holy saints of God

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Thursday, 28 April 2016 : Fifth Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Peter Chanel, Priest and Martyr, and St. Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort, Priest (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White or Red (Martyrs)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we heard first about the contention present in the body of the faithful, the assembly of the Church of God in Jerusalem, which were divided in their opinions and decisions with regards to the admission of the non-Jews or also known as the Gentiles into the Church. They disagreed with what kind of laws that the Gentiles had to obey as a member of the Church.

There were those who were among the Pharisees who believed in Jesus, those who put particular attention to the strict and unbending interpretation of the Law of God, and to be more precise, the laws of Moses, as passed down through the many generations, and modified through those same many generations. And these Pharisee Christians refused to let the Gentiles to be believers unless they obeyed the entirety of the laws of Moses.

According to one account, there were over six hundred and thirteen laws present in the entirety of the Jewish law as passed down through the generations from the time of Moses, and many of these involved numerous customs pertinent and unique to the Jews, but might not be applicable or suitable for others who were not counted or belonging to the Jewish race.

And to demand those non-Jewish people who wanted to believe in Jesus, and indeed they had believed in Jesus with all their hearts, would mean difficulties and challenges for them, as for these Greeks, Romans and others who lived in the cosmopolitan and diverse Roman Empire, to follow entirely the ways of the Jews as it was at the time of Jesus would likely mean estrangement and trouble between these faithful ones and their respective communities.

In the end, it may indeed become a serious obstacle and hindrance for the works of evangelisation, as it would have kept many people who believed in the Lord, from making a commitment to the faith, as some of them might not be sure of the sacrifices they needed to make by becoming a disciple of Jesus. And in the end, such efforts would be counter-productive, turning people away from salvation rather than welcoming them into it.

Thus, an important lesson for all of us is that, while at times we may be fussy about certain things, but in the matter of the works of salvation, we should not make it difficult for people to believe in the Lord. But on the contrary, at the same time, the Apostles also made it clear that, the Gentiles who wanted to believe in Jesus and became members of the Church must believe in the basic tenets and obey the basic laws of the Church.

So this does not mean that any important teachings of the faith should be compromised, but instead, all those who profess the faith in God must all obey the Law and commandments of love as taught by the Lord to us through His Apostles and His Church. They must not engage in wicked and vile acts contrary to the Lord’s will and ways, and they must devote themselves to the way of righteousness.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, in this matter, we can imitate the examples of the two great and holy men, holy saints whose feast we are celebrating today. St. Peter Chanel and St. Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort were both renowned for their holy lives and exemplary attitudes, which all of us should follow as well. St. Peter Chanel was a missionary to the far regions of Oceania, who was martyred in the midst of his works, while St. Louis Marie de Montfort was the famous founder of the religious order of the Montfortians.

St. Peter Chanel was a person who lived his life with great zeal, and ever since a young age, he has desired to be the servant of the Lord’s will, carrying out His truth and words to those who have not yet heard of it. He was renowned for his hard work in caring for the sick and the less fortunate in his community and parish. He joined the Society of Mary at a young age, and went forth as a missionary, being sent to the southern Pacific islands, specifically to the island of Futuna.

He preached to the natives there about the Lord Jesus and worked hard to turn their hearts to God. Despite the challenges with language barrier and opposition from the natives, especially from the elites, St. Peter Chanel was able to convert a sizeable number of people and brought them as the foundation of the Church. When St. Peter Chanel managed to convert even the crown prince of the kingdom, the king feared that he would lose his influence, and thus sent one of his warriors to kill St. Peter Chanel.

And in the end, although St. Peter Chanel was martyred in the midst of his holy works, but the king himself who ordered the death of this holy saint repented his deeds and became a Christian himself. And his many works allowed many souls who would have otherwise been lost to be saved. Meanwhile, St. Louis Marie de Montfort also did a great work, particularly renowned in his devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, furthering the devotion to Mary and in the fields of Mariology.

St. Louis Marie de Montfort joined the priesthood and served among the people, serving those who were poor and less fortunate, and he also became a famous preacher, renowned for his passionate speeches and sermons. He wanted to go forth to preach in mission areas, but he was advised against it. Instead, he eventually established the community and society of religious life known now as the Montfortians, also known as the Company of Mary.

St. Louis Marie de Montfort never stopped doing good works for the sake of the people of God. Through prayers, good and inspiring words of truth, and through loving care of the body and soul, he and his followers helped to bring many people to the Lord, and helped sinners to return to the Lord and to repent from all of their sins. Thus, we can see here clearly, how the two saints we celebrate today, have such great examples we can follow.

