Lenten sermon

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Wednesday, 10 April 2019 : 5th Week of Lent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, in today’s Scripture readings we heard about the story of the king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar and the three friends of the prophet Daniel, namely Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. In that story, we heard how the king of Babylon built a great golden statue of his own image, and commanded all of his people and all those under his dominion to worship the great golden statue as himself.

But the three men, the friends of Daniel refused to abandon their worship and faith in God, the Lord and one true God of all. While literally everyone else submitted to the king’s commands, even begrudgingly, at the pain of suffering and death, but three men refused to bow down and remained firm in their conviction to be faithful to God and not worshipping any other gods or idols. They made the king very angry and he ordered them to be thrown into the blazing furnace.

The three men believed wholeheartedly in God, and they trusted in Him, that He would not abandon His faithful ones to destruction. And even if the king did destroy their body and existence, but God would not allow their eternal soul to be destroyed, for God alone has authority over our eternal souls. That is why, even though the three of them, who were counted among exiles and slaves of the king, for they were conquered and defeated by the Babylonians, and slavery was a common fate at the time, but in truth they were truly free.

This ought to be contrasted with what we heard in our Gospel passage today, as the Lord Jesus confronted many of the people who doubted Him and refused to believe in the truth and in the good works that He has performed in their midst. They contended that they were the sons and daughters of Abraham, as those who have been born of the race of Israel, born into the community of the Israelites, descendants of Israel of old, and because of that, they were free.

This must be understood in the context of what the Lord said. The Lord said that because of sin, man has been enslaved and lived in bondage to sin, but the Israelites misunderstood and thought that He was referring to an actual, physical state of slavery as was understood at the time, or to the slavery of their ancestors in the land of Egypt. As compared to that time, the Israelites were relatively free, as even though they came under the domination of the Roman Empire, but they had ample autonomy and freedom.

But the Lord rebuked them for their misunderstanding and lack of faith in God. They did not realise that their stubbornness in their opposition to the good works of God done through Christ, and their constant prideful attitudes were only hurting themselves, and keeping themselves enslaved to the power of sin. Instead, the Lord was showing them the true path, the same one that Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego had taken, that is the path of faith.

The people who opposed Jesus indeed did not worship idols and statues like that of the people of Daniel’s time. However, they did not realise that they have made idols out of various other things in their lives, such as money, power, possessions, societal influence and fame, glory and human praise, and many others, that the Lord often criticised the people for. They might indeed appear outwardly pious, and yet, in their hearts, there was no love for God.

And it was those attachments to sin that prevented them from becoming truly free, the path that the Lord Jesus was showing to all of them. And the devil is indeed busy at work, trying to prevent us all from attaining this true freedom in Christ. For if everyone become free, then he, our slavemaster, will no longer have any slaves to dominate over. And that is why Satan makes the path of false freedom, that is the path of sin, much more appealing and attractive, as compared to the path of faith.

That was the same choice that the three friends of Daniel faced. They had to face a very difficult choice, of choosing between the obviously much easier path of accepting the king’s commands and bending the knee to worship the abomination, and receive from the king much favours, graces and good things, even pleasures and joys in life, or to choose the much more difficult and painful path of remaining true to their faith in God, and perish.

But they showed their courage and mettle, and they remained firm in their faith and in their choice, and this is what each and every one of us Christians are called to do in our lives as well. We are faced with choices all the time throughout our lives, to choose between following and doing what is convenient and good for us, and yet, disobeying God’s commandments and causing us to sin, or to choose to remain faithful, even despite challenges, disapproval from others and even those who are close to us.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we approach the coming of the Holy Week, let us remember that we should unite ourselves with Christ and with all of our holy predecessors, including Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, in our obedience to God’s will and in our willingness and conviction to live our lives in accordance with His ways from now on. Let us all turn to God and focus ourselves entirely towards Him, and let us all be faithful from now on, in all of our words, actions and deeds.

May the Lord give us the strength and courage to continue to persevere down this path of faith, and journey together with Him, as we carry up our crosses in life, together with Christ, Who chose the difficult path of suffering, and die for us on the cross, that by His death, and by us sharing in His death, He may restore to us all the gift of eternal life and glory. Amen.

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Tuesday, 9 April 2019 : 5th Week of Lent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we listened to the words of the Scripture reminding us of the role that Christ Our Lord has in the salvation of the whole world, especially because we are approaching the time of the Holy Week, when we will commemorate the most important event not just in our entire liturgical year, but also in the whole of our human history and existence.

And we begin today’s passages with the reading from the Book of Numbers where we heard the moment when God struck against the Israelites during the time of their Exodus from Egypt and travel to the Promised Land. This was because of the people’s stubbornness and lack of faith in Him, as they grumbled and complained again and again, saying that they were suffering in the desert, when the fact was such that the Lord provided them with ample food to eat and water to drink, and guided them throughout the way.

As a result, fiery serpents came into their midst and bit the people, and many who were bitten by the serpents died. And only after this that the people regretted having disobeyed God and begged Moses to intercede for them before God, that God would not destroy His people because of the sins they have committed. When Moses asked God for help, he was told to make the image of a serpent from bronze and put it up on a staff, that it might be lifted up high and made visible to the whole people.

