Mass readings

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Thursday, 18 August 2016 : 20th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we heard the Lord Jesus spoke to His disciples about the parable of the wedding feast and the wedding garment. And this is linked to what God Himself had spoken to His prophet Ezekiel regarding the promise that He would gather His people scattered through the nations of the world, and brought them back to His presence, giving them His own Spirit to dwell among them.

And that promise had been brought to a complete fruition through Jesus Christ, the One Whom God had sent into the world, to be our Saviour and the Liberator of us all from our sins. He has come to dwell among us, to bring everyone to the liberation and freedom which God had made available to all those who believe in Him and trust in Him.

That is what the essence of today’s Scripture readings is about. He has invited all of His people to the grand banquet, the grand celebration of our life and our salvation in Him, just as the king in the parable Jesus told His disciples invited the guests, as the banquet is ready and everything is about to proceed but lacking only the guests.

Yet, the guests refused to come, and they made many excuses and reasons why they were not able to attend the banquet which the king had set up for all of them. Worse still, some of them even ignored the invitation but instead continued on doing their daily business as if nothing had happened. They rejected the master and the king, and in his anger, the king destroyed these rebellious and ungrateful people.

These rebellious and ungrateful people refer to none other than us mankind, the people whom God had blessed with many good things, and yet, they have taken His love for granted, thinking that they have no need for it, and as such, they became very immersed in the worldly matters that eventually brought about their downfall.

It is a kind and clear reminder to all of us, brothers and sisters in Christ, that as we live our lives, we have to be wary and to be careful of all the temptations and the persuasions with which the devil and all of his forces are trying to lure us away with, in the attempt to distract us and to derail us from the path towards our salvation. And if we are not aware of it, let us all look back and reflect, brethren, how often is it that we have rejected the Lord or choose things other than the Lord and His words, just because we are busy and too preoccupied with our own busy schedules and work?

Let us all devote ourselves to the Lord anew. It is not enough that we just commit ourselves to Him in words or on appearances alone. Rather, we have to have that commitment growing and emerging from deep within us, from the deepest depths of our heart, that we truly internalise our faith and be genuine in our devotion and ability to give of ourselves wholeheartedly for the sake of the Lord and for His people.

Let us all renew our efforts to be ever better and ever more committed disciple of our Lord, and be exemplary in all of our actions and deeds, that through us, many of the good works of the Lord may be made to fulfilment and may many people be able to come and approach the Lord through us. God bless us all, and may He ever strengthen our faith. Amen.

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Thursday, 18 August 2016 : 20th Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Matthew 22 : 1-14

At that time, Jesus went on speaking to His disciples and to the people, “This story throws light on the kingdom of heaven : A king celebrated the wedding of his son. He sent his servants to call the invited guests to the wedding feast, but the guests refused to come.”

“Again he sent other servants, ordering them to say to the invited guests, ‘I have prepared a banquet, slaughtered my fattened calves and other animals, and now everything is ready. Come to the wedding!’ But they paid no attention and went away, some to their fields, and some to their work. Others seized the servants of the king, insulted them and killed them.”

“The king became angry. He sent his troops to destroy those murderers and burn their city. Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is prepared, but the invited guests were not worthy. Go instead to the crossroads, and invite everyone you find to the wedding feast.'”

“The servants went out at once into the streets and gathered everyone they found, good and bad alike, so that the hall was filled with guests. The king came in to see those who were at table, and he noticed a man not wearing the festal garment. So he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in without the wedding garment?’ But the man remained silent.”

“So the king said to his servants, ‘Bind his hands and feet and throw him into the dark, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ Know that many are called, but few are chosen.”

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Thursday, 18 August 2016 : 20th Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 50 : 12-13, 14-15, 18-19

Create in me, o God, a pure heart; give me a new and steadfast spirit. Do not cast me out of Your presence nor take Your Holy Spirit from me.

Give me again the joy of Your salvation and sustain me with a willing Spirit. Then I will show wrongdoers Your ways and sinners will return to You.

You take no pleasure in sacrifice; were I to give a burnt offering, You would not delight in it.

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Thursday, 18 August 2016 : 20th Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Ezekiel 36 : 23-28

I will make known the holiness of My great Name, profaned among the nations because of You, and they will know that I am YHVH when I show them My holiness among you.

For I will gather you from all the nations and bring you back to your own land. Then I shall pour pure water over you and you shall be made clean – cleansed from the defilement of all your idols. I shall give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you. I shall removed your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.

I shall put My Spirit within you and move you to follow My decrees and keep My laws. You will live in the land I gave your ancestors; you shall be My people and I will be your God.

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Wednesday, 17 August 2016 : 20th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we listened to the words of the Holy Scriptures speaking to us about the Lord Who is our Shepherd, our Guide and our Master, Who leads us to the salvation and life which He promised all those who remain faithful to Him and who obeys His laws and commandments, and practice these in their own lives with zeal and true dedication.

