holy saints of God

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Sunday, 9 October 2016 : 28th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Denis, Bishop and Companions, Martyrs, and St. John Leonardi, Priest (Second Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green
2 Timothy 2 : 8-13

Remember Christ Jesus, risen from the dead, Jesus, Son of David, as preached in my Gospel. For this Gospel I labour and even wear chains like an evildoer, but the word of God is not chained. And so I bear everything for the sake of the chosen people, that they, too, may obtain the salvation given to us in Christ Jesus and share eternal glory.

This statement is true : If we have died with Him, we shall also live with Him; if we endure with Him, we shall reign with Him; if we deny Him, He will also deny us. If we are unfaithful, He remains faithful for He cannot deny Himself.

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Sunday, 9 October 2016 : 28th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Denis, Bishop and Companions, Martyrs, and St. John Leonardi, Priest (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green
Psalm 97 : 1, 2-3ab, 3cd-4

Sing to the Lord a new song, for He has done wonders; His right hand, His holy arm, has won victory for Him.

The Lord has shown His salvation, revealing His justice to the nations. He has not forgotten His love nor His faithfulness to Israel.

The farthest ends of the earth all have seen God’s saving power. All you lands, make a joyful noise to the Lord, break into song and sing praise.

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Sunday, 9 October 2016 : 28th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Denis, Bishop and Companions, Martyrs, and St. John Leonardi, Priest (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green
2 Kings 5 : 14-17

So Naaman went down to the Jordan where he washed himself seven times as Elisha had ordered. His skin became soft like that of a child and he was cleansed. Then Naaman returned to the man of God with all his men. He entered and said to him, “Now I know that there is no other God anywhere in the world but in Israel. I ask you to accept these gifts from your servant.”

But Elisha answered, “I swear by YHVH Whom I serve, I will accept nothing.” And however much Naaman insisted, Elisha would not accept his gifts. So Naaman told him, “Since you refuse, let me get some sacks of soil from your land – the amount that two mules can carry. I shall use it to build an altar to YHVH, for I shall not offer sacrifices to any other god but Him.”

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Thursday, 6 October 2016 : 27th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Bruno, Priest (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Priests)
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the Holy Scriptures we are presented with the image of God as a Father, and indeed as our Father. He is the One Who created us all out of love, and we are all His beloved children, each of whom He knew personally. He knows us all by name, and He knows all that we are, everything inside our hearts and minds.

And the point that the readings today want to bring across to each and every one of us is that, if we all who belong to the Lord have been considered as His children, then God Who is the perfect and good Father will know what we need, and He will take very good care of us, and we have nothing to worry about in this life, for He will show us the way, and we need only to follow Him.

Unfortunately, in reality, many of us are often distracted on our way, and therefore we end up falling and failing to achieve our goal that is to follow the Lord our God. We are often unable to restrain ourselves, our human and worldly desires, that Satan and all of his allies are able to come in and persuade us to do things that keep us away from the salvation in God.

The temptations and persuasions of this world are strong, and day after day, we should know just how much we have to work in order to resist these and turn towards God our Father. Many of us do not know and are not aware that God had been blessing us all these while, giving us what we need and caring for us. First of all, this very life is a gift from Him, and our friends, relatives and acquaintances are also His gifts, and through these people, God exercised His works and helped us often without us realising it.

He is our Father, and if fathers know how to take care of their children, then certainly God above all knows how to do so. For those of us who have children ourselves, we realise that a child often asks for many things, and are often curious about many things. Sometimes if they did not get what they wanted, they would then throw tantrum, become angry, kicking and crying, insisting that they wanted what they desired.

But then how do we as parents handle these children of ours then? Do we immediately give in to all of their demands? Well, many parents do so. They gave in to all of their children’s demands, and as a result, they spoilt their children. The children became accustomed to have people submitting to what they wanted, and therefore grew up to become people who are conceited and lacking in self-restraint.

Let us all look at ourselves, we are like those children. From our own actions, many of us when we do not get what we want, we become angry and try our best to get what we want regardless the cost. But God does not want us to grow up to be like this. And that is why He chastises us and punishes us whenever we err and make mistakes, so that we may learn from them and not fall into the temptations of sin and thus fall away from His grace.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day let us all grow ever closer to the Lord our God and Father, and let us all understand that God wants the best from us, and thus from time to time, He has chastised us so that we may learn very important lessons in this life, that we may remain ever faithful and true to Him. And today, we also can learn from the examples of St. Bruno, the faithful servant of God, a holy and devoted priest who have given his life in service to God and to His people.