This is what the Lord Jesus alluded to as He spoke to the people as recorded in our Gospel passage today. He mentioned how He was about to go to a place that they could not follow, as a reference and prophecy of His own upcoming and indeed, then imminent suffering and death on the cross. As He approached the moment of reckoning the Lord often spoke of His own suffering and death to the people and to His disciples, many of whom could not quite understand why He said all those ominous words.

He mentioned clearly before the people how the Son of Man will be lifted up high for all to see, and He revealed that the Father’s will shall be fulfilled in due time, when the plan of salvation that He had put in place, is completely fulfilled by the obedience of the Son, that is Jesus Christ Himself. And this salvation is much like what was already earlier alluded and experienced by the Israelites themselves, when Moses made the bronze serpent in the desert.

The bronze serpent is a representation of Christ Himself, the Son of Man Who was to be lifted up high on the cross, just as the bronze serpent is put on a tall staff that everyone might be able to see it. And just as the bronze serpent became a symbol of hope and salvation for the sinful and disobedient people of Israel, thus Christ Our Lord has become the symbol of hope and salvation for each and every one of us, the children of men.

The serpents that bit the Israelites are the sins that we have committed in our lives, and as St. Paul mentioned, the sting of sin is death. Thus, just as the Israelites perish due to the sins of their disobedience and refusal to believe in God, thus all of us should have perished because of our sins and disobedience. But through Christ, all of us have received a new hope in the salvation that He is offering to all of us freely and generously, the forgiveness of our sins and the liberation from our bondage to those sins.

And just as the bronze serpent was lifted up, in fact, what we see is Christ being lifted up, gathering all of our sins, the ‘serpents’ of our life, and gathering them all upon Himself, that He, the Sinless One, would suffer the suffering of the combined weight and burden of all of our sins. By His suffering and wounds therefore, we have been brought a new hope and salvation, because of the great and boundless love He has for us all.

Therefore, brothers and sisters in Christ, as we continue to draw closer to the beginning of the Holy Week, let us all focus our attention on Christ, Our Lord and Saviour, Who has willingly taken up our sins and suffer for us. As we look upon the Christ crucified, let us all look upon Him and realise the great love that He has for us, and the mercy He has shown us, in the desire He has to forgive us from our sins and reconcile us to Himself.

Have we had in us the desire to repent from our sins? God has shown us such great love and mercy, that we ought to be ashamed at the continued presence of sin in our own lives. Let us all turn ourselves completely to the Lord and grow ever stronger in our faith and dedication towards Him, at all times. May the Lord be with us always, and may He empower us all to live courageously with faith, each and every days of our life from now on. Amen.

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Monday, 8 April 2019 : 5th Week of Lent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, as we enter into the fifth week in the season of Lent, we are all reminded that sin is truly something that is very dangerous and sinister, and we are certainly familiar with the many forms of sin, born out of refusal to obey God and the failure to follow God’s will. And there are the seven deadly sins, referring to the seven forms of sin we frequently encounter in life, from pride, to sloth and greed, to wrath and envy, and to lust and gluttony.

In today’s readings from the Scripture we are presented with two stories, one from the Book of the prophet Daniel and one from the Gospel written by St. John. In both stories, there are many parallels, in both of which a woman was accused of improper conduct under two different circumstances. In the Book of the prophet Daniel, we listened to the story of Susanna, an innocent and pious woman who was accused by two elders who tried to hide their own wicked sins, while in the Gospel passage, we heard of a woman who committed adultery and was condemned to death by the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law.

In the case presented in the Book of the prophet Daniel, we heard how two respected elders of the people fell into sin, because of the lust that affected their judgment of action, which made them to sin in their hearts and minds. That such respected and senior member of the community could have fallen into such wickedness is a reminder for us all that we should not take our chances with sin and the temptations to sin.

The lust and also greed in wanting to have the beautiful Susanna made them to desire and to be selfish, and in the end, as Susanna refused to be party to their immoral action, they were overcome by their sins, and instead of repenting and turning away from their sinfulness, they doubled down instead on sin, and ended up making false witnesses and accusations before the people against an innocent person.

That is just how dangerous sin is, and how we should not allow it to have power and control over us. The two elders were swayed by the temptation of worldly concerns, for the security of their positions, for their own selfish gains and advantage, even if that means causing hurt and sufferings for others, as what they almost managed to do with Susanna, causing the loss of life of an innocent, had God not intervened through Daniel.

Then in the Gospel passage today, we heard how the Lord was confronted with the difficult situation when His opponents brought to Him a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery, and asked Him what should be done towards her. The Lord knew that the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law were like those who accused Susanna in the past, as those people resented the authority and popularity that He enjoyed among the people, and their pride, greed and desires overcame them with jealousy and anger.

