Mission Sunday

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Sunday, 23 October 2022 : Thirtieth Sunday of Ordinary Time, Mission Sunday (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday all of us heard of the reminder that pride and ego, hubris and ambition have no place amongst us Christians and those things will only lead to our downfall and doom, if we allow those to control our lives and our actions. We have been shown and taught what it truly means to be Christians, in our daily living and actions, and if we take heed of what the Lord had reminded us, through the Scripture passages today, we should do our best to do His will, and to be humble and be focused on Him, and not to give in to the temptations of our human pride and desire, which had become the bane and the obstacle for so many of our fellow brothers and sisters, past and present.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Sirach, we heard of the words of the Lord speaking on how He listened to the prayers of the faithful and how He uplifted and strengthened the humble and the just, while at the same time, God condemns and crushes those who were proud and mighty, those who oppressed others and who did not live their lives in accordance with His ways. He judged unworthy those who were merciless and those who have treated their brethren with disdain and lack of respect, those who have acted with violence upon others and those who have exploited their fellow men. All these have no place in God’s Kingdom and Presence.

In the Gospel passage today, we heard the parable which the Lord Jesus mentioned regarding the tax collector and the Pharisee, in which both were praying at the same time at the House of God. We heard how the Pharisee looked down upon his fellow man, the tax collector, considering him as a sinner while praising his own self-righteousness and virtues, as was common at that time. Back then, the Pharisees were considered the elites of the Jewish society, very well-respected and even feared by the other members of the community for their knowledge, intellect, power and influence.

On the other hand, the tax collectors were often ostracised and prejudiced against for their work in collecting taxes for the rulers and for the Romans. They were seen as great sinners and greedy people unworthy of God and His salvation, and they were often shunned by the community, especially hated and rejected by the Pharisees and the elders, who saw them as abominations and traitors to the nation. As such, this prejudice was shown in the Lord’s parable, as He highlighted the folly of such prejudice and narrow-sighted and narrow-minded attitude. The tax collector, fully aware of his sins, was not even willing to look up, embarrassed and shamed by his sins, while the Pharisee, though a sinner himself, lauded his achievements and not only that, but also slandered others before God.

That, brothers and sisters in Christ, is how dangerous pride and ego is for us, as well as human desire and greed. The Pharisee in the parable fell to the trap of his own pride, thinking that he was better than the tax collector, and in doing so, he turned inwards, focusing on himself and his own achievements, which resulted in his prideful and self-congratulatory attitude, which led to him being focused so much on himself and so full of himself, that he failed to see that he himself was also a sinner like the tax collector requiring God’s mercy and redemption. Instead, he thought that everything he did made him worthy of God and that he was superior than others who did less than what he had done.

This is not what each one of us as Christians should be doing. As Christians, all of us have been shown and taught by the Lord, first and foremost to love the Lord our God with all our hearts and with all of our might, and not to love ourselves more than how we love God and others. As Christians we are called and in fact challenged to show our love to one another, to our fellow brothers and sisters, reminding ourselves that God has been so kind, loving, compassionate and merciful in reaching out to us and in showing us His providence and love. He has never given up on us even whenever we have always been rebellious and disobedient in our attitudes in life and despite how many times we have refused to listen to His servants.

But often times we shut the Lord out of our lives because we were too busy and preoccupied with the many things and matters we have in life, and we were often too full of pride and arrogance to admit that we can be mistaken, imperfect or wrong in our ways, and that we ourselves are in need of help and healing. We tend to lose sight on what truly matters, as we have not allowed the Lord to be the true centre and focus of our lives. Instead, we put our own ego and ambitions, our own pride and desires, our attachments for worldly things and goods on the pedestal, and we end up turning inwards and became like how the Pharisee in the Lord’s parable had behaved. That is not the path that a Christian like us should be following.

