hope in God

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Wednesday, 16 July 2014 : 15th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of our Lady of Mount Carmel (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Marian feasts)

Psalm 93 : 5-6, 7-8, 9-10, 14-15

They crush Your people, o Lord, they oppress Your inheritance. They murder the widow and the lonely, they massacre the helpless.

“The Lord does not see,” they say, “the God of Jacob does not care.” Remember this, you stupid people, when will you understand, you fools!

He who made the ear, will He not hear? He who formed the eye, will He not see? He who rebukes nations, will He not punish them?

The Lord will not reject His people nor will He forsake His heritage. Justice will return to the just, and the upright will follow in its wake.

Alternative reading (Mass of the Blessed Virgin Mary)

Luke 1 : 46-47, 48-49, 50-51, 52-53, 54-55

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit exults in God my Saviour!

He has looked upon His servant in her lowliness, and people forever will call me blessed. The Mighty One has done great things for me, Holy is His Name!

From age to age His mercy extends to those who live in His presence. He has acted with power and done wonders, and scattered the proud with their plans.

He has put down the mighty from their thrones, and lifted up those who are downtrodden. He has filled the hungry with good things, but has sent the rich away empty.

He held out His hand to Israel, His servant, for He remembered His mercy, even as He promised to our fathers, to Abraham and his descendants forever.

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Saturday, 12 July 2014 : 14th Week of Ordinary Time (Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Saturday Mass of our Lady)

Brothers and sisters in Christ, today’s lesson from the Holy Scriptures show us that while God is great and Almighty, enthroned above all else on thrones and angels, and covered by the holy and mighty seraphs and cherubs, He is still a loving and gentle God, who loves us all equally, and who gave us the greatest gift in none other than Jesus, His own Son and His own self.

Many of us often cower in fear before God, thinking that He is some sort of monster or such great figure that we need to fear and be trembled at, such that we ended up closing ourselves against Him, and do not let Him to come into our hearts. Our God is a loving God and a merciful God, just as much as He is God who hates and dislikes sin in all of its forms.

We fear many things, and we have various forms of our own fears in life. And foremost of all, we fear death in all its forms. Some people fear of losing their loved ones, and some fear of losing their possessions and material goods. Others fear darkness, while some fear the light instead. And as I said, many of us fear God and His presence.

But as mentioned in the Gospel today, rather than fearing those things that cannot harm our soul, and can merely our bodies and our earthly presence in this short life we have on earth, we should rather worry about the One who has the power to destroy us body and soul for eternity, that is none other than God Himself, who has the authority over all the living and the dead, including all of us.

Nevertheless, as I have said, there is no need for us to fear God, for He is truly loving and forgiving. If only that we draw nearer to His throne of mercy, then we, as long as our hearts are genuine in our own love and dedication to the Lord, will be given redemption and forgiveness. We have this fear in our hearts that God will punish us or hate us because of our sins, and therefore, this creates a mental block that prevent us from proceeding on our way to salvation.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, that is why we need to balance, between our fear of God, and our love for God. God is both merciful and wrathful, the former for our love and repentance, and the latter for our rebelliousness and sins. We must not fall into the trap of fear, that is so much fear that we are afraid to seek God’s forgiveness and therefore end up falling deeper into sin and darkness.

We cannot be lax in our life either, as if we end up too lax with ourselves, then we may fall into the other trap of Satan, that is temptation. If we do not have a certain discipline in our life and in our faith, we will stumble and fall in the face of the constant onslaught of the devil. We must be ever vigilant and ready to resist the devil, and follow always in the ways of our Lord.

Therefore, brothers and sisters in Christ, the key lies in our readiness and focus in this life, and in our obedience and constant devotion to the Lord. Let us all change our ways so that we may reflect better our Lord’s ways. Let us ask God, who is enthroned among the seraphim and the cherubim, that He may send His angels to help us and guide us on our way, that we may remain well within God’s love and grace.

May Almighty God be with us, and may He strengthen our faith so that we may not fall into temptation and sin, and that we may also walk faithfully in His ways. God bless us all. Amen.