That was why they hoped to trap the Lord with a seemingly impossible situation, that if the Lord either sided with the adulterous woman or if He punished her, either way it would cause Him to lose credibility and following among the people, and they could even use the occasion as evidence to arrest Him and to condemn Him. Again therefore, we see how sin is so dangerous, that it can cause us to do things that are even contrary to God’s good works and will.

But we also see how the Lord acted in that instance, in calling the ones who had no sin to cast the first stone at the adulterous woman. Instantly, the crowd began to leave one by one, beginning with the oldest, for those who lived the longest were likely to have more sins with them, and ending with the youngest among them. None of them threw a single stone at her, because ultimately, all of them were sinners, just like the adulterous woman.

Therefore, brothers and sisters in Christ, there are three important things that the Lord wants us all to realise through today’s Scripture passages. First of all, it is the fact that each and every one of us are sinners, and it does not matter how many sins we have committed, but sin has us in its snare, and it is a great threat towards us. And then, secondly, as mentioned, sin is something that is very dangerous, as if we allow ourselves to be tempted and sin, we will likely fall deeper and deeper into sin.

And last of all, we are reminded that it does not matter how powerful sin and its temptations may be, but God’s mercy and forgiveness are even more powerful. Even God forgave a woman who committed adultery, but that forgiveness came with a stern provision, that she should repent and sin no more. This is a call for each and every one of us to seek God’s mercy and forgiveness for our own sins, and for us to commit ourselves to repentance and sin no more as well.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we continue to progress through the season of Lent, let us all make the commitment from now on, to live our lives with a renewed purpose, and turn ourselves away from all the sins we have committed thus far, with a firm desire to sin no more, and not indulge even a moment further on those sins. Remember how dangerous sins have been to those whom we have just discussed earlier. Do we want the same fate to happen to us, to perish as the two elders and to sin like the enemies of the Lord?

Instead, we should follow the examples of the Lord, Who forgave even His enemies, and loving everyone, regardless of their status or past experiences or any societal prejudices. Let us all be more loving and forgiving in our own lives, and let us from now on, be true disciples of the Lord in everything we do in life. May God bless us all, now and always. Amen.

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Sunday, 7 April 2019 : Fifth Sunday of Lent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this fifth Sunday of the season of Lent, we are just one week away from the beginning of the Holy Week on Palm Sunday, the beginning of the most important week and time in our entire liturgical year. And traditionally this Sunday, the Fifth Sunday of Lent is also known as the Passion Sunday, marking the beginning of the two weeks Passiontide period spanning the period from today to the Resurrection of Christ at Easter.

At this occasion therefore, the Lord wants each and every one of us to delve deeper into the mystery of His Passion, suffering and death on the cross, as we approach the time when we will commemorate the most important events in our history, the time when God Himself willingly gave His all and fulfilled the promises that He had made with our ancestors, the promise of salvation and liberation from sin, and the promise of freedom from the tyranny of Satan and sin, and to make with us a new and everlasting Covenant.

That is why today’s Scripture readings focus on the love and mercy of God being shown and made evident before us, from the promises that God made to His people through the prophet Isaiah in our first reading today, where He reminded them of the many wonderful things that He had performed and done before them, since the time of their ancestors, and how He has loved and blessed them ever since. God wanted to show His people that His love and mercy is ever trustworthy and ever good.

And then, the Lord showed it firsthand through what we have heard in our Gospel passage today, when the Lord Jesus was confronted by the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law who wanted to corner and trap Him in an impossible situation, by bringing into His presence a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery, and asking Him what should be done upon that woman. Their plotting and opposition were truly sinister and wicked, and we will go through the reason why.

First of all, the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law were hoping that Jesus would side with the woman who had been caught in adultery, based on how He has often spent His time in the company of sinners, people like tax collectors and prostitutes, with people who were sick with various diseases, those who were considered unclean in body and in spirit, all those who have been spurned and rejected by the society and looked down upon as sinners.

And if the Lord sided with the woman, by forgiving her outright and ignoring whatever the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law had accused her for, then they could quickly seize on the opportunity and discredit the Lord Jesus, labelling Him as a friend of sinners and as a blasphemer, for allowing sin to continue to exist. This would have immediately brought a great problem for the Lord, Who would then lose His credibility, following and even trust by the people. And He could even be condemned by the authorities for such an action.

But then, if the Lord so chose that He would punish the woman in accordance with the Jewish customs and laws, then the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law would also seize upon the opportunity to enhance their own position and prestige, by pointing out that in the end, the Lord Jesus was no different from them, and probably was a usurper and a fake who is trying to seize the teaching authority from the Sanhedrin or the Jewish elite, and He would have also ended in trouble for this choice of action.

Clearly the Lord Jesus was trapped and cornered by the action of the Pharisees, the teachers of the Law and all those who have opposed Him. But the Lord then made a move that His enemies did not anticipate at all. He asked that the one who was without sin cast the first stone at the woman, for the punishment for adultery according to the Jewish laws and customs was stoning to death. And the people gradually left the place, beginning from the oldest to the youngest.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, what we have just heard and witnessed from the story in our Gospel passage today is the sad reality of our human life and our actions towards one another. We like to point out the shortcomings and faults in others, and we want to see others fail and we find joy in causing hurt and suffering in others, just because we hate or dislike the other person, or think that we are better than them.

