Holy Day of the Lord

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Sunday, 17 September 2017 : Twenty-Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 102 : 1-2, 3-4, 9-10, 11-12

Praise YHVH, my soul; all my being, praise His holy Name! Praise YHVH, my soul, and do not forget all His kindness.

He forgives all your sins and heals all your sickness; He redeems your life from destruction and crowns you with love and compassion.

He will not always scold nor will He be angry forever. He does not treat us according to our sins, nor does He punish us as we deserve.

As the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His love for those fearing Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does He remove from us our sins.

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Sunday, 17 September 2017 : Twenty-Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Sirach 27 : 30 – Sirach 28 : 7

Grudge and wrath, these also are abominations in which sinful people excel. He who demands revenge will suffer the vengeance of the Lord Who keeps a strict account of his sins. Forgive the mistakes of your neighbour and you may ask that your sins be forgiven.

If a man bears resentment against another, how can he ask God for healing? If he has no compassion on others, how can he pray for forgiveness for his sins? As long as he, mere flesh, is resentful, who will obtain his pardon? Remember your end and give up hatred; keep in mind your final corruption in the grave and keep the commandments.

Remember the commandments and do not bear grudges against your neighbour. Remember the Covenant with the Most High and overlook the offence.

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Sunday, 10 September 2017 : Twenty-Third Sunday of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this Sunday all of us heard from the Scriptures about the importance for each one of us as Christians to be good listeners, and to pay close attention to what the Lord had taught us, that we will not fall into the temptations of the devil, and that we will be able to live harmoniously and in peace with one another.

This is important because each and every one of us make up the living Body of Christ, the Church. And in the ages past, and even until today, disagreements and lack of peace and harmony among the faithful has become a great source of sorrow for the Lord and for all of us. We have witnessed so many periods of disunity and divisions to the Church because of the falsehoods and the heresies that the devil had struck the Church with, tempting its members to deviate away from the Lord and His truth.

Divisions in the Church has happened many times, and it is often due to the disagreements coming from personal preferences and ego, the pride and ambition of the members of the Church who refused to let go of their ego that they might listen to the voice of reason and the truth as espoused in the teachings of the Church. Instead, we saw how many people broke away from the Church over their disagreements.

Many people refused to listen to reason, and they closed their hearts and minds to the words of truth, because they felt that their way and their thoughts, opinions and methods alone were correct and others were wrong. That was exactly how and why the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law refused to believe in Jesus, as they were adamant in keeping their beliefs about the laws of Moses, and to them, Jesus and His teachings were unacceptable.

That was how many of the people embraced heresies and went into open rebellion against the teachings of the Lord in His Church, and even decided to make their own ‘churches’, as splinters being forcefully torn apart from the holy Body of Christ, His Church. Yet, from time to time again, the Lord and His Church prevailed, and all those who tried to impose their falsehoods on the faithful faltered, because God was not with them.

How should we handle these matters then, brothers and sisters in Christ? First of all, if we refer back to what we have heard in the Gospel passage today, we will see that violence or anger is not the way for us to adopt, as none of these will end up in good results. As I have just mentioned, one of the main reasons why the divisions and disagreements have occurred was because of the stubbornness and the ego of the parties involved, that they refused to listen to the reason and the truth.

If we ourselves also end up being filled with anger, violence and hatred against others simply because they disagree with us or because they believe in falsehoods of the devil and in the heresies mentioned, then it may be difficult for us to reconcile our differences and for us to show them the way to the truth of God. Instead, as what the Gospel has shown us, we should seek to communicate and have dialogue with the ones involved, through prayer and seeking guidance from the Lord.

Why is that so? That is because it is easy for us to lose ourselves to our emotions, anger and hatred if we do not let God to take charge of our actions. We should open our hearts first and listen to the Lord, asking Him what is His will for us, and how we should proceed forward, especially when dealing with those who disagree with us, or with those who espouse the false teachings and ways of heresy. That is why I emphasised earlier on the importance of listening, and not just listening, but attentive listening in all of us.

