Holy Sunday

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Sunday, 14 July 2019 : Fifteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 68 : 14 and 17, 30-31, 33-34, 36ab and 37

But I pray to You, o YHVH. At a time most favourable to You, in Your great love, o God, answer me, with Your unfailing help. In Your mercy, o YHVH, give me a good answer; in Your great compassion, turn to me.

But I myself, am humbled and wounded; Your salvation, o God, will lift me up. I will praise the Name of God in song; I will glorify Him with thanksgiving.

Let the lowly witness this, and be glad. You who seek God, may your hearts be revived. For YHVH hears the needy; and does not despise those in captivity.

For God will save Zion and rebuild the cities of Judah. The children of His servants shall inherit it, and those who love His Name will dwell in it.

Alternative Psalm

Psalm 18 : 8, 9, 10, 11

The Law of the Lord is perfect : it gives life to the soul. The word of the Lord is trustworthy : it gives wisdom to the simple.

The precepts of the Lord are right : they give joy to the heart. The commandments of the Lord are clear : they enlighten the eyes.

The fear of the Lord is pure, it endures forever; the judgments of the Lord are true, all of them just and right.

They are more precious than gold – pure gold of a jeweller; they are much sweeter than honey which drops from the honeycomb.

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Sunday, 14 July 2019 : Fifteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Deuteronomy 30 : 10-14

For you shall turn to YHVH, your God, with all your heart and with all your soul, and observe His commandments and norms, in a word, everything written in this book of the Law. These commandments that I give you today are neither too high nor too remote for you. They are not in heaven that you should say : “Who will go up to heaven to get these commandments that we may hear them and put them into practice.”

Neither are they at the other side of the sea for you to say : “Who will cross to the other side and bring them to us, that we may hear them and put them into practice.” On the contrary, My word is very near you; it is already in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can put it into practice.

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Sunday, 7 July 2019 : Fourteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this Sunday we listened to the Scripture passages in which we heard of the coming of God’s salvation as prophesied and spoken in the Book of the prophet Isaiah, which was fulfilled in the time of the New Testament, with the coming of the Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, fulfilling all the promises which God had promised to all of His people from the beginning of time.

In our first reading from the Book of the prophet Isaiah, God spoke to His people through His prophet, speaking of the coming of a joyous and good time when God will bless Jerusalem, which represent the people of God, once again, and will give them the fullness of His grace and loving care again. And this must be understood in the context of what had happened at that time, in the land of Israel and Judah.

At that time, the kingdom of Israel and Judah, which were long separated for many centuries due to the divisions caused by the sins of the people and their kings, had been in great decline and experienced many sufferings and ruin, and in fact, right at the time of the prophet Isaiah, the northern kingdom of Israel fell into the hands of the conquering Assyrian Empire. The cities of the northerners were destroyed and many of the people were brought away to exile in far-off lands.

In their place, foreigners were brought to stay in the northern lands, lands used to be populated by the ten tribes of Israel. Over time, the people there intermingled, between the remnants of the Israelites and the foreigners who were put to take their place by the Assyrians. These were the ancestors and the origin of the people later known by the time of Jesus as the Samaritans, as those people who inhabited the land of Samaria, the ancient capital of the northern Israelite kingdom.

At that time, the remnants of Israel living in the southern kingdom of Judah would not have realised what the Lord meant in what He spoke through the prophet Isaiah, but the time would indeed come, when at the time of the coming of the Lord’s Saviour, Jesus Christ, all is revealed and God’s true intentions were made clear to everyone. And this beautiful truth is that God loves each and every one of His children, that is all mankind.

Unfortunately, by the time of the Lord Jesus, the people had become bitterly divided, in what is typical of ‘us against them’ mentality, in which the Jewish people, the descendants of mainly the old exiles from the fallen kingdom of Judah, thought that they alone out of all people that deserved God’s love and inheritance. They took great pride in themselves being the descendants of Abraham and as the inheritors of the chosen people of God.

