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Tuesday, 25 July 2023 : Feast of St. James, Apostle (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today the Church celebrates the Feast of one of the Lord’s great Twelve Apostles, namely St. James the Greater, the elder brother of St. John the Apostle and Evangelist, and one of the sons of Zebedee who followed the Lord Jesus since the very beginning of His ministry. St. James was also one of the closest among all of the Lord’s disciples, part of the three disciples that the Lord often brought with Him in important occasions, together with St. Peter, the leader and chief of all the Apostles, and St. John himself, St. James’ younger brother. All the three of them were present at every major occasions in the Lord’s ministry, such as at the Transfiguration of the Lord, the healing and the resurrection of the daughter of Jairus, the synagogue official, as well as the moment of the Lord’s agony in the Garden of Gethsemane, among others.

And as compared with St. John the Apostle, his brother, St. James was also notable as being likely the first among the Apostles to die of martyrdom, as recorded in the Acts of the Apostles, with Apostolic and Church traditions placing his martyrdom just a decade or so from the time of the Lord’s death and Resurrection. On the other hand, St. John was the last of all the Apostles to pass away, and the only one among all of them who did not die of martyrdom, although he did suffer a lot of persecution, sufferings and oppressions throughout his many years of life. Nonetheless, both brothers have followed the Lord faithfully and with great dedication to the very end, enduring many challenges and hardships, struggles and difficulties throughout their ministry, and they did all that they could to proclaim the Good News of God.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard of the same two brothers St. James and St. John, who came together with their mother, and at that time, their mother asked the Lord to grant the two of them the places of honour by the left and the right hand side of the Lord. As we heard, this action brought about a lot of insecurities and jealousy from the other disciples of the Lord, and it highlighted to us the dangers of temptations of worldly power and glory, and one which we should resist or else we may end up falling into the wrong paths in life, and not the path that the Lord has shown us. Then, we must understand the context that at that time, many of the people living at the moment of the Lord’s work and ministry thought that the Messiah, that is the Saviour to be sent by God, would be a great conquering King and Ruler, born of the House of David so that the Kingdom of Israel of old can be restored.

That was why among many of the disciples of the Lord, there might have been many who hoped that the Lord Jesus, Whom they considered as the Messiah, would be the One to bring back the glorious days of the Kingdom of Israel, and liberate them all from the hands of their foreign oppressors and rulers, the Romans as well as the foreign rule of the Idumaean Herodian kings. Therefore, when the mother of St. James and St. John made such a request, and the displeasures and jealousy of the other disciples at that time, were all borne out of the misguided ideas and misunderstandings regarding what the Lord’s mission truly was, and what His disciples and followers would have to go through and experience in the midst of their own ministries and works. Thus, the Lord told the two brothers, St. James and St. John, that it was not for Him to decide Who should sit on His left and right, and if they would be able to drink of the cup of suffering that He Himself was about to drink.

Through this, the Lord Himself wanted to reveal the kind of hardships and sufferings, challenges and trials that St. James and St. John and also all the other Apostles and disciples of His, may have to undergo and endure in the midst of their ministries and works. St. James himself eventually was to go on his missionary works and trips, proclaiming the Good News to the far ends of the world, most well-known of which is in the region of Hispania, in what is now parts of Spain, where he proclaimed the Lord and His Good News to many of the people there, and to whom Our Lady herself, Mary, the Mother of God, appeared to in order to encourage and strengthen him, in the apparition known now as Our Lady of the Pillar. St. James’ ministry is the reason why his greatest shrine is now located at the place of his former ministry, in what is now known as Santiago de Compostela, named after the Apostle himself.

St. James eventually would be martyred after that in Jerusalem, as we heard in the Acts of the Apostles, when king Herod Agrippa who wanted to gain favour with the Jewish leaders and elders, persecuted the Christians and their leaders, arrested St. James and then executed him. He was thus likely the first of the Apostles to die in martyrdom, and many of the other Apostles would also suffer and die in the subsequent years and decades. Nonetheless, their faith and commitment to God remained firm and strong even throughout those difficult years, and that faith is something that all of us as Christians should also be inspired with, and be strengthened from. And we have also been constantly reminded that the works of the Lord which He had begun and entrusted to His Apostles like St. James and others, have not yet been completed, and there are still many areas and circumstances where we are called to be like the Apostles in proclaiming the truth of God, His Good News and salvation.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore be strengthened by the examples and dedication shown by St. James the Apostle, all his work and ministry, and in his courage to spread the word of God and the faith, and in having indeed drunk of the cup of suffering and martyrdom that the Lord Himself had drunk from. Let us all be genuine and committed disciples of the Lord ourselves and let us all seek to do what the Lord had called us to do, and be ever more faithful to Him in all of our ways. Let us all be exemplary and good in our every words, actions and deeds, in our every interactions and relationships with one another. We are all parts of the Church and its mission to evangelise and to proclaim God’s truth, salvation and Good News to all the whole world, and each one of us have to commit ourselves to this mission in whichever areas and parts that we are able to contribute in.