St. Bruno was a great evangeliser, a missionary who went forth to preach the Good News of God among the many peoples in the lands now known as France, Germany and beyond, where he visited communities and places, one after another preaching about God, and teaching many others about the faith, revealing to them the truth about His love for us all mankind.

St. Bruno was simple and humble, refusing to be appointed bishop when the opportunity arose, and even when many recommended him to be made one. He went forth in many places to declare the goodness of God, inspiring many people to follow his examples and teachings, helping many souls to find their way back to the Lord, as well as brokering peace between rival factions in the Church at that time.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore seek to follow their examples, the examples of St. Bruno and all the other holy saints of God. May God be our guide as well, and may He, our Father and Leader, help us to find our way in this world, that we may not be lost amidst the temptations, challenges and persuasions of this world. May He remain with us and fill with always with His grace. Amen.

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Thursday, 6 October 2016 : 27th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Bruno, Priest (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Priests)
Luke 11 : 5-13

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “Suppose one of you has a friend, and goes to his house in the middle of the night and says, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves, for a friend of mine who is travelling has just arrived, and I have nothing to offer him.'”

“Maybe your friend will answer from inside, ‘Do not bother me now; the door is locked, and my children and I are in bed, so I cannot get up and give you anything.’ But I tell you, even though he will not get up and attend to you because you are a friend, yet he will get up because you are a bother to him, and he will give you all you need.”

“And so I say to you, ‘Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For the one who asks receives, and the one who searches finds, and to him who knocks the door will be opened. If your child asks for a fish, will you give him a snake instead? And if your child asks for an egg, will you give him a scorpion?”

“If you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him.”

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Thursday, 6 October 2016 : 27th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Bruno, Priest (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Priests)
Luke 1 : 69-70, 71-72, 73-75

In the house of David His servant, He has raised up for us a victorious Saviour; as He promised through His prophets of old.

Salvation from our enemies and from the hand of our foes. He has shown mercy to our fathers; and remembered His holy covenant.

The oath He swore to Abraham, our father, to deliver us from the enemy, that we might serve Him fearlessly, as a holy and righteous people, all the days of our lives.

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Thursday, 6 October 2016 : 27th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Bruno, Priest (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Priests)
Galatians 3 : 1-5

How foolish you are Galatians! How could they bewitch you after Jesus Christ has been presented to you as crucified? I shall ask you only this : Did you receive the Spirit by the practice of the Law, or by believing the message? How can you be such fools : you begin with the Spirit and end up with the flesh!

So you have experienced all this in vain! Would that it were not so! Did God give you the Spirit and work miracles among you, because of your observance of the Law or because you believed in His message?

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Tuesday, 4 October 2016 : 27th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Francis of Assisi (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we celebrate together the feast day of a great and famous saint, St. Francis of Assisi, the founder of the Order of Friars Minor or known better as the Franciscans, the Apostle of Italy and the reformer of the faith and religious life in more than one way, a holy man and a devoted person, known for his great and tender love for all creations and for even animals and living beings, and for his asceticism and great piety.

Yet, for all the glorious deeds and renown he had in his life, he was ultimately a humble person who did not gather credit for himself, as he showed through his way of life and also how he enforced a rigorous discipline known now as the discipline of the Franciscans, who in addition of their vows of chastity and obedience to the Lord, they also took an additional vow of poverty, where all of those who joined the Franciscan order agreed to shun worldliness and material wealth forever.

It is linked to what we heard in today’s Scripture passages, where we heard two stories, both of which showed us all the importance for us to rethink our priorities in life, and ask ourselves what is it that we are looking for in this life? What is our objective and our aim in this life? The first reading from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Galatians showed him telling the people how he was converted to the faith from his old ways, and from his past of causing great harm and danger to the people of God.

St. Paul was once a great enemy of the Church and the faithful, as he was a very fanatical Jew who took his faith to the extremes, advancing the false cause of the Pharisees and the elders who opposed and rejected Jesus. He hunted down and made life very difficult for the many people who believed in Jesus and followed Him. He arrested them and gave them up to the chief priests and the Pharisees to be punished and to be made to endure suffering.