That ended up in them looking down and despising the other people whom they thought to be unworthy of God and His love and salvation, chief of which were the Samaritans, and then also the Greeks and the Romans, as well as other non-Jewish peoples and all those who did not preserve and follow the laws of Moses under the strict interpretation of the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law.

But they failed to understand God’s true intentions and desire to love everyone, regardless of their nationalities or origins, language or background, culture or history. Each and every one of us mankind are God’s beloved creation and children, the fruits of His generous love for each and every one of us, without exception. Everyone is precious and important before the Lord, equal and without distinction.

That was what St. Paul wrote about in this day’s second reading, the part taken from his Epistle to the Church and the faithful in the region of Galatia. St. Paul spoke of how the faithful has been united by their common faith and love for God, and how there was no more distinction between the Jews and the non-Jews, as everyone has experienced the same love of God, and have been brought into a new existence in God.

They all received the same faith through the hard work of the disciples and the Apostles, whom God had sent to propagate His truth and salvation to all those who are willing to listen to the truth and those who are willing to believe in Him and follow Him. Without the dedication of those faithful servants of the Lord, many would not have heard the truth of God and not be saved.

In the Gospel passage today, we heard of the sending of the seventy-two disciples by the Lord, who were sent in addition to the Apostles to the various places that the Lord Himself was to visit, to proclaim the Good News of God before those people and to call them to believe in the Lord’s salvation through Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Saviour. They were sent to the people with the expectation that their missions and works would not be an easy one.

Yet, the Lord also encouraged them that they would not be working alone. For the Lord Himself would guide them on their way. He told them of what they should do and what they should bring, essentially to put themselves completely in the hands of God, trusting in Him rather than in their own abilities or in whatever things they have brought with them. He sent them two-by-two to His people in order to save them all, because He loves everyone, without exception.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, today all of us are called to reflect on our own lives as Christians. Do we realise that we are the modern day successors of those disciples whom the Lord had sent? We are all called, as Christians, to be witnesses of our faith for the Lord as well, in whatever capacity we are in, in whichever community or opportunity we have, to bring forth God’s truth and love to the people He has loved so much.

Are we able to be good role models in faith as the disciples of the Lord had been in theirs? It is through our exemplary and righteous life that we become inspirations for others to follow, in reaching out to everyone and to bring them to the same faith which we now have. Let us all therefore be courageous and be inspired to follow and walk in the footsteps of the Apostles and the disciples of the Lord, and be witnesses of our faith in God.

May the Lord bless us always and may He guide us in all of our actions, so that in everything we say and do in our respective lives, we will lead more people towards God. Amen.

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Sunday, 7 July 2019 : Fourteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Luke 10 : 1-12, 17-20

At that time, the Lord appointed seventy-two other disciples, and sent them, two by two, ahead of Him, to every town and place, where He Himself was to go. And He said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. So you must ask the Lord of the harvest to send workers to His harvest.”

“Courage! I am sending you like lambs among wolves. Set off without purse or bag or sandals; and do not stop at the homes of those you know. Whatever house you enter, first bless them, saying, ‘Peace to this house!’ If a friend of peace lives there, the peace shall rest upon that person. But if not, the blessing will return to you. Stay in that house, eating and drinking at their table, for the worker deserves to be paid. Do not move from house to house.”

“When they welcome you to any town, eat what they offer you. Heal the sick who are there, and say to them : ‘The kingdom of God has drawn near to you.’ But in any town where you are not welcome, go to the marketplace and proclaim : ‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off and leave with you. But know for a certainty that the kingdom of God has drawn near to you.'”

“I tell you, that on the Day of Judgment it will be better for Sodom than for this town.”

The seventy-two disciples returned full of joy. They said, “Lord, even the demons obeyed us when we called on Your Name.” Then Jesus replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. You see, I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the Enemy, so that nothing will harm you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice because the evil spirits submit to you; rejoice, rather, than your names are written in heaven.”