That was how the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law were capable of doing such a heinous and wicked act, in trying to frame and discredit the Lord Jesus, by trapping Him in what was to be an impossible situation. But the Lord knew all that were going on in their minds, all their plots and thoughts, and surely, He must have been very sad to see many of His people behaving in such a way, condemning sinners and being selfish in their attitudes towards others.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, we see today, the great mercy of God as we saw how Jesus was merciful towards the woman who was caught in the act of adultery. When all the people who wanted to condemn her had left, and no one threw the stone at her, the Lord told her to go and change her life, no longer sin but obeying God’s will from then on. And just as none of the people condemned her in the end, He Himself said that neither did He condemn her.

This is a reminder to each and every one of us, that first of all, each and every one of us are sinners, and all of us are in need of God’s healing and help, for otherwise, sin will become our undoing. And no one can heal us from our sins, except for God. For it is He alone Who is able to forgive us from our sins and restore us to the state of grace in Him. Sin is indeed a very dangerous disease that is slowly destroying us and corrupting us from inside out, often without us realising it.

And that is why, today through the passages, we are reminded to come to seek God’s forgiveness and mercy. And then, as we are all sinners, none of us have any rights to condemn and be judgmental on others, just as what the Pharisees, the teachers of the Law had done, in wanting to condemn the woman to death, and having that sinister intention to discredit the Lord Jesus by using that opportunity.

That was why, the Lord Jesus said, ‘Let the one who is without sin cast the first stone’. This reminds us that before we accuse others and try to make others look bad or suffer, or punishing them for their faults, we must always try to contemplate deep in our hearts, and think whether we have sinned or done the same fault ourselves. When we point a finger to judge and demean others, do we realise that the other four fingers are pointing to ourselves?

We know of one parable of Jesus, where it was said that ‘Remove first the splinter from your own eye, before trying to remove the plank from your brother’s eye’. A lot of us have this hurt and angst within us, in our relationships towards each other, to our friends, to our family members, to the members of our community, and frequently, within our Church ministries and organisations, in our parishes and in our faith communities and groups.

And that is caused by the pride that we have within us, in refusing to admit that we ourselves are not perfect and we ourselves are in need of the same healing that the other person is needing. We often think that others need to change to suit what we want or what we expect of them, but how many of us actually stop to think that we ourselves are in need of a similar change in our own lives? When we allow ego and pride to take charge of our thoughts and actions, we will end up doing exactly what the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law had been doing.

Let us instead follow the example of Christ, Who forgave and healed the adulterous woman from her sins. He told her to go and sin no more, and that is what we should be doing as well. God is so merciful and loving towards us, even towards His enemies, that when He was on the cross, He forgave even all those who have condemned Him. He, the Perfect One, willingly took up our imperfections and sins, and be punished for them, all because of His love and tender mercy towards us.

Are we able to follow Christ’s loving examples in our own actions in life? Are we able to reach out to all those whom we have hurt and who have hurt us, and forgive each other? This is one important challenge that I think we should take up in this remaining time of Lent, as we prepare ourselves to enter into the mystery of the Passion, suffering and death of Our Lord. It is essentially all about God’s love and generous mercy towards us.

Let us all look towards the cross of Christ, on the Lord crucified. Let us all look at how wounded He is, and realise that each and every one of those innumerable wounds are our own sins, that God has willingly taken up on Himself, that each and every one of us may be healed. Let us all be ashamed at our sinfulness, but with the hope that Christ will heal us from our sins, and instead of being prideful and judgmental to each other, let us all help each other to overcome the temptations of sin, and be loving and forgiving at all times, as Christ Our Lord Himself has done.

May the Lord our God continue to love us, and may He continue to shower us with His love and mercy. May God guide us always in our journey of faith towards Him, each and every days of our life. And may all of us be prepared to enter meaningfully into the commemoration of Our Lord’s Passion, suffering, death and resurrection. Amen.

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Saturday, 6 April 2019 : 4th Week of Lent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we listened to the words of the Scripture reminding us that the time of the Holy Week is truly coming closer and closer, as the nature of the Scripture passages speak to us about the upcoming moments of Christ’s betrayal and handover to His enemies, His suffering and Passion. We are hearing more and more about the persecution of God’s faithful ones, which is a reminder of the suffering of Christ.

We are reminded of this fact in order for us all to reflect and do some self-introspection on our own stubbornness and refusal to listen to the word of God in our way of life. We heard how the prophet Jeremiah suffered in the first reading today, as he mentioned the opposition that he had to encounter during his ministry, the sufferings he had to endure, as his enemies gathered up against him, accusing him of many wrongdoings and even threatened his life and safety.

The prophet Jeremiah went up against tough opposition, particularly many of the nobles and the advisors to the king of Judah. Jeremiah proclaimed the imminent coming of the end of the kingdom of Judah and the destruction of Jerusalem, but those who opposed Jeremiah accused him of being a traitor to the nation and as a doomsayer, bearer of bad news. They wanted him to be killed and executed, but there were still some allies who helped to keep Jeremiah safe.