Instead, we have to realise first of all that we are sinners in need of God’s help and healing, and through God, all of us can gain the sure passage towards eternal life and glory. We have to trust in the Lord just as we remembered what St. Paul told St. Timothy in his Epistle to him today, in our second reading passage. St. Paul encouraged St. Timothy, reminding him of all that the Lord had done to him, that despite all the challenges and the trials that he had to endure, God has always been by his side, protecting him and providing for him, encouraging him and guiding him through the difficult and hard times. He had done what he had been called to do in evangelisation and proclaiming the Good News of God to people of various nations.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we recall and internalise the message contained within the passages of the Sacred Scriptures which we heard this Sunday, all of us are reminded to focus ourselves on God and not on ourselves and our own vanity and desires. And that is part of why the Church commemorates and celebrates Mission Sunday today, reminding us all that each and every one of us as Christians, all of us are called to be missionary in our lives and attitudes, to be life-giving and to be faithful witnesses of the Lord and our Christian faith at every possible opportunities. Each and every one of us as part of the same Church of God, as part of this same one Body of Christ are expected and called to be evangelising and missionary disciples and followers of Christ.

Now, what does it mean for us to be missionary and to fulfil our missions, brothers and sisters in Christ? It does not mean that we have to go and embark on mission to far away parts of the world, preaching the Good News of the Gospels and the Christian faith. Yes, there were and are still many people who have committed their lives to be full-time missionaries, as priests and religious members of the various orders involved in the missionary works all around the world, operating the various ministries and missions that the Church has placed all around the world, but those are not the only ones who should be involved in the mission of the Church.

On the contrary, it is the responsibility and integral part of being Christians that we have to dedicate our time, effort and attention to be true and living witnesses of our Christian faith and beliefs in God, in our every day moments, in living our best to serve the Lord and to do His will, not for our own glory and fame, but for the greater glory of God. Each and every one of us who partakes in the Body of Christ and are part of this Holy Communion of all the faithful and the saints, all of us are sharing in the same mission that Our Lord Jesus Christ has entrusted to His Church and His disciples, and that is to proclaim the Good News He has revealed to the world and to go forth and baptise all the people of all the nations in the Name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

We do not have to do great and marvellous things. What matters is for us to do the best even in the smallest and simplest things we do, such that in all of those, we truly proclaim the Lord not only just by our words, but even more importantly, by our actions and deeds. If we truly embody our faith and beliefs in all of our actions, and do our best to uphold ourselves in virtue and justice, in obedience to God and righteousness, then naturally all those who see us, witness us, hear us and interact with us will come to know the Lord through us, and we may be surprised but our every actions do matter, and they can have great impact on the salvation of many souls.

And we are also reminded not to be elitist and self-righteous, as the example of the Pharisee in the parable of the Lord warned us. We must not let pride and our human greed and desire to be a serious hindrance and obstacle in our path towards God and His salvation. As long as we strive and do our best to resist those many temptations all around us, we will be able to remain faithful to the Lord, remembering as always that we are all sinners after all, all of whom the Lord had shown love, compassion and mercy on. The Lord has loved us all from the very beginning, and He does not mind even our rebellious and our stubbornness, but keep on reaching out to us. Therefore, we too should not be prejudiced against those who we may have deemed to be less than worthy than us. We should not forget that we ourselves have received great grace of God’s forgiveness, and if all even the greatest of sinners receive this love and mercy from God, why we cannot do the same as well?

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore live our lives with genuine faith and dedication, and be good Christian missionaries in our every works and actions, so that we may genuinely proclaim the truth of God to the people of all the nations. We have to live our lives worthily and faithfully at all times, and be the beacons of Christ’s light in our world today. Let us all therefore dedicate ourselves anew to the Lord, and may the Lord continue to guide us and bless us in every moments, and in our every good efforts and endeavours, as this Mission Sunday ought to remind us of our calling and mission in life. May God strengthen and empower us to be ever worthy to be in His Presence, now and always. Amen.