Let us all devote ourselves to the Lord, brothers and sisters in Christ, and do our best to help one another to reach out to the Lord. Definitely we must not close the doors of salvation to those who seek it, and instead, welcome them and bring them closer to God. However, let us also remember that we should not compromise on the matter of faith, and make sure that each and every one of us in the Church obey God’s commandments of love. God bless us all. Amen.

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Thursday, 28 April 2016 : Fifth Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Peter Chanel, Priest and Martyr, and St. Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort, Priest (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White or Red (Martyrs)

John 15 : 9-11

At that time, Jesus spoke to His disciples at the Last Supper, “As the Father has loved Me, so I have loved you. Remain in My love! You will remain in My love if you keep My commandments, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and remain in His love.”

“I have told you all this, that My own joy may be in you, and your joy may be complete.”

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Thursday, 28 April 2016 : Fifth Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Peter Chanel, Priest and Martyr, and St. Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort, Priest (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White or Red (Martyrs)

Psalm 95 : 1-2a, 2b-3, 10

Sing to the Lord a new song, sing to the Lord, all the earth! Sing to the Lord, bless His Name.

Proclaim His salvation day after day. Recall His glory among the nations, tell all the peoples His wonderful deeds.

Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns!” He will judge the peoples with justice.

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Thursday, 28 April 2016 : Fifth Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Peter Chanel, Priest and Martyr, and St. Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort, Priest (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White or Red (Martyrs)

Acts 15 : 7-21

As the discussions became heated, Peter stood up and said to them, “Brothers, you know that from the beginning God chose me from among you so that non-Jews could hear the Good News from me and believe. God, Who can read hearts, put Himself on their side by giving the Holy Spirit to them just as He did to us. He made no distinction between us and them and cleansed their hearts through faith.”

“So why do you want to put God to the test? Why do you lay on the disciples a burden that neither our ancestors nor we ourselves were able to carry? We believe, indeed, that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they are.”

The whole assembly kept silent as they listened to Paul and Barnabas tell of all the miraculous signs and wonders that God had done through them among the non-Jews. After they had finished, James spoke up, “Listen to me, brothers. Symeon has just explained how God first showed His care by taking a people for Himself from non-Jewish nations. And the words of the prophets agree with this.”

“For Scripture says, ‘After this I will return and rebuild the booth of David which has fallen; I will rebuild its ruins and set it up again. Then the rest of humanity will look for the Lord, and all the nations will be consecrated to My Name.’ So says the Lord, Who does today what He decided from the beginning.”

“Because of this, I think that we should not make difficulties for those non-Jews who are turning to God. Let us just tell them not to eat food that is unclean from having been offered to idols; to keep themselves from prohibited marriages; and not to eat the flesh of animals that have been strangled, or any blood.”

“For from the earliest times Moses has been taught in every place, and every Sabbath his laws are recalled.”

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Tuesday, 26 April 2016 : Fifth Week of Easter (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 144 : 10-11, 12-13ab, 21

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.

Let my mouth speak in praise of the Lord, let every creature bless His Holy Name, forever and ever.

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Sunday, 10 April 2016 : Third Sunday of Easter (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 29 : 2 and 4, 5-6, 11-12a and 13b

I extol You, o Lord, for You have rescued me; my enemies will not gloat over me. O Lord, You have brought me up from the grave, You gave me life when I was going to the pit.

Sing to the Lord, o You His saints, give thanks and praise to His holy Name. For His anger lasts but a little while, and His kindness all through life. Weeping may tarry for the night, but rejoicing comes with the dawn.

Hear, o Lord, and have mercy on me; o Lord, be my Protector. But now, You have turned my mourning into rejoicing; O Lord, my God, forever will I give You thanks.

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Tuesday, 5 April 2016 : Second Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Vincent Ferrer, Priest (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we continue the celebration of the joyful season of Easter by listening to the words of the Scripture which tells us first about the community of the first Christians in the early Church, as told by the Acts of the Apostles, how they lived in great harmony and love, filled with care and compassion for one another, and having left behind worldly concerns, they were living righteously and justly.

And in the Gospel we heard the conversation between Jesus our Lord and the faithful Pharisee, Nicodemus, one of the few righteous to be counted among them, as he was willing to open his ears, his mind and his heart to the word of God spoken through Jesus. That was why he met Him, albeit secretly during the time of night, and discussed with our Lord about the things which He had spoken to the people of God in His teachings.