Many of us are too ready and willing to shout out our ideas and proposals, our suggestions and demands, and yet we are not ready to allow our ears and our minds to listen to what others have to say. And if we are not even able to listen to what others are saying, how can we then convince them to listen to us? How can we convince them to believe in our true faith if we do not lend them a listening ear and mind first?

I am not saying that we should compromise on our faith or allow those who have fallen into heresy to continue in their sinful ways, as that is in itself a great sin, for then we will not just end up condemning them to the fires of hell, but also ourselves for having failed to help them and by compromising our faith. Rather, what we all need to do is to show an open-minded and welcoming attitude, and through that, to bring everyone to the invitation to prayer and discernment.

That is also how we ought to resolve the disagreements that will surely come up from time to time amongst the different members in the Church, between the priests and priests, between the priests and the laity, and amongst the laity themselves. As Jesus Himself said that, when two or more are gathered together in His Name, He Himself will come among them and be with them. How can we go wrong if God is with us, and His Spirit gave us His wisdom?

Therefore, brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all spend some time today to think through carefully about how we have lived our lives thus far, and how we have acted in our dealings with one another. Have we thus far acted with pride and ego in our actions, and have we refused to listen to the words of others but instead being stubborn and unreasonable?

Can we heed what the Lord had told us all through the Scriptures? Shall we all restrain our ego, our pride, and the desire to be the first and the greatest in everything? Let us all also learn from the examples of our Lord Jesus Himself, Who even though He was the Almighty God and King of all kings, but He willingly lowered Himself and came upon us, that He might serve us His people and show His everlasting love.

Shall we all overcome our innate reluctance and unwillingness to be attentive listeners and open our minds and hearts to others? Shall we then do our best to bring together all the scattered children of God, all those who have been separated from God’s loving Church, by welcoming them back with love and compassion, and by gathering them to the Lord in prayer, by showing them through our own examples, that in prayer, they may come to realise the errors of their ways and come back to the Lord in repentance?

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all do our very best from now on, that we may be able to listen to God as well to listen to our brethren, let us all throw far, far away all forms of ego and pride, all the things that have become obstacles on our path, all that have caused divisions and disagreements among the faithful people of God. Let us all reject all that Satan was trying to do in order to detract us and to snatch us away from God’s salvation.

May the Lord be with us always, and may He give us the strength and the courage to do His will, to surrender ourselves to what He wants us to be, and to be faithful disciples, who are concerned about our brethren, especially those who have fallen away from the path towards God’s salvation. Let us all be good and attentive listeners while at the same time being good evangelisers, through our gentle and loving actions showing the truth about God.

May the Lord bless us all and every endeavour we make, that eventually all the faithful people of God may be united together once again in His Church, without any more divisions or disagreements. May He continue to guide His Church and empower all of its members to always walk faithfully in His ways. Amen.

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Sunday, 10 September 2017 : Twenty-Third Sunday of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Matthew 18 : 15-20

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “If your brother has sinned against you, go and point out the fault to him, when the two of you are alone; and if he listens to you, you have won back your brother. If he does not listen to you, take with you one or two others, so that the case may be decided by the evidence of two or three witnesses.”

“And if he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the assembled Church. But if he does not listen to the Church, then regard him as a pagan, or a tax collector. I say to you : whatever you bind on earth, heaven will keep bound; and whatever you unbind on earth, heaven will keep unbound.”

“In like manner, I say to you, if, on earth, two of you agree in asking for anything, it will be granted to you by My heavenly Father; for where two or there are gathered in My Name, I am there, among them.”

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Sunday, 10 September 2017 : Twenty-Third Sunday of Ordinary Time (Second Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Romans 13 : 8-10

Do not be in debt to anyone. Let this be the only debt of one to another : Love. The one who loves his or her neighbour fulfils the Law. For the commandments : Do not commit adultery, do not kill, do not covet, and whatever else, are summarised in this one : You will love your neighbour as yourself.

Love cannot do the neighbour any harm; so love fulfils the whole Law.

