Friday

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(Holy Week) Friday, 14 April 2017 : Good Friday of the Lord’s Passion (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red
Isaiah 52 : 13 – Isaiah 53 : 12

It is now when My Servant will succeed; He will be exalted and highly praised. Just as many have been horrified at His disfigured appearance : “Is this a Man? He does not look like One.” So will nations be astounded, kings will stand speechless, for they will see something never told, they will witness something never heard of.

Who could believe what we have heard, and to whom has YHVH revealed His feat? Like a root out of dry ground, like a sapling He grew up before us, with nothing attractive in His appearance, no beauty, no majesty. He was despised and rejected, a Man of sorrows familiar with grief, a Man from Whom people hide their face, spurned and considered of no account.

Yet ours were the sorrows He bore, ours were the suffering He endured, although we considered Him as One punished by God, stricken and brought low. Destroyed because of our sins, He was crushed for our wickedness. Through His punishment we are made whole; by His wounds we are healed. Like sheep we had all gone astray, each following His own way; but YHVH laid upon Him all our guilt.

He was harshly treated, but unresisting and silent, He humbly submitted. Like a lamb led to the slaughter or a sheep before the shearer He did not open His mouth. He was taken away to detention and judgment – what an unthinkable fate! He was cut off from the land of the living, stricken for His people’s sins. They made His tomb with the wicked, they put Him in the graveyard of the oppressors, though He had done no violence nor spoken in deceit.

Yet it was the will of YHVH to crush Him with grief. When He makes Himself an offering for sin, He will have a long life and see His descendants. Through Him the will of YHVH is done. For the anguish He suffered, He will see the light and obtain perfect knowledge. My just Servant will justify the multitude; He will bear and take away their guilt.

Therefore I will give Him His portion among the great, and He will divide the spoils with the strong. For He surrendered Himself to death and was even counted among the wicked, bearing the sins of the multitude and interceding for sinners.

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Friday, 7 April 2017 : 5th Week of Lent, Memorial of St. John Baptist de la Salle, Priest (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we heard all the insults and accusations which the Jewish people and the opponents of Jesus were hurling against Him because He has revealed Himself to be the Son of God and the Messiah for all the world. They refused to believe in Him and wanted to stone Him for what they considered to be blasphemy against God.

Even though they had seen all that Jesus had done before them, by His healing of the sick, opening the eyes of the blind, making people who were deaf to be able to hear again, and those who were mute to be able to speak again, and even raising people from the dead as what He had done with the son of the widow from Naim and also with the daughter of Jairus, the synagogue official, they still refused to believe.

Why is this so, brothers and sisters in Christ? That is because they have hardened their hearts and minds against the Lord, not allowing Him to enter into their hearts and minds. They have put their trust in their own human judgment and intellect, thinking that they alone have the knowledge of truth, and when One came into the picture, challenging all that they used to believe, they refused to listen to the truth.

And therefore, it comes to the danger of our human pride and ego, which is the most harmful of all kinds of sins and temptations, as it is pride that brought many people to fall into sin, and it is our ego and pride which made us stubborn and adamant in our refusal to admit and repent from our sins, as the Israelites had themselves once done. And it is what all of us Christians must avoid and remove from ourselves, especially during this time of Lent.

It is pride that had prevented us from humbling ourselves and from realising that all of us are poor sinners. It is pride that had closed the doors of mercy before us, not so much that God had abandoned us or that He had not forgiven us, but instead, we ourselves in our pride and ego had refused God’s offer of mercy and forgiveness, and by our sins due to that pride, we have distanced ourselves away further from God and His merciful love.

Let us today reflect on the life of the saint, whose holy life we are commemorating today, the life of St. John Baptist de la Salle, the founder of the order of the Brothers of the Christian Schools or the Lasallians. St. John Baptist de la Salle was a French priest who was remembered for his dedication to the poorest, the least, the last and the lost among the community, those who have no one else to turn to, those who have been abandoned and unloved.

To that extent, St. John Baptist de la Salle left behind his prestigious post as the canon to the Cathedral of Rheims, a post with great prestige and privilege at that time, and chose to serve the people of God, calling together like minded people and assemble together what would become the Brotherhood of the Christian Schools, providing genuine Catholic education to the people who have once been uneducated and had no access at all to what had once been the privilege of the rich and the elite.

