holy men

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Wednesday, 31 July 2024 : 17th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Ignatius of Loyola, Priest (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 58 : 2-3, 4-5a, 10-11, 17, 18

Deliver me from my enemies, o God, from those who rise up against me. Deliver me from evildoers; rescue me from the bloodthirsty.

Look, they lie in wait for my life; the mighty conspiring against me, for no fault of mine, o YHVH. I have done them no wrong; yet, they prepare to attack me.

O my Strength, I look up, to You; for You, o God, are my Fortress. My loving God will come to help me and let me see my enemies fall.

But I will sing of Your might; in the morning I will sing of Your love. For You have been a Fortress to me, a Refuge in time of distress.

O my Strength, I will sing praises to You; for You, o God, are my Stronghold; You are a loving God.

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Wednesday, 31 July 2024 : 17th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Ignatius of Loyola, Priest (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Jeremiah 15 : 10, 16-21

Woe is me, Mother, why did you bring me to the light? A man of dissension throughout the land! I owe them nothing, neither do they owe me, yet they all curse me!

I devoured Your words when they came. They were my happiness and I felt full of joy when You made Your Name rest on me. I never associate with worldly people, amusing myself with scoffers! When Your hand was upon me I stood apart and You filled me with Your anger. Why is there no end to my sorrow or healing for my wound? Why do You deceive me, and why does my spring suddenly dry up?

Then YHVH spoke to me, “If you return I will take you back and you will serve Me again. Draw the gold from the dross and you will be as My own mouth. You must draw them to you and not to go over to them. I will make you a fortress and a wall of bronze facing them; if they fight against you they will not overcome you; I am with you to free you and save you. I will redeem you from the wicked and free you from the hands of tyrants.”

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Wednesday, 24 July 2024 : 16th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Charbel Makhluf, Priest (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Priests)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures in which we are all reminded to answer the call which the Lord had made to us, in everything which He had done for us, in leading us all to the right path in life. Each and every one of us have been entrusted with the various and unique gifts, talents, opportunities and capabilities which God had sown in us, so that hopefully we may make good use of them for the benefit of everyone around us, for those whom we are interacting with. Through us and our efforts, and our interactions with others, we may inspire many more people to come and follow the Lord as well.

In our first reading today, we heard of the words of the Lord calling Jeremiah to be His servant, in becoming the prophet to the people of the southern kingdom of Judah, which was then in its last years of existence. The people of Israel, God’s first chosen people back then had been divided into two groups, and they had mostly disobeyed the Lord and His commandments, disregarded and refusing to follow His Law despite the many reminders and help provided to them by the Lord through His prophets and messengers. The northern kingdom of Israel then had been crushed and destroyed by the Assyrians, sent into exile in distant lands. The people of God in the southern kingdom of Judah had similarly lived in the same way, and they would soon share a similar fate to their brethren in the north.

It therefore fell upon Jeremiah to be the one whom God sent to His people to tell them of their impending doom and all that they would have to face as a consequence for their rebelliousness and refusals to follow the path of God. Jeremiah himself was unsure of the responsibilities and the charge placed upon him, but the Lord reassured and encouraged him, saying that He would be with him throughout the way, and He would guide and inspire him in whatever he was to say to those whom he had been sent to. He empowered Jeremiah and strengthened him, so that through His guidance, this simple man would become one of the great prophets, through whom many would be called to return to God and His path.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, we heard from the Gospel of St. Matthew in which the Lord Jesus taught and preached to the people with the famous parable of the sower. In that parable, we heard of the Lord speaking to the people using the comparison with a sower that was spreading seeds on different places. The Lord liked to use these parables because many of the people back then were illiterate and uneducated, and they did not know much about the ways of the world outside that of their professions or related ones. Many of the people back then were farmers, shepherds and fishermen, and hence, the Lord used these parables to help them understand what He wanted to tell them.

As we heard in that parable, the sower placed the seeds in various places and the seeds faced different fates depending on where those seeds had landed. This would later on be explained and be elaborated further by the Lord, but let me explain in case some among us may not be aware of the meaning and significance of this parable. The seeds that landed on the roadside were snatched and eaten away by the birds of the air, representing those people who have received the seeds of faith from the Word of God, and yet, allowed Satan and the other evil ones to snatch these truth and virtues away from them, by not taking up these into their hearts and minds, ignoring what the Lord had generously presented and given to them.