Nonetheless, Jeremiah still had to suffer imprisonment, incarceration, and for several months if not years, he was suffering in a dry sewer where he was hidden from his enemies who wanted him dead. At least, Jeremiah did not suffer the fate of the other prophets who were slaughtered and murderer by those who refused to believe in them. And that was the fate that the Lord Jesus, our Lord and Saviour, suffered from.

The chief priests were plotting with the members of the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, as well as with the other prominent members of the community, who were opposed to Jesus, and they wanted to arrest Him and to punish Him and even kill Him, that He would no longer become a threat to their own influence and position of honour in the community. They saw Him as a threat and rival to their own teaching authority and power.

And as they indulged in worldly power and desires, they closed their hearts and minds from wisdom and reason, and they sinned because of the jealousy, pride and desire in their hearts, which led them to arrest the Lord, made Him suffer and handed Him over to the Roman administration and demanding for His death by crucifixion, a most humiliating and painful death preserved only for the worst of criminals.

Through all of these we have witnessed and heard, we are in fact called to look deep into our own lives, and on how we have lived them all these while. And we need to ask ourselves if we have allowed all these wicked desires, the ego and pride in our hearts to affect us and our judgment of actions? Should we not try to overcome and remove from ourselves these obstacles, by which we have been separated from God’s grace and love?

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all pray that as we continue to prepare ourselves physically, spiritually and mentally during this season of Lent, we may draw ever closer to God and attune ourselves to His ways. Let us no longer be separated from Him and let us all shed from ourselves the taint of human pride, of greed and ambition, that we may receive from Him the fullness of pardon and forgiveness from our sins.

May God be with us always, and may He continue to lead us to the right path, that we will not be easily led astray by the devil and all those seeking our destruction and damnation. May this blessed season and time of Lent be a time of renewal and reconciliation for all of us. Amen.

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Friday, 5 April 2019 : 4th Week of Lent, Memorial of St. Vincent Ferrer, Priest (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we listened to the words of the Lord through the Scriptures reminding us all about the opposition that those who are faithful to God has to experience through life, and we are going to focus more and more on this theme as we approach the beginning of the Holy Week of the Passion, suffering and death of Our Lord, which will be in just about more than a week’s time.

In the first reading today, we heard the passage from the Book of Wisdom relating to us how there were a lot of opposition against the faithful and against all the servants of God. The Book of Wisdom is a book that focuses on much of the internal thoughts and deliberations of the people, and in today’s segment, we focus on the thoughts that went in the minds of those who persecuted the prophets and the messengers of the Lord.

And we see the kinds of wickedness and stubbornness present in the minds of those people who refused to believe in the prophets and in the messages of truth they brought with them. They plotted against the faithful ones of God simply because they refused to let go of the pride, ego and the greed within their hearts and minds. They took it personally that those prophets and messengers had criticised them and the way they lived their lives.

This is parallel to what the Lord Jesus mentioned and spoke before the people in our Gospel passage today. At that time, as the time was coming close to the moment when Jesus was about to be betrayed and handed over to His enemies, the oppositions against Him among the priests, the scribes, the Pharisees and all others who saw Him as their rival and as a dangerous influence were increasing rapidly.

And this is where unfortunately, the pride of men came in between them and the ability to welcome the truth of God. They were doubting the truth that the prophets and eventually, Christ Himself revealed because they thought of themselves as being holders and owners of the real truth, as they perceived themselves as being better, more educated and even more worthy than the ones who have come speaking the truth of God before them.

That was why they refused to listen, as they hardened themselves and their mindset on what they thought were the right ways and attitudes to do. They viewed the words of the prophets and the Lord Jesus as dangerous threats and perhaps even falsehoods from their point of view. That was why they even refused to allow the truth of God to enter into their minds, and continued to do what they thought was right, even when they were actually wrong and committing sins.

Today as we heard all of these, we are reminded that each and every one of us may have been like the Pharisees, the priests, the teachers of the Law and all those who have oppressed the prophets and the Lord Himself. We may have refused to listen to the words of the Lord that He spoke deep within our hearts and minds, and closing the doors of our hearts and minds to Him. We are often so preoccupied with the many worldly matters and concerns that we do not allow God and His truth to get through to us.

Unless we open our hearts and minds, by putting aside ego and pride, desire and greed from all things, by humbling ourselves before the Lord and by realising that each and every one of us are not perfect in our ways and in our thoughts, we will likely not be able to change our ways and as such, continuing to sin, and getting more and more distant from God as time passes by. There is a need for us to reorientate and change our direction in life, so that we may find a new way and path in life, one that leads to the Lord.

Today, all of us are also called to follow the good examples set by St. Vincent Ferrer, in how he devoted his life to the good service of God, travelling to many places and preaching the truth about God to the people in various places. St. Vincent Ferrer helped many people to turn themselves to the Lord, and was very generous with his work among the poor and orphans, caring for the need of the people of God.