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Sunday, 10 September 2017 : Twenty-Third Sunday of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 94 : 1-2, 6-7, 8-9

Come, let us sing to YHVH, let us make a joyful sound to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before Him giving thanks, with music and songs of praise.

Come and worship; let us bow down, kneel before YHVH, our Maker. He is our God, and we, His people; the flock He leads and pastures. Would, that today, you heard His voice!

Do not be stubborn, as at Meribah, in the desert, on that day at Massah, when your ancestors challenged Me, and they put Me to the test.

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Sunday, 10 September 2017 : Twenty-Third Sunday of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Ezekiel 33 : 7-9

The skies will darken and the stars become dim; I will veil the sun with a cloud and the moon shall not give its light. Because of you, I will darken all the lights in the sky and cover the earth in darkness, word of YHVH.

Many nations will grieve when I spread the news of your fall, even people you do not know.

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Sunday, 3 September 2017 : Twenty-Second Sunday of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this Sunday readings we heard of the reminder that as Christians, all of us must carry our crosses in life and follow the Lord in our respective journeys of faith. We cannot be idle or be ignorant of our obligations, that we have to endure challenges, difficulties and even persecutions as those who believe in God. That was what the Lord Jesus told to His disciples as He foretold His own Passion, suffering and death on the cross, as He would be condemned by His enemies.

In that passage we heard, Jesus clearly told His disciples upfront of what was going to happen to Him, and how the chief priests and the Pharisees would arrest Him and made Him to suffer, endure the torture and humiliations, until His death on the cross, but at the same time, He also revealed the truth about His upcoming glorious resurrection from the dead, in which He would be triumphant over death and evil.

But His disciples were dismayed at what He had said before them, and they refused to believe that it was true, particularly St. Peter, who took Him aside and even berated Him for having said such things. Yet, the Lord Jesus rebuked St. Peter and warned of Satan’s influence, tempting Jesus not to proceed with His plan of salvation. Such was what Satan usually used to tempt us to break away from the way of the Lord, that is by manipulating our fears and our natural selfishness.

Yes, brothers and sisters in Christ, as we mankind are by our nature, prideful, filled with ego and the desire to protect ourselves first before anything else. It is our nature, and our world’s customary ways that we should seek our own personal advancement and glory before we even care to look at others. And that is what the devil has been tempting us to do since the very beginning, to seek the greater glory for ourselves, and not that of God.

And Satan has done it through the world, by the force of persuasion and pressure, for us to conform to his way, and not the way of the Lord. In the second reading today, in his Epistle to the Church and the faithful in Rome, St. Paul begged the people of God to live righteously and faithfully in accordance with the ways of the Lord, and not to give in to the world’s demands, that they would not be shaped by the world they lived in, but instead be shaped by the Lord’s ways.

This is therefore the challenge which the Lord presented to us all, Christians who live in this world today. Are we able to resist the temptations of the devil through this world, the temptation to satisfy our personal needs and desires, our ego and pride, our greed and all that have become barriers in our relationship with God? Are we able to dedicate ourselves to God in the manner that our Lord Jesus Himself had done, and as His Apostles and many other holy saints had done?

It is easy for many of us to forget about our priorities in life, when we are inundated with so many worldliness, with so many busy schedules and work, in our daily commitments, in all the things we do in our lives, and we end up being engrossed in our pursuit, for power, for wealth and possessions, for recognition and fame in our society and amongst our friends, for pleasures in various kinds and types, to satisfy our needs and desires.

But if we ask ourselves, what is the purpose and meaning behind all of that? How will gaining all of those things benefit us in the end? We human beings are by our nature very difficult to be satisfied, and no sooner that we have gained what we want, we will start to crave for more of what we have received. That is our natural human greed, the temptation of Satan to please ourselves and to satisfy our needs and our ego.

