holy virgins

by

Sunday, 9 August 2015 : Nineteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, Virgin and Martyr (Second Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Ephesians 4 : 30 – Ephesians 5 : 2

Do not sadden the Holy Spirit of God which you were marked with. It will be your distinctive mark on the day of salvation. Do away with all quarrelling, rage, anger, insults and every kind of malice : be good and understanding, mutually forgiving one another as God forgave you in Christ.

As most beloved children of God, strive to imitate Him. Follow the way of love, the example of Christ who loved you. He gave Himself up for us and became the offering and sacrificial victim whose fragrance rises to God.

by

Sunday, 9 August 2015 : Nineteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, Virgin and Martyr (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 33 : 2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9

I will bless the Lord all my days; His praise will be ever on my lips. My soul makes its boast in the Lord; let the lowly hear and rejoice.

Oh, let us magnify the Lord, together let us glorify His Name! I sought the Lord, and He answered me; from all my fears He delivered me.

They who look to Him are radiant with joy, their faces never clouded with shame. When the poor cry out, the Lord hears and saves them from distress.

The Lord’s angel encamps and patrols to keep safe those who fear Him. Oh, see and taste the goodness of the Lord! Blessed is the one who finds shelter in Him!

by

Sunday, 9 August 2015 : Nineteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, Virgin and Martyr (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

1 Kings 19 : 4-8

Elijah himself disappeared into the desert going on a day’s journey. Then he sat down under a broom tree and prayed to die, “That is enough, YHVH, take away my life for I am dying.”

He lay down and went to sleep under the broom tree. Then an angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat.” Elijah looked and saw, at his head, a cake baked on hot stones and a jar of water. He ate and drank and went back to sleep. The angel of YHVH came a second time to him, saying, “Get up and eat, for the journey is too long for you.”

He got up, ate and drank, and on the strength of that food, he travelled for forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mount of God.

by

Monday, 6 July 2015 : 14th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Maria Goretti, Virgin and Martyr (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we heard about the richness of God’s tender mercy and love. God has always loved all of us from the depths of His heart, and His love and mercy is always available for us, if only that we are able to put forth the courage to go forth and seek Him with all of our hearts’ strength and might as well.

In the first reading today, we heard about how Jacob who escaped from the wrath of his brother, Esau, after he had stolen the birthright and the blessings which his father Isaac had intended for Esau, his elder brother. At a time when he encountered such great challenge and difficulty, and when his life was in great danger, when he was on the run, God appeared to him and affirmed him with His love and faithfulness.

He reaffirmed the covenant which He had established with Jacob’s grandfather, Abraham and which He had reaffirmed with Isaac, the father of Jacob. He assured Jacob that if he remained true and faithful to his part of the covenant, then his rewards will be rich, and through him, God would make true what He had promised through Abraham, that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the grains of sand on the seashore.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, the same had also happened when the synagogue official had her daughter in suffering and sickness, on the verge of death, and when he went forth to see Jesus, he was reassured that because of his faith, his daughter would be safe and healed from whatever her issues were. And the woman with the bleeding issue also was healed by Jesus because of her faith in God, reaching out her hand to touch the cloak of Jesus.

God does not desire the destruction of His beloved ones, and He does not wish to punish us all because of all of our disobedience and sins, unless it is indeed truly necessary, such as when we refuse to repent and change our ways for the better, that is when we continue to live in our state of sin. It is we ourselves who have caused our own downfall and destruction, by our own stubbornness and inability to resist the temptations of the world.

The daughter of the synagogue official, who was gravely ill, the woman with bleeding issue, who suffered in great pain, and lastly, Jacob himself, the descendant of Abraham, who was in great distress and in the danger of death. All of them were in some sorts of dilemma and trouble, and they all represent us and our current state of sin, the sickness that afflicts the soul.