Through all these, we are all reminded that we need to have a profound change in attitude and approach in life. And during this season of Lent, we are called to turn away from sin, and to die to our human pride, greed, desire and all the things that have been preventing us from being able to come closer to God. We are reminded through the call to repentance, that each and every one of us are sinful and are in need of healing from God.

Let us all turn away from sin, and let us all refocus our attention to God from now on. May the Lord be our guide, and may He continue to bless us and by His encouragement, may He help us always to overcome the many temptations and challenges in this life. May God bless us all, now and always. Amen.

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Thursday, 4 April 2019 : 4th Week of Lent, Memorial of St. Isidore, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we listened to the words of the Scripture reminding us all about the matter of faith and belief in God, that is the cornerstone and centre of our faith, and indeed, of our entire lives. For without true faith and devotion to God, we cannot live our lives in the manner that is in accordance to the way that the Lord has shown us, the path towards salvation.

In the first reading today, taken from the Book of Exodus, the Lord spoke out of His righteous anger before Moses, wanting to destroy the Israelites for the sins which they have committed, sins which were truly grievous and terrible, because they have willingly, consciously and deliberately rejected God despite having witnessed and received the great providence, love and grace from God, Who personally intervened for their sake and liberated them from their enemies and oppressors.

They chose a golden calf, crafted and made by the hands of man to be their god. They abandoned the Lord Who had blessed them and protected them so much, just because they thought that He was not there with them, just when Moses left them for a period of time as he went up the mountain to communicate with God and to get His Laws and commandments. They performed a great sacrilege and betrayal by such an act.

As recorded in the Book of Exodus, it may seem that the Lord is an angry and vengeful God, but this is the same pattern that happened throughout most of the Old Testament, as the people saw Him as One Who did not tolerate dissent or disobedience. But in truth, it was not the Lord Who willingly wanted the destruction of His own people, His beloved ones. Rather, it was their conscious rejection of God’s love and their sins that condemned them to destruction.

Moses interceded on behalf of the people, asking God to turn away from His righteous anger and forgive His people their sins. He reminded Him of the promises and the love that He has shown to His faithful servants, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. And He relented and turned away from His wrath because He is a faithful God, Who is faithful to the Covenant that He had made with His servants, His beloved people.

This is a reminder for each and every one of us that we have also experienced the same thing in our own lives due to sin. By our sins we have made ourselves like the Israelites who rejected God’s love and grace and made for themselves an idol out of gold. Likewise, we have made for ourselves many idols, from all of our attachments, desires and all the other longing of our earthly lives.

And the Lord Jesus revealed Himself in the Gospel passage today, as the One Who is interceding for us before God as Moses once did, and called on all of us sinners to listen to Him and to receive His message of truth. He made it plain, clear and simple, that all those who listen to Him and receive His truth with faith, the Lord will bring them all to the salvation that He has promised to all of them. If they otherwise prefer to remain in sin and refuse to repent and listen to the Lord’s call, then they shall be judged and be condemned by the same sins.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, this is where we need to keep in mind of just how loving and forgiving our God is. Despite all of our sins, He is still willing to embrace us and to forgive us from our trespasses and wicked ways, as long as we are willing to make the conscious effort to turn away from those sins and accept His truth, as revealed to us through Christ, His Son, Who has pleaded and interceded for us, through His suffering and death on the cross.

Yes, that is just how much God loved us and treasured us, that He was willing to go through all the troubles and difficulties just so that we all may be saved from certain destruction because of our own sins and disobedience. And all of us therefore should love God with all of our hearts, and devote ourselves to Him wholeheartedly, from now on, throwing away all the wicked idols of money, power, fame, influence, worldly glory and all the things keeping us from righteousness in God.

Today we can also model ourselves from the examples shown to us by the saint of the day, St. Isidore of Seville, known as a holy man and devout servant of God, who preached and taught among the people in what is now modern day Spain. He preached the truth of God and called on the people to abandon their sinful and wicked ways, and helped many others to get out of their sins, and seeking the forgiveness of God. He himself lived a holy and austere life, devoted and dedicated to God.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all turn to the Lord from now on and spend our effort in trying to make ourselves worthy once again of His love. God wants to forgive us our sins, but do we want to be forgiven? Unless we want to be forgiven, we will not be able to fully reconcile ourselves with God, and worse still, we may fall again and again back into sin, and from there to destruction and eternal damnation, a fate we certainly want to avoid.

May the Lord be with us always, and may He continue to guide us through life, that we may draw ever closer to Him and find the way to the fullness of His love and saving grace. May God bless us all, now and forevermore. Amen.

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Wednesday, 3 April 2019 : 4th Week of Lent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we listened to the words of the Scriptures speaking to us about the love that God, our loving Creator and Father has for each and every one of us, and by which love we are so fortunate, because despite of our sins and all the wicked deeds and actions that we have done, God still loves us and is willing to forgive us from those sins and wickedness, provided that we are able to follow and commit ourselves to the path that He has shown to us all.

