Friday

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Friday, 4 March 2016 : 3rd Week of Lent, Memorial of St. Casimir (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Hosea 14 : 2-10

Return to your God YHVH, o Israel! Your sins have caused your downfall. Return to YHVH with humble words. Say to Him, “Oh You Who show compassion to the fatherless, forgive our debt, be appeased. Instead of bulls and sacrifices, accept the praise from our lips. Assyria will not save us : no longer shall we look for horses, nor ever again shall we say ‘our gods’ to the work of our hands.”

YHVH said, “I will heal their wavering and love them with all My heart for My anger has turned from them. I shall be like dew to Israel, like lily will he blossom. Like a cedar he will send down his roots; his young shoots will grow and spread. His splendour will be like an olive tree, his fragrance, like a Lebanon cedar.”

“They will dwell in My shade again, they will flourish like the grain, they will blossom like a vine, and their fame will be like Lebanon wine. What would Ephraim do with idols, when it is I Who hear and make him prosper? I am like an ever-green cypress tree; all your fruitfulness comes from Me.”

“Who is wise enough to grasp all this? Who is discerning and will understand? Straight are the ways of YHVH : the just walk in them, but the sinners stumble.”

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Friday, 26 February 2016 : 2nd Week of Lent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we heard two stories from the Holy Scriptures, the first being taken from the Book of Genesis, about Joseph, the son of Jacob, descendant of Abraham, who was hated by his brothers because of his special position in his family, and they plotted to remove him from their presence, firstly by trying to murder him, but then, having been stopped by some among themselves, they sold him into slavery instead.

And we see the parallel with what we heard in the Gospel today, about the parable which Jesus spoke about in the parable of the vineyard, where evil and wicked tenants plotted against the master of the vineyard and the son, as well as his servants, refusing to do as what they were expected to do, and instead desiring to have the vineyard for themselves.

But the master of the vineyard did not stay silent for all the things that these wicked tenants had done to destroy him and his works, and he cast these evil and wicked tenants out, and subjecting them to utter and complete darkness. Those who do not deserve to be part of the inheritance and the goodness as had been promised to them. They deserve to be cast out and be destroyed.

Now we have to ask ourselves, are we like the brothers of Joseph, who were swallowed by their jealousy and by their hatred? Are we like the evil tenants who were also swallowed by their greed and desire so as to disobey the orders and wishes of the master who had allowed them to dwell and prosper on the land they had rented? In fact, many of us had walked in this path before, but we did not realise it.

This path is the path of worldliness, of pride, of greed, of desire, of jealousy, of hatred and many other negative emotions and things that kept us separate from the love of God. If we walk on this path, then we should realise that we will only grow ever more distant and further away from God’s grace and salvation. If we do not turn away from this path soon, we may be further trapped in the vicious trap of sin and evil.

In this time of Lent, we have to realise that we all in this world must find the way to the Lord through penitence and forgiveness, and through the fullness of cooperation with the love and mercy of God. God offers us all freely this mercy, but He does not allow wickedness and vile things to prevail over whatever is good. Mankind may plot for certain things and think of certain things, but in the end it is the will of God that will prevail.

This is why in the Scripture readings today and from what we know from the knowledge of the Bible, we heard and know how eventually, Joseph, whom the brothers had sold into slavery to Egypt, he became an agent of God’s salvation of countless people and countless souls from famine and destruction, and in the end even saved the very same brothers who had sold him out. And the master of the vineyard also dealt with the wicked tenants in the way that they had deserved.

Let us in this season of Lent open our hearts, and seek the light of God and find the way to reach out to Him. Let us find out what He wants from each one of us, and most likely this will be the desire for our repentance, for us to turn away from our wickedness and return to righteousness and justice. In this time, the perfect time for mercy and forgiveness, let us all reflect on all of our actions, words and deeds.

Let us no longer be attached to our greed and desire, and let us no longer seek to satisfy our ego and pride. We have to dedicate and commit ourselves anew to the Lord, and in our faith, the faith we have for Him, let this faith shine forth and guide us on the path to salvation and eternal life. May God bless us all, and may He guide us in this way to eternal glory. God bless us all. Amen.

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Friday, 26 February 2016 : 2nd Week of Lent (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Matthew 21 : 33-43, 45-46

At that time, Jesus said to the people and to His disciples, “Listen to another example : There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a fence around it, dug a hole for the winepress, built a watchtower, leased the vineyard to tenants, and then went to a distant country. When the harvest time came, the landowner sent his servants to the tenants to collect his share of the harvest. But the tenants seized the servants, beat one, killed another, and stoned a third.”

“Again the owner sent more servants, but they were treated in the same way. Finally, he sent his son, thinking, ‘They will respect my son.’ But when the tenants saw the son, they thought, ‘This is the one who is to inherit the vineyard. Let us kill him, and his inheritance will be ours.’ So they seized him, threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.”