St. John Baptist de la Salle showed all of us the way to reach out to the Lord and to His mercy, by following what he had once done to the least and the poorest among his brethren. He eschewed pride and human ambitions, human glory and fame, renown and prestige, for true faith in God by doing what he could in order to help his fellow brethren, by showing them love, care and compassion.

It is what we all as Christians ought to be doing as well, that each one of us are not Christians just by name, or only on paper, but also through real deeds and works. Let us all make use of this opportunity that God has given us in order to strengthen our faith by devoting ourselves ever more to the works of mercy and love, committing ourselves to help our brethren, in the same manner as what St. John Baptist de la Salle and the other saints had done.

May the Lord be with us all, and may He bless us all in our works. May He remain with us and help us on our way, that we may find our way to Him and be saved in Him. Amen.

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Friday, 7 April 2017 : 5th Week of Lent, Memorial of St. John Baptist de la Salle, Priest (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet
John 10 : 31-42

At that time, the Jews then picked up stones to throw at Jesus; so He said, “I have openly done many good works among you, which the Father gave Me to do. For which of these do you stone Me?”

The Jews answered, “We are not stoning You for doing a good work, but for insulting God; You are only a Man, and You make Yourself God.” Then Jesus replied, “Is this not written in your law : I said, you are gods? So those who received this word of God were called gods, and the Scripture is always true.”

“What then should be said of the One anointed, and sent into the world, by the Father? Am I insulting God when I say, ‘I am the Son of God?’ If I am not doing the works of My Father, do not believe Me. But if I do them, even if you have no faith in Me, believe because of the works I do; and know that the Father is in Me, and I in the Father.”

Again they tried to arrest Him, but Jesus escaped from their hands. He went away again to the other side of the Jordan, to the place where John had baptised, and there He stayed. Many people came to Jesus, and said, “John worked no miracles, but he spoke about You, and everything he said was true.” And many became believers in that place.

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Friday, 7 April 2017 : 5th Week of Lent, Memorial of St. John Baptist de la Salle, Priest (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet
Psalm 17 : 2-3a, 3bc-4, 5-6, 7

I love You, o Lord, my Strength, the Lord is my Rock, my Fortress, my Deliverer and my God.

He is the Rock in Whom I take refuge. He is my Shield, my powerful Saviour, my Stronghold. I call on the Lord, Who is worthy of praise : He saves me from my enemies!

A deadly flood surrounded me, devillish torrents rushed at me; caught by the cords of the grave, I was brought to the snares of death.

But I called upon the Lord in my distress, I cried to my God for help; and from His Temple He heard my voice, my cry of grief reached His ears.

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Friday, 7 April 2017 : 5th Week of Lent, Memorial of St. John Baptist de la Salle, Priest (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet
Jeremiah 20 : 10-13

I hear many people whispering, “Terror is all around! Denounce him! Yes, denounce him!” All my friends watch me to see if I will slip : “Perhaps he can be deceived,” they say; “then we can get the better of him and have our revenge.”

But YHVH, a mighty Warrior, is with me. My persecutors will stumble and not prevail; that failure will be their shame and their disgrace will never be forgotten. YHVH, God of hosts, You test the just and probe the heart and mind.

Let me see Your revenge on them, for to You I have entrusted my cause. Sing to YHVH! Praise YHVH and say : He has rescued the poor from the clutches of the wicked!

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Friday, 31 March 2017 : 4th Week of Lent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day all of us are reminded of the fact that all those who follow the Lord, those who are walking in the way of the Lord, all of us who are faithful to God, Christians in name and in deeds, will be the target of those who would seek our downfall. We will be the target of all those who are opposed the Lord and His ways.

That was what happened to the prophets, as reiterated from the Book of Wisdom as per of first reading today. The prophets encountered great resistance from the people, beginning from the time of Moses, when the Israelites often rebelled against his authority and followed their own way, to the days of Samuel and the Judges, when the Israelites again and again disobeyed and sinned against God.

The prophets encountered great troubles in the days of Elijah and Elisha, as the kings of the northern kingdom of Israel and the people refused to listen to them. They were persecuted and oppressed, and had to flee even their community in the case of Elijah, who had to flee to desert. The other prophets like Isaiah and Jeremiah also suffered ridicule and rejection, particularly Jeremiah, who was hated by others in his community and was ridiculed as a doomsayer.