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(Usus Antiquior) Fourth Sunday after Pentecost (II Classis) – Sunday, 6 July 2014 : Epistle

Lectio Epistolae beati Pauli Apostoli ad Romanos – Lesson from the Epistle of Blessed Paul the Apostle to the Romans

Romans 8 : 18-23

Fratres : Existimo, quod non sunt condignae passiones hujus temporis ad futuram gloriam, quae revelabitur in nobis. Nam exspectatio creaturae revelationem filiorum Dei exspectat. Vanitati enim creatura subjecta est, non volens, sed propter Eum, qui subjecit eam in spe : quia et ipsa creatura liberabitur a servitute corruptionis, in libertatem gloriae filiorum Dei.

Scimus enim, quod omnis creatura ingemiscit et parturit usque adhuc. Non solum autem illa, sed et nos ipsi primitas Spiritus habentes : et ipsi intra nos gemimus, adoptionem filiorum Dei exspectantes, redemptionem corporis nostri : in Christo Jesu, Domino nostro.

English translation

Brethren, I reckon that the sufferings of this time are not worthy to be compared with the glory to come, that shall be revealed in us. For the expectation of the creature waits for the revelation of the sons of God. For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of Him that made it subject in hope; because the creature also itself shall be delivered from the servitude of corruption, into the liberty of the glory of the children of God.

For we know that every creature groans, and travails in pain, even till now; and not only it, but ourselves also, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves, groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption of the sons of God, the redemption of our body; in Christ Jesus our Lord.

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Thursday, 3 July 2014 : Feast of St. Thomas, Apostle (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

John 20 : 24-29

Thomas, the Twin, one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he replied, “Until I have seen in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in His side, I will not believe.”

Eight days later, the disciples were inside again and Thomas was with them. Despite the locked doors Jesus came and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you!” Then He said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see My hands; stretch out your hand, and put it into My side. Do not be an unbeliever! Believe!”

Thomas then said, “You are my Lord and my God.” Jesus replied, “You believe because you see Me, do you not? Happy are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”

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Wednesday, 2 July 2014 : 13th Week of Ordinary Time (Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Brothers and sisters in Christ, today we clearly heard the account of how Jesus rebuked and cast out the demons at Gadara from two men, that the Lord is good, and as perfect goodness that He is, He is the antithesis and opposite side of evil and all forms of sin. And therefore, we too, as the children of God and His beloved ones, have our clear-cut obligations, to shun and be free from all forms of evil in sin.

There can be no compromise to sin and evil, and we should not delude ourselves by thinking that we can get cordial and friendly with the devil and all of his persuasions, and end up falling into sin and thus condemnation. We cannot be children of both God and Satan, and as Jesus had taught His disciples, we can neither be servant of both God and money. We cannot therefore be servant of both good and evil, and either we will be attracted in the end to either one or we will totally hate the other in the end, as our Lord had taught us.

This however, does not mean that we should hate and shun sinners and those who had committed grievous errors before God and mankind. Remember the saying, hate the sin but not the sinner? This is exactly the case, as we must hate and avoid the evils in the works of sin, but we must never hate the person, who has the capacity to do both good or evil. We must instead embrace and welcome them into the Lord and His love through us, that we may help each other to escape the clutches of sin.

We must work together to live holy and worthily of God, and avoid blaming or being prejudiced against anyone on the basis of their sinfulness, for we ourselves are sinners, no matter how small or big our sins are. God is merciful and loving, but He also hates sin, and sin no matter how big or small, has no place in His presence. That is why we believe those who had died righteously in the faith but still were tainted by some venial or non-mortal sins, go through the fires of purgatory to cleanse themselves from those sins before they are admitted into heaven.

Sin, brothers and sisters, is the root of all evil, and if we expose ourselves willingly to sin, we will open the doors of our hearts to all forms of evil, corrupting them for the purpose of Satan, and keep us away from the love of God. And ever since our forefathers listened to the words of Satan to disobey the Lord, we have been prone and weak towards the corrupting nature of sin. Mankind are therefore predisposed to sin, and if we do not make the active effort to avoid committing sin, we will likely commit one before God and men.

And Satan is growing in his power and in his cunningness, in his plethora of means and arsenal of things he can utilise against us, through his agents and his hands in this world. Mankind has grown accustomed to the pleasures and the growing comfort in this world, and it is through this that Satan decided to strike against men, leading them to sin by turning them towards the path of desire and greed.