Then, those seeds that fell upon the rocky grounds and dried up before they could grow roots represent those who have received the Word of God and His truth, and yet failed to allow these to grow roots in their hearts and minds, as they did not provide good and suitable environment for their faith to grow and blossom in. And those seeds that landed among the brambles and thistles were choked to death as they grew, because those brambles and thistles competed with the plants for nutrients and other resources. These represent all those who allowed the distractions in life to pull them away from the path of righteousness and virtue, instead following the path of greed, desire, ego and ambition, which would lead them to their downfall.

It was only those seeds that fell upon the rich soil that managed to germinate and grow well, healthy and strong, bearing lots of rich fruits and produces, in multiples of what had been planted before. This represents all those who have received the Word of God and truly acted on them, internalising and receiving them with genuine faith, doing their best to embody what they have believed in, so that their faith is not merely just a formality only, but a truly real and living faith. This has also been shown by the example of the prophet Jeremiah from the Old Testament, as well as the many other prophets and servants of God, who have allowed the Lord to guide and strengthen them in their lives so that in everything that they had said and done, they would indeed bear rich and plentiful fruits of their faithful actions and commitments to God.

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Sharbel Makhluf, also known as St. Charbel Makhlouf, who was a renowned Maronite Catholic monk living in what is part of Lebanon today, born into a pious family, raised up well in the faith by his family. He would ensure that he had time for prayers and committed himself to God even from a very young age. Eventually, he became a monk after years of preparation and instruction, taking up the name by which he is now famous today, namely that of Charbel, inspired by the saint of that name, a Christian martyr of the region during the early history of the Church. He therefore began a life of seclusion and withdrawal from the world as a hermit for the rest of his life.

St. Charbel lived the rest of his life in pious and prayerful seclusion, and he died about twenty-three years after he began his hermitic lifestyle. Yet, even after his passing, his great holiness and virtues, his examples and great commitment to God brought about great wonders and inspiring things to happen, as he is indeed famous for right up to this day, more than a century after this great saint’s passing. It was told since immediately after his passing that miracles happened aplenty at his tomb, and many people were healed and encountered miracles, and also through the intercession of St. Charbel, many experienced great things and were cured from their diseases and troubles. This led to many people to turn towards the Lord, as among those who sought for the intercession of St. Charbel were unbelievers.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we have heard from the inspirational story of the life of St. Charbel Makhlouf, as well as the words we have heard today from the Sacred Scriptures on the calling and commissioning of the prophet Jeremiah, and also the parable of the sower, we are therefore reminded that each and every one of us as Christians, as God’s disciples and followers, have the important responsibility and part to play in ensuring that our lives are truly faithful to the Lord, and that we are always open to the Lord guiding and strengthening each one of us in our respective lives. All of us must be like those seeds that grow in the rich and fertile soil, and hence, we should ensure that our lives and environment, that is our hearts and minds, our whole beings are truly conducive to allow our faith in God and our love for Him to continue to grow and develop.

May the Lord, our most loving God and Father continue to help and strengthen us all, so that in all that we do, we will continue to be inspired and encouraged to do our best, to be ever more faithful and to strive to follow Him in all of our lives. May He empower each one of us and be our source of Hope and encouragement, be our Light and inspiration, now and always. Amen.

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Wednesday, 24 July 2024 : 16th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Charbel Makhluf, Priest (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Priests)

Matthew 13 : 1-9

At that time, that same day, Jesus left the house and sat down by the lakeside. Many people gathered around Him. So He got into a boat, and sat down, while the crowds stood on the shore; and He spoke to them in parables about many things.

Jesus said, “The sower went out to sow; and, as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path; and the birds came and ate them up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where there was little soil, and the seeds sprouted quickly, because the soil was not deep. But as soon as the sun rose, the plants were scorched; and they withered, because they had no roots.”

“Again, other seeds fell among thistles; and the thistles grew and choked the plants. Still, other seeds fell on good soil and produced a crop : some a hundredfold, others sixty, and others thirty. If you have ears, then hear!”

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Wednesday, 24 July 2024 : 16th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Charbel Makhluf, Priest (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Priests)

Psalm 70 : 1-2, 3-4a, 5-6ab, 15ab and 17

In You, o Lord, I seek refuge; let me not be disgraced. In Your justice help me and deliver me, turn Your ear to me and save me!

Be my Rock of refuge, a Stronghold to give me safety, for You are my Rock and my Fortress. Rescue me, o my God, from the hand of the wicked.