Do we realise that all of us are sick because of our sins? We may be perfectly healthy in terms of our physical bodies, our appearances and other physical parameters, but inside, many of us suffer from the sins that still dwell in us, plaguing us and keeping us from being truly worthy for the Lord our God. We are sick just as the people I have mentioned had their own troubles.

Then, we truly have to ask ourselves, what do we do then? Let the example of today’s saint be our inspiration. We celebrate today the feast of St. Maria Goretti, a martyr of the faith, a holy virgin and someone who was truly devoted to her faith in God, and someone who would not let the evils and the corruption of sin to taint her pure soul, leading to her martyrdom, but with a life that is truly pleasing to God.

St. Maria Goretti had always led a life faithful and devoted to the Lord, and she had always been charitable and loving towards others, and she devoted much of her time to the Lord, her God. One day, one of her neighbour’s son sought to commit sin with her through sexual harassment, and she refused him because doing so would taint her and him both with mortal sin.

Having been refused, the boy tried to rape her but he failed, and in his anger, he stabbed her many times, mortally wounding her. On her deathbed, St. Maria Goretti forgave her assailant, and she prayed for him and for his conversion to the way of the Lord, which he eventually did. The example of St. Maria Goretti, together with that of Jacob, his ancestor Abraham, as well as the other figures from the Gospel which we have mentioned, show us how we ought to live out our lives.

We have to stand up for our faith, and be truly devoted to Him in all of our ways. Let none of our ways be wicked and unfaithful before His presence, and let every things that we do, that we say, and that we have be pleasing to Him, and may all of us be able to seek Him with all of our hearts’ strength and commit ourselves fully to Him and walk faithfully in His ways. May God Almighty guide us on this path, and bless us always. Amen.

by

Monday, 6 July 2015 : 14th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Maria Goretti, Virgin and Martyr (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)

Matthew 9 : 18-26

At that time, while Jesus was speaking to the people, an official of the synagogue came up to Him, bowed before Him and said, “My daughter has just died, but come and place Your hands on her, and she will live.” Jesus stood up and followed him with His disciples.

Them a woman, who had suffered from a severe bleeding for twelve years, came up from behind and touched the edge of His cloak; for she thought, “If I only touch His cloak, I will be healed.” Jesus turned, saw her and said, “Courage, my daughter, your faith has saved you.” And from that moment the woman was cured.

When Jesus arrived at the official’s house and saw the flute players and the excited crowd, He said, “Get out of here! The girl is not dead. She is only sleeping!” And they laughed at Him. But once the crowd had been turned out, Jesus went in and took the girl by the hand, and she stood up. The news of this spread through the whole area.

by

Monday, 6 July 2015 : 14th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Maria Goretti, Virgin and Martyr (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)

Psalm 90 : 1-2, 3-4, 14-15ab

You who dwell in the shelter of the Most High, who rest in the shadow of the Almighty, say to the Lord, “My stronghold, my refuge, my God in whom I trust!”

He will rescue you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with His pinions and give you refuge under His wings.

“Because they cling to Me, I will rescue them,” says the Lord, “I will protect those who know My Name. When they call to Me, I will answer; in time of trouble I will be with them.”

by

Monday, 6 July 2015 : 14th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Maria Goretti, Virgin and Martyr (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)

Genesis 28 : 10-22a

Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Haran. When he reached a certain place the sun had set and he spent the night there. He took one of the stones that were there and using it as a pillow, he lay down to sleep.

While Jacob was sleeping, he had a dream in which a ladder stood on the earth with its top reaching to heaven and on it were angels of God going up and coming down. And YHVH was standing there near him and said, “I am YHVH, the God of your father, Abraham, and the God of Isaac. The land on which you sleep, I give to you and your descendants.”

“Your descendants will be numerous like the specks of dust of the earth and you will spread out to the west and the east, to the north and the south. Through you and your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed. See, I am with you and I will keep you safe wherever you go. I will bring you back to this land and not leave you until I have done what I promised.”