Our world today is rife with individualism, egoistic and materialistic behaviour. Yes, these behaviours are prone to sin, and in our world today, we can see the direct impact, in how money and material possessions are chased after by many who seek to have more and more of them, and sadly often with disregard to the plight of others, and we even often seek to gain more, at the expense of others around us.

Therefore, brothers and sisters, we need to commit ourselves to a new life. Yes, a new life that is no longer based on sin and human desire, and instead based on love, justice and peace, namely a life that is based on God and on His principles and laws. Let us together help one another to reject sin and all the sinful ways of this world, and from now on resolve to love and lead a righteous life as the Lord had taught us.

May we all be truly children of God, and be like Him in all of our actions, words and deeds. May He guide us in our ways and lead us to Him, that we may be purified and absolved of our sinfulness, and emerge from the darkness of our world into a blissful life in the light. God bless us all. Amen.

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Wednesday, 2 July 2014 : 13th Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Amos 5 : 14-15, 21-24

Seek good and shun evil, that you may live. Then YHVH, the God of hosts, as you have claimed, will be with you. Hate wickedness and love virtue, and let justice prevail in the courts; perhaps YHVH, the God of hosts, will take pity on the remnant of Joseph.

I hate, I reject your feasts, I take no pleasure when you assemble to offer Me your burnt offerings. Your cereal offerings, I will not accept! Your offerings of fattened beasts, I will not look upon!

Away with the noise of your chanting, away with your strumming on harps. But let justice run its course like water, and righteousness be like an ever-flowing river.

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Monday, 23 June 2014 : Vigil Mass of the Solemnity of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist (Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we celebrate the Vigil of the celebration of one of the most important saints of Christendom, that is St. John the Baptist, the relative of our Lord Jesus and His herald, the one who prepared the way for the coming and the work of the Messiah. Today, we celebrate his birth into this world, the sign of the coming of the Messiah at last after mankind waited for a long time for the promised Messiah.

St. John the Baptist was a very important person in our faith because he was the one who made the roads straight for the Lord to walk on, by calling many people to repentance, and for them to be baptised with water at the Jordan, as a sign of renewal and rejuvenation of their soul, and their commitment to changing their lives for the better, that is to cast away their sinful and wicked ways and following the Lord in all His ways.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, St. John the Baptist was called and chosen for this role, and it was not an easy role. We know how during his works and his ministries, he encountered much oppositions from the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, who opposed and questioned his teachings and even doubted his authority, which had been given to him by God.

St. John the Baptist, as we all know also faced great tribulation at the hands of King Herod, who imprisoned him for his criticism of the immorality of the king’s life. He eventually met his end at the hands of the king, being martyred out of the hatred of the world for the Lord and all of His servants, which St. John the Baptist was one of the most principal ones.

St. John the Baptist however did not fear anything throughout his work and through his sufferings. He did not complain and yet he continued his work in complete faith of the plan that God had in place for him. St. John the Baptist knew that his works would also eventually brought him great fame, and there would be those who thought that he was the Messiah, the One who was to come.

It is easy for us to be distracted by all these and immerse in the praise and glory that we may receive from something similar to what St. John the Baptist had done. But yet, St. John the Baptist remained firmly committed to his mission, explaining to the people the true Messiah, Jesus Christ, whom he introduced to some of his own disciples, some of whom eventually became the Apostles of Christ.

St. John the Baptist was born in simplicity, and he lived in simplicity all of his life, having retreated to the desert and living among the elements for a long time before he began his ministry. And he did not worry about anything for he knew that God would care for him and provide for his work and his ministry. And it is all these things that we have witnessed from St. John the Baptist that we can learn to implement in our own lives to become better servants of our Lord.

Let us all be inspired by the example of St. John the Baptist, in his life and in his works, and do it in our own lives, so that we may be better servants and children of our Lord ourselves. Let us be more and more devoted to God and commit ourselves ever more to His designs and plans. May we grow stronger in our faith and be ever more gentle with our love. May God be with us always, and guide us as He had once guided St. John the Baptist. Amen.

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Saturday, 21 June 2014 : 11th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Aloysius Gonzaga, Religious (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Matthew 6 : 24-34

No one can serve two masters; for he will either hate one and love the other, or he will be loyal to the first and look down on the second. You cannot at the same time serve God and money.

