glory of God

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Saturday, 22 February 2014 : Feast of the Chair of St. Peter the Apostle (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

1 Peter 5 : 1-4

I now address myself to those elders among you; I, too, am an elder and a witness to the sufferings of Christ, hoping to share the Glory that is to be revealed. Shepherd the flock which God has entrusted to you, guarding it not out of obligation but willingly for God’s sake; not as one looking for a reward but with a generous heart.

Do not lord it over those in your care, rather be an example to your flock. Then when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will be given a crown of unfading glory.

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Friday, 21 February 2014 : 6th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Peter Damian, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Bishops)

Brothers and sisters in Christ, make a choice, between good and evil, and between the Lord and Satan. We must make a stand in the battle for our souls, in whether we choose to follow the Lord or instead, the path of the devil. We cannot be half hearted in this matter. Be confident and faithful in our choice, and we will be rewarded.

Jesus Himself had told us, through His disciples, how important is the salvation of our souls, and that nothing in the world can compensate or match with how much our soul is worth. Yet, many of us, either because we are unaware, or because we lack the faith, choose to let our souls be corrupted and lost, as a price for gaining the powers and influence in this world.

Yes, the temptations and allures of this world are great indeed, that they can pull mankind away from the path towards the Lord, with all the tempting and good offerings of the good that is in the world. The devil is very resourceful and he has all the world and all of its goodness in his power and possession. If we are not vigilant, brothers and sisters in Christ, we will fall to the trap of the devil.

The devil attacks us daily with these temptations and goodies of the world, trying to steer us away from our way towards salvation in God. He does not want to see us saved, and therefore will definitely try his best to prevent that by doing what I have just mentioned. His attacks are relentless and merciless, and he will not stop before we lay separated from the love of God and suffer with him in hell.

If we are to defend ourselves from evil, then we have to commit ourselves fully to the Lord, by dedicating ourselves to Him and following Him with all of our heart and with all of our might and strength. We cannot be uncertain or reluctant in this, for doubt and lack of seriousness hamper our progress towards salvation. No, brothers and sisters, our faith must be firm and genuine!

Yes, our faith cannot be just empty words or repeated professions of faith made without meaning or concrete examples. If we do so, then we are the perfect hypocrites, whom the Lord condemned in the Pharisees, as they were outwardly faithful and devoted, and yet their prayers were empty and there was no God inside of them. Indeed, they let themselves be corrupted by the devil, and follow his ways rather than the Lord.

Brethren, our faith cannot be like that of the Pharisees’ or God will also condemn us in the same way. Our faith, as according to St. James in his letter, must be alive and active, and cannot be a dormant and empty faith. How to do so? Faith that is alive and active means that the faith is substantiated and affirmed with action and love.

And as St. James again mentioned, that faith cannot be separated from action, and neither can action for the good of the Lord and mankind be separated from the faith. Our faith must be alive and supported with our active participation of the faith. Let our faith be one of a living Creed, firmly founded on our loving actions, in our devotion and love for God, and in our concern and love for our brethren.

Today, we celebrate the feast of St. Peter Damian, a well known religious and teacher of the faith, who was truly faithful to the Lord and showed it in his actions, that his faith was a living, not an empty one. St. Peter Damian was renowned for his emphasis on holy living, one based on sincere and strong discipline, maintaining the purity of one’s soul through hard work, discipline, and loving acts towards the brethren in need.

St. Peter Damian also contributed enormously to the Church, by his teachings and acts in showing the faith he has for God, by championing reforms in the Church, and he was eventually made an influential Cardinal by the Pope despite his initial refusal. St. Peter Damian used his new position to garner even more work and effort to ensure that the Church and the people of God remain faithful to the Lord.

St. Peter Damian exhorted his brother Cardinals to live and lead by example, and to shine in their faith. He showed that actions and deeds cannot be separated from faith, and faith must be substantiated by love, in loving both God and our fellow brothers and sisters. Today we are again reminded both how important our faith is to us, and how we have to also lead by example as St. Peter Damian had done.