Jacob woke from his dream and said, “Truly YHVH was in this place and I was not aware of it.” He was afraid and said, “How full of awe is this place! It is nothing less than a House of God; it is the Gate to Heaven!”

Then Jacob rose early and took the stone he had put under his head and set it up as a pillar and poured oil on the top of it. He named that place Bethel although before that it was called Luz.

Then Jacob made a vow, “If YHVH will be with me and keep me safe during this journey I am making, if He gives me bread to eat and clothes to wear, and if I return in peace to my father’s house, then YHVH will be my God. This stone which I have set up as a pillar will be God’s house.”

by

Saturday, 7 March 2015 : 2nd Week of Lent, Memorial of St. Perpetua and St. Felicity, Martyrs (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we heard the words of the parable of the prodigal son, the well known story which most of us are certainly familiar with. This is a story of God’s rich love and mercy, and His tender forgiveness for our faults and sins. It is meant to awaken us up to our sins and to help us realise how if we continue in our sinful ways, then we are essentially driving ourselves to annihilation.

The father represents God, who is indeed our Father who created us and cared for us greatly. The elder son represents those of us who have been called and saved from the evils of the world, that means also those of us who are already accepted into the Church through baptism. The younger son represents all those who are still lost in the entanglement of sin and in the darkness of the world.

But this does not mean that the younger son do not have anything in common with us. In fact, so long as we still continue to commit sin, be it big or small, we are still like the younger son, and we are still lost in a way. Remember, brethren, that sin is truly very dangerous, and what is at stake here is nothing else but the very fate of our souls, that means either we end up in eternal joy with our Father in heaven, or that we are forever lost and suffer for eternity for the lack of our Father’s love.

For that is indeed the fate that could have awaited the younger son when he encountered trouble in the foreign lands. He lost or used up all of his money and possessions, and he had to work in a pig farm just so that he might survive, and having no food to eat, he truly suffered and no one even let him to eat the food that the pigs ate.

We have to take note that the younger son made a choice at that point, that is to face up to the truth and reality, admit his mistakes and return to his father. He could have chosen to remain in exile, and most likely in that case that he would have died, if he was too shameful to admit his mistakes, or otherwise too proud to do so. It was his choice to humble himself and to find his way back to his father.

This is to show us that it is also our choice, whether we are to remain in sin and wickedness, and either are too afraid to seek the Lord because we fear His wrath, or too proud to admit our sinfulness, then we are doomed. We should be like the younger son, that prodigal son, who have sinned and showed great remorse, asking for his father’s forgiveness.

His humility and desire to be forgiven bore fruit, and he was received back by his father with love and compassion. He regained his place of honour and his past sins and wickedness were forgiven. Thus, it will be the same with us, if we sincerely and honestly seek God’s forgiveness. God will accept us back into His presence, and He will bless us again with His grace.

And we should also take note of the actions of the elder son, who was jealous of the treatment and attention which his father apparently gave to his wayward younger brother, giving him many things and rewards which he himself had not received before. This is the attitude we should not have, and indeed which we have to avoid. We who have been saved by the grace of God, and have been accepted as a member of His body, must not despise all those who are still filled with wickedness and sin.

Do not judge others, for it is only God who can rightfully judge others. If we judge others, then we too are liable to be judged, for we too are sinners, and daily, we struggle against sin, sometimes successfully while on other times, unsuccessfully. It is therefore, that we all should care for those among us, our own brethren who are still lost in the darkness. And instead of despising them and looking down on them, we should really be helping them to find their way to the Lord.

Today we also celebrate the feast day of the holy martyrs, St. Perpetua and St. Felicity. Both saints were martyrs who died during the days of the pagan Roman Empire, who persecuted the people of the Faith harshly and severely. Many were hunted down and killed, and many of them were also subjected to severe punishment and torture in order to make them recant their Faith, but most refused to do so, and therefore died as martyrs of the Faith.