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Sunday, 23 October 2022 : Thirtieth Sunday of Ordinary Time, Mission Sunday (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Luke 18 : 9-14

At that time, Jesus told another parable to some people, fully convinced of their own righteousness, who looked down on others : “Two men went up to the Temple to pray; one was a Pharisee, and the other a tax collector.”

“The Pharisee stood by himself, and said, ‘I thank You, God, that I am not like other people, grasping, crooked, adulterous, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week, and give a tenth of all my income to the Temple.’ In the meantime the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘O God, be merciful to me, a sinner.’”

“I tell you, when this man went back to his house, he had been reconciled with God, but not the other. For whoever makes himself out to be great will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be raised up.”

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Sunday, 23 October 2022 : Thirtieth Sunday of Ordinary Time, Mission Sunday (Second Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

2 Timothy 4 : 6-9, 16-18

As for me, I am already poured out as a libation, and the moment of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race. I have kept the faith. Now, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, with which the Lord, the just Judge, will reward me, on that day, and not only me, but all those who have longed for His glorious coming.

At my first hearing in court, no one supported me; all deserted me. May the Lord not hold it against them. But the Lord was at my side, giving me strength, to proclaim the Word fully, and let all the pagans hear it. So I was rescued from the lion’s mouth. The Lord will save me from all evil, bringing me to His heavenly kingdom. Glory to Him forever and ever. Amen!

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Sunday, 23 October 2022 : Thirtieth Sunday of Ordinary Time, Mission Sunday (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 33 : 2-3, 17-18, 19 and 23

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

But His face is set against the wicked to destroy their memory from the earth. The Lord hears the cry of the righteous and rescues them from all their troubles.

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves the distraught. But the Lord will redeem the life of His servants; none of those who trust in Him will be doomed.

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Sunday, 23 October 2022 : Thirtieth Sunday of Ordinary Time, Mission Sunday (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Sirach 35 : 15b-17, 20-22

Is she not crying out against the one who caused her to weep? The one who serves God wholeheartedly will be heard; his petition will reach the clouds. The prayer of the humble person pierces the clouds, and he is not consoled until he has been heard.

But the Lord will crush the backbone of the merciless and have vengeance on the nations, until He has completely destroyed the hordes of the violent and broken the power of the wicked, until He has repaid each one according to his deeds.

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Sunday, 24 October 2021 : Thirtieth Sunday of Ordinary Time, World Mission Sunday (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday all of us mark the occasion of the World Mission Sunday, reminding all of us that all of us as Christians are called to be missionaries of our faith, of the truth and love of God. All of us through our baptism have received this mission from the Lord, the same mission that all of us share in our Christian faith, and we must never have the thinking that only those who are called as missionaries or those who are members of the ordained or the religious brothers and sisters who are called to a life of mission for God.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the prophet Jeremiah, the words of the Lord proclaiming His care and love for His people, in gathering all of them, scattered from among the nations and lost, humiliated and without a leader, as He would become their Lord and guide once again, and reunite them into the land that He would lead them into. And this was the promise and reassurance that the Lord made to His people, who at that time were in the midst of the lowest points of their fortunes, surrounded and oppressed by their neighbouring nations.

At that time, the prophet Jeremiah ministered to the people of God in Judah, at the last years of its existence, after the northern kingdom of Israel had been destroyed by the Assyrians for over a century previously, and its people exiled and scattered among the nations. Judah would also follow suit shortly as it was attacked, its capital Jerusalem besieged and destroyed by the Babylonians, and most of the populations brought off into exile in Babylon and other placed, while some sought refuge in Egypt. All these happened during the lifetime and ministry of prophet Jeremiah.

Therefore, at that time, Jeremiah spoke the word of God in consoling and reassuring His people at the time of their great misfortune and misery. The Lord wanted all of them to know that He did not leave them alone, and He was always with them even through their darkest moments, and He sent to them Jeremiah to be the one to reveal to them His will, His intention and love. Yes, brothers and sisters in Christ, Jeremiah was sent as not just a prophet but also as a missionary to reveal God’s truth and love to His people.

