Liturgical Colour : Green
Psalm 143 : 1, 2, 9-10
Blessed be the Lord, my Rock, Who trains my hands for war and my fingers for battle.
My loving God, my Fortress; my Protector and Deliverer, my Shield where I take refuge, Who conquers nations and subjects them to my rule.
I will sing a new song to You, o God, I will make music on the ten-stringed harp, for You Who give victory to kings and deliver David, Your servant.
Liturgical Colour : Green
Ephesians 6 : 10-20
Finally, be strong in the Lord with His energy and strength. Put on the whole armour of God to be able to resist the cunning of the devil. Our battle is not against human forces but against the rulers and authorities and their dark powers that govern this world. We are struggling against the spirits and supernatural forces of evil.
Therefore put on the whole armour of God, that in the evil day, you may resist and stand your ground, making use of all your weapons. Take truth as your belt, justice as your breastplate, and zeal as your shoes to propagate the Gospel of peace. Always hold in your hand the shield of faith to repel the flaming arrows of the devil. Finally, use the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, that is, the word of God.
Pray at all times as the Spirit inspires you. Keep watch, together with sustained prayer and supplication for all the holy ones. Pray also for me, so that when I speak, I may be given words to proclaim bravely the mystery of the Gospel. Even when in chains I am an ambassador of God; may He give me the strength to speak as I should.
Liturgical Colour : Green
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, we are reminded of the calling for all of us to obey the Law and commandments of the Lord, and to follow the path that He has set before all of us. As Christians, each and every one of us should lead exemplary and genuinely faithful way of life so that in all things we say and do, we will always proclaim the truth of God in our various communities and places, and we will not be like those hypocrites and all those who claimed to believe in God and yet, had no place for God in their hearts and minds.
In our first reading today, which was taken from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Church and the faithful in Ephesus, we heard the words of the Apostle reminding all the faithful there to do the will of God, and that every members of the Christian community ought to play their part in living their lives faithfully as they should have. St. Paul exhorted everyone to live virtuously, in their various positions and obligations, in their respective parts of the community, to follow the path that God has revealed and set before them, and to be true Christians in all things, and not just for appearances only.
At that time, there were still many among the Christian faithful who did not truly follow the Lord and His path, and who although had embraced the Lord as their Master and Saviour, and was baptised into the Church, but yet they still retained their past ways of life, and they still carried on doing things as they had done before. Unfortunately, all of those actions brought scandal to their faith and the Church, as well as to the Holy Name of God. Imagine how others would say if a Christian behaved and acted in ways contrary to what they professed to believe in? Not only that this would scandalise those outside the Church, but even more importantly, those within the Church.
In our Gospel passage today, we then heard of the Lord Jesus speaking to His disciples and the people about the matter of salvation and who would be saved. The Lord highlighted that the path towards God’s salvation and eternal life is in fact one that is difficult and challenging, and that many in fact would not be able to enter into the kingdom of God. And He highlighted how many of those who have professed to believe in Him and in His words, would be denied entry although they claimed to be faithful, all because they did not actually have genuine faith in Him, and they did not truly love Him with all of their might and hearts.
This was also a reference to the many Pharisees and the teachers of the Law who back at that time were against the Lord and His works. They were all adamant in their stubborn refusal to acknowledge the truth of God, and continued to resist and reject Him, spreading doubt and misinformation about Him, persecuting Him and His disciples and made it difficult for them to carry out their works and missions. And that is what the Lord referred to as the faith of the hypocrites, those who outwardly professed to be faithful and yet in their actions and way of life, brought scandal to their faith and the Lord.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, therefore just as we have been reminded constantly through these readings of the Sacred Scriptures, we should do our part in living our lives to the fullest in doing God’s will and obeying His commandments. We must truly be genuine in our faith and in loving Him. Each and every one of us as Christians must put God first and foremost in our lives, and not be swayed or tempted by the many desires and all the things that often tempted so many of us, like how the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law who succumbed to the temptations of their pride and ego, in thinking that they had the superior knowledge and position, just because they thought that they alone were worthy of God’s grace.