“Now, what will the owner of the vineyard do with the tenants when he comes?” They said to him, “He will bring those evil men to an evil end, and lease the vineyard to others, who will pay him in due time.”

And Jesus replied, “Have you never read what the Scriptures say? The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This was the Lord’s doing, and we marvel at it. Therefore I say to you : the kingdom of heaven will be taken from you, and given to a people who will yield a harvest.”

When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard these parables, they realised that Jesus was referring to them. They would have arrested Him, but they were afraid of the crowd, who regarded Him as a Prophet.

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Friday, 26 February 2016 : 2nd Week of Lent (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Psalm 104 : 16-17, 18-19, 20-21

Then God sent a famine and ruined the crop that sustained the land; He sent a man ahead of them, Joseph, who was sold as a slave.

His feet in shackles, his neck in irons till what he foretold came to pass, and the Lord’s word proved him true.

The king sent for him, set him free, the ruler of the peoples released him. He put him in charge of his household and made him ruler of all his possessions.

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Friday, 26 February 2016 : 2nd Week of Lent (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Genesis 37 : 3-4, 12-13a, 17b-28

Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other children, for he was the son of his old age and he had a coat with long sleeves made for him. His brothers who saw that their father loved him more than he loved them, hated him and could no longer speak to him in a friendly way.

His brothers had gone to pasture their father’s flock at Shechem, and Israel said to Joseph, “They have gone from here, for I heard them say : Let us go to Dothan!” So Joseph went off after his brothers and found them at Dothan. They saw him in the distance and before he reached them, they plotted to kill him.

They said to one another, “Here comes the specialist in dreams! Now is the time! Let us kill him and throw him into a well. We will say a wild animal devoured him. Then we will see what his dreams were all about!”

But Reuben heard this and tried to save him from their hands saying, “Let us not kill him; shed no blood! Throw him in this well in the wilderness, but do him no violence.” This he said to save him from them and take him back to his father. So as soon as Joseph arrived, they stripped him of his long-sleeved coat that he wore and then took him and threw him in the well. Now the well was empty, without water.

They were sitting for a meal when they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead, their camels laden with spices, balm and myrrh, which they were taking down to Egypt. Judah then said to his brothers, “What do we gain by killing our brother and hiding his blood? Come! We will sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him, for he is our brother and our own flesh!” His brothers agreed to this.

So when the Midianite merchants came along they pulled Joseph up and lifted him out of the well. For twenty pieces of silver they sold Joseph to the Midianites, who took him with them to Egypt.

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Friday, 19 February 2016 : 1st Week of Lent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we heard in the Scripture readings about the importance of being righteous in our actions in life, and how important it is for us to remain committed to the righteousness in our lives. God wanted to show us that no one is truly beyond redemption, and there is hope for us all, as long as we are willing to commit ourselves to the way of our Lord.

There is no such thing as immediate damnation until it is too late for us or if we constantly and repeatedly refused the offer of mercy from God. And there is also no such thing as privileged status for us if we are righteous, and if we are not careful or if we do not stay vigilant, we may easily fall back into sin, and therefore back into damnation and the risk of hellfire.

God wanted us to know that our faith cannot be one that is passive and without action. And neither can our faith be contradicted by our actions that do not show our faith, and instead bring about scandal because of our wickedness. Instead, we have to live our lives filled with real action based on our faith, and in all of our dealings and actions, they must be filled with the grace of God and in accordance with God’s commandments.

In this season of Lent, have we all done what is expected from us as Christians, as those who believe in the Lord our God? Have we done the actions that show us as true Christians not just on paper, but also through real and concrete acts as well? This is the perfect opportunity for us to take up our crosses and follow our Lord, and proving through our dedication and commitment, to be faithful to God in all things.

We are all called to bring forth peace, harmony and love among peoples, between ourselves and our brethren and neighbours around us, in our own families, in our own societies and communities, that everyone may live with one another in peace, and in harmony to do the will of God, and by loving and caring for one another, we may bring each other closer to God.

It is important for us to keep ourselves pure and far away from sin, and even though temptations to sin will always be there, but if we put forth the effort of our bodies, hearts and minds, together as one people of God, and if we help each other, surely then we will be better able to resist the temptations of sin and better able to reject with certainty the lies of Satan.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all renew our commitment to the Lord this Lent, and let us all work together, to keep ourselves and our actions pure and righteous before God. Let us not give any chance for Satan to infiltrate our hearts and tempt us to sin, but cast him out and reject him with firm faith, knowing that if we follow him, we are heading to eternal damnation.

May God help us in this journey and this life, so that we may draw ever closer to Him, and that we may find our way to Him and be saved from the certain destruction awaiting those who have not been faithful to Him. God be with us all, now and forever. Amen.

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Friday, 19 February 2016 : 1st Week of Lent (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Matthew 5 : 20-26

At that time, Jesus said to the people and to His disciples, “I tell you then, if you are not righteous in a much broader way than the teachers of the Law and the Pharisees, you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven.”