And Jesus spoke of the need of the faithful to receive a new birth in Him, to be born again in the Spirit. And He also mentioned how the teachers spoke of the things they have witnessed and which they have learnt and known, and thus He, as the great Teacher of all, spoke of the things which He knew about, that is things on earth and in heaven.

But many among the people, especially the Pharisees, the teachers of the Law and the elders refused to listen to Him, save for Nicodemus, when He spoke to them. They closed their ears, minds and hearts to the words of truth that our Lord is delivering to them. And as a result, that was why they had no part in the salvation which God is bringing upon His people through Jesus and His loving sacrifice. For all those who refused to believe in God and in the One Whom He sent, has no share in the eternal life.

The Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, the elders of Israel and the members of the priestly class were all concerned mostly about their own needs, wants and desires. They were concerned and worried about their own social standings and status in the society, as they were very highly respected and regarded among the people of Israel at that time. And they viewed Jesus as a rival to their teaching authority and their position.

Each was concerned about his or her own needs and wants, and that is the hallmark and the common thing about our own society today. Our selfishness is the obstacle which prevented us from truly being able to reach out to the Lord and to attain salvation in our God. It is just the same as the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, and if we ask ourselves, and reflect on our own actions, we should see how we too are acting in a similar manner to those who have refused our Lord and rejected Him.

We should look at the examples of the first Christians and how they have lived together in great harmony. We should model our own actions and life after their exemplary actions, and seek not to just think about ourselves and satisfy our own selfish needs and wants alone, but to also be able to empathise and to think of the needs of others around us, especially if they need those even just in order to be able to survive on and continue living.

Today we also celebrate the feast of a holy priest of God, a saint, St. Vincent Ferrer, who was a Dominican friar living during the time of the ending of the Medieval Era in Europe about more than six centuries ago. From his youth he has spent his life in the service of God, joining the religious order at a young age, and resisting the temptations to do otherwise, he continued to become a great priest and a great missionary.

He preached in many places, and taught countless peoples about the faith. Through what he has done, and many people found the true faith through him and through his work, because he abandoned behind ways of this world, selfishness and all the desires of the flesh, and instead gave himself, in the same manner of life as the early Christians, to the service of God and to His people.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, we can do the same as well in our own lives. We are all called to be good brothers and sisters to one another, and to live in the same manner as those first Christians had lived. It does not mean that we have to literally sell everything we have and share all our goods with one another, but certainly we can begin by rejecting our own selfishness, our selfish attitudes and open ourselves to love one another and to bring God’s love to His people.

Let us all help one another and live in love, and may God’s blessing shine ever more on His beloved ones. Let us commit ourselves anew to the life blessed and graced by God’s love. Amen.

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Tuesday, 5 April 2016 : Second Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Vincent Ferrer, Priest (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

John 3 : 7b-15

At that time, Jesus said to Nicodemus, “You must be born again from above. The wind blows where it pleases and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it is going. It is like that with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

Nicodemus asked again, “How can this be?” And Jesus answered, “You are a teacher in Israel, and you do not know these things! Truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know and we witness to the things we have seen, but you do not accept our testimony. If you do not believe them when I speak of earthly things, what then, when I speak to you of heavenly things?”

“No one has ever gone up to heaven except the One Who came from heaven, the Son of Man. As Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that whoever believes in Him may have eternal life.”

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Tuesday, 5 April 2016 : Second Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Vincent Ferrer, Priest (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 92 : 1ab, 1c-2, 5

The Lord reigns, robed in majesty; the Lord is girded with strength.

The world now is firm, it cannot be moved. Your throne stands from long ago, o Lord, from all eternity You are.

Your decrees can be trusted, holiness dwells in Your house day after day without end, o Lord.

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Tuesday, 5 April 2016 : Second Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Vincent Ferrer, Priest (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Acts 4 : 32-37

The whole community of believers was one in heart and mind. No one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but rather they shared all things in common. With great power the Apostles bore witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, for all of them were living in an exceptional time of grace.

There was no needy person among them, for those who owned land or houses, sold them and brought the proceeds of the sale. And they laid it at the feet of the Apostles who distributed it according to each one’s need.

This is what a certain Joseph did. He was a Levite from Cyprus, whom the Apostles called Barnabas, meaning : “The encouraging one.” He sold a field which he owned and handed the money to the Apostles.