Friday

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Friday, 25 September 2020 : 25th Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Qoheleth (Ecclesiastes) 3 : 1-11

There is a given time for everything and a time for every happening under heaven : A time for giving birth, a time for dying; a time for planting, a time for uprooting. A time for killing, a time for healing; a time for knocking down, a time for building. A time for tears, a time for laughter; a time for mourning, a time for dancing.

A time for throwing stones, a time for gathering stones; a time for embracing, a time to refrain from embracing. A time for searching, a time for losing; a time for keeping, a time for throwing away. A time for tearing, a time for sewing; a time to be silent and a time to speak. A time for loving, a time for hating; a time for war, a time for peace.

What profit is there for a man from all his toils? Finally I considered the task God gave to the humans. He made everything fitting in its time, but He also set eternity in their hearts, although they are not able to embrace the work of God from the beginning to the end.

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Friday, 18 September 2020 : 24th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today all of us heard from the Scriptures one of the key tenets and foundational belief of our Christian faith, as we heard principally from St. Paul in his Epistle to the Corinthians in our first reading today, of the belief in the resurrection. At that time, St. Paul was addressing the community of the faithful in Corinth which then were divided on many issues, both communal and secular, as well as matters pertaining to their faith.

For at that time, there were both Jews and Gentiles among the early Christian converts throughout the Mediterranean and beyond, and Corinth was not an exception to the case. There were those who still found it difficult to accept that the Lord has risen from the dead, or that there is life after death. This could probably have also arisen from the members of the Sadducees, some of whom might have been converted to the faith, whose belief exclude any notion of spirituality and resurrection.

Some cultures, traditions and depending on the prior experiences of the converts also excluded resurrection from their belief systems, and therefore, the concept of someone rising from the dead was hard for some among the members of the community to accept. And it did not help that some among those who helped to propagate the faith also held this view, which St. Paul referred to as some of those who said that there is no resurrection of the dead.

That was why St. Paul wanted to remind them all that their Christian faith is fundamentally and essentially centred on the Christ crucified and Christ Who has risen from the dead. For if He has not been crucified or has not risen from the dead, then the Christian faith is empty, meaningless and is devoid of truth, just as the Jewish High Council or the Sanhedrin, the chief priests tried to suppress the truth by spreading lies that the disciples of Jesus had stolen His Body and claimed that He had risen from the dead.

Yet, all these falsehoods and attempts to suppress the truth had not been successful, as the courageous Apostles and the other disciples all spoke with one voice and all spoke with the same one truth, the truth of the Lord crucified and the Lord risen from the dead. And these were spoken and testified by those who had followed the Lord throughout His ministry, as mentioned in our Gospel passage today. Chief among His disciples were the Twelve, and not only that but also some women mentioned, including Mary, the Lord’s mother herself, and Mary Magdalene.

All of these had witnessed everything the Lord had done, all the miracles and wonders He had performed, saw His suffering and Passion, His death on the Cross, and witnessed His Risen Body appearing to them in the flesh, not a spirit or ghost, but truly risen and having conquered death, and they have received all the truth and wisdom He had imparted to them, and they have also received the Holy Spirit, that came down upon them on the Pentecost.

This same truth and revelation have also then been passed down to us through the Church, as the treasures of the faith, the deposit of the faith in both the Sacred Scriptures and in the Magisterium, the official teachings of the Church, have been passed down from generation to generation, from the Apostles to their successors, and from them to their own successors, right down to our Pope, the bishops, and the priests today, from whom we have heard the exact same truth.

Now, brothers and sisters in Christ, all of us have received this truth, and have therefore become witnesses of our Lord’s Resurrection and love. That is why each and every one of us now have to be the faithful and dedicated witnesses of our true faith, in all of our actions and deeds, in our every words and in every moment in life. We are all called to give our very best in our daily life to love the Lord, to love our fellow brothers and sisters, to spread His Good News to all peoples.

Let us all spend some time to think and consider all these carefully. Let us all discern how we are going to live our lives from now on, walking faithfully and with ever greater devotion to God. Let us all be the beacons of His light and hope, the witnesses of His truth and His Resurrection, sharing the love of God to all of our fellow brethren, showing genuine love, care and concern for those who are suffering, just as the Lord Himself had loved us all, cared for us, all these while.

May the Lord, our ever loving God, continue to guide us in our journey, help us to be always faithful, to resist the temptations and false teachings, and remain firm in our faith at all times, being true and zealous in our daily living, at all moments of our lives. Amen.

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Friday, 18 September 2020 : 24th Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Luke 8 : 1-3

At that time, Jesus walked through towns and countryside, preaching and giving the Good News of the kingdom of God. The Twelve followed Him, and also some women, who had been healed of evil spirits and diseases : Mary called Magdalene, who had been freed of seven demons; Joanna, wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward; Suzanna; and others, who provided for them out of their own funds.