He is the true and good Shepherd, Who truly loves all of His people, the sheep of His flock. Unlike those shepherds, the leaders and guides whom He had appointed to be caretakers of His people, who had not been faithful and be committed to their duties and instead served their own wants and greedy desires first. Those were the false shepherds who were not genuine in their duties to the ones to whom they have been entrusted with.

Those were also the ones mentioned in the Lord’s words through the prophet Ezekiel, where He spoke of those who have misled the people into sin and into the darkness, the false guides who showed the wrong way to the people, corrupting them instead of bringing them into the light. God was angry with them and chastised them, scolded them for their irresponsible and selfish attitude and actions.

These people were like all those workers who came earlier in the parable that Jesus told His disciples in the Gospel today. Those workers worked in the fields of the Master, and was angry when they received the same wage as all those who joined the work later on in the day. They argued that since they have worked longer then they deserved to receive more than those who came later.

But they did not understand what the Lord and Master had intended for them. They have entirely missed out the point of why they had been called in the first place. They thought that their supposedly pious and devout way of life gave them the privilege to do things as they like, and they thought that such privilege gave them the right to look down on others whom they deemed to be less worthy in the presence of God.

But no, brothers and sisters in Christ, that is not how God works. He considers everyone to be equal, and all are the same in His presence. Everyone are the sheep of His flock, which He guides to be walking on the way He has appointed them. And He has appointed us to be shepherds for each other, especially those who among us have been called by God earlier and have received His words earlier than others.

The Pharisees and the teachers of the Law abused their authority and did not do as they were supposed to do. They misguided the people and rather than helping them to be on their way to God, instead they made it much more difficult for them to follow the Lord, and in that way they have become the false and wicked shepherds, as those who put themselves first before the needs of others.

But that is where Jesus our Lord also mentioned something that all of us should take heed of, that is, the first shall be last while the last shall be first. Thus, it is a reminder for all of us Christians, that we should not be greedy, and neither should we be focused so much on our desires and our wants, as if we do these, we tend to want to glorify ourselves and thus tend to cause us to sin in the sight and in the presence of God.

Instead, let us all realise just how much it is that we all can do in order to help one another, our brothers and sisters, our neighbours and all who we interact with, that through our interactions and work, we may together work such that we can draw closer to the Lord our God, and obey Him in all of His laws and precepts. We are called by God to return to Him, our Good Shepherd. Let us all together heed His call and walk together in His path of grace. May God bless us all and remain with us all forevermore. Amen.

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Wednesday, 17 August 2016 : 20th Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Matthew 20 : 1-16a

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “This story throws light on the kingdom of Heaven : A landowner went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. He agreed to pay each worker the usual daily wage, and sent them to his vineyard.”

“He went out again at about nine in the morning, and seeing others idle in the town square, he said to them, ‘You also, go to my vineyard, and I will pay you what is just.’ So they went. The owner went out at midday, and again at three in the afternoon, and he did the same.”

“Finally he went out at the last working hour – the eleventh hour – and he saw others standing there. So he said to them, ‘Why do you stay idle the whole day?’ They answered, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ The master said, ‘Go and work in my vineyard.'”

“When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his manager, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wage, beginning with the last and ending with the first.’ Those who had come to work at the eleventh hour turned up, and were each given a silver coin.”

“When it was the turn of the first, they thought they would receive more. But they, too, each received a silver coin. So, on receiving it, they began to grumble against the landowner. They said, ‘These last hardly worked an hour, yet you have treated them the same as us, who have endured the heavy work of the day and the heat.'”

“The owner said to one of them, ‘Friend, I have not been unjust to you. Did we not agree on one silver coin per day? So take what is yours and go. I want to give to the last the same as I give you. Do I not have the right to do as I please with what is Mine? Why are you envious when I am kind?'”

“So will it be : the last will be first, the first will be last.”

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Wednesday, 17 August 2016 : 20th Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 22 : 1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6

The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside the still waters, He restores my soul.

He guides me through the right paths for His Name’s sake. Although I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are beside me : Your rod and Your staff comfort me.

You spread a table before me in the presence of my foes. You anoint my head with oil; my cup is overflowing.

Goodness and kindness will follow me all the days of my life. I shall dwell in the house of the Lord as long as I live.

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Wednesday, 17 August 2016 : 20th Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Ezekiel 34 : 1-11

The word of YHVH came to me in these terms, “Son of man, speak on My behalf against the shepherds of Israel! Say to the shepherds on My behalf : Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flock?”

“But you feed on milk and are clothed in wool, and you slaughter the fattest sheep. You have not taken care of the flock, you have not strengthened the weak, cared for the sick or bandaged the injured. You have not gone after the sheep that strayed or searched for the one that was lost.”

“Instead you ruled them harshly and were their oppressors. They have scattered for want of a shepherd and became prey of wild animals. My sheep wander over the mountains and high hills; and when they are scattered throughout the land, no one bothers about them or looks for them.”