For You, o Lord, have been my Hope, my Trust, o God, from my youth. I have relied on You from birth : from my mother’s womb You brought me forth.

My lips will proclaim Your intervention and tell of Your salvation all day, little though it is what I can understand. You have taught me from my youth and until now I proclaim Your marvels.

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Wednesday, 24 July 2024 : 16th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Charbel Makhluf, Priest (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Priests)

Jeremiah 1 : 1, 4-10

The words of Jeremiah, son of Hilkiah, of a priestly family in Anathoth, in the land of Benjamin.

A word of YHVH came to me, “Even before I formed you in the womb I have known you; even before you were born I had set you apart, and appointed you a prophet to the nations!”

I said, “Ah, Lord YHVH! I do not know how to speak; I am still young!” But YHVH replied, “Do not say; ‘I am still young’, for now you will go, whatever be the mission I am entrusting to you, and you will speak of whatever I command you to say. Do not be afraid of them, for I will be with you to protect you – it is YHVH Who speaks!”

Then YHVH stretched out His hand and touched my mouth and said to me, “Now I have put My words in your mouth. See! Today I give you authority over nations and over kingdoms to uproot and to pull down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.”

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Monday, 15 July 2024 : 15th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Bonaventure, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today all of us are reminded that while God is always ever loving and kind towards us, we must also remember that our sins and wickedness, all the things we do which are not in accordance with God’s ways, all of these are things that He does not condone and in fact despises. And while He is always ever ready and willing to forgive us from those sins, we must not take it for granted, because by the sins which we have left unrepented and unforgiven, we may be judged and condemned by those sins which we have committed. The Lord does not seek our destruction and annihilation, but it is our own conscious refusal of His love, mercy and grace which had brought us deep into this condemnation and destruction.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the prophet Isaiah in which the Lord alluded to the people of Sodom and Gomorrah when referring to His own chosen people, the remnants of the Israelites living in the southern kingdom of Judah. In using that reference to the example of Sodom and Gomorrah, He reminded them all of what had happened to those two cities that were infamous for their debauchery, sinful ways and wickedness, and likely their refusal to repent from their wicked ways, their stubborn attitudes which eventually led to the two cities being destroyed with great fires and brimstone from the sky itself. Thus, the Lord was in fact warning His people that if they continued to walk down the path of sin and evil as they had done up to then, a similar fate would be theirs as well.

As mentioned, this does not mean that God despised or hated His people, but rather, it was their sins and wickedness which He despised and was angry with. As mentioned, they were not truly faithful to the Lord, but were only going through the motions with their celebrations, festivals and worship, which they carried out without true sincerity and love for God. They still committed sins and wicked deeds, and even worshipped other pagan idols and gods, which added on to their list of sins and all the things which further distanced them away from the Lord and His path. The Lord wanted them all to know that if they kept on doing that, and if they continued to disregard the words and the guidance of the many prophets and messengers that He had sent to them to help and guide them, then in the end, there will be nothing but destruction and doom awaiting them.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, we heard from the Gospel of St. Matthew in which the Lord Jesus told His disciples frankly that He came into this world not to bring peace and rejoicing, unlike what many of them would have thought. At that time, it was commonly held that the Messiah awaited by the Jewish people, the Son of David, would restore the glorious days of the old Kingdom of Israel, leading the people of God to freedom and glory once more, bringing an era of peace, harmony and prosperity. The Lord revealed to all of them that this was not the case, as His coming, bringing the truth and His Good News, His love and the assurance of salvation to all mankind, would all face opposition, challenges and rejection from the world that is filled with sin, darkness and evil.

The Lord reminded them all that to be His disciples and followers, it often requires great commitment and desire to follow the Lord wholeheartedly, rejecting the wicked and sinful ways of the world, and embracing His grace, love and righteousness fully, all of which may lead to hardships and sufferings among His disciples and followers. Yet, they must not lose heart because God would be with them, and if they truly follow Him wholeheartedly, He assured them all that no one who had dedicated and committed themselves to God with sincerity would not be rewarded greatly and they will be assured of true happiness and the fullness of grace in God. Thus, this is also a reminder to all of us as Christians that we too should aspire and strive to be truly faithful to the Lord in all things.

