holy priests

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Wednesday, 25 August 2021 : 21st Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Louis, and St. Joseph Calasanz, Priest (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Saints and Priests)

Matthew 23 : 27-32

At that time, Jesus said to the people and to His disciples, “Woe to you, teachers of the Law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, beautiful in appearance; but, inside, there are only dead bones and uncleanness. In the same way, you appear religious to others, but you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness within.”

“Woe to you, teachers of the Law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets, and decorate the monuments of the righteous. You say : Had we lived in the time of our ancestors, we would not have joined them in shedding the blood of the prophets. So, you, yourselves, confess to be the descendants of those who murdered the prophets.”

“And now, finish off what your ancestors began!”

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Wednesday, 25 August 2021 : 21st Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Louis, and St. Joseph Calasanz, Priest (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Saints and Priests)

Psalm 138 : 7-8, 9-10, 11-12ab

Where else could I go from Your Spirit? Where could I flee from Your presence? You are there, if I ascend the heavens; You are there, if I descend to the depths.

If I ride on the wings of the dawn, and settle on the far side of the sea, even there, Your hand shall guide me, and Your right hand shall hold me safely.

Shall I say, “Let darkness hide me, I prefer the night as my light?” But darkness, for You, is not dark.

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Wednesday, 25 August 2021 : 21st Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Louis, and St. Joseph Calasanz, Priest (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Saints and Priests)

1 Thessalonians 2 : 9-13

Remember our labour and toil; when we preached the Gospel, we worked day and night, so as not to be a burden to you. You are witnesses, with God, that we are holy, just and blameless toward all of you who now believe. We warned each of you, as a father warns his children; we encouraged you, and urged you to adopt a way of life worthy of God, Who calls you to share His own glory and kingdom.

This is why we never cease giving thanks to God for, on receiving our message, you accepted it, not as human teaching, but as the word of God. That is what it really is, and, as such, it is at work in you who believe.

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Thursday, 19 August 2021 : 20th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. John Eudes, Priest (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Priests)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, we are called to listen to the Lord and His words, and to trust in Him, that we may follow Him wholeheartedly, and doubt no longer but believe. We have to welcome the Lord into our hearts and devote ourselves to Him in all things. Without genuine love and commitment to the Lord, we may be easily swayed by worldly temptations and many other obstacles by which the devil has attempted to mislead and misguide us, through lies and false pleasures in life.

In our first reading today, we heard of the account of one of the Judge of Israel, namely Jephthah, who made vow before the Lord that if he could defeat the Ammonites, he would offer sacrifices to the Lord whatever it was that would cross the lintels of his door. Little did he know that his own daughter would be the one crossing the threshold of the door. Jephthah, having made the vow before God could not go back on his words and had to do as he had vowed to do. And it is a lesson for all of us as well, brothers and sisters in Christ.

How is that so? That is because we are all reminded not to doubt in the Lord’s providence. Jephthah, while believing in God, he was also filled with doubt as he made such a vow as he did not fully trust the Lord’s providence. The key phrase is that ‘If You make me victorious, I shall sacrifice to You whoever first comes out of my house to meet me when I return from battle. He shall be for YHVH and I shall offer him up through the fire.’ And all these, shows us that Jephthah have not yet fully given his trust to the Lord, that if God gave him his victory then he would offer Him a sacrifice.

God has no need for sacrifices, and He has no need for anything, as after all, is He not the Almighty Lord and Master of all creation? The Lord has everything and is in no need for anything, and He instead provides everything that we need, just as our Gospel passage today highlighted it even further through the parable of the wedding banquet and the wedding garment. God cared for His people, and the master of the wedding banquet, the king depicted in the parable, represents God.

The king invited all his guests to come freely and enjoy his wedding banquet, showing just how much he loved them all and how precious they were. For one to be invited to a king’s banquet, one must have thought that those who were invited have enjoyed such great favour and honour, and yet, as we heard from the parable, the people who were invited refused to come and to listen to the king’s call. They feigned ignorance and busy schedules to refuse the king despite the rich and great honour for them in receiving his invitation.