This is why I tell you not to be worried about food or drink for yourself, or about clothes for your body. Is not life more important than food, and is not the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow, they do not harvest and do not store food in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not less worthy than they are?

Can any of you add a day to your life by worrying about it? Why are you so worried about your clothes? Look at how the flowers in the fields grow. They do not toil or spin. But I tell you that not even Solomon in all his wealth was clothed like one of these.

If God so clothed the grass in the field, which blooms today and is to be burned tomorrow in an oven, how much more will he clothe you? What little faith you have!

Do not worry and say : What are we going to eat? What are we going to drink? or : What shall we wear? The pagans busy themselves with such things; but your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. Set your heart first on the kingdom and justice of God, and all these things will also be given to you.

Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

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Tuesday, 10 June 2014 : 10th Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 4 : 2-3, 4-5, 7-8

Answer when I call, o God, my Justice! When I was in distress, You gave me solace. Have compassion on me and hear my plea. And you people, how long will you harden your hearts? How long will you delight in deceit and go in search of falsehood?

But you must know that the Lord has shown His kindness to me. When I call to Him, He hears me. Be angry, but do not offend. Keep your words to yourself, when you are in bed, and be still.

Many ask, “Who will give us a happy time? Would that His favour shine upon us!” You, o Lord, have put joy in my heart; more than by giving me wine and food.

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Thursday, 8 May 2014 : 3rd Week of Easter (Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we proceed on this Easter celebration, we have to always keep in mind the truth about Christ that we preach and which we have learnt through the teachings of the Church, in the living God, Jesus Christ, who had risen from the dead after He suffered and died for our sake on the cross, and that this God loves us so much by giving us this Saviour, through whom we may gain new life and complete freedom from the dominion of death.

Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ gave us the new life that is free from the fear of death and the damnation of the soul. This new life is a gift that He granted freely to all the faithful and to all those who keep the faith in God. And by the giving of Himself, freely and without coercion, to us through the sacrifice on the cross, and which He gave us also in the Holy Eucharist, He gave us life eternal.

The living bread which came down from heaven, the Lord Almighty and Eternal God, and yet One who willingly laid down His life for all of His beloved people. Through His gift of Himself, we gain life and one that is eternal. Yes, that is how important is the Eucharist to us, and we should never, ever take the Eucharist lightly, no matter what happens.

Sadly, many have failed to realise this, and they ended up getting further and further away from the salvation promised by God. They refused to listen to the Lord and His life-giving words, just as their ancestors had done long ago, much like the rejection of the elders and chief priests of the people of Israel against Jesus. They rejected this love and this perfect and total gift from the Lord for their own good, and instead took pleasures at the world and all that it had to offer.

That is why it is important for us not just to be complacent in our faith. We have to know the Lord’s commandments and His will for us, and not just knowing it, but also to understand it in its entirety. Otherwise, if we do not know His commandments, then we will be lost among the currents and the evils in this world, and we will perish.

At the same time, if we know the commandments of God but fail to understand them in its true meaning and purpose, then we will end up most likely like the Pharisees and the chief priests, knowing the Law and the details, and indeed too much on the details while failing to understand the purpose of the Law revealed through Moses, despite constant reminders by the prophets sent by the Lord, and at last, including Jesus Himself.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, we have to understand what God wants from all of us. God wants our love, first and foremost, that we dedicate ourselves completely to Him in love, and therefore gain His love and grace in return. That is what He gave us through Jesus His Son. God did not just come down into this world for nothing, and He came precisely for a specific purpose that is to bring mankind back to Him, which He accomplished through His death and resurrection.

Hence, brothers and sisters in Christ, we who believe in the Lord and in His will for us all mankind, it is now up to us all, to continue the good works began by the Apostles, to carry out the mission entrusted by God to them. We have been entrusted with this mission to enlighten the people who still live in darkness and return them into the light of God. Thus, it is imperative for us all to also be faithful and be dedicated in our lives to God, and hence we may bring mankind closer to God as Christ had done.

Brethren, let us proclaim the Lord and the life that He brings to us. Let us help one another to bring each other closer to God, and experience a genuine and complete transformation in our lives, that in all that we do, all of our words, actions and deeds will reflect who we are, the children of the Lord who is good and perfect in all things. God be with us all. Amen.