Today, the Universal Church also celebrates the Feast of St. Bonaventure, a great bishop and servant of God, who has been honoured as one of the Doctors of the Church for his many contributions, writings and works that serve to glorify God and to proclaim His truth to more and more people. He was born in what is today part of Italy during the High Middle Ages in the early thirteenth century, and while nothing much was known of his early life, he eventually became a Franciscan, inspired by the examples of St. Francis of Assisi, whose prayers according to tradition saved the young St. Bonaventure when he was very sick. Eventually as Franciscan, St. Bonaventure would go on to many great works in both preaching and academia, becoming a lecturer and master in theological matters.

St. Bonaventure was also quite deeply involved in the affairs and workings of the Church at the time, as it was his efforts that helped to secure the election of Blessed Pope Gregory X after a turbulent and tumultuous contested Papal election that lasted three years. As such, the then Pope entrusted St. Bonaventure with many works in the Church, and made him as a Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church, which was indeed a very great honour at the time. However, despite all these honours and the other responsibilities that he held, St. Bonaventure continued to be humble and devoted himself more to serve the people of God and the Church through his great intellectual efforts, in his many writings that benefit the Church, as well as in his efforts in taking part and spearheading the reforms that were much needed in the Church at the time.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we heard from the great life examples shown to us by St. Bonaventure, let us all therefore be more committed to a life that is truly holy and worthy of God. Let us all be ever more courageous to follow God in all things, and to dedicate our efforts to walk in His path despite the many challenges we may encounter and face in our journey of faith. Each and every one of us has been called to follow the Lord, and He has given us all various opportunities and the means for us to do our part in being His worthy and holy disciples. It is now up to us all to make the choice and to decide whether we want to follow Him or whether we want to continue persisting in living a life full of sin and evil.

May the Lord be with us all, and may He continue to help and guide us through His ever patient love and kindness, in helping to inspire us through the great examples of St. Bonaventure and the innumerable other holy men and women, the holy saints and martyrs of God, all of whom had dedicated themselves to the Lord and showed great faith and virtues in their lives. May we continue to strive to do God’s will and live our lives righteously in accordance to His Law and commandments at all times, so that we may truly be good and worthy examples and role models for one another, and through us, God’s truth and love may be revealed more and more to all the people around us. Amen.

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Monday, 15 July 2024 : 15th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Bonaventure, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Matthew 10 : 34 – Matthew 11 : 1

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “Do not think that I have come to establish peace on earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. Each one will have as enemies, those of one’s own family.”

“Whoever loves father or mother more than Me, is not worthy of Me. And whoever loves son or daughter more than Me, is not worthy of Me. And whoever does not take up his cross and follow Me, is not worthy of Me. Whoever finds his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life, for My sake, will find it.”

“Whoever welcomes you, welcomes Me; and whoever welcomes Me, welcomes Him Who sent Me. The one who welcomes a prophet, as a prophet, will receive the reward of a prophet; the one who welcomes a just man, because he is a just man, will receive the reward of a just man.”

“And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones, because he is My disciple, I assure you, he will not go unrewarded.”

When Jesus had finished giving His twelve disciples these instructions, He went on from there to teach and proclaim His message in their towns.

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Monday, 15 July 2024 : 15th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Bonaventure, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 49 : 8-9, 16bc-17, 21 and 23

Not for your sacrifices do I reprove you, for your burnt offerings are ever before Me. I need no bull from your stalls, nor he-goat from your pens.

What right have you to mouth My laws, or to talk about My covenant? You hate My commands and cast My words behind you.

Because I was silent while you did these things, you thought I was like you. But now I rebuke you and make this charge against you. Those who give with thanks offerings honour Me, but the one who walks blamelessly, I will show him the salvation of God.

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Monday, 15 July 2024 : 15th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Bonaventure, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Isaiah 1 : 10-17

Hear the warning of YHVH, rulers of Sodom. Listen to the word of God, people of Gomorrah. “What do I care,” says YHVH, “for your endless sacrifices? I am fed up with your burnt offerings, and the fat of your bulls. The blood of fatlings, and lambs and he-goats I abhor, when you come before Me and trample on My courts. Who asked you to visit Me? I am fed up with your oblations. I grow sick with your incense.

Your New Moons, Sabbaths and meetings, evil with holy assemblies, I can no longer bear. I hate your New Moons and appointed feasts. They burden Me. When you stretch out your hands I will close My eyes; the more you pray, the more I refuse to listen, for your hands are bloody.

Wash and make yourselves clean. Remove from My sight the evil of your deeds. Put an end to your wickedness and learn to do good. Seek justice and keep in line the abusers; give the fatherless their rights and defend the widow.