Then, in our psalm today this is reiterated again, as the song of joy speaks of how God brought back the exiles and all those people that had been scattered, and how they went in sorrow and God reunited them and returned them to their homeland in great joy. God had done great things for His people, and He came to them, seeking them, sending prophets, messengers as missionaries to find them and to reach out to them, and to touch their hearts and minds, to put in them once again the love and faith for God.

In our second reading today, we heard of the passage from the Epistle to the Hebrews, in which, as repeatedly mentioned throughout that Epistle, the Lord Jesus Christ, Saviour of all mankind and the whole world was presented as the High Priest of all, in presenting His offering on behalf of all of us, which is worthy for the atonement of all of our innumerable sins. That is because Christ acted as the High Priest of all, by offering the perfect and worthy offering, of Himself as the Sacrifice, the Lamb of God, put to death and slain on the Cross, which is His Altar.

Through this Epistle, the author of the Epistle, which was directed to the Jewish converts and other Jews among the people, both in Judea and around the world, wanted to tell all of them the same message that God has given their ancestors through the prophet Jeremiah. God loved all of them and wanted to be reunited with them, and as all of us had been separated from Him through sin, He sent us all the deliverance through His Saviour, Who is none other than His own beloved Son, Jesus Christ, born into this world, the Divine Word Incarnate that became our Light and Salvation.

This is the same Christ Who in our Gospel passage today heard the cries of Bartimaeus, son of Timaeus, who was blind for a long time. He cried out for the Lord to have mercy on Him and to heal him from his affliction. And when the people around him scolded him and tried to silence him, he cried out all the louder, calling on the Lord, Who heard him perfectly and came to him. The Lord wanted to heal him and restore his sight, and asked the blind man if that was what he desired, and then healed his eyes, by the power of God.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as I mentioned earlier at the start of today’s discourse, all of us are reminded through today’s Scripture passages of our mission as Christians, as those who have answered God’s call and received baptism to be members of His Church. All of us share this calling to be evangelistic and missionary in our lives, which is not just limited to those who have given themselves to the sacred orders or the consecrated life as religious brothers and sisters. The Lord calls on each and every one of us to play our part in the mission of the Church.

And how do we do that, brothers and sisters in Christ? That is why we have to recall what we have just heard in our Scripture passages today, as well as what we have just discussed and reflected just now. The Lord is calling us to do whatever we can, in our respective capacities and abilities, in whatever opportunities we have, in reaching out to our fellow brothers and sisters, to show them the truth and love of God and to be exemplary and as inspirations in how each one of us ought to live out our lives as good and dedicated Christians.

That is the essence of the Lord’s Great Commission to all of us, His Church, as He proclaimed to His disciples just before He was about to ascend to Heaven, that they all are to go forth to the peoples of all the nations, and to make disciples of them, and to baptise them all in the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. This is the mission which the Lord has entrusted to all of us, for us to be His missionaries in this world, through our everyday living and our actions that lead many others to God and His salvation.

That is why, brothers and sisters in Christ, as we celebrate this World Mission Sunday today, all of us must not be idle in living our Christian lives with true and genuine faith. We cannot be hypocrites who profess to believe in God and yet our actions show otherwise. Not only that it does not lead others towards God, but worse still, if our lives cause scandal to our faith, we can end up leading more people to leave the Church and to turn away from God’s truth and salvation. And with that, the responsibility for such event will hang heavily upon us.

We have to live our lives with faith, to reach out to the marginalised and those who are without hope and are downtrodden. Just like the Lord reassuring His people, gathering the lost and scattered ones back and calling on them to return to Him, and just as He has shown mercy and love on the blind man, healing Bartimaeus from his blindness, so all of us have also been called to follow Our Lord’s examples in love, in sharing this love He has for us, through us, with one another.