The king then invited and sought out all the people from all other places, from the streets and elsewhere, to come to his wedding banquet, and many people were indeed gathered and attended that wedding banquet in joy. But one of those who had been brought in did not wear the required wedding garment, and then refused to answer the king’s question when he was asked regarding his lack of proper wear, which resulted in him being cast out.

What we have just heard from that parable is a reminder to all of us that God has provided wonderfully for us, but what is lamentable is our lack of faith and trust in Him. We have not loved Him as much as He has loved us, and we have ignored Him when He called for us to come to Him. Instead, we preferred to linger in our own desires and walk in our own paths, in disobedience against God. We refused to trust in Him even after He has shown us repeatedly His love and dedication.

That is why today, we should spend some time to reflect on our attitude and actions. Have we been truly faithful to God and loved Him as we should have? These are the questions we should ask ourselves now. And today, we should also spend some time to reflect on the examples of our holy predecessors, that can serve as a source of inspiration and as guide on what we can do as Christians to follow the Lord and to obey Him in our daily living.

Today we celebrate the feast of St. John Eudes, a most devout and dedicated servant of God, a holy priest and founder of two great religious orders, the Order of Our Lady of Charity and the Congregation of Jesus and Mary, the latter of which was also known as the Eudists after their founder. He was renowned for his great piety and sanctity, as well as his great love for both God and his fellow men and women, spending a lot of time and effort to reach out to his fellow brethren.

Through his works among the people, and his particular concern for those who had led a wretched lifestyle such as prostitutes, he helped them by establishing the Order of Our Lady of Charity as mentioned to gather those who sought to provide refuge and help to prostitutes who had been caught in unfortunate situations, and helping them at the same time to overcome their issues. And through the Eudists, he also helped to advance proper education and formation of priests and missionaries among other magnificent works.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, through the good examples set by St. John Eudes, as well as the many other holy men and women of God, let us all therefore do our very best to follow their examples, to rediscover the love which we all should have for the Lord, and be ever more faithful in our daily lives. Let us all strive to do our best, to be ever more committed to God and to be His ever more dedicated disciples in our respective communities today.

May the Lord be with us always, and may He strengthen each and every one of us in our faith, that we may draw strength from Him and persevere through the challenges of life, and resist the temptations of evil and of our human desires. May God bless us all, now and always, in our every good efforts and endeavours. Amen.

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Thursday, 19 August 2021 : 20th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. John Eudes, Priest (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Priests)

Matthew 22 : 1-14

At that time, Jesus continued speaking to the people in parables : “This story throws light on the kingdom of heaven : A king gave a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his servants to call the invited guests to the banquet, but the guests refused to come.”

“Again, He sent other servants, instructing them to say to the invited guests, ‘I have prepared a banquet, slaughtered my fattened calves and other animals, and now, everything is ready. Come to the wedding!’ But they paid no attention and went away, some to their farms, and some to their work. Others seized the servants of the king, insulted them and killed them.”

“The king was furious. He sent his troops to destroy those murderers and burn their city. Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is prepared, but the invited guests were not worthy. Go instead to the main streets, and invite everyone you find to the wedding feast.'”

“The servants went out into the streets and gathered all they found, good and bad alike, so that the hall was filled with guests. The king came in to see the wedding guests, and he noticed a man not wearing a wedding garment. So he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in without the wedding clothes?'”

“But the man remained silent. So the king said to his servants, ‘Bind his hands and feet and throw him into the outer darkness, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ For many are called, but few are chosen.”

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Thursday, 19 August 2021 : 20th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. John Eudes, Priest (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Priests)

Psalm 39 : 5, 7-8a, 8b-9, 10

Blessed is the one who relies on YHVH and does not look to the proud, nor go astray after false gods.

