Holy Scriptures

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Wednesday, 20 July 2016 : 16th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Apollinaris, Bishop and Martyr (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today in the Scripture readings, all of us are called by God to be His servants, that is to be His mouthpiece and examples to the nations, by our own actions and deeds which declare the greatness and the glory of God. And that was shown through the calling of the prophet Jeremiah, and through the parable of the sower told by Jesus to His disciples.

Jeremiah was called by God from among His people, and although he was uncertain and fearful, not being confident in his abilities, but God gave him the strength and the courage to become His messenger, and through His guidance, indeed Jeremiah became a great prophet and messenger through whom the words of God’s truth rang clear amidst the darkness surrounding the people of God.

In the Gospel today, we heard the parable of the sower which our Lord Jesus Christ told to His disciples. This parable spoke to us about how receiving the word of God and having it alone is not enough, as the fate of the seeds spread by the sower showed us. The seeds that fell on the roadside, on the rocky ground and among the thistles and weeds were not able to live and survive, because they were either eaten up by the birds, or scorched by the sun without a strong root to look for water, or were suffocated by the thistles and brambles.

Only the seeds that fell onto the rich soil managed to grow, and when they grew, they produced many times more than what had been sowed. In the same manner, as the seed represents the word of God and our faith in Him, only in a certain, fertile and good condition that the Word and the faith will be able to grow and prosper inside us, that is when we give of ourselves to serve the Lord with all of our strength and with all the sincerity of our hearts.

We may not be strong and great in many things, but God purposefully did not choose the mighty and the great to be those who would do His will and bidding in this world. For the mighty and the great, although not all of them, has the tendency to be focused only on themselves and their greatness, and thus in their myopic vision and understanding of the world around them, they were unable to become good, obedient and effective messengers and bringers of our Lord’s word and will.

Rather, God chose from among the weak and the ordinary. He picked us up among the many in the world, chose us to be His tools and heralds in this world. And in the process, He transformed us all from beings filled with fear and uncertainty, and from beings filled with darkness and vile things, from those who were struggling in faith and were shaken by the world and its temptations, to be the children of light and to be those whom He will bless.

But all these will require our great attention and contribution. Effort and strength must be harnessed in order to make ourselves to be growing in faith and in our commitment to the Lord our God. Only if a farmer toils hard and works hard on his patch of farm, tilling the ground and working on the soil that the seeds there will grow to be great and healthy.

Similarly therefore, we also need to work hard in order to draw closer to our God and to His salvation. Let us all redouble our efforts and commit ourselves to serve Him and to preach His Good News to all the peoples, accepting His calling and serve Him with all of our heart. Let us no longer be hesitant but be courageous and be brave in accepting that mission to which we have been chosen.

St. Apollinaris was one of the great example of that living faith in God, for he was a holy and devoted servant of God who have given all of his life for the service of God and His people. He has led the faithful in the city of Ravenna as its Bishop and he ministered among the people of God without fear or hesitation, doing all that he could to serve the Lord, even though challenges, arrest and torture were always about him, and which he had to endure with great pains.

St. Apollinaris chose to endure all of those sufferings and resist the temptation to give in and abandon his faith in God. He suffered a lot and yet he did not stop serving the Lord, and he became great examples for the faithful, as his perseverance and hard work reminded them of how and what they should do to live as true Christians, as those who have true faith in God.

May God help us all and strengthen our faith, just as He has once strengthened the faith of St. Apollinaris and the many other holy men and women who devoted themselves to Him. May He guide us and lead us to Him, and empower us all to live faithfully by His laws and His ways. God bless us all. Amen.

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Wednesday, 20 July 2016 : 16th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Apollinaris, Bishop and Martyr (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)

Matthew 13 : 1-9

At that time, on the same day Jesus left the house and sat down by the lakeside. Many people gathered around Him, so He got in 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, 20 July 2016 : 16th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Apollinaris, Bishop and Martyr (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)

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. You have taught me from my youth and until now I proclaim Your marvels.

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Wednesday, 20 July 2016 : 16th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Apollinaris, Bishop and Martyr (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)

Jeremiah 1 : 1, 4-10

These are the words of Jeremiah, son of Hilkiah, one of the priests at Anathoth in the territory 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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Tuesday, 19 July 2016 : 16th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we heard what God wanted from all of us, from what we heard in the Gospel, where Jesus laid out what is expected from all of us, whom He has deemed as His brothers and sisters, as the members of His own Body, the Church. And by establishing the Church, He has made all of us, all those who have given themselves to the Lord and who embrace His ways and obey His laws to be those whom He regards as His own.

In the first reading today, taken from the book of the prophet Micah, we heard the prophet Micah relating to us all how our God is a loving and caring God, He Who shepherds His people and guides them to His presence, that they may not perish or lose their way, but instead find their way to Him and receive the richness of grace and mercy which has been promised to all those who would follow the Lord.

And in the Gospel, Jesus showed us that in order to be truly faithful to Him, and to belong truly in His Church, then all of us have to do just one thing, which is easy to be said and yet difficult to be done and implemented. It is to obey the Law of God, to obey the will of God our Lord and Father, and do it in all the aspects and parts of our lives. If we do not do these, then we will have no part in the inheritance and grace which our Lord gives only to those who are faithful.

Yes, indeed, it is easy to say that we have obeyed the Lord, or to make it in statement that we have listened to Him and obeyed His laws. However, are we truly embodying that faith which we ought to have for the Lord? Are we truly devoted and committed to Him in all things and not just paying lip service alone? If we are able to attune all of our dealings and actions to align with His will, then we are on the right path, otherwise we are not.