May the Lord continue to strengthen and guide each one of us, and may the intercession of St. James, His Apostle continue to help us in our journey, and empower us all should we face many challenges and trials throughout our journey of faith and life. May God bless us all and may He bless our every works and good deeds, efforts and endeavours, now and always. Amen.

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Tuesday, 25 July 2023 : Feast of St. James, Apostle (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Matthew 20 : 20-28

At that time, the mother of James and John came to Jesus with her sons, and she knelt down, to ask a favour. Jesus said to her, “What do you want?” And she answered, “Here, You have my two sons. Grant, that they may sit, one at Your right hand and one at Your left, in Your kingdom.”

Jesus said to the brothers, “You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I am about to drink?” They answered, “We can.” Jesus replied, “You will indeed drink My cup; but to sit at My right or at My left is not for Me to grant. That will be for those, for whom My Father has prepared it.”

The other then heard all this, and were angry with the two brothers. Then Jesus called them to Him and said, “You know, that the rulers of nations behave like tyrants, and the powerful oppress them. It shall not be so among you : whoever wants to be great in your community, let him minister to the community. And if you want to be the first of all, make yourself the servant of all. Be like the Son of Man, Who came not to be served, but to serve, and to give His life to redeem many.”

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Tuesday, 25 July 2023 : Feast of St. James, Apostle (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Psalm 125 : 1-2ab, 2cd-3, 4-5, 6

When YHVH brought the exiles back to Zion, we were like those moving in a dream. Then, our mouths were filled with laughter, and our tongues with songs of joy.

Among the nations it was said, “YHVH has done great things for them.” YHVH had done great things for us, and we were glad indeed.

Bring back our exiles, o YHVH, like fresh streams in the desert. Those who sow in tears will reap with songs and shouts of joy.

They went forth weeping, bearing the seeds for sowing, they will come home with joyful shouts, bringing their harvested sheaves.

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Tuesday, 25 July 2023 : Feast of St. James, Apostle (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

2 Corinthians 4 : 7-15

However, we carry this treasure in vessels of clay, so that this all-surpassing power may not be seen as ours, but as God’s. Trials of every sort come to us, but we are not discouraged. We are left without answer, but do not despair; persecuted but not abandoned, knocked down but not crushed.

At any moment, we carry, in our person, the death of Jesus, so, that, the life of Jesus may also be manifested in us. For we, the living, are given up continually to death, for the sake of Jesus, so, that, the life of Jesus may appear in our mortal existence. And as death is at work in us, life comes to you.

We have received the same Spirit of faith referred to in Scripture, that says : I believed and so I spoke. We also believed, and so we speak. We know that He, Who raised the Lord Jesus, will also raise us, with Jesus, and bring us, with you, into His presence. Finally, everything is for your good, so that grace will come more abundantly upon you, and great will be the thanksgiving for the glory of God.

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Monday, 24 July 2023 : 16th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Sharbel Makhluf, Priest (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Priests)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this day as we listened to the Lord’s words in the Sacred Scriptures, we are all reminded of the need for each and every one of us to place our trust in the Lord and to be ever faithful to Him. We should not allow doubt and fear to affect and prevent us from truly following God’s path, as each one of us are truly precious and important in the sight of God, and as long as we continue to trust in Him and in His providence, we shall not fail and falter. All of us should continue to keep up this faith in God and we must not easily be discouraged and swayed by the many challenges and trials present all around us. If we allow ourselves to be persuaded otherwise and choose to abandon the Lord instead of trusting in Him and in His providence and love, then we may end up leading ourselves to an even greater loss in the end.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of Exodus of the story of the moment when the Israelites were on their way out of the land of Egypt, where they were then chased by the forces of the Egyptians under their ruler, the Pharaoh, his army and the chariots. The Pharaoh regretted having let the Israelites go free under the pressures from the Ten Great Plagues that God had sent to the land of Egypt and the Egyptians, and hence tried to subjugate all of them again through that. The Israelites then were at the shore of the Red Sea, and they were cornered between the sea itself and the Pharaoh’s army, without any means or opportunity to escape, and therefore many among the people were afraid and fearful that they were facing certain destruction, and as we heard, many among them blamed Moses and even God for having led them to their deaths at that place, mentioning how they preferred to have remained under slavery rather than to die in that manner.