May through the inspiration and intercession of St. Peter Damian, we will be able to get closer to the Lord, and may our faith in Him be ever living, vibrant and genuine, that the Lord who sees how faithful we are, will reward us with eternal glory in His heavenly majesty. God bless us all. Amen.

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Friday, 21 February 2014 : 6th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Peter Damian, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Bishops)

James 2 : 14-24, 26

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, to profess faith without showing works? Such faith has no power to save you. If a brother or sister is in need of clothes or food and one of you says, “May things go well for you; be warm and satisfied,” without attending to their material needs, what good is that? So it is for faith without deeds : it is totally dead.

Say to whoever challenges you, “You have faith and I have good deeds; show me your faith apart from actions and I, for my part, will show you my faith in the way I act.” Do you believe there is one God? Well enough, but do not forget that the demons also believe and tremble with fear!

You foolish one, do you have to be convinced that faith without deeds is useless? Think of our father Abraham. Was he not justified by the act of offering his son Isaac on the altar? So you see, his faith was active along with his deeds and became perfect by what he did.

The word of Scripture was thus fulfilled, Abraham believed in God so he was considered a righteous person and he was called the friend of God. So you see, a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. So, just as the body is dead without its spirit, so faith without deeds is also dead.

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Thursday, 20 February 2014 : 6th Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 33 : 2-3, 4-5, 6-7

I will bless the Lord all my days; His praise will be ever on my lips. My soul makes its boast in the Lord; let the lowly hear and rejoice.

Oh, let us magnify the Lord, together let us glorify His Name! I sought the Lord, and He answered me; from all my fears He delivered me.

They who look to Him are radiant with joy, their faces never clouded with shame. When the poor cry out, the Lord hears and saves them from distress.

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Tuesday, 18 February 2014 : 6th Week of Ordinary Time (Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Brothers and sisters in Christ, doubt should never be inside our hearts, particularly not doubt in God. We should never lose faith in God because of the various reasons that mankind often employed against Him. God did not destine us for destruction, because what He wants from us and what He ask of us is our love and undivided attention and devotion.

Doubt opens the way to temptation of the evil one, and it distances us from God and His love. Yet doubt is always present in this world, and many of us mankind refused to acknowledge God as our Lord and Saviour, trusting in the power of men instead of putting our trust in Him. Even the holy disciples and apostles of Christ were not immune.

Yes, they and many of the people God even today, failed to understand and appreciate God’s love. We taken God’s love lightly and were not faithful to Him. They doubted in their hearts and did not put their complete trust in the Lord, just as how the disciples of Christ failed to realise in Jesus, the greatness of God and His love.

Very often, we blame God for the misfortunes that befall us, and the difficulties that we face, without knowing that God was truly not the One who gave us all of those challenges. More often than not, those difficulties and challenges came about because of our own lack of faith in God, and therefore due to our wickedness and disobedience against the will of God.

We who follow the ways of this world, are bound to be affected by the evils that affect this world. It does not mean that we ought to isolate ourselves or hate the world, but the crucial issue is whether we are able to open the doors of our hearts and welcome the Lord into our house, inside our hearts, or whether we keep our hearts closed against Him.

We mankind have lived so long in sin that we tend to not realise when we commit things that cause us to sin and become wicked before God. We have been desensitised against evil and wickedness, and often we even become indulgent and seeking for sin. We enjoy the pleasures of this world and that is why, when the Lord comes into our presence, we are often like the disciples, who were unsure and let their doubts took over.

Through Jesus, as mentioned in the first reading, we have been given the truth, about all things, and about the Lord. He told us the revelation of God’s love. The Lord showed that by giving Jesus, He had given mankind salvation and a way to escape the punishment and slavery of sin. And He did this because He cares for them and wants them to be by His side. Yes, all of us are wanted by the Lord, and He wants to give us His love.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all cast aside the veil of lies which the devil had put on us. The devil certainly does not want us to be in the grace and favour of God. That is why it is important for us to seek for the truth in Christ, which He had passed down to us through the Church, through which the knowledge of the truth and its revelation is made available to us.