People plotted against them and did all sorts of nasty things against them, just as much as they acted in this manner against the Lord and His disciples. They harassed them, rejected their message and persecuted them. They littered their path with obstacles and challenges, and made martyrs from many of these faithful servants and disciples of our Lord.

Why is that so, brothers and sisters in Christ? That is because, it is the very nature of our sins, the sins of mankind. Sin has made us to turn against the ways of the Lord our God, into our own selfish ways, and as sin had permeated the whole race of man, the whole world itself has become filled with wickedness and corruption. People have become morally corrupt and evil in their words and deeds.

But we Christians are beacons of light in the midst of this great darkness. We bring forth into this darkened world, none other than the true Light of Christ, the Light of the world. For those who have closed their hearts against God and His love, who are stubbornly refusing to welcome His mercy and forgiveness, the light brought about by our actions and works in this world is an eyesore to them, and thus, that is why there will be lots of opposition to us and to whatever we are doing in the Name of the Lord.

However, we have to remember, brothers and sisters in Christ, that God is always with us, no matter what happens. There may indeed be very difficult times and moments in our lives, but even if we do not realise it, God is always by our side, supporting us and providing us with the necessary help, often in His own mysterious ways. And thus, God is our helper, our strength and our hope.

In this time of Lent, we are all called to draw closer to God, to be closer to Him and to appreciate more of the love and mercy which He had shown to us all these while. Sometimes, in our busy life schedule and activities, we have the tendency to forget about God, to overlook His grace and love for us, and that is when we end up distancing ourselves from Him, and fall into a higher risk of stumbling on the path littered with challenges and obstacles as we proceed with these lives of ours.

And let us also not forget about all those who have hated us and persecuted us. Am I serious when I said this, brothers and sisters? You must be wondering why I said so. Indeed, I am truly serious about it. Remember, the Lord Jesus Himself said, “Forgive your enemies and pray for all those who persecute you.” If the Lord Jesus Himself has forgiven those who have made Him to suffer and die on the cross, and indeed, all of us, because it is by our sins that He had suffered, then why should we not do the same?

Let this season and time of Lent be the beginning of a new chapter of our life, where we will no longer be angry or be filled with hatred at others, especially at those who hate us because we belong to Christ. Instead, let us counter their hatred with love, with forgiveness and mercy. Who knows, that because of the love which we show them, they may be touched in their hearts and be converted to the truth of Christ too.

May the Lord be with us, and may He strengthen our faith, that we may always be faithful to Him in all the things we say and do in this life we have. May God bless us all, now and forevermore. Amen.

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Friday, 31 March 2017 : 4th Week of Lent (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet
John 7 : 1-2, 10, 25-30

At that time, Jesus went around Galilee; He would not go about in Judea, because the Jews wanted to kill Him. Now the Jewish feast of the Tents was at hand.

But after His brothers had gone to the festival, He also went up, not publicly but in secret. Some of the people of Jerusalem said, “Is this not the Man they want to kill? And here He is speaking freely, and they do not say a word to Him? Can it be that the rulers know that this is really the Christ? Yet we know where this Man comes from; but when the Christ appears, no one will know where He comes from.”

So Jesus announced in a loud voice in the Temple court where He was teaching, “You say that you know Me and know where I come from! I have not come of Myself; I was sent by the One Who is true, and you do not know Him. I know Him for I come from Him and He sent Me.”

They would have arrested Him, but no one laid hands on Him because His time had not yet come.

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Friday, 31 March 2017 : 4th Week of Lent (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet
Psalm 33 : 17-18, 19-20, 21 and 23

But the Lord’s face is set against the wicked to destroy their memory from the earth. The Lord hears the cry of the righteous and rescues them from all their troubles.

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves the distraught. Many are the troubles of the just, but the Lord delivers them from all.

He keeps all their bones intact, and none of them will be broken. But the Lord will redeem the life of His servants; none of those who trust in Him will be doomed.

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Friday, 31 March 2017 : 4th Week of Lent (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet
Wisdom 2 : 1a, 12-22

Led by mistaken reasons they think, “Let us set a trap for the Righteous, for He annoys us and opposes our way of life; He reproaches us for our breaches of the Law and accuses us of being false to our upbringing. He claims knowledge of God and calls Himself Son of the Lord. He has become a reproach to our way of thinking; even to meet Him is burdensome to us. He does not live like others and behaves strangely.”