How do we do this? By genuinely loving our fellow brothers and sisters, and all those whom we encounter in life. We have to show our love for our loved ones, for our neighbours, friends and others, and even to acquaintances and strangers, and also, our enemies and those who hate us, that through our love and patience with them, we may even make them realise the errors of their ways, and be reconciled with them, just as the Lord had sought to be reconciled with us. It has to begin with us and our attitudes towards each other. As long as we are genuine in living our faith, then we are already good missionaries.

On this World Mission Sunday therefore, let us pray for one another, that we may be ever more effective and sincere missionaries of our Christian faith, that we may ever be more genuine in how we live up to our faith that we may always inspire more and more people to follow the Lord, and to touch the lives of more people, especially those who have not known or have distanced themselves from God. We should then also pray for those who have dedicated themselves especially to missionary work all over the world, all those who dedicated themselves to proclaim and teach the faith to diverse groups of peoples, both within and outside our Church communities.

May the Lord continue to be with us and guide us in our journey of faith and help us all to be good and dedicated missionaries that are committed to serve the Lord and His people daily, at all times. May God bless all of our good works, efforts and endeavours from now on, all for His greater glory, the holy mission of His Church for the salvation of souls. Amen.

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Sunday, 24 October 2021 : Thirtieth Sunday of Ordinary Time, World Mission Sunday (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Mark 10 : 46-52

At that time, Jesus and His disciples came to Jericho. As Jesus was leaving Jericho with His disciples and a large crowd, a blind beggar, Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside. On hearing that it was Jesus of Nazareth passing by, he began to call out, “Son of David, Jesus, have mercy on me!”

Many people scolded him and told him to keep quiet, but he shouted all the louder, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” So they called the blind man, saying, “Take heart! Get up, He is calling you!” He immediately threw aside his cloak, jumped up and went to Jesus.

Then Jesus asked him, “What do you want Me to do for you?” The blind man said, “Master, let me see again!” And Jesus said to him, “Go your way, your faith has made you well.” And, immediately, he could see, and he followed Jesus along the road.

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Sunday, 24 October 2021 : Thirtieth Sunday of Ordinary Time, World Mission Sunday (Second Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Hebrews 5 : 1-6

Every High Priest is taken from among mortals and appointed to be their representative before God to offer gifts and sacrifices for sin. He is able to understand the ignorant and erring for he himself is subject to weakness. This is why he is bound to offer sacrifices for his sins as well as for the sins of the people.

Besides, one does not presume to take this dignity, but takes it only when called by God, as Aaron was. Nor did Christ become High Priest in taking upon Himself this dignity, but it was given to Him by the One Who says : You are My Son, I have begotten You today. And in another place : You are a Priest forever in the priestly order of Melchizedek.

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Sunday, 24 October 2021 : Thirtieth Sunday of Ordinary Time, World Mission Sunday (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 125 : 1-2ab, 2cd-3, 4-5, 6

When YHVH brought the exiles back to Zion, we were like those moving in a dream. Then, our mouths were filled with laughter, and our tongues with songs of joy.

Among the nations it was said, “YHVH has done great things for them.” YHVH had done great things for us, and we were glad indeed.

Bring back our exiles, o YHVH, like fresh streams in the desert. Those who sow in tears will reap with songs and shouts of joy.

They went forth weeping, bearing the seeds for sowing, they will come home with joyful shouts, bringing their harvested sheaves.

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Sunday, 24 October 2021 : Thirtieth Sunday of Ordinary Time, World Mission Sunday (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Jeremiah 31 : 7-9

For YHVH says this, “Shout with joy for Jacob; rejoice for the greatest of nations. Proclaim your praise and say : ‘YHVH has saved His people, the remnant of Israel!’”

“Look, I will bring them back from the land of the north, gather them from the ends of the earth, the lame and the blind, mothers and women in labour – a great throng will return. They went away weeping, they will return in joy. I will lead them by the streams of water, on a level path so that no one will stumble, for I am Israel’s Father and Ephraim is My firstborn.”