Monday

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Monday, 4 June 2018 : 9th Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

2 Peter 1 : 2-7

May grace and peace abound in you, through the knowledge of God and of Jesus, Our Lord. His divine power has given us everything we need for life and piety. First, the knowledge of the One Who called us through His own glory and Might, by which we were given the most extraordinary and precious promises. Through them, you share in the divine nature, after repelling the corruption and evil desires of this world.

So, strive with the greatest determination, and increase your faith, with goodness, goodness with knowledge, knowledge with moderation, moderation with constancy, constancy with piety, piety with mutual affection, mutual affection with charity.

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Monday, 28 May 2018 : 8th 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 Scripture speaking to us about what we need to do in order to follow the Lord genuinely and with faith. In the first reading today, taken from the first Epistle of St. Peter, we heard of how there will be time when we will face challenges and tribulations, temptations and obstacles in our journey.

In the Gospel passage today, then we heard about the Lord speaking to a rich man who asked Him what he needed to do in order to be His follower and earn a place in the kingdom of heaven. The Lord reminded him of the commandments of God as revealed in the Mosaic laws, which the Jewish people including the rich man should be well familiar with.

The rich man said that he had done and fulfilled all that were required of him, however, when the Lord asked him to sell all that he had and leave behind every possessions, he became very sad and went away in great anguish. Then the Lord said that it would be more difficult for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven than it would be for a camel to pass through the eye of a candle.

Why did the Lord Jesus say that? It is because a camel has a long neck that curve upwards, and unless the camel bends its neck and stoops down, it will not be able to pass through a tight passageway. What this shows us, is the symbolic act of humility before God, and the willingness to listen and obey to the will of God. This is unlike the rich man who could not let go of his worldly desires and concerns, and unlike those who are so attached to those worldly matters that they could not devote themselves completely and wholeheartedly to God.

However, it is important that we understand that God does not hate or discriminate against those who are rich and those with many possessions. Ultimately, all the riches and possessions, all the money and goodies we have are not intrinsically evil and we can make use of them either for good purposes or for evil and wicked purposes. In fact, the richer we are and the more blessings we have, the more we will be able to give to others.

What the Lord is concerned about is basically the way we end up being overly attached and concerned about those worldly things, about money and possessions, about pleasurable and joyful things we experience through the world. We cannot afford to let go of our addictions and attachments, when they even come in between us and our love for God. As a result, God is becoming ever more and more sidelined in our lives.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, it is indeed now the time for us to resist those temptations and seek to be less attached to the many worldly attachments and desires that we have. We should place God firmly as the centre and the focus of our lives, and when we have done so, surely, we will find that there is a difference in our lives, as we will no longer be hesitant when the Lord calls upon us. We will be ready to give our whole attention and dedicate ourselves to God.

Let us all therefore make best use of this opportunity given to us by God. He has been so generous in loving us, and it is only right therefore, for us to show Him the same love and dedication which He has shown us. All of us should be ever more dedicated, humble and obedient, as we continue to live our lives out of faith in Our Lord and Master. Let us ask Him to protect us and to guide us always in our path. God bless us all. Amen.

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Monday, 28 May 2018 : 8th Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Mark 10 : 17-27

At that time, just as Jesus was setting out on His journey again, a man ran up, knelt before Him and asked, “Good Master, what must I do to have eternal life?”

Jesus answered, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments : Do not kill, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not bear false witness, do not cheat, honour your father and mother.” The man replied, “I have obeyed all these commandments since my childhood.”

Then Jesus looked steadily at him and loved him and He said, “For you, one thing is lacking. Go, sell what you have and give the money to the poor, and you will have riches in heaven. Then come and follow Me.” On hearing these words, his face fell and he went away sorrowful, for he was a man of great wealth.

Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, “How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God” The disciples were shocked at these words, but Jesus insisted, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”

They were more astonished than ever and wondered, “Who, then, can be saved?” Jesus looked steadily at them and said, “For human beings it is impossible, but not for God; all things are possible with God.”

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Monday, 28 May 2018 : 8th Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 110 : 1-2, 5-6, 9 and 10c

Alleluia! I thank YHVH with all my heart in the council of the just, in the assembly. The works of YHVH are great and pondered by all who delight in them.

Always mindful of His Covenant, He provides food for those who fear Him. He shows His people the power of His arm by giving them the lands of other nations.

He has sent His people deliverance and made with them a Covenant forever. His holy Name is to be revered! To Him belongs everlasting praise.