Moses reassured the people and God Himself also told Moses and hence His people that they should not be afraid as He was with them, guarding and protecting them, and whatever He has promised them, in bringing them to freedom and liberation from their land of slavery, and the promise of bringing them into the land promised to their forefathers, the Land of Canaan. God was not going to go back on His words on all of His promises, and despite the struggles and sufferings that His people would have to endure, eventually, they would see the promise of God’s salvation and grace. In that particular occasion, God would come and protect His people against the Egyptians, placing a great pillar of fire between the Israelites and the Egyptian forces, and then as we all well known and are familiar with, God Himself through Moses, opened the Red Sea for all the people of Israel to pass by, dry and protected on the seabed.

Thus, that was how God saved His people, who had suffered for a long time under their slavemasters, and who had to endure a lot of hardships and humiliations. Yet, God led His people into the ultimate triumph, liberating them and giving them the reason and opportunity to hope once again, to hope in the true joy and happiness in the presence of God. God did not abandon His people even in their darkest hours, and journeyed together with them, even though later on they would prove to be rather difficult and frequently disobeyed God’s words, Law and commandments. God remained full of love and compassion on His beloved ones, reaching out to them patiently and caring for them at all times. The Lord has always patiently guided His people, there at that time of the Exodus and afterwards, ever remembering the love that He has for them and the Covenant which He had made with them.

Then in the Gospel passage today, we heard from the moment when the Lord was confronted by some of the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law who demanded to see signs and wonders, miracles and works from Him. We must understand that at the time, many of the miracles, works and wonders that the Lord had performed, had been witnessed by many of the same Pharisees and teachers of the Law, who had also heard and listened to all the teachings and the words of the Lord all the same. Yet, they still refused to believe in Him, doubting His truth and works, and questioning His authority and signs, and demanding to see more of what they had themselves seen and witnessed. That was why the Lord was often saddened by what He had encountered from these oppositions, as those people kept on holding onto their doubts and prejudices, and refusing to listen to Him.

Why is that so, brothers and sisters in Christ? That was because those people who doubted the Lord thought that they knew things better than the Lord, and they refused to accept that they could be wrong in their ways or in their insights and intelligence. That was why no matter what they had seen, heard or witnessed, experienced and went through with the Lord, in all of His ministry and works, many among those people were stubborn and adamant in not listening to God and His truth, and keeping on their prejudiced ways and views, thinking that they were superior and better, when they were in fact mistaken and faulty in their ways and actions. This same attitude had brought many into their downfall and prevented many others from coming to seek forgiveness, grace and compassion from the Lord.

That is why today, all of us are reminded not to hold onto our pride and prejudices, and not to be easily swayed by fear and the desires of this world, that we end up abandoning the Lord and His truth for our own personal ambitions, pride and the many desires and attachments we have to this world’s goods. And today, as we also celebrate the feast of one of the Lord’s great servants, we should be inspired and strengthened by the exemplary life and dedication of this holy man of God, in how he had devoted his life to the Lord and in doing what God has commanded him and all of us to do. He is St. Sharbel Makhluf, also known as Charbel Makhlouf, the famous Maronite saint and priest, who lived and ministered to the people of God about a century and half ago, showing many his holiness and dedication to the Lord.

St. Sharbel Makhluf led a holy life from a very young age, being raised in a devout family, and later on became a monk in what is today part of Lebanon. He led a life of great holiness and sanctity, wholly devoted to God, and as he later on withdrew to a monastery as a monk, dedicating himself even more to the Lord, he showed many people how it is possible for one to entrust oneself so completely to the Lord, and to follow Him in His commandments and will. After his passing, many were miraculously healed at his tomb and by the intercession of this saint, which is yet another example of the great grace of God, Who truly loves each one of us His people, that He sent unto us these great blessings and graces, the healings and wonders, the miracles attributed through the constant intercession and help from St. Sharbel Makhluf.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore do our best to renew our faith in the Lord and to commit ourselves anew in the path which the Lord has shown to us. Let our lives and works, our every actions, words and deeds be great examples and inspirations to one another so that many more people may come to believe in the Lord through us. May the Lord continue to guide us and strengthen us, so that in our every moments, we may always strive to glorify Him by our lives. Amen.