This is the past life which St. Paul came to leave behind after God called him to abandon all of them behind him and henceforth, while he was once a greatly feared enemy of all the faithful people of God, God had made him to be one of His greatest defenders. He has been awaked from the falsehoods that had clouded his mind and judgment, and therefore, he became a great saint. In the same manner, St. Francis of Assisi also had that moment of change and conversion, when God called him to serve Him.

St. Francis of Assisi was born as Pietro Bernardone, the son and heir of a rich Italian textile and garment merchant, who was influential and powerful being the member of the elite of the society, and as a power broker and as one of the owners of great wealth. The father of St. Francis of Assisi insisted that St. Francis took up the best education and preparation in order to prepare him to succeed him in his business.

But St. Francis, despite all of the good things that he enjoyed in life, the privileges that he had received since his early age, he was not satisfied with all of these. He was longing for the fulfilment which he sought, which he gradually found in the Lord through the visions which he received throughout his life. He enjoyed a life typical of the rich and the young at that time, taking part in wars as member of the military, but while his peers revel in the satisfaction and joy of such actions, St. Francis of Assisi gradually found that all of them were not what he wanted.

God spoke to him one day in a moment when he passed through a dilapidated church building, which had fallen into neglect and disrepair. God asked St. Francis to follow Him and to repair His Church. He misunderstood this as God wanting the dilapidated church building to be repaired physically. As such, he secretly took some of the expensive clothing and garments from his father’s store and sold them, and the money given to the church that it might be repaired.

His father eventually found out about this and was angry, and St. Francis escaped and took refuge in the church. His father came up to him and demanded him to account for what he had done and return him the garments and the money which had been taken from him. St. Francis repudiated his father and took off all of his clothes and garment, returning these to his father. The bishop, touched by this act, covered St. Francis with the fringes of his cope while the father left.

From then on, St. Francis of Assisi left worldly life and concerns, and became a devoted servant of the Lord. He and his fellow compatriots lived in poverty and commitment, and yet they were joyful because of that life filled with the joy of serving the Lord and His people, and the joy of knowing that in them they have found the true treasures of their life.

Jesus Himself once said also that we should not gather for ourselves treasures of this world, all those things that can run out, can perish and be destroyed by fire, by moth and by all sorts of worldly forces. Rather, we all should find for ourselves the true treasure that we can find in the Lord alone. It is by siding with God and by believing in Him that we shall find our way.

Let us all devote ourselves in the same way as St. Francis of Assisi had done. And just as Jesus had said to Martha in the Gospel today, let us all realise that there are many distractions in this world that can distract and prevent us from being able to find our way to our Lord and His salvation. Therefore, let us all be stronger and be ever more committed in our spiritual growth and development, so that through strong discipline in faith, we may be able to achieve salvation in God, and in the process help one another to reach out to te Lord as well.

There are many people in this world, our own brethren, who needs our help. We can be their guides, and indeed, God had blessed us all with the opportunities and the abilities in order to do so. Let us all follow the examples of the saints and the holy men and women who had gone to their glory before us, especially that of St. Francis of Assisi, our role model.

May God bless us all and help us in this endeavour. May He keep us always in His love and grace, and may His blessings ever be on us and our families. God be with us all. Amen.

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Tuesday, 4 October 2016 : 27th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Francis of Assisi (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White
Luke 10 : 38-42

At that time, as Jesus and His disciples were on their way, He entered a village, and a woman called Martha welcomed Him to her house. She had a sister named Mary, who sat down at the Lord’s feet to listen to His words.

Martha, meanwhile, was busy with all the serving, and finally she said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the work? Tell her to help me!”

But the Lord answered, “Martha, Martha, you worry and are troubled about many things, whereas only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen the better part, and it will not be taken away from her.”

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Tuesday, 4 October 2016 : 27th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Francis of Assisi (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White
Psalm 138 : 1-3, 13-14, 15

O Lord, You know me : You have scrutinised me. You know when I sit and when I rise; beforehand You discern my thoughts. You observe my activities and times of rest; You are familiar with all my ways.

It was You Who formed my inmost part and knit me together in my mother’s womb. I thank You for these wonders You have done, and my heart praises You for Your marvellous deeds.

Even my bones were known to You when I was being formed in secret, fashioned in the depths of the earth.