responsibilities. We are all called to follow the Lord and His examples, as well as the examples of His Apostles and saints, all those who have shown us the way how to live well as Christians, dedicated and committed to serve the Lord and to be righteous and good in all of our words, actions, deeds and interactions in life.

Now that this current liturgical year is coming to an end, we are all called to reflect on these matters carefully, and we are reminded constantly that the Lord’s coming is something that we will not expect at the very least, in terms of its exact timing, and surely we do not want to be caught unprepared, and deemed to be unworthy and unfaithful just because we have been delaying and postponing our faithful living just so that we can indulge in the pleasures and the many temptations of this world.

Let us all change ourselves, brothers and sisters in Christ, that if we have not been faithful to God, we may seek Him more earnestly and with greater desire from now on. And if we have done wrong and been sinful, then we should seek Him for forgiveness, as after all, He is always ever ready to welcome us back as long as we sincerely desire to return to Him and seek to be forgiven through genuine repentance. Let us all grow ever more faithful and loving towards God, from now on, and do our best that our lives will become inspiration of faith to one another.

May the Lord, our God and King, guide us and strengthen us in our journey of faith through life, that we may persevere through whatever trials, challenges and temptations that are facing us. Let us all not be dragged into sin and into the darkness by the devil and all of his fellow tempters, but let us all be stronger in faith, and be ever more faithful Christians from now on. May God bless us always, now and forevermore. Amen.

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Friday, 27 November 2020 : Last Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Luke 21 : 29-33

At that time, Jesus added this comparison, “Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. As soon as their buds sprout, you know that summer is near. In the same way, when you see these things happening, know that the kingdom of God is near.”

“Truly, I tell you, this generation will not pass away, until all this has happened. Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.”

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Friday, 27 November 2020 : Last Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 83 : 3, 4, 5-6a and 8a

My soul yearns, pines, for the courts of the Lord. My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.

Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest where she may lay her young, at Your altars, o Lord of hosts, my King and my God!

Happy are those who live in Your house, continually singing Your praise! Happy the pilgrims whom You strengthen. They go from strength to strength till they appear before God in Zion.

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Friday, 27 November 2020 : Last Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Revelations 20 : 1-4, 11 – Revelations 21 : 2

Then an Angel came down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the Abyss and a huge chain. He seized the monster, the ancient serpent, namely Satan or the devil, and chained him for a thousand years. He threw him into the Abyss and closed its gate with the key, then secured it with locks, that he might not deceive the nations in the future until the thousand years have passed. Then he will be released for a little while.

There were thrones and seated on them were those with the power to judge. I then saw the spirits of those who had been beheaded for having held the teachings of Jesus and on account of the word of God. I saw all those who had refused to worship the beast and its image, or receive its mark on the forehead or on the hand. They returned to life and reigned with the Messiah for a thousand years. This is the first resurrection.

After that I saw a great and splendid throne and the One seated upon it. At once heaven and earth disappeared, leaving no trace. I saw the dead, both great and small, standing before the throne while books were opened. Another book, the Book of Life, was also opened. Then the dead were judged according to the records of these books, that is, each one according to his works.

The sea gave up the dead it had kept, as did death and the netherworld, so that all might be judged according to their works. Then death and the netherworld were thrown into the lake of fire. This lake of fire is the second death. All who were not recorded in the Book of Life were thrown into the lake of fire.

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth. The first heaven and the first earth had passed away and no longer was there any sea. I saw the new Jerusalem, the holy city coming down from God, out of heaven, adorned as a bride prepared for her husband.

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Friday, 20 November 2020 : 33rd Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we are reminded through the Scriptures of our calling as Christians, how each and every one of us have been called to proclaim the word of God faithfully at all times. Through our first reading today from the Book of the Revelations of St. John we heard of the Lord’s revelation through His Angel of his mission to evangelise to the world and what it entailed. And in our Gospel passage today we heard the moment when the Lord Jesus came to the Temple of Jerusalem not long before His Passion, and cleared the Temple grounds from all the wicked merchants dealing dishonestly there.