Let us keep by God’s truth and devote ourselves solely towards Him. Do not be misguided by the forces of evil, and from now on, let us deepen our faith and commitment in God. Love God and our fellow brethren more and more, that the Lord will see us and our faith, and reward us with eternal glory. God be with us all. Amen.

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Tuesday, 18 February 2014 : 6th Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

James 1 : 12-18

Happy are those who patiently endure trials, because afterwards they will receive the crown of life which the Lord promised to those who love Him. No one, when tempted, should say, “This temptation comes from God.”

God is never tempted and He can never tempt anyone. Instead, each of us is lured and enticed by our own evil desire. Once this desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and sin, when fully grown, gives birth to death.

Do not be deceived, my beloved. Every good and perfect gift comes from above, from the Father of Light, in whom there is no change or shadow of a change. By His own will He gave us life through the Word of Truth; that we might be a kind of offering to Him among His creatures.

 

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Monday, 17 February 2014 : 6th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of the Seven Holy Founders of the Servite Order (Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Saints)

Brothers and sisters in Christ, today we celebrate the feast of the Seven Holy Founders of the Servite Order. These saints were the founders of a religious order which was founded so that its members may live according to the holy and religious life as espoused by many other orders at the time, including in particular the Franciscans and the Dominicans.

The saints left everything and went to secluded place in the hills to lead a new life dedicated solely to the Lord and to the service of His people, embracing poverty, humility, and service in love. They worked hard, prayed hard, and devoted themselves to the Lord and to Mary, His mother, whom they often asked for intercession.

Despite the opposition and rejection that often faced them, and the many time of troubles that they had to endure, the Servites remained strong in their devotion and in their faith, and flourished despite all of the difficulties and challenges. They worked hard to serve the people of God, and preach to them the message of love that is from the Lord.

Their example showed to us what it means to be a disciple of the Lord and what it means to follow the Lord. We have to focus all of our attentions and we cannot be divided in our hearts. We cannot be half-hearted in our love and devotion. The Lord provides us with all, and He gives us things that we need.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, we should not doubt in the Lord and in His providence. He gave the people His love, and what He desires from us, is nothing more than our love. The Servites and their holy founders have shown us the true meaning of this devotion to the Lord. They showed love to God directly through their devotion, and through the love of their brethren in this world.

The Servites showed us that to love and serve the Lord we must first show love and compassion towards our brothers and sisters. We cannot be ignorant against those who lacked the love of God. Instead we have to embrace them with love and be always loving to them, even to our enemies and those who hate us. We have to show and practice love in all of our actions, our words and our deeds.

If we love one another, and follow the way of the Lord, we will certainly know about what God wants from us. We shall no longer doubt Him but trust always in His love. There is nothing greater and more wonderful than the love of God, and this fact is what we have to always keep in mind as we live in this world.

May the Lord through His servant the founder of the Servites remind us always of His love, and of the need to serve Him by loving Him and our own fellow brothers and sisters, our fellow mankind in this world. Let us dispel all the lies and fear spread by the devil and instead focus on the love of the Lord and His care for us. God bless us all. Amen.

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Monday, 17 February 2014 : 6th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of the Seven Holy Founders of the Servite Order (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Saints)

Mark 8 : 11-13

The Pharisees came and started to argue with Jesus. Hoping to embarrass Him, they asked for some heavenly sign. Then His Spirit was moved. He gave a deep sigh and said, “Why do the people of this present time ask for a sign? Truly, I say to you, no sign shall be given to this people.”

Then He left them, got into the boat again and went to the other side of the lake.

 

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Monday, 17 February 2014 : 6th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of the Seven Holy Founders of the Servite Order (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Saints)

James 1 : 1-11

James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, sends greetings to the twelve tribes scattered among the nations. Consider yourself fortunate, my brothers and sisters, when you meet with every kind of trial, for you know that the testing of your faith makes you steadfast.

Let your steadfastness become perfect with deeds, that you yourselves my be perfect and blameless, without any defect. If any of you is lacking in wisdom, ask God who gives all easily and unconditionally. But ask with faith, not doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave driven and tossed on the sea by the wind.