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Monday, 24 July 2023 : 16th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Sharbel Makhluf, Priest (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Priests)

Matthew 12 : 38-42

At that time, some teachers of the Law and some Pharisees spoke up, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.” Jesus answered them, “An evil and unfaithful people want a sign; but no sign will be given them except the sign of the prophet Jonah. In the same way, as Jonah spent three days and three nights in the belly of the whale, so will the Son of Man spend three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”

“At the judgment, the people of Nineveh will rise with this generation, and condemn it; because they reformed their lives at the preaching of Jonah, and here, there is greater than Jonah. At the judgment, the Queen of the South will stand up and condemn you. She came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and here, there is greater than Solomon.”

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Monday, 24 July 2023 : 16th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Sharbel Makhluf, Priest (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Priests)

Exodus 15 : 1bc-2, 3-4, 5-6

I will sing to YHVH, the Glorious One, horse and rider He has thrown into the sea. YHVH is my strength and my song, and He is my salvation.

He is my God and I will praise Him; the God of my father : I will extol Him. YHVH is a Warrior; YHVH is His Name. The chariots of Pharaoh and his army He has hurled into the sea; his chosen officers were drowned in the Red Sea.

The deep covers them; they went down like a stone. Your hand, o YHVH, glorious and powerful, Your right hand, o YHVH, shatters the enemy.

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Monday, 24 July 2023 : 16th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Sharbel Makhluf, Priest (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Priests)

Exodus 14 : 5-18

The king of Egypt was told that the people had fled; then Pharaoh and his ministers changed their minds with regard to the people. “What have we done,” they said, “in allowing Israel to go and be free of our service?” Pharaoh prepared his chariot and took his army with him. There were six hundred of his best chariots; indeed he took all the Egyptian chariots, each one with his warriors.

YHVH had hardened the mind of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who set out in pursuit of the Israelites as they marched forth triumphantly. The Egyptians – all the chariots and horses of Pharaoh, his horsemen and his army – gave chase and caught up with them when they had encamped by the sea near Pihahiroth, facing Baalzephon.

The Israelites saw the Egyptians marching after them : Pharaoh was drawing near. They were terrified and cried out to YHVH. Then they said to Moses, “Were there no tombs in Egypt? Why have you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done by bringing us out of Egypt? Is this not what we said when we were in Egypt : Let us work for the Egyptians. Far better serve Egypt than to die in the desert!”

Moses said to the people, “Have no fear! Stay where you are and see the work YHVH will do to save you today. The Egyptians whom you see today, you will never see again! YHVH will fight for you and all you have to do is to keep still.”

YHVH said to Moses, “Why do you cry to Me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward. You will raise your staff and stretch your hand over the sea and divide it to let the Israelites go dryfoot through the sea. I will so harden the minds of the Egyptians that they will follow you. And I will have glory at the expense of Pharaoh, his army, his chariots and horsemen. The Egyptians will know that I am YHVH when I gain glory for Myself at the cost of Pharaoh and his army!”

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Friday, 21 July 2023 : 15th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Lawrence of Brindisi, Priest and Doctor of the Church (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Priests)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we listened to the words of the Scriptures in which we are all told of the story of the Passover in Egypt, the very first time it was celebrated in that land, where the Israelites, the people of God were being liberated from their slavery. We then also heard of how the Lord instructed His people to eat the Feast of the Passover, by preparing the unblemished lamb for the sacrifice and for the meal, and related to the words of the Lord in our Gospel passage today, in which He chastised the Pharisees who were criticising Him and His disciples for having picked the grains of wheat on the Sabbath day, a day that was considered sacrosanct and holy for the people of God. Through all of these we are reminded that we have to appreciate and understand what it truly means for us to follow and obey the Lord, that with our hearts and not only with our intellect.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of Exodus we heard of the moment when the Israelites were instructed by God to prepare for their very first Passover in the land of Egypt, after God had sent nine great Plagues upon Egypt and its people because of the stubbornness and refusal of the Pharaoh to let the people of Israel go free and continue to enslave them. The Lord was about to send His tenth and greatest Plague, which would see the death and destruction of all the firstborn sons of the Egyptians, while those of the Israelites were spared from the same death and destruction, just as the Lord had protected them all from the devastations of the earlier nine Plagues that affected only the Egyptians who had refused to listen to God and rejected the will of God Who demanded that they should free His beloved people.

The Lord therefore prepared His people for the final Plague, by which He would lead them all out of the land of Egypt, in which they were to prepare and slaughter an unblemished lamb, which they would eat on the night of the Passover, during the very night when God’s final Plague would visit Egypt. That night, God sent His Angels to rend the whole land of Egypt with death, destroying the firstborn sons of the Egyptians, but God’s people were spared because they have marked their houses with the blood of the unblemished Passover lamb. That is exactly the meaning of the word Passover, that is the people of God had been ‘passed over’ from death, and brought out free from their state of slavery into freedom and new life, as God brought them into the land which He has promised to them and their ancestors.