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Sunday, 7 July 2019 : Fourteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Second Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Galatians 6 : 14-18

For me, I do not wish to take pride in anything, except in the cross of Christ Jesus, Our Lord. Through Him, the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

Let us no longer speak of the circumcised and of non-Jews, but of a new creation. Let those who live according to this rule receive peace and mercy : they are the Israel of God! Let no one trouble me any longer : for my part, I bear in my body the marks of Jesus.

May the grace of Christ Jesus our Lord be with your spirit, brothers and sisters. Amen.

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Sunday, 7 July 2019 : Fourteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 65 : 1-3a, 4-5, 6-7a, 16 and 20

Shout with joy to God, all you on earth; sing to the glory to His Name; proclaim His glorious praise. Say to God, “How great are Your deeds!”

All the earth bows down to You, making music in praise of You, singing in honour of Your Name. Come and see God’s wonders, His deeds awesome for humans.

He has turned the sea into dry land, and the river was crossed on foot. Let us, therefore, rejoice in Him. He rules by His might forever.

All you who fear God, come and listen; let me tell you what He has done. May God be blessed! He has not rejected my prayer; nor withheld His love from me.

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Sunday, 7 July 2019 : Fourteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Isaiah 66 : 10-14c

Rejoice for Jerusalem and be glad for her, all you who love her. Be glad with her, rejoice with her, all you who were in grief over her, that you may suck of the milk from her comforting breasts, that you may drink deeply from the abundance of her glory.

For this is what YHVH says : I will send her peace, overflowing like a river; and the nations’ wealth, rushing like a torrent towards her. And you will be nursed and carried in her arms and fondled upon her lap. As a son comforted by his mother, so will I comfort you. At the sight of this, your heart will rejoice; like grass, your bones will flourish.

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Sunday, 30 June 2019 : Thirteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, the whole theme of this Sunday’s Scripture passages, if we go through them again, is actually about being called to follow the Lord. We are all called to be His servants and followers, and because of that, the Lord wants us to follow Him wholeheartedly without being distracted or without being overshadowed by any other concerns in life. If we want to be God’s followers, we must be truly sincere and genuine.

In our first reading today, we heard of the story from the First Book of Kings in which God told Elijah, one of His faithful prophets to anoint Elisha, the one whom God had called and chosen to be the successor to Elijah. At that time, in the northern kingdom of Israel, the kings of Israel like Ahab had been very wicked and sinful, disobedient against God and led the people to sin by their pagan and idol worship and through their own decadence and wickedness.

The prophet Elijah was one among the very few prophets who were left to go against the wickedness of the king and the people. Surely we have heard of another story where the prophet Elijah went up alone against four hundred and fifty priests of Baal in Mount Carmel, where he alone went up against the multitudes of his enemies in the presence of the people, and God was with him, sending fire from heaven to prove that He and not Baal is the true God.

It was for this purpose that God chose and called Elisha to be the one to continue the many good works that Elijah the prophet had done earlier. It was in our first reading passage that Elijah came up to Elisha speaking to him about what God had willed and revealed to Elisha the responsibilities that he was about to undertake. Elisha responded with faith and dedication, and leaving everything behind, he followed Elijah and eventually became his successor.

Elisha would go on to perform many good works and glorifying the Lord in his own ways, obeying the commands and the will through which God has called him to do the many things that he has been sent to do. And the same calling has been made in our Gospel passage today, to the disciples whom Our Lord Jesus had called. When a man came up to the Lord saying that he wanted to follow Him, the Lord asked from him his commitment and sincerity in following Him.

Yet the man said that he still had matters that he wanted to settle and he wanted to go back to his family to say his goodbyes first. The Lord’s response to the man might indeed then seem to be quite harsh, as He said that those who look back and have second thoughts about following Him are not fit for the kingdom of God. But we have to understand the purpose and context in which Our Lord spoke those words.