Sacrifice and oblation You did not desire; this, You had me understand. Burnt offering and sin offering You do not require. Then I said, “Here I come!”

“As the scroll says of me. To do Your will is my delight, o God, for Your Law is within my heart.”

In the great assembly I have proclaimed Your saving help. My lips, o YHVH, I did not seal – You know that very well.

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Thursday, 19 August 2021 : 20th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. John Eudes, Priest (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Priests)

Judges 11 : 29-39a

The Spirit of YHVH came upon Jephthah. He went through Gilead and Manasseh, passed through Mizpah of Gilead, and then entered the territory of the Ammonites.

Jephthah made a vow to YHVH : “If You make me victorious, I shall sacrifice to You whoever first comes out of my house to meet me when I return from battle. He shall be for YHVH and I shall offer him up through the fire.”

Jephthah crossed the territory of the Ammonites to fight against them, and YHVH gave him victory. He pursued them from the city of Aroer to the entrance of Minnith and Abel Keramim, seizing twenty towns. So he defeated the Ammonites.

When Jephthah returned home to Mizpah, his daughter came out to meet him. She was so happy to see her father that she danced to the sound of her tambourine. She was an only child; besides her he had no other daughter or son. When Jephthah saw her, he tore his clothes and cried out, “My daughter, you have shattered me; you have brought me misfortune. For I have made a foolish vow to YHVH. And now I cannot take it back.”

She answered him, “Father, even if you have made such a foolish vow, you have to do to me just as you promised, for YHVH has avenged you and crushed your enemies. I only beg of you to give me two months to live with my companions in the mountains. There I shall lament because I will never marry.”

Jephthah said to her, “Go then.” And he sent her away for two months. She and her companions went to the mountains and wept because she would never marry. At the end of two months, she returned to her father and he fulfilled the vow he had made.

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Saturday, 14 August 2021 : 19th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Maximilian Kolbe, Priest and Martyr (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scripture all of us are called to come to the Lord with faith, and dedicate ourselves to Him to the best of our abilities, as we ought to put our trust and faith in Him, and commit ourselves wholeheartedly to His cause, as He has made it clear through the Scripture readings we have received this day. The Lord wants to remind us that He has always been with us and been committed to the Covenant He has made with each and every one of us, and we should therefore commit ourselves to Him in the same way too.

In our first reading today, we heard of the continuation of Joshua’s exhortation to all the Israelites and their representatives, for them to remain faithful to God and to commit themselves to His cause, as His chosen people and as a people whom God had blessed. Joshua was at the end of his life, and knowing this fact, he gathered all the Israelites to remind all of them, especially those who had not seen firsthand the great wonders that God had done in liberating them from the hands of the Egyptians and their Pharaoh, and those who had not seen the love and compassion by which God cared for His people during their journey in the desert for forty years.

That is because those who have not seen the Lord and His deeds might not know Him and they might then be persuaded to abandon Him and reject Him for other idols and gods. Even their forefathers who had witnessed the Lord’s might and power firsthand had repeatedly disobeyed Him and abandoned Him, as they were tempted and swayed by their desires and their physical demands and needs. They were pulled away by their sins, and many fell into rebellion against God by that means.

Many among those descendants, including the same ones we have heard in our first reading today as those who swore and promised to be faithful to God, also fell into disobedience and sin against God. They promised that they would obey the Lord and follow Him, and still they fell. Why is that so? Again it was because of the temptations of worldly desires that are so difficult to overcome and which are the source of so many disobedience attitudes against God.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard the Lord speaking to His disciples as they were annoyed when there were many children who came seeking the Lord Jesus, as they were pushing those children away from Him. He told them to let the children to come to Him, and reminding them that those who welcome the children will also welcome Him into their midst. If they reject the children, then that means, they also reject Him.