Similarly with St. Felicity and Perpetua who were martyred for their Faith. They did not give up their faith and trust in the Lord for temporary worldly relief, but instead they met their end of life in this world with joy and full acceptance, and therefore receive the holy gifts of our Lord, the proof that in martyrdom and in all other things, God always loves us and care for all those who have faith in Him.

St. Perpetua and Felicity both knew that if they abandoned the Lord and embraced the sins of the world, they would be safe. But they threw far, far away their human desires and instead they put their complete trust in the Lord, depending only on His love and mercy. And in the end, for their faith, they received great rewards of everlasting life and happiness.

Therefore, inspired by the example of the prodigal son and the courage of the two holy martyrs, let us use the opportunity given to us in this season of Lent, in order to change our ways, and seek the Lord in true and sincere repentance, that like the prodigal son, we may change our ways and avoid destruction due to the sins we have committed. Let us all return to our Father, our Lord and God with sincere love and full of commitment and dedication to Him. God be with us all. Amen.

by

Saturday, 7 March 2015 : 2nd Week of Lent, Memorial of St. Perpetua and St. Felicity, Martyrs (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Luke 15 : 1-3, 11-32

At that time, tax collectors and sinners were seeking the company of Jesus, all of them eager to hear what He had to say. But the Pharisees and the scribes frowned at this, muttering, “This Man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” So Jesus told them this parable : “There was a man with two sons. The younger said to his father, ‘Give me my share of the estate.’ So the father divided his property between them.”

“Some days later, the younger son gathered all his belongings and started off for a distant land, where he squandered his wealth in loose living. Having spent everything, he was hard pressed when a severe famine broke out in that land.”

“So he hired himself out to a well-to-do citizen of that place, and was sent to work on a pig farm. So famished was he, that he longed to fill his stomach even with the food given to the pigs, but no one offered him anything.”

“Finally coming to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired workers have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will get up and go back to my father, and say to him, Father, I have sinned against God, and before you. I no longer deserve to be called your son. Treat me then as one of your hired servants.’ With that thought in mind, he set off for his father’s house.”

“He was still a long way off, when his father caught sight of him. His father was so deeply moved with compassion that he ran out to meet him, threw his arms around his neck and kissed him. The son said, ‘Father, I have sinned against Heaven and before you. I no longer deserve to be called your son.'”

“But the father turned to his servants : ‘Quick!’ he said. ‘Bring out the finest robe and put it on him! Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet! Take the fattened calf and kill it! We shall celebrate and have a feast, for this son of mine was dead, and has come back to life; he was lost, and is found!’ And the celebration began.”

“Meanwhile, the elder son had been working in the fields. As he returned and approached the house he heard the sound of music and dancing. He called one of the servants and asked what it was all about. The servant answered, ‘Your brother has come home safe and sound, and your father is so happy about it that he has ordered this celebration, and killed the fattened calf.'”

“The elder son became angry, and refused to go in. His father came out and pleaded with him. The son, very indignant, said, ‘Look, I have slaved for you all these years. Never have I disobeyed your orders. Yet you have never given me even a young goat to celebrate with my friends. Then when this son of yours returns, after squandering your property with loose women, you kill the fattened calf for him.'”

“The father said, ‘My son, you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But this brother of yours was dead, and has come back to life; he was lost, and is found. And for that we had to rejoice and be glad.'”

by

Saturday, 7 March 2015 : 2nd Week of Lent, Memorial of St. Perpetua and St. Felicity, Martyrs (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Psalm 102 : 1-2, 3-4, 9-10, 11-12

Bless the Lord, my soul; all my being, bless His holy Name! Bless the Lord, my soul, and do not forget all His kindness.

He forgives all your sins and heals all your sickness; He redeems your life from destruction and crowns you with love and compassion.

He will not always scold nor will He be angry forever. He does not treat us according to our sins, nor does He punish us as we deserve.

As the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His love for those fearing Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does He remove from us our sins.