What the Lord wanted the man, His disciples and all of us to know is that following God is something that each and every one of us must do seriously and with commitment. We cannot say that we want to follow God and yet we are divided and uncertain in our hearts and minds with regard to following Him. What He wants each and every one of us to know is that God must always be the first and foremost in our every thoughts and living moments, and we must learn to trust in Him rather than in our own human concerns and desires.

He did not mean by His words that we should leave behind our families and everything behind, as what the prophet Elisha had done when God called him to succeed the prophet Elijah. If every Christians were to leave behind everything and all of their families behind, then in the end, who would be left behind? Who will take care of the young and other members of the Church who need those who give them care and provision?

Rather, the Lord wants us to do our best in our own respective ways, wherever we are in our lives, so that in everything we say and in everything we do, we will glorify God and put His interests and obeying His will to the best of our abilities. To each and every one of us God has given unique and wonderful gifts that we must make good use of in order to be truly Christians in how we live our lives.

There are also of course those whom God had called to be His servants in the way that He has called the prophet Elisha and His Apostles, to leave everything behind and to commit themselves wholly to His cause. And these are those who have given themselves to the consecrated and holy lives, those who have responded to the Lord’s call and become His holy priests and servants.

We should pray for all of them and support them in whatever way we can, for their works are set up for them, and there are many challenges that they will have to face just as we also have our own challenges and trials to face in life. Let us all pray that God will give them the strength, the courage and the conviction to carry on their mission and their calling with all of their abilities even in the midst of persecution and challenges, just as the prophets Elijah and Elisha had done.

And for ourselves, let us all pray to God, that He will continue to inspire us and to be our source of strength, so that according to what St. Paul had written in his Epistle to the Galatians which is our second reading today, we may truly be free from the slavery of sin and from the bondage to our human desires and concerns, and walk instead faithfully and courageously in the way of the Spirit.

Let us all devote our energy, our time and effort to live righteously in God’s presence, doing whatever it is that He has taught and called us to do, that even through our own little ways and little contributions, we may be genuine and sincere in our faith and in our desire to follow God, with all of our hearts and with all of our strength, and not be distracted by the many concerns and temptations in life.

May the Lord guide us always, and may He continue to give us the encouragement and strength to live always in His grace and to walk in His path from now on, becoming good role models and inspirations for everyone around us, that our lives be truly exemplary and be shining examples of our Christian faith at all times. May God bless us all and our every endeavours from now on. Amen.

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Sunday, 30 June 2019 : Thirteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Luke 9 : 51-62

At that time, as the time drew near when Jesus would be taken up to heaven, He made up His mind to go to Jerusalem. He sent ahead of Him some messengers, who entered a Samaritan village to prepare a lodging for Him. But the people would not receive Him, because He was on His way to Jerusalem.

Seeing this, James and John, His disciples, said, “Lord, do You want us to call down fire from heaven to reduce them to ashes?” Jesus turned and rebuked them, and they went on to another village.

As they went on their way, a man said to Jesus, “I will follow You wherever You go.” Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” To another, Jesus said, “Follow Me!” But he answered, “Let me go back now, for, first, I want to bury my father.” And Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their dead; as for you, leave them, and proclaim the kingdom of God.”

Another said to him, “I will follow You, Lord, but first let me say goodbye to my family.” And Jesus said to him, “Whoever has put his hand to the plow, and looks back, is not fit for the kingdom of God.”

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Sunday, 30 June 2019 : Thirteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Second Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Galatians 5 : 1, 13-18

Christ freed us, to make us really free. So remain firm, and do not submit, again, to the yoke of slavery.

You, brothers and sisters, were called to enjoy freedom; I am not speaking of that freedom which gives free rein to the desires of the flesh, but of that which makes you slaves of one another through love. For the whole Law is summed up in this sentence : You shall love your neighbour as yourself. But if you bite and tear each other to pieces, be careful lest you all perish.

Therefore, I say to you : walk according to the Spirit and do not give way to the desires of the flesh! For the desires of the flesh war against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are opposed to the flesh. Both are in conflict with each other, so that you cannot do everything you would like. But when you are led by the Spirit you are not under the Law.