Let us all therefore heed the words of the Apostle St. Paul and what the Lord Jesus Himself had told His disciples and the people in our Gospel today, that the path towards the kingdom of God is not an easy one and is one that is filled with a lot of challenges and obstacles. We have to be ever vigilant and do whatever we can to resist those temptations, and instead help and inspire one another to live our lives in the manner that God has shown and taught us to do. The Lord has taught us through His Church how we should act, in loving Him and loving one another with the greatest generosity and sincerity from our hearts.
Let us all therefore do our best to glorify God by our lives, and do whatever we can to serve Him and to walk down His path. May the Lord continue to guide us and strengthen us in our journey, so that we may always be willing to endure and persevere through the challenges and trials that may come our way, and continue to do our best to serve the Lord at all times. May the Lord bless our every endeavours and efforts, at all times, for His greater glory. Amen.
Liturgical Colour : Green
Luke 13 : 22-30
At that time, Jesus went through towns and villages teaching, and making His way to Jerusalem. Someone asked Him, “Lord, is it true that few people will be saved?”
And Jesus answered, “Do your best to enter by the narrow door, for many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able. When once the master of the house has gone inside and locked the door, you will stand outside. Then you will knock at the door, calling, ‘Lord, open to us!’ But He will say to you, ‘I do not know where you come from.'”
“Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets!’ But He will reply, ‘I do not know where you come from. Away from Me, all you workers of evil.’ You will weep and grind your teeth, when you see Abraham and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves left outside.”
“Others will sit at table in the kingdom of God, people coming from east and west, from north and south. Some who are among the last, will be first; and some who are among the first, will be last!”
Liturgical Colour : Green
Psalm 144 : 10-11, 12-13ab, 13cd-14
All Your works will give You thanks; all Your saints, o Lord, will praise You. They will tell of the glory of Your kingdom and speak of Your power.
That all may know of Your mighty deeds, Your reign and its glorious splendour. Your reign is from age to age; Your dominion endures from generation to generation.
The Lord is true to His promises and lets His mercy show in all He does. The Lord lifts up those who are falling and raises those who are beaten down.
Liturgical Colour : Green
Ephesians 6 : 1-9
Children, obey your parents for this is right : Honour your father and your mother. And this is the first commandment that has promise : that you may be happy and enjoy long life in the land. And you, fathers, do not make rebels of your children, but educate them by correction and instruction which the Lord may inspire.
Servants, obey your masters of this world with fear and respect, with simplicity of heart, as if obeying Christ. Do not serve only when you are watched or in order to please others, but become servants of Christ who do God’s will with all your heart. Work willingly, for the Lord and not for humans, mindful that the good each one has done, whether servant or free, will be rewarded by the Lord.
And you, masters, deal with your servants in the same way, and do not threaten them, since you know that they and you have the same Lord Who is in heaven, and He treats all fairly.
Liturgical Colour : Green
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, in our Scripture passages today we are all reminded to live worthily of the Lord through our own relationships particularly that of within our own Christian families. Each and every one of us as Christians are called to be the faithful and committed members of our respective Christian families, building up within our own Christian communities good and faithful Christian families and relationships, which are truly the bedrock of Christian communities and the Church, and is essential in ensuring that the Church and the faithful community remain strong amidst the many challenges, temptations and trials they may all face.
In our first reading today, taken from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Church and the faithful in Ephesus, the Apostle spoke of the responsibilities that each and every members of the Church and in their respective obligations as families and as sons and daughters of God to do what has been expected of them in building up a loving and harmonious relationship within their families, in which every members are committed to each other and in which love is the foundation of their relationships. St. Paul elaborated on what each members ought to do, and how all Christians are tasked to follow this example, and to build up their holy and loving Christian families.
Back then, while various cultures had their own definition of families and marriages, which were in fact not very distinct from Christian marriage and family, but in practice, people still quite commonly practiced things like having mistresses and concubinage, especially in the culture of the Roman Empire. There were also quite a lot of immoral behaviour and attitudes, excesses of worldly habits and actions which led to great scandals and which are unworthy of those who have been called as Christians, as God’s own beloved children and people. As Christians, all of them were given higher standards and responsibilities.