Such a person should not expect anything from the Lord, since the doubter has two minds and his conduct will always be insecure. Let the believer who is poor boast in been uplifted, and let the rich one boast in being humbled, because he will pass away like the flower of the field.

The sun rises and its heat dries the grass; the flower withers and its beauty vanishes. So, too, will the rich person fade away even in the midst of his pursuits.

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Sunday, 16 February 2014 : 6th Sunday of Ordinary Time (Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Our Lord is perfect, and He is good in all of His doings and dealings. He came to straighten our path, and make good again our status, that we will be shown the way to true salvation in God. For we mankind over time had grown to be lax, proud, and disobedient. Instead of following what God wants from us, we tend to walk on our own path, and ignore all of His calls towards us.

That was why we veered away from God’s path, and walked towards damnation with the devil. The devil was only very glad that we would come towards him instead of the Lord, and that was why he lured us even more towards himself, that just as he is to suffer, we also will suffer with him. We twist the law of God to suit our own purposes.

That was why Jesus came to straighten things out, to clarify what the Lord truly wanted from each one of us. The Pharisees, the scribes and teachers of the Law had abandoned the true meaning of the law of God, for their own version of the law, twisted with human pride, arrogance and ignorance. They filled the law of God with many corruptions and unnecessary burdens that they piled up on the people.

They hid the law behind layers after layers of unnecessary and burdensome rituals and observations, and they themselves revelled in the glory they have gained and the praise given to them by the people for their supposed piety and observation of the law. They therefore prevented the people of God from realising the true meaning of the law, deceiving the people.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, this world did not know Christ and they have rejected Him, even among His own people, and foremost of all those of course were the Pharisees and their parties. This was because there was no God in their hearts. Their hearts were filled with things and pleasures of this world. The world today is no different. The allures and pleasures of this world had corrupted many, and closed their hearts away from God.

These things distract us from God and what He wants from us. As often mentioned, what God wants from us is not blind or meaningless obedience and obeisance. What God wants from us is love and faith. He wants from us devotion and true and unbridled love. That was why He gave us Jesus, as a proof of His love and to teach His love to us.

The Lord Jesus explained that the laws that God had given to mankind should not be taken just at the face value or be taken from granted. The law of God is all about love, just as God Himself is Love. And this love is to love one another as fellow children of God and loving God Himself who is our Father. And it is this truth that Jesus came for, not to destroy or obliterate the old laws revealed to Moses, but to straighten it and clarify the meaning behind it.

Jesus came to perfect the law of God revealed to Moses. He came to erase all the corruptions of the world added over the centuries by the people of God in their ignorance and arrogance, and bring the law once again to its true purpose. Yes, the law of God as I have often mentioned, was not meant to enslave God’s people or to punish them.

Brethren, let us all heed the call of our Lord delivered to us through Jesus, that we should return to His fold, and seeking God and His love rather than our own glory and prestige as the Pharisees had done in the past. Let us focus on loving the Lord and following His ways, making sure that first of all we seek to understand what God wants from each one of us.

Let us dull the edge of our pride and arrogance, and sharpen the edge of our humility. We should seek the wisdom of God and trust in His words rather than in the words of men. Lead a good and pure life, and seek what is good instead of what is wicked in the eyes of the Lord. Do not commit sin as Jesus had said, and avoid any licentiousness and evil.

Be pure and holy just as our Lord is holy. Be good and faithful in His ways and listen to Him when He speaks to us. God spoke to us in the silence of our hearts, but silence is a rare occasion these days. Our world is too noisy with distractions and allure of pleasures and filled with temptations that keep us away from the Lord.

Let us therefore then take the time for God, and spend some time with Him regularly. Seek Him, and ask Him what He desires from us. He wants our love, obedience with clear understanding, and devotion. Time is one of the things we can certainly spend for His sake. If we remain in Him and keep ourselves faithful, we will be strong against whatever temptations of sin or any attempt by the devil to derail us from the path of salvation.

Keep ourselves free from sin, for sin is the gateway to destruction and eternal damnation. Sin prevents us from receiving the grace of God. May our Lord therefore strengthen the faith and love inside of us, that we may resist sin and remain in the favour of God. May He bless us all forever and ever. Amen.