It is by starting and doing the simple things we can do through which we are then able to devote ourselves to love Him in the way that He wants us to. We should not think that just because we are only one person, or a small group of people, then we are not able to make a difference after all, since the impact of our action is limited. The Church and its efforts to make a difference for the salvation of many peoples cannot happen without us.

In fact, if we look at what happens when we pick up a piece of stone and throw it into a lake, we will see that the stone will bounce a few times, and each bounce will produce ripples that will become even stronger if we throw more stones into the lake. It means that if we start doing something in our lives that is in accordance with what God wants us to do, and begin with our immediate surroundings, we may not feel the effect immediately, but if everyone is to also put their effort into such works, in the end, the effect will be really great.

All of us as Christians have to work together, brothers and sisters in Christ, and all of us must put aside our differences and learn to work together as one people, and as all the same members of the same Church, the Body of Christ. It is only then that we will be able to help the efforts of the Church in bringing the goodness and the love of God into this world.

May God help us in our endeavours, and may He bless us always with His grace, that we may always be faithful to Him, and walk faithfully in His ways, resisting the temptations to do otherwise. May He help us to be truly active and devoted in our faith. God bless us all. Amen.

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Tuesday, 19 July 2016 : 16th Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Matthew 12 : 46-50

At that time, while Jesus was still talking to the people, His mother and His brothers wanted to speak to Him, and they waited outside. So someone said to Him, “Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside; they want to speak with You.”

Jesus answered, “Who is My mother? Who are My brothers?” Then He pointed to His disciples and said, “Look! Here are My mother and My brothers. Whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is for Me brother, sister or mother.”

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Tuesday, 19 July 2016 : 16th Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 84 : 2-4, 5-6, 7-8

You have favoured Your land, o Lord; You have brought back the exiles of Jacob. You have forgiven the sin of Your people; You have pardoned their offences. You have withdrawn Your wrath and turned from Your burning rage.

But restore us, God our Saviour; put away altogether Your indignation. Will Your anger be ever with us, carried over to all generations?

Will You not give us life anew, that Your people may rejoice in You? Show us, o Lord, Your unfailing love and grant us Your saving help.

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Tuesday, 19 July 2016 : 16th Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Micah 7 : 14-15, 18-20

Shepherd Your people with Your staff, shepherd the flock of Your inheritance that dwells alone in the scrub, in the midst of a fertile land. Let them feed in Bashan and Gilead as in the days of old, in the days when You went out of Egypt. Show us Your wonders.

Who is a God like You, Who takes away guilt and pardons crime for the remnant of His inheritance? Who is like You Whose anger does not last? For You delight in merciful forgiveness. Once again You will show us Your loving kindness and trample on our wrongs, casting all our sins into the depths of the sea. Show faithfulness to Jacob, mercy to Abraham, as You have sworn to our ancestors from the days of old.

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Monday, 18 July 2016 : 16th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we heard about how unfaithful the people of God had been, beginning from the time when they were brought out of Egypt, as written in the book of the prophet Micah, who wrote about how Israel had not always been obedient to God as what they should have been. They have sold themselves to the pagan gods and idols, and they have forgotten about the Law of God.

They offered to Him sacrifices and offerings as was prescribed of them, but they have not remembered why they were doing so, and their prayers were empty, addressed to fulfilling their desires and wants instead. They have been told by God, either directly or through His messengers, the prophets and heralds whom He had sent to His people to remind them of His ways and He had revealed the way which leads to Him.

But they still refused to believe, and it was very often that these people persecuted the faithful and devoted servants of God just because they refused to listen to the revelation of truth from these prophets that they did not like. They refused to obey the laws and commandments, as well as what were required of them as those who have made the covenant with the Lord their God.

And similarly, at the time of Jesus, they continued in their lack of faith and obedience. Even though ever since the time of the prophets, God had shown His might to His people, even ranging back all the way from the time of Moses, they would not believe. They have seen all the wonders and the miracles of God, and yet they would still turn their backs against Him.

They have become proud with their ways and they thought of themselves as the chosen ones and righteous in their deeds, and they became self-centred and self-enamoured in their own selves. And that is why they have faltered, while the people of Nineveh, the Assyrians, repented from their sins and were saved from the destruction that was threatened upon them.

The Assyrians were a proud people, a people filled with pride and greed, a warlike people, a people who went about destroying other nations and conquering them, carting off the defeated ones into exile, and then they also came up to the city of God, besieging it under their king Sennacherib, boasting that they would destroy it and its Temple, and not even God would be able to save His people from their wrath.

And yet, even with all that, when the prophet Jonah came to their city and declared that their city would be destroyed by God for their sins, they changed their ways, listened to the warnings of Jonah, and repented. Everyone from the king to the lowest slave and animals all submitted to the Lord and begged for His mercy, and God saw the sincerity of their repentance and forgave them.

All of these showed us that no one is beyond redemption, and no one is guaranteed salvation unless they placed their whole trust and complete faith in the Lord their God. Faith cannot be merely made with words and obeisance on paper alone, but must be made with true and complete devotion from oneself through the heart.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, thus all of us are asked this question. Are we all ready to embrace the Lord our God with all of our heart? Are we all committed and able to change our ways to be better, by looking at the examples of the Assyrians and those others who have sinned, and yet, they had a change of heart and had committed themselves to the way of righteousness?

Let us all seek to be forgiven from our sins, and let us all renew our faith in God, by deepening our relationships with Him, showing effort to love Him all the more and devote our time to love one another, all the children of the same loving God. Let us all be ever more faithful and be more committed to Him in all things. God bless us all. Amen.

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Monday, 18 July 2016 : 16th Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

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 that 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 depths 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 listen to the wisdom of Solomon, and here there is greater than Solomon.”