Why is it important that we take note of the Lord’s love and welcome for the children to come to Him? That is because we have to take note that the faith and love that a child has for the Lord is truly genuine and strong, and not burdened by the trap of human desires and by the temptations of worldly glory, fame or any other things that usually kept us all apart from God. Their love and dedication are pure, as a child’s mind and heart are still pure and unburdened by emotions or worldly things, unlike that of us.

That is why we should also seek to be faithful to the Lord in the manner of the children, to love Him sincerely and wholeheartedly as we should, that we may indeed grow ever closer to Him as much as possible. This is what we should aspire to do, and what we are all called to be, as good and faithful Christians in all things, to love God above all else, and to be loving and selfless towards our fellow brothers and sisters, our neighbours and even strangers we encounter in life.

Today, we should therefore seek to follow the examples of the famous St. Maximilian Kolbe, whose feast we are celebrating this very day. He was a martyr of the faith and the upright and devout servant of God who passed on just less than a century ago, during the harsh times of the Second World War, and as part of the NAZI genocide and crime against humanity. He was a Polish priest, renowned for his missionary activities and steadfast faith, who went on mission for many years to the Far East, in Japan and other parts of the world.

St. Maximilian Kolbe was also remembered for establishing the publication and evangelisation movement, ‘Militia of the Immaculata’, which gained a large following and served to remind the people of God to turn towards God and to reach out to their fellow brethren, spreading the words of God by dedication through faith to God, in personal holiness and commitment in actions, and by devotion to the Mother of God, the Blessed Virgin Mary, which St. Maximilian Kolbe had a strong devotion for.

And then, later on, as he returned to Poland, and the Second World War began, St. Maximilian Kolbe still did his best to minister to the people of God even through the many challenges and sufferings of war. As the Church and his publications were critical of the crimes and the terrors caused by the NAZI regime, St. Maximilian Kolbe was eventually arrested and put into prison, and eventually ended up in the infamous Auschwitz concentration camp.

In the occasion that made him well remembered, St. Maximilian Kolbe offered himself in exchange of a man who was to be executed for having attempted to escape from Auschwitz and failed. He begged the camp commandant, and was allowed to take over the man’s position, when he saw how the man was deeply sorrowful and mentioned how he had a family, a wife and a son. St. Maximilian Kolbe voluntarily gave himself to be executed, and while waiting for the execution, he was remembered to have encouraged his fellow inmates even in the depressing situation in the concentration camp.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, the examples set by St. Maximilian Kolbe should inspire all of us to be more genuine in our faith and commitment towards the Lord, and to dedicate our love and effort towards one another, especially the less fortunate and those who suffer. While we ourselves may be suffering, let us also remember that others may be suffering even more than us, and may not be as fortunate as us. That is why all of us should imitate the good examples of our holy predecessor and the many other good inspirations, that we too may be like them in our lives and actions.

May God be with us all, and may He strengthen each and every one of us with the resolve and conviction to live our lives as virtuous Christians, wholly committed in all things to serve Him and to be exemplary in our faith, to all men and to the whole world. May God bless us all in our endeavours, now and always. Amen.

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Saturday, 14 August 2021 : 19th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Maximilian Kolbe, Priest and Martyr (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Matthew 19 : 13-15

At that time, little children were brought to Jesus, that He might lay His hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples scolded those who brought them. Jesus then said, “Let the children be! Do not hinder them from coming to Me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to those who are humble, like these children.”

Jesus laid His hands on them and went away.

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Saturday, 14 August 2021 : 19th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Maximilian Kolbe, Priest and Martyr (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Psalm 15 : 1-2a and 5, 7-8, 11

Keep me safe, o God, for in You I take refuge. I say to YHVH, “O YHVH, my inheritance and my cup, my chosen portion – hold secure my lot.”

I praise YHVH Who counsels me; even at night, my inmost self instructs me. I keep YHVH always before me; for with Him at my right hand, I will never be shaken.

You will show me the path of life, in Your presence, the fullness of joy, at Your right hand, happiness forever.