And in case we do not realise or fully appreciate it, this is a prefigurement of what the Lord will do with all of us and also what He had done, as He sent us all His Son, Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, just as He has sent Moses to the Israelites, so that through His Son, He might proclaim His saving grace and the desire to see all of us freed and liberated from our enslavement to sin and evil. God has gathered all of us to Himself, and called on us to follow Him, and by sending to us His Son, He has also given us the perfect means to our salvation, that as the Paschal Lamb, the Lamb of God, Christ has obediently embraced His role, in being the Mediator of the New Covenant, together with being our Eternal High Priest, in offering Himself as the perfect and worthy offering for the atonement of our many sins and wickedness.

Just as the Israelites had been delivered from the Egyptians by the hand of God, and marked by the blood of the unblemished lamb, to be spared from the death and destruction, and as mark of the Covenant that God would establish with them, thus, all of us in a similar way, had been marked by the Most Precious Blood of the Lord, freely outpoured and given for us. Christ Himself has willingly offered Himself to be slaughtered and slain, on the Altar of His Cross, and through Him, all of us who believe in Him and partake in the Most Holy Eucharist, receiving His own Most Precious Body and Blood, has become part of the New and Eternal Covenant which God has established with each and every one of us, by which all of us have been assured salvation and grace. Just like in the past, God having rescued His people Israel, thus He has now endeavoured to save all of us from eternal death because of our sins.

This is what the Lord has always intended with us, out of His ever present and most generous love, overflowing from Him and unto each and every one of us. All of His Law and commandments have always been intended with the purpose of guiding us all to Him and to show us the way to righteousness and how we can love Him better through our way of life and actions. Each and every one of us are blessed to have been so beloved by God, and today’s Gospel passage reminds us yet again of this fact. The reason why the Lord criticised the Pharisees for their uncharitable comment and criticism was because they failed to understand the true meaning and purpose of the Law of the Sabbath. The Sabbath day was meant by the Lord to be a day dedicated to the Lord, so that amidst their busy lives and schedules, God’s people may find some time to reconnect with Him and keep themselves focused on Him. But this does not mean that it must be taken so literally like what was done by the Pharisees, who forbid any kind of activities or actions on the Sabbath, even when it is for the common good and benefit of man.

Today, that is why we are reminded again that we should be truly faithful to God and be filled with love for Him as always. We should do our best so that in all things, we will continue to grow ever stronger in faith and love for the Lord, in our commitment and dedication to Him, as His beloved people. That is why today we all should also model ourselves upon the good and inspiring examples set by St. Lawrence of Brindisi, a great servant of God whose life and commitment to Him can inspire us in how we all also should live our own lives, with faith. St. Lawrence of Brindisi was a priest and member of the Capuchin religious order, remembered for his piety and fluency in many languages, who had also fought in part of a conflict and war against the forces of the oppressors of the Church, according to tradition, being armed with only a crucifix. He committed his whole life to serve the Lord, in ministering his fellow Capuchin brothers and sisters as its vicar general and highest office holder, among other works among the people of God, right up to his last days.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, can we follow the great examples of St. Lawrence of Brindisi and discern carefully how we can carry out our lives ever more worthily for the sake of the Lord? Can we listen to the Lord, obey His Law and commandments more and more, growing in our love and faith in Him, remembering ever always just how great His love is for us, that He did so much for us, on our behalf, in order to deliver us from destruction due to sin and death. May the Lord, our most loving God, be with us all His Church, that we may always be faithful to Him at all times. Amen.

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Friday, 21 July 2023 : 15th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Lawrence of Brindisi, Priest and Doctor of the Church (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Priests)

Matthew 12 : 1-8

At that time, it happened that, Jesus walking through the wheat fields on a Sabbath. His disciples were hungry; and they began to pick some heads of wheat, to crush and to eat the grain. When the Pharisees noticed this, they said to Jesus, “Look at Your disciples! They are doing what is prohibited on the Sabbath!”

Jesus answered, “Have you not read what David did, when he and his men were hungry? He went into the House of God, and they ate the bread offered to God, though neither he nor his men had the right to eat it, but only the priests. And have you not read in the law, how, on the Sabbath, the priests in the Temple desecrate the Sabbath, yet they are not guilty?”

“I tell you, there is greater than the Temple here. If you really knew the meaning of the words : It is mercy I want, not sacrifice, you would not have condemned the innocent. Besides, the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”