“Hear then shepherds, what YHVH says : As I live – word of YHVH, – because My sheep have been the prey of wild animals and become their food for want of shepherds, because the shepherds have not cared for My sheep, because you shepherds have not bothered about them but fed yourselves and not the flocks, because of that, hear the word of YHVH.”

“This is what YHVH says : I will ask an account of the shepherds and reclaim My sheep from them. No longer shall they tend My flock; nor shall there be shepherds who feed themselves. I shall save the flock from their mouths and no longer shall it be food for them.”

Indeed YHVH says this : I Myself will care for My sheep and watch over them.

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Tuesday, 16 August 2016 : 20th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Stephen of Hungary (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we heard the message of the Holy Scriptures telling us about how difficult it is to follow the Lord and to be the disciples of the kingdom of God, and what is meant to be a true disciple, and what awaits the disciples of the Lord at the end of their earthly life and journey. All these were succinctly presented to us in today’s readings.

In the first reading, the Lord our God spoke through the prophet Ezekiel His servant, telling us about the chastisement He spoke of the prince of Tyre. In that context, we have to understand that Tyre was a city on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea known as the home of the Phoenician race, who were well known to be master traders and navigators, controlling much of the trade and the wealth at the time.

And thus, Tyre was incredibly wealthy, and in that great abundance and prosperity, we can imagine that it was very easy for its people and its rulers to fall into the familiar traps of hubris and human pride, as well as greed and unbound desires. But the Lord was not just in fact talking about Tyre and its rulers and its people, rather He was truly referring to all of us as well.

How many of us have become proud of our own achievements, our own intellects, especially in how we are able to beat others in some things, and even worse, that we looked down on others around us just because we think that we are in any way better or superior than them? Remember, brethren, that we are God’s creations, and thus whenever we achieve great things, it is truly not because of our own power and might alone that we have accomplished those deeds.

It is a fact which many of us willingly overlooked, and thus it led us into our hubris and unbounded pride and greed. We mankind are by our nature difficult to satisfy, and once we have something that we like, we tend to want and desire for more and more of that which we like. And this is what often prevented us from reaching towards the kingdom of God, as many obstacles and distractions lie on our path to the Lord.

This was what Jesus meant in the Gospel when He spoke of how the rich and the powerful had great difficulties in entering the kingdom of God, alluding to how it will be easier for a camel to enter through the eyes of a needle rather than those who are endowed with wealth, properties, fame and power. And that is because, as the symbolism Jesus used resounded with us, camels usually lower their heads and necks when they want to enter into a place through a doorway that is shorter than they are.

And that was used by God to symbolise humility and the lack of pride and hubris. Jesus was in fact not attacking or discriminating against the rich and the powerful in what He spoke of in the Gospel today. He was not against the rich and the powerful, but instead was against how mankind tend to use their riches and power the moment they have more of them.

Perhaps in this we should see the examples of St. Stephen of Hungary, also known in Hungary as St. Istvan the Great, the first Christian king of Hungary who brought the whole nation of Hungary to the faith. Previously the kingdom of Hungary followed pagan and barbaric ways until St. Stephen of Hungary, the first. Christian king led the whole nation into the faith.

He helped to convert the whole nation of the Hungarians, and even in his position of power and wealth, as well as fame and greatness as king, he remained humble and committed to his duties and responsibilities as a king and leader of his people. He often helped the poor and the less fortunate in his kingdom, serving their needs and caring for them with love and compassion.

St. Stephen the King of Hungary showed his subjects a good example through his leadership and actions. He showed the love of God to them, and how a faithful ought to act in following the Lord, regardless of their wealth, status and standing in the society. This is a lesson which many of us ought to learn from, that we should not be distracted and be tempted by the wealth and possessions we have, and we should resist those pulling forces trying to sever our relationship with God.

Let us all walk in the footsteps of the Lord, and follow Him through the examples of St. Stephen of Hungary, in how we ought to be responsible and be faithful in our words, actions and deeds, and not be swayed by the temptations of wealth, possessions and worldly glory. Let us confidently venture forth and seek the Lord’s kingdom with renewed zeal and faith. God bless us all. Amen.

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Tuesday, 16 August 2016 : 20th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Stephen of Hungary (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White

Matthew 19 : 23-30

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “Truly I say to you : it will be hard for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. Yes, believe Me : it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for the one who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven.”

On hearing this the disciples were astonished and said, “Who, then, can be saved?” Jesus looked steadily at them and answered, “For human beings it is impossible, but for God all things are possible.”

Then Peter spoke up and said, “You see we have given up everything to follow You. What will be our lot?” Jesus answered, “You who have followed Me, listen to My words : on the Day of Renewal, when the Son of Man sits on His throne in glory, you also will sit on twelve thrones, to judge the twelve tribes of Israel.”

“As for those who have left houses, brothers, sisters, father, mother, children or property for My Name’s sake, they will receive a hundredfold, and be given eternal life. Many who are now first will be last, and many who are now last will be first.”