In that first reading passage we heard St. John seeing a vision of an Angel of God coming to him bearing a book, commanding him to eat that book. And when St. John ate the book, it tasted sweet in his mouth, but after a while he felt bitter in the stomach. Although it may seem weird to us to hear someone eating a book, but this is in fact a figurative language used by St. John to describe the meaning and importance of his vision and what he has been told by the Lord, that we too may understand this same truth.

As St. John described his vision and experience, the book was in fact a figurative representation and explanation of the gift of the Word of God to the Apostles, the disciples and the Church, the revelation of truth of God which we have all received. But why does the Word taste sweet in the mouth and yet bitter in the stomach? Again this is yet another figurative language used to describe how wonderful the truth of God is to us, as we revel and are happy in His love and care for us. And yet, it is bitter for us to stomach the fullness of truth.

Why is that so? That is because just as we know that God has loved us so much and each and every one of us are indeed so privileged to have received this great love from God, then we all also know what will happen to all those who have consciously chosen to reject this love of God, as St. John himself had seen in his apocalyptic vision of the world’s end times. There will be those who have chosen to abandon God and side with the devil while others remain faithful to God.

And those who reject God, His love and His mercy, by their rejection and by their sins are judged into the eternal suffering, not because God did not love them. Rather, they themselves had rejected God’s love and mercy, and by that rejection, they will have no part in God, and therefore, are bound to suffer with the devil and all those who have rebelled and disobeyed against God, for all eternity. It was they themselves who have chosen to walk down this path.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, God has entrusted His truth and His words to us through His Church, and it is in fact a great responsibility that brings both great joy in seeing the salvation of so many souls, but also the bitterness, sorrow and even pain in seeing the suffering of those who have rejected God and chose to walk down the path of evil and sin. This is the burden and the joy that we both carry as Christians.

Therefore, reminded of all these, let us all then also reflect on what we have heard in our Gospel passage today, of the moment when the Lord Jesus, not long before His Passion and death, chased out all the dishonest merchants who sought profits and wealth, and made lots of selfish and greedy gains on the suffering and the cheating pf the faithful pilgrims coming to the Temple to worship God.

The Lord was truly angry that the House of God has been corrupted and misused for wicked purposes and that had been allowed to continue by the Temple authorities, the chief priests and the Sanhedrin. And by clearing the Temple, the Lord has also in fact urged us all to clear our own spiritual Temple, that is our body, mind, heart and soul, in which God resides.

We have to rid ourselves off these corruptions, that is sin and all sorts of wickedness, all our pride, ego, greed, wrath and all other sorts of evils within us. We have to resist these temptations and strive to inspire and help one another to keep our faith in God strong. We have heard and discussed of what will happen to those who refuse to believe in God, and therefore, we should try our best to live up to our Christian calling and expectations.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all renew our faith in God and strengthen our convictions to walk with zeal and commitment in the path of the Lord. May all of us seek the Lord with ever greater faith and love for Him. May He bless us all in our every endeavours and efforts, now and always. Amen.

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Friday, 20 November 2020 : 33rd Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Luke 19 : 45-48

At that time, Jesus entered the Temple area and began to drive out the merchants. And He said to them, “God says in the Scriptures, ‘My house shall be a house of prayer, but you have turned it into a den of robbers!'”

Jesus was teaching every day in the Temple. The chief priests and teachers of the Law wanted to kill Him, and the elders of the Jews as well, but they were unable to do anything, for all the people were listening to Him and hanging on His words.

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Friday, 20 November 2020 : 33rd Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 118 : 14, 24, 72, 103, 111, 131

I delight in following Your laws, more so than in all riches.

Your laws are my delight, my counsellors who uphold me.

Your law is more precious to me than heaps of silver and gold.

How sweet are Your promises to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!

Your statutes are my heritage forever, they are the joy of my heart.

I gasp in ardent yearning for Your commandments that I love.