We have to realise that no matter how much wealth we accumulate, how great power and authority we gather for ourselves, how much fame we attain, how great a prestige and honour we have received, and how mighty we are in the sight of the people of the world, none of this will be carried by us over to the world that is to come, when we meet the moment of our death and the time for us to render the account of our lives to the One Who will judge us, that is God.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, if we have been so busy trying to preserve ourselves and attain our selfish desires, ahead that of serving the will of God, then in the end, there will be nothing for us to gain, but death, condemnation and eternal suffering. For God will reject all those who have not obeyed His commandments, all those who gave in to the temptations of the devil and all forms of worldliness, and consider them to be outcasts.

And the Lord Jesus Himself showed us the perfect example of obedience to the will of God, as even though He knew that He would have to endure great sufferings, pains and even death on the cross, for the sake of the people, many of whom did not even recognise His work among them, and even though He knew that He would die for the sake of sinners who were often tempted to fall again and again into sin, Jesus went on regardless.

Jesus was also tempted by Satan, who tempted Him to turn the stone into bread when He was hungry during His forty days of fasting, and then, he also asked Him to fall from the top of the Temple in Jerusalem, so that the Angels might lift Him up and all the peoples who saw Him might praise His miraculous deeds. And lastly, we know how the devil showed Jesus all the kingdoms and the grandeurs of the entire world, trying to persuade the Lord to abandon His mission. But Jesus did not give up.

All of these should bring us to the realisation that for each of us Christians, the path forward is not necessarily an easy one. And there will be challenges, opposition and temptations that we will face, pressuring us to give up the faith. And we will face those pressures both from outside, from even our friends and families, as well as from within. Now the question is that, are we able to handle those pressures? Are we able to turn away from our pride, ego, greed and all the temptations of the world?

Brothers and sisters in Christ, many of us Christians are not truly faithful to the Lord, and that is why we easily fall into temptation, because our relationship with Him is not strong. We are often too distracted by the business of our lives, that we end up forgetting about God and getting more and more distant from Him. This is not what each of us should be doing. Remember, brethren, that the devil is always active trying to snatch us away from God.

Therefore, brothers and sisters in Christ, remembering this fact, let us all, each and every one of us Christians pray for strength, that we will be able to persevere through the challenges and difficulties we will encounter, and indeed have encountered in our journey of faith. Let us all spend more of our time to do what the Lord had asked us to do, to love our fellow brethren, to be generous in giving our time and attention to those who are less fortunate than us, rather than being preoccupied with our own selfish needs and desires.

Let us all seek God through our actions, and let us draw closer to Him, knowing that it is in Him alone that we will gain true and complete satisfaction in life, and not in the false promises and the pleasures offered to us by Satan or his allies. Let us carry together our crosses in life with faith, always trying our best to remain strong in faith and generous in love, that God will always bless us and that He will bring us all into His eternal kingdom. May God be with us always, now and forevermore. Amen.

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Sunday, 3 September 2017 : Twenty-Second Sunday of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Matthew 16 : 21-27

At that time, from that day, Jesus began to make it clear to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem; that He would suffer many things from the Jewish authorities, the chief priests and the teachers of the Law; and that He would be killed and be raised on the third day.

Then Peter took Him aside and began to reproach Him, “Never, Lord! No, this must never happen to You!” But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an obstacle in My path. You are thinking not as God does, but as people do.”

Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If you want to follow Me, deny yourself. Take up your cross and follow Me. For whoever chooses to save his life will lose it, but the one who loses his life, for My sake, will find it. What will one gain by winning the whole world, if he destroys his soul? Or what can a person give, in exchange for his life?”

“Know, that the Son of Man will come, in the glory of His Father with the holy Angels, and He will reward each one according to his deeds.”

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Sunday, 3 September 2017 : Twenty-Second Sunday of Ordinary Time (Second Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Romans 12 : 1-2

I beg you, dearly beloved, by the mercy of God, to give yourselves, as a living and holy sacrifice, pleasing to God; that is the kind of worship for you, as sensible people.

Do not let yourselves be shaped by the world where you live, but, rather, be transformed, through the renewal of your mind. You must discern the will of God : what is good, what pleases, what is perfect.