“According to Him we have low standards, so He keeps aloof from us as if we were unclean. He emphasises the happy end of the righteous and boasts of having God as Father. Let us see the truth of what He says and find out what His end will be. If the Righteous is a Son of God, God will defend Him and deliver Him from His adversaries.”

“Let us humble and torture Him to prove His self-control and test His patience. When we have condemned Him to a shameful death, we may test His words.” This is the way they reason, but they are mistaken, blinded by their malice. They do not know the mysteries of God nor do they hope for the reward of a holy life; they do not believe that the blameless will be recompensed.

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Friday, 24 March 2017 : 3rd Week of Lent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we heard from the Scripture passages, the call to repentance and reconciliation between us and our God. In the first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Hosea, we heard the call to repentance and forgiveness from God, Who wants each and every one of us to find our way back to Him, and wants us to be healed from our afflictions, from all of our sins.

That pronunciation made by the prophet Hosea must be understood in the context of the history of the people of Israel, so that we may appreciate just how much is the mercy of God given to the people, who have disobeyed the Lord and therefore lost for a while, the inheritance that God had given to them and to their ancestors. The prophet Hosea lived after the exile of the northern kingdom of Israel to Assyria.

The people of the northern kingdom have disobeyed God, led by their wayward kings who worshipped the pagan idols and gods, who established new rules in defiance of the laws and precepts that God had given to His people, because of their pride and because of their fear, that the people would turn back towards the southern kingdom of Judah, the kingdom of the house of David.

In their sinful ways, in their idolatry and in their lack of faith, the people of the northern kingdom had fallen into the state of sin, and unrepentant, God had withdrawn His blessings and grace from them, allowing their enemies to rise over them, and eventually for the Assyrians to conquer them and deport them from the lands of their ancestors. The people of God had to live far away in the lands of their exile, with no land to call as their own home.

It is this destitute situation that existed at the time of the prophet Hosea, who then preached God’s mercy and forgiveness that He would extend to all of His people, provided that they all turn their backs to their sinful past, and renew their commitment to their loving God. And this means for each and every one of them to abandon their waywardness, and embrace once again in sincerity, God’s laws and precepts.

How does all of these relate to us, brothers and sisters in Christ? In truth, all of us are just like the people of the northern kingdom of Israel, who have been tempted, persuaded and convinced by the devil and all of his tempting forces, into sin and all sorts of disobedience against God. All of us who have sinned had been sundered and separated from God’s love, much as the Israelites had fallen from grace then.

We should have ended up in annihilation, humiliation and despair just as how the Israelites had once suffered. But God in His rich and bountiful mercy, in His loving and forgiving heart is willing to forgive us all our sins, as after all, He Who created all of us, and He Who knows all of us by name and Who knows the depths of our hearts, will not hate us but love us with all of His heart and strength.

Yet, it is often we ourselves who refused to be forgiven. God wanted to forgive us our sins, but it is us who placed obstacles and made it difficult for Him to do so, because of our stubbornness, and because of our inability to resist the temptation to sin, to do what is wicked and immoral and wrong in the sight of our God Who loves each and every one of us. That is why many of us are often far from God’s mercy, not because He did not want to forgive us, but rather because we ourselves hesitate or even refuse to be forgiven.

In this time of Lent, all of us have been called by the Lord through His Church to reflect on our own lives and to reevaluate all our actions, words and deeds. When we remember all that we have done thus far, can we consider ourselves to be among those who have listened to the Lord and obeyed His will, laws and commandments? Or have we instead lived persistently in the state of sin and refusing to allow God to forgive us by His mercy?

Let us all renew our commitment to God, one way or another, brothers and sisters in Christ. Let us deepen our relationship with Him, and learn to understand what is it that He truly wants from us. He wants us to love Him back just as much as He had loved us first with unconditional love. And then He wants us to show the same love to our fellow brethren, to be genuine and sincere in our compassion and love for those around us who are in need of our love and care.

May the Lord help us all to persevere in faith and to grow stronger in love, both for our brethren and for our loving God. May He empower each and every one of us that we may truly be worthy of being called the children of God, God’s beloved people. Amen.