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Friday, 18 September 2020 : 24th Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 16 : 1, 6-7, 8 and 15

Hear a just cause, o Lord, listen to my complaint. Give heed to my prayer for there is no deceit on my lips.

I call on You, You will answer me, o God; incline Your ear and hear my word. For You do wonders for Your faithful, You save those fleeing from the enemy as they seek refuge at Your right hand.

Keep me as the apple of Your eye; under the shadow of Your wings hide me. As for me, righteous in Your sight, I shall see Your face and, awakening, gaze my fill on Your likeness.

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Friday, 18 September 2020 : 24th Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

1 Corinthians 15 : 12-20

Well, then, if Christ is preached as risen from the dead, how can some of you say, that there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is empty, and our belief comes to nothing. And we become false witnesses of God, attesting that He raised Christ, whereas He could not raise Him, if indeed, the dead are not raised.

If the dead are not raised, neither has Christ been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith gives you nothing, and you are still in sin. Also, those who fall asleep, in Christ, are lost. If it is only for this life, that we hope in Christ, we are the most unfortunate of all people. But no, Christ has been raised from the dead, and He comes before all those who have fallen asleep.

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Friday, 11 September 2020 : 23rd Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day as we listen to the readings of the Scripture, each and every one of us are called to deeply examine our conscience and our way of life. We are all called to reconsider our way of living and think whether we have been truly acting as Christians in our every actions and interactions, in everything we say and do.

In our first reading today, we heard St. Paul in his Epistle to the Church and the faithful in the city of Corinth, in which he urged them all to serve the Lord and not to serve their own desires and wishes for power and worldly glory. He told them of his own examples and that of the other disciples and missionaries of God, who laboured for the sake of the truth and the Gospels of the Lord, to tell all peoples of God’s salvation, and not for their own glory.

He put it plainly before all of them, how he had to do things that he did not desire, and yet he still faithfully did all that were asked of him, showing how being faithful Christians often require sacrifice and commitment of time, effort and other things from us. And he also said how he became like slave to all of the people, so that through his actions, he might bring more and more to the salvation in God.

This is because if he allowed himself to be swayed by worldly temptations and desires, he would not have been able to do his missions. If St. Paul had thought of himself, his needs and desires first, then he could not have devoted so much time to the people, and he might not have wanted to endure such suffering and pain as he had endured, and as a result, many would not have heard the words of God’s truth from St. Paul’s mouth otherwise.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, this is also what the Lord Jesus Himself alluded to in our Gospel passage today as He spoke of the parable of the wooden speck in another person’s eye. What the Lord wanted us to understand by this passage and parable is that before we are quick and judge another person, we should first look at ourselves and realise just how each and every one of us are sinners all the same.

If we do not understand first of all this important fact, then how can we help and guide others to the right path if we are ourselves also corrupted by sin? That is why the Lord often rebuked many among the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, who have often looked down on those whom they deemed less worthy and less pious than themselves. And those Pharisees and the teachers of the Law liked to criticise others for their shortcoming in faith, yet were blinded towards their own shortcomings.

That is why, when the Lord Jesus spoke of the specks in the eyes of another, using that parable, He wanted to tell all of us not to be judgmental to one another, with the wrong intention of criticism and make ourselves feel good and look better, like what the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law did. He wants us to be humble and to recognise our own imperfections and sins, rather than focusing on the shortcomings of others and thinking that we are better or superior in any way we often compared ourselves with each other.

The more we open ourselves to pride and ego, to hubris and ambition, to desires for glory and satisfaction, for fame and other things we often desire in life, the more we allow Satan and his evil forces to enter into our bodies, into our hearts and minds, and the more distant from God we will end up becoming. Brothers and sisters in Christ, we have to avoid this, and we also have to overcome our sins and the temptations to sin, and we cannot do this alone, all by ourselves. We need God’s help, His guidance and strength.

And in addition, we also need to learn to divest ourselves and empty ourselves from all sorts of these worldly attachments and obsessions. This is what we are challenged to do, and we have that responsibility to look after and take cafe of those who are around us, those within our communities and the Church.

Let us all be good role models in faith from now on, to be good guides for one another in faith. And let us all pray that God will continue to guide us and strengthen us in faith, and help us to remain humble and committed to Him, resisting the many temptations to sin. Amen.

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Friday, 11 September 2020 : 23rd Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Luke 6 : 39-42

At that time, Jesus offered this example, “Can a blind person lead another blind person? Surely both will fall into a ditch. A disciple is not above the master; but when fully trained, he will be like the master. So why do you pay attention to the speck in your brother’s eye, while you have a log in your eye, and are not conscious of it?”

“How can you say to your neighbour, ‘Friend, let me take this speck out of your eye,’ when you cannot remove the log in your own? You hypocrite! First remove the log from your own eye, and then you will see clearly enough to remove the speck from your neighbour’s eye.”