“You have heard that it was said to our people in the past : Do not commit murder; anyone who does kill will have to face trial. But now I tell you : whoever gets angry with a brother or sister will have to face trial. Whoever insults a brother or sister deserves to be brought before the council. Whoever calls a brother or a sister “Fool!” deserves to be thrown into the fire of hell.”

“So, if you are about to offer your gift at the altar, and you remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar, go at once and make peace with him, and then come back and offer your gift to God.”

“Do not forget this : be reconciled with your opponent quickly when you are together on the way to court. Otherwise he will turn you over to the judge, who will hand you over to the police, who will put you in jail. There you will stay, until you have paid the last penny.”

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Friday, 19 February 2016 : 1st Week of Lent (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Psalm 129 : 1-2, 3-4, 5-7a, 7bc-8

Out of the depths I cry to You, o Lord. O Lord, hear my voice! Let Your ears pay attention to the voice of my supplication.

If You should mark our evil, o Lord, who could stand? But with You is forgiveness, and for that You are revered.

I waited for the Lord, my soul waits, and I put my hope in His word. My soul expects the Lord more than watchmen the dawn. O Israel, hope in the Lord.

For with Him is unfailing love and with Him full deliverance. He will deliver Israel from all its sins.

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Friday, 19 February 2016 : 1st Week of Lent (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Ezekiel 18 : 21-28

YHVH said, “If the sinner turns from his sin, observes My decrees and practices what is right and just, he will live, he will not die. None of the sins he committed will be charged against him; he will live as a consequence of his righteous deeds. Do I want the death of the sinner? – word of YHVH. Do I not rather want him to turn from his ways and live?”

“But if the righteous man turns away from what is good and commits sins as the wicked do, will he live? His righteous deeds will no longer be credited to him, but he will die because of his infidelity and his sins. But you say : YHVH’s way is not just! Why, Israel! Is My position wrong? Is it not rather that yours is wrong?”

“If the righteous man dies after turning from his righteous deeds and sinning, he dies because of his sins. And if the wicked man does what is good and right, after turning from the sins he committed, he will save his life. He will live and not die, because he has opened his eyes and turned from the sins he had committed.”

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Friday, 12 February 2016 : Friday after Ash Wednesday (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we heard about the matter of fasting and abstinence, which are what we are required to do throughout this season of Lent. In the first reading and the Gospel we heard about the kind of fasting that the Lord does not want from us, and what He truly wanted from us, that is fast that comes from the heart, and fast and abstinence done with good faith and intention.

As we heard in the first reading today from the Book of the prophet Isaiah, Isaiah spoke about how many people were hypocrites in their faith, and how these people did not understand their faith appropriately, and how they fulfilled the commandments of the Law on one hand, but then at the same time, also contradicted the same commandments with their actions, filled with sins and unworthiness.

This is to remind us that we cannot believe in the Lord with mere empty faith, or believing just on the surface, or doing things for the sake of appearances, as people have done in the past, just so that they could be praised for their supposed faith and receive worldly approval and acceptance for doing so. Those who fast and abstain, or fulfil God’s commands simply because they thought that they had to do them, were not doing what God wanted from them.

In the Gospel, we heard how the disciples of John the Baptist, and also the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law on another, separate occasion often harassed Jesus and His disciples, and ridiculed them for not having obeyed the commandments of the Law as they had, because they did not fast, and they did not wash their hands properly in accordance with the laws of Moses. And for these reasons, the disciples of John and the Pharisees looked down on Jesus and His disciples.

But did they themselves know what they are fasting for? Many of them fasted because they were told to do so, or that they were told that the laws of Moses told them to do so, and if they did not obey them, then punishment would await them, or that they would not be able to remain a disciple or a follower. But they did not understand what they are doing all that for.

Are we like that, brothers and sisters in Christ? Are we doing things without proper understanding and faith? If we do so, then we are not doing ourselves a good service, and this great time and opportunity of Lent will be lost and wasted. Fasting and abstinence should not be done just for the sake of satisfying the Law of God or be seen as an obligation to be fulfilled. Rather, they should be the tools to help us on our way as we seek God’s salvation.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all in this time of Lent, as we prepare ourselves to celebrate the glorious time of Easter and rejoice, let us all be properly attuned and aligned to God, understanding that our fasting is meant to restrain ourselves, and to rein in our greed and desire, so that these will not lead us into harm and into the wrong paths, and our abstinence will further strengthen our resolve to reject all that is evil and wicked, and seek what is good in God.

May we commit ourselves anew in this season of Lent, committing ourselves to a renewed faith in God, and to rediscover the love which we ought to have for the Lord our God, and may our fast and abstinence be fruitful, in helping us to persevere against the temptations of the evil one, that we may all reject his false promises. God bless us all. Amen.