In both our first reading passage from the book of the prophet Isaiah and the Gospel passage today, this truth is reiterated before us all firmly, reminding us of the great love that God, our loving Father has for each and every one of us. In the book of the prophet Isaiah we heard how the Lord reminded His people of the love that He has for each and every one of them, and how He would save them from their enemies and from their troubles.

He reminded all of them that they will no longer need to worry and ought to rejoice because God has come to save them all. And this is precisely echoed and revealed through what we have heard in our Gospel passage today, when the Lord Jesus also mentioned the very same things, the assurance of God’s love and faithfulness, when He, our loving Father, will bless us and gather us into the bliss and eternal joy He has promised all of those who are faithful to Him.

And therefore, today we are reminded of the fulfilment of God’s promises that He has made through Jesus Christ, His Son, through Whom God has revealed to all of us, His perfect love, that He was willing to send His Son to us as the perfect gift, and as the Hope of our salvation. Through Christ, God’s own Son, God has brought us all from the darkness of this world and into the eternal joy and bliss He has prepared for all of us.

Today’s readings repeat this important truth because each and every one of us ought to remember why we go through this period of Lent, this time and period of purification and self-rediscovery. And that is because we are looking forward to the coming of the true joy of our lives, that will come with the fullness of our reconciliation with God, through Jesus Christ, His sacrifice and death on the cross, by which He has redeemed us all from our sins.

As we draw ever closer to the end of the season of Lent, and as we head towards the holiest week of our entire liturgical year, the Holy Week itself, we ought to spend some time to reflect on our own lives, and how we have lived these lives of ours thus far. Have we placed our faith in God and have we loved Him just as He Himself has first loved us? Have we realised just how much God cared for us, and how He has blessed us all these while without us probably even knowing it?

Indeed, just as we heard in the Gospel passage today, that some among the people who heard Jesus’ teachings opposed Him and wanted to kill Him because they refused to believe in Him, thus, our lives will be far from being smooth and easygoing. There will be plenty of challenges and obstacles in our journey, as there will be many of those who disagree with us and our choice to follow the Lord. And the devil is always busy at work trying to snare more souls to follow his lead into damnation.

But, shall we follow the falsehoods and the empty promises of Satan? He is full of sweet lies and false pretenses, that we can end up falling for if we do not have a strong faith and trust in God. This is where we need to strengthen our dedication to God, that each and every one of us may grow stronger and firmer in our faith, and not easily give in to the temptations of evil. This season of Lent is truly a time for us to make a difference in our lives, by changing our way of life.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all turn towards the Lord from now on with all of our strength, and focus our attention and effort towards Him. Let us grow ever more in love for Him and put our complete trust in Him, for He is ever always faithful, and will not abandon us at the time of our need. May God be with us always, now and forevermore. Amen.

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Tuesday, 2 April 2019 : 4th Week of Lent, Memorial of St. Francis of Paola, Hermit (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, in today’s Scripture passages we listened again about the healing and liberation that come from God, as we heard in our first reading passage today from the Book of the prophet Ezekiel about the vision he received of the glorious heavenly sanctuary, of the wonderful place and how everything exists in God’s grace and bliss. And then in the Gospel passage we heard another healing miracle of the Lord, as He healed a paralytic man and made him whole once again.

Through all of these passages we have heard today, God wants to remind us all that this Lent, we are called to reflect on our own lives, on how we have lived these lives of ours so far, in our attitudes, actions and life. We are called to remember that our ultimate destination in life is heaven, as God showed to the prophet Ezekiel in the vision. And in truth, heaven is more than just a place, for it is a state of pure bliss and joy of being fully reconciled and reunited with God, where there will be no more sorrow but only pure joy of being with God, enjoying the fullness of His love for eternity.

Unfortunately, all of us mankind have been prevented from enjoying all these things and wonders in this present life, because of our disobedience against God and His will. And the fruits of disobedience are our sins, which have corrupted us and made us to be sick. We are just like the paralytic man who was lying down, unable to move and afflicted at the Pool of Siloam. And no one helped him for the entirety of the thirty-eight years he was there.

And we see how there were many people afflicted by various diseases coming to the Pool of Siloam because of the miraculous healing that happened to all the first person who went into the water when the water was stirred by God’s Angel. But no one bothered to help the paralytic man to go to the water to be healed, and everyone just bothered about their own selves, in wanting to be healed. That was how the paralytic man suffered there for thirty-eight years long.

Jesus knew how long the man had suffered and waited for the day of his healing which did not seem to come at all. But Jesus knew his faith and willingness to be healed, and thus, He approached the man and asked about his willingness to be healed. The man showed that he clearly wanted to be healed, but no one bothered to help him at all in order to be healed. And so, Jesus showed us all an example by reaching out to the man, and healed him even on the day of the Sabbath.

Jesus showed us all what each and every one of us need to do, especially during this penitential season of Lent, a time of renewal and reconciliation with God. First of all, He is calling on us to seek Him for Him to heal us all from our sins. For it is God alone Who is capable of freeing us from the bondage and sufferings of our sins. We cannot heal ourselves from the plight of sin, just like the paralytic man who could not heal himself.