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Friday, 11 September 2020 : 23rd Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 83 : 3, 4, 5-6, 12

My soul yearns; pines, for the courts of YHVH. 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 YHVH 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, to make the ascent to You.

For YHVH God is a sun and a shield; He bestows favour and glory. YHVH withholds no good thing from those who walk in uprightness.

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Friday, 11 September 2020 : 23rd Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

1 Corinthians 9 : 16-19, 22b-27

Because I cannot boast of announcing the Gospel : I am bound to do it. Woe to me, if I do not preach the Gospel! If I preached voluntarily, I could expect my reward, but I have been trusted with this office, against my will. How can I, then, deserve my reward? In announcing the Gospel, I will do it freely, without making use of the rights given to me by the Gospel.

So, feeling free with everybody, I have become everybody’s slave, in order to gain a greater number. So, I made myself all things to all people, in order to save, by all possible means, some of them. This, I do, for the Gospel, so that I, too, have a share of it.

Have you not learnt anything from the stadium? Many run, but only one gets the prize. Run, therefore, intending to win it, as athletes, who impose upon themselves a rigorous discipline. Yet, for them the wreath is of laurels which wither, while for us, it does not wither.

So, then, I run, knowing where I go. I box, but not aimlessly in the air. I punish my body and control it, lest, after preaching to others, I myself should be rejected.

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Friday, 4 September 2020 : 22nd Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scripture we are reminded as Christians to have a thorough transformation in life, in how we live our lives and in how each and every one of us spend our every moments, to be focused on God at all times, to follow His will and obey His laws, as well as to love Him with all of our hearts, with all of our strength and might.

As Christians, first and foremost, there is a need for us to change our perspective in life and how we live up this life we have with faith, so that if once we have been self-centred, lacking in faith, tainted with sin and with the corruption of desires and temptations, then now we are called into a new life and existence that is no longer reminiscent of the old life we once had, the old life of disobedience, wickedness and sin.

In our first reading today, we heard St. Paul reminding us through his Epistle to the Church and the faithful in Corinth, of the need for all of us to see ourselves as the servants of the Lord and as His stewards in carrying out whatever He has tasked us to do. We should also not judge one another but rather, be prepared with how we will all be judged by the Lord, as the one and only true Judge, for our every actions and deeds, our every sins and virtues at the time of judgment.

That is why our attention should be focused on what we heard in our Gospel passage today, when the Lord was confronted by some people, probably the Pharisees, who questioned Him and compared His disciples to the disciples of St. John who fasted and followed the rigorous imposition of the Law of God as revealed through Moses and passed down through the Jewish leaders and elders. By doing so, those people had formed their judgment against the Lord and His disciples for not doing what was deemed to be right.

This is where what we heard in our first reading passage today mattered, that we should not be judgmental in our attitude, and instead, first look into ourselves and our actions first before criticising others, or else we end up becoming hypocrites. And the Lord also used the two parables of the wineskin and wine, as well as the parable of the old and new cloth and patch, to illustrate this to all of us.

In that parable, we heard how the wineskin must be properly matched to the wine to be stored inside it, that old wine ought to be kept in old wineskin while new wine ought to be stored in new wineskin. Conversely, a torn new cloth ought to be patched with new cloth piece as well, and not with an old patch of cloth. What is the significance and meaning behind these two parables, brothers and sisters in Christ? It is a reminder that we need to have an attitude and life that is compatible with our Christian faith, our belief in God.

Unless we genuinely practice our faith in the way that we have believed it, and fill our lives with actions that are in accordance with God’s way, and no longer living according to our old ways of sin, just like the new wine that is compatible with the new wineskin, we will end up being destroyed if we use the ‘old’ way of life and our past sins to live our new faith in God. That is why the Lord used that parable to show, how being His disciples means that we all need to listen to Him, follow Him and do as He has commanded us to do.

Are we willing and able to do it though? It is not easy for us to change the way we live our lives as the tendency is such that we prefer the comfort of life over hardships, to satisfy ourselves and our desires over caring for the needs of others. But this is what being Christians is all about, brothers and sisters in Christ. To be Christians means that we firmly believe in the Lord, embrace His way, His teachings and truth, and the reality is that, often, we may have to endure challenges and trials as we journey along in faith.

But we must not be afraid, because if we are faithful and remain firm in our faith, then the Lord will judge us to be worthy of His eternal kingdom and glory, and He will gather us all in, while those who reject Him, will be by their own decision, be cast out into the eternal darkness and suffering. The choice is on our hands, brothers and sisters in Christ, to choose whether we want to follow the Lord faithfully, or whether we want to continue walking down the path of darkness and sin.

May the Lord help us in our journey, strengthen us in our resolve and empower us all to live faithfully in His presence at all times. May He bless our good endeavours and works, and may He be with us always, especially through our most difficult moments in life. May God bless us, now and forevermore. Amen.