St. Paul therefore reminded the faithful people of God that they are called to be the beacons of God’s light and truth, and that they ought to show good examples in the way they all lived their lives, where they were dedicated to one another in love, and where they were not led and guided by the temptations of their worldly desires, greed, pride and ambition. St. Paul told all of the people that they ought to show love and care for each other, in caring for the needs of their family, where husbands, wives, parents, children and relatives are all united in the bond of Christian love and virtues.
Then, in our Gospel passage today, we heard the Lord speaking to His disciples and followers regarding the kingdom of God using a parable. Through the parable of the mustard seed and flour, the Lord wanted to highlight to them about the coming of His kingdom, and how each and every one of those who believe in Him, the members of the Body of Christ, the Church, are truly building and establishing this kingdom of God in this world. Yes, that is right, brothers and sisters in Christ, the kingdom of God is indeed already in our midst, and we witness its presence through our Church, the community of the faithful and also through our respective Christian families.
And we are all reminded through the parables mentioned of the importance of providing the necessary conditions for the nurturing of this kingdom of God in our midst, just as the Lord made use of the examples of the germinating and growing mustard seed, as well as the leavening of bread dough with the use of yeast. All of those are examples that were well known and understood by the people, as agriculture and bread-making are things that are crucial to the livelihood of most if not all of the people. Through this example, the Lord wanted His people, that is all of us included, to realise that we have to nurture our faith through providing the optimum condition needed for the growth of our faith, and this is important especially for our younger generation.
That is why the family is truly the domestic Church, the smallest and yet very important subunits of the Church. If our families are not founded upon the firm foundation of our Christian faith and the truth of God, and if the love of God is not present within our families, then easily our Christian families, our Christian communities and all the people in them will be swayed and tempted away from the path of the Lord’s righteousness and virtue, and we will be easily divided and led away from the unity that we should have within our families and communities. Unless we make the conscious efforts to live our lives according to the Christian truth and love, we have not been doing what we are called to do as Christians.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore commit ourselves to a renewed effort to be exemplary Christians in all things, in upholding our Christian values and virtues at all times, in all opportunities and possibilities. Let us all show by our faithful commitment to God, what it truly means for us to be Christians, and how we can help lead and inspire one another to be ever closer to God. May God bless us always and our every endeavours, and may He bless and strengthen our families, that we may always be committed to God and to one another, and be filled with love, the love of God, always and evermore. Amen.
Liturgical Colour : Green
Luke 13 : 18-21
At that time, Jesus continued speaking, “What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it to? Imagine a person who has taken a mustard seed, and planted it in his garden. The seed has grown, and become like a small tree, so that the birds of the air shelter in its branches.”
And Jesus said again, “What is the kingdom of God like? Imagine a woman who has taken yeast, and hidden it in three measures of flour, until it is all leavened.”
Liturgical Colour : Green
Psalm 127 : 1-2, 3, 4-5
Blessed are you who fear the Lord and walk in His ways. You will eat the fruit of your toil; you will be blessed and favoured.
Your wife, like a vine, will bear fruits in your home; your children, like olive shoots will stand around your table.
Such are the blessings bestowed upon the man who fears the Lord. May the Lord bless you from Zion. May you see Jerusalem prosperous all the days of your life.
Liturgical Colour : Green
Ephesians 5 : 21-33
Let all kinds of submission to one another become obedience to Christ. So wives to their husbands : as to the Lord. The husband is the head of his wife, as Christ is the Head of the Church, His Body, of Whom He is also the Saviour. And as the Church submits to Christ, so let a wife submit in everything to her husband.
As for you, husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the Church and gave Himself up for her. He washed her and made her holy by baptism in the Word. As He wanted a radiant Church without stain or wrinkle or any blemish, but holy and blameless, He Himself had to prepare and present her to Himself.
In the same way, husbands should love their wives as they love their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. And no one has ever hated his body; he feeds and takes care of it. This is just what Christ does for the Church, because we are members of His Body.
Scripture says : Because of this a man shall leave his father and mother to be united with his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. This is a very great mystery, and I refer to Christ and the Church. As for you, let each one love his wife as himself, and let the wife respect her husband.