And we know how loving and forgiving God is, that He was so willing to reach out to us, embracing us with His love, and healing us from our pains and sufferings because of sin. That is what each and every one of us can expect, if we are able and willing to turn towards God and seek His forgiveness and mercy. We shall be made whole and good once again, freed from our sins and wickedness, from our pains and trials.

Secondly, which is not less important, is the fact that all of us are not suffering alone in this world. Each and every one of us are equally sinners before God. All of us are afflicted and are corrupted by the taints of sin. And unless we come to seek God’s help and providence, we shall perish and suffer eternal death due to sin. But sadly, many of us are so blinded by pride as well as by selfishness and greed, that we often acted as how the people in the Pool of Siloam acted.

What does that mean, brothers and sisters in Christ? It means that we should not turn a blind eye to the sins and sufferings of our fellow brethren. We must instead show the same love and compassion that the Lord has shown to the paralytic man. It is through our actions and our obedience to God that we can inspire others around us to also follow in our examples and good actions, that together we may be saved.

Today, we should also be inspired by the good examples shown by the holy and devout, loving and compassionate St. Francis of Paola, an ascetic friar and hermit who devoted his whole life to God, serving the people through prayer, through humility and plenty of self-sacrifice, by being exemplary in faith and in all of his words and actions. St. Francis of Paola, as well as many other saints whose life we know about, show us how each one of us can become like them in holiness, for they themselves were once sinners, but they sought God’s healing and were healed and transformed.

May the Lord be with us always, and may He empower each and every one of us that we may live faithfully from now on, and be able and willing to commit ourselves to a life of holiness, virtue and faith. May God bless us all, now and forevermore. Amen.

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Monday, 1 April 2019 : 4th Week of Lent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we listened to the words of the Scripture giving us encouragement and strength, with the message of hope in the power of God’s salvation and healing, as all of us come to the loving embrace of God, in the healing that He brought into this world as mentioned in the Gospel passage today, and also in the wonderful vision of the prophet Isaiah, who received from God the assurance of a new Jerusalem, a new place for all the faithful, where no sorrow will exist anymore.

In today’s Gospel passage, we heard the healing of the son of an official, who had been very sick and in a really terrible condition. The official travelled to meet Jesus, Whom has been renowned for His many miracles and healing of the sick people, of all various kinds of diseases and troubles. The official pleaded with the Lord to heal his son, and the Lord saw the faith that the official had in Him and in the power of God.

But take note that Jesus did not go personally to heal the son of the official. He merely said, ‘Go, you son has been healed!’ and the official believed in the words of Jesus and went back home. On his journey home, one of his servants declared that the official’s son has recovered, right at the very moment when the Lord said that his son would be healed. Imagine the joy that the official must have experienced, all because of his faith in God.

In order to appreciate the importance of this event, we must understand and appreciate it in conjunction with what occurred throughout the Gospels, especially when we see the faith that this official had shown, in tandem with the faith of the woman who had haemorrhage, as well as the faith of Jairus, the synagogue official, and the faith of the army centurion, who similarly as the official, believed that even the mere words of Jesus could heal their beloved ones.

And this ought to be contrasted with the attitudes of many of the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, who have witnessed many times, the many miracles and wonders that the Lord Jesus had performed before them and the people, and yet refused and failed to believe in the truth that God had made clear and evident before all of them. They have seen all the great wonders that God had performed, but the reality is that, God had no place in their hearts.

That was why they did not believe in God and His works, doubting Him and even challenging, opposing and persecuting all those who believed in His truth and works. They wanted proof again and again from the Lord Jesus, while they have actually seen all the wonders with their own eyes, because the doors of their hearts have been closed to God. No matter what God had done for them, the ego and pride, the ambition and desire that are in them have prevented them from having that important faith in God.

Now, in this time of Lent, all of us are reminded of the healing and salvation that God has brought into our midst, through His Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ. But in order to be healed, we will need to have faith, like the faith of the official and all the others I have mentioned, those who seek the Lord for healing, mercy and forgiveness for their sins. Healing and forgiveness only comes when we empty ourselves of ego, of pride, of our human ambition and desire, of our stubbornness and attachments to sin.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, each and every one of us must realise that we are suffering now because of our sins, due to our disobedience against God and His will. And no one can free us from the bondage to sin save that of God alone. Now, the question is, are we willing to commit ourselves to the path of God’s mercy and forgiveness? If we are willing to do so, then we need to reconsider how we have lived our lives thus far, and see in what way we can live our lives more meaningfully and more faithfully in accordance to God’s will.

Are we able to put God at the centre of our lives? Are we able to make Him the very reason of our every words, actions and deeds? This will require effort from us to change our way of life, and how we focus our efforts and attentions. If we have once been proud, ambitious, selfish and greedy, let us all now learn humility, selflessness, generosity and charity in all the things we do in life from now on.

May the Lord be with us always, as we continue this journey of life with faith. May He continue to bless us and guide us, that in everything we encounter in life, we will always have the courage to remain true and devoted to Him, in each and every days of our life. May God, our loving Father and our Saviour, be our source of healing and may He forgive us all our sins and wickedness. Amen.