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Friday, 20 November 2020 : 33rd Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Revelations 10 : 8-11

And the voice I heard from heaven spoke again, saying to me, “Go near the Angel Who stands on the sea and on the land, and take the small book open in his hand.” So I approached the Angel and asked him for the small book; he said to me, “Take it and eat; although it be sweet as honey in your mouth, it will be bitter to your stomach.”

I took the small book from the hand of the Angel, and ate it. It was sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, it turned bitter in my stomach. Then I was told, “You must again proclaim God’s words about many peoples, nations, tongues and kings.”

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Friday, 13 November 2020 : 32nd Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today all of us are called to keep in mind of our faith in God especially as we will not know the time and circumstance of the Lord’s coming as He has promised, the time of His second coming into this world. We must always be vigilant and be prepared, and not to allow the temptations of evil and wickedness to lead us astray, or the words of those who have made false promises and lies of the devil to tempt us. And we are going to hear more and more of this theme as we approach the end of the current liturgical cycle.

In our first reading today, St. John in his Epistle spoke of this as he told the people to remember what their faith is all about, the commandments of God’s love, the Law that He has passed unto us and revealed to us. Through this Law of love, God wants each and every one of us to follow Him and His examples, and obey the tenets and commandments He has given us through His Church, that each and every one of us may remain true to our Christian faith and remain faithful to the very end.

St. John spoke of how those who taught otherwise and differently from the true Christian teachings were antichrists and false prophets, as at that time there were quite a few of those who misinterpreted the teachings of Christ or muddled them with their own beliefs and other pagan practices in syncretism, which ended up misleading the faithful people of God and creating divisions in the Church of God. St. John as one of the Apostles of the Lord certainly did not wish to see the Church divided by all these falsehoods.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard the Lord speaking of the moments and times of reckoning as how it has happened earlier in the history of man, from the time of Noah, when the Great Flood came upon the world and drowned most of the creatures save for Noah and his family and all the animals he has saved. He has also spoken of the time of Lot, when the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed by their sins and wickedness, save for Lot and his family, although his wife did perish in the event.

In those two occasions, we clearly see how God’s reckoning and judgment came upon all those who have committed heinous sins and wicked deeds before their faithful ones. Those sinful descendants of mankind had filled the world with their sins by the time of Noah that Noah and his family alone were counted among the righteous. Therefore, despite God’s repeated warnings and also premonition to them, as Noah took a long time to complete his great Ark, no one repented and they even laughed at Noah for his efforts.

It was the same with the case of Sodom and Gomorrah, that despite Lot’s efforts to open the eyes of the people of those cities, but they and their lust and desire to sin led them to their doom. And despite Abraham’s pleas to the Lord to spare the cities for the sake of his cousin Lot, his repeated efforts to ask the Lord to be merciful, the sins of those people of Sodom and Gomorrah, that no one save Lot and his immediate family could be found to be righteous, doomed and judged them.

It will therefore be the same for us, brothers and sisters, at the time of our reckoning and judgment. Do we want to end up like the the people of Noah’s time or the ones in Sodom and Gomorrah who perished together with their cities? As we listened to these readings we are in fact reminded by the Lord through His Church that we should not be complacent in the living of our faith, that we will not end up falling into the path of sin and evil.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all discern carefully what we have heard today and reflect deeply on the words of the Lord Himself, calling on all of us to follow Him and be faithful. It is a reminder that everything will happen as the Lord has ordained it, and we certainly do not want to end up in the wrong path or find ourselves on the wrong side. And what should we do then, brothers and sisters? We should renew our faith and commitment to the Lord and dedicate our time and effort to serve Him.

Let us all resist the temptations to sin, and reject the path of evil as we move forward in life. Let us turn towards God with a new commitment and love God with ever greater generosity and dedication from now on. May the Lord be with us and be our guide, helping us to endure the challenges and trials we are bound to encounter along this journey we walk through. May God bless us all and all of our good endeavours and efforts, each and every moments of our lives. Amen.