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Monday, 28 May 2018 : 8th Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

1 Peter 1 : 3-9

Let us praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for His great mercy. In raising Jesus Christ from the dead He has given us new life and a living hope. The inheritance that does not corrupt nor goes bad nor passes away was reserved to you in heavens, since God’s power shall keep you faithful until salvation is revealed in the last days.

There is cause for joy, then, even though you may, for a time, have to suffer many trials. Thus will your faith be tested, like gold in a furnace. Gold, however, passes away but faith, worth so much more, will bring you in the end praise, glory and honour when Jesus Christ appears.

You have not yet seen Him and yet you love Him; even without seeing Him, you believe in Him and experience a heavenly joy beyond all words, for you are reaching the goal of your faith : the salvation of your souls.

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Monday, 21 May 2018 : 7th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Mary, Mother of the Church (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we celebrate for the first time the feast of Mary, in her aspect as the Mother of the Church. This celebration was just promulgated earlier this year by our Pope, Francis, in the recognition of the title and honour which Mary, the Mother of our Lord and God, has been accorded since the most ancient of times.

Since the earliest days of the Church, Mary has been recognised as a very important person in the Church, and definitely, if she has been recognised as the Mother of God, then it makes just perfect sense that she is also the Mother of the Church, for Jesus Christ, is the Head of the Church, and hence, because she is His mother, she is also the mother of the whole entire Church.

Today, we recall Mary’s role in the history of our salvation and in the history of the Church. Mary is mother of Our Lord, Jesus Christ, and by that virtue she is the Mother of God, through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit at the moment of the Annunciation. Then, at the Pentecost, which we have just celebrated yesterday, Mary also received the Holy Spirit together with the other disciples of the Lord, at the moment when the Church was established.

And thus, Mary is a figure, by the virtue of her divine motherhood, and by the virtue of her pious and wholly dedicated life to God, is the mother of all of us, the mother of the Church of God. She is that perfect role model for all of us, as we look upon her examples in faith. She is, after all, the one who is the closest to her Son, the greatest one among all the saints, and our greatest intercessor.

This complements perfectly the role of St. Joseph, the foster father of Our Lord, who is known as the Protector of the Church. Just as St. Joseph protected the Holy Family and the young Jesus from harm, and thus, symbolically linked to his role as the Protector of the universal Church, then Mary, as the mother of the Lord and thus as the mother figure of the Holy Family, is the mother of the Church.

And how important is it for us to understand the role that Mary has as the mother of the Church? It is important, because by knowing her motherhood, we can be assured of her love, care and attention when we are in need and when we look to her for assistance. A mother will not abandon her child, no matter what sacrifices it may take her to do so. A mother who abandons her child or does not care about the child, is not worthy of being called a mother.

As such, she always looks upon us all, her beloved children, with great and tender care. In our Gospel passage today, we heard of how the Lord Jesus entrusted to her, St. John, His disciple, and then entrusted him to her care as well. Through this act, the Lord symbolically and in reality, entrusted to Mary, the whole Church, all the faithful to her care, and similarly, He entrusted her to us.

That is why, if we look throughout history of our faith, we can see just how many times Mary appeared to us, to the people, in Lourdes and Fatima, and in many other occasions, in order to remind us about the importance of being faithful to God, and how we need to have an interior conversion towards the Lord, and repent from our sins. Otherwise, because of our sins, it is likely that we will end up falling from our faith, and which mother wants to see her son or daughter lost from her?

That is again, why Mary is ever so active, at calling many of us to return to her Son, Our Lord Jesus and the salvation which He had promised all those who are faithful to Him. Now that we realise we have such a great ally on our side, a loving and caring mother, who is always rooting for us and caring for us, praying for us constantly at all times, then why should we not use this great opportunity given to us?

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore ask Mary, our beloved mother and the mother of our Church, to pray for us and to continue to watch over us, that we will continue to be faithful to our calling as Christians, to be dedicated and to be committed in our faith, that we will not fall into temptation and into the path of sin. May the Lord bless us all, and may He continue to be with us, together with His blessed mother Mary, our loving mother. Amen.

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Monday, 21 May 2018 : 7th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Mary, Mother of the Church (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Mark 9 : 14-29

At that time, when Jesus and His disciples, Peter, James and John came to the place where they had left the disciples, they saw many people around them and some teachers of the Law arguing with them. When the people saw Jesus, they were astonished and ran to greet Him.

He asked, “What are you arguing about with them?” A man answered Him from the crowd, “Master, I brought my son to You, for he has a spirit, deaf and mute. Whenever the spirit seizes him, it throws him down and he foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth and becomes stiff all over. I asked Your disciples to drive the spirit out, but they could not.”

Jesus replied, “You faithless people! How long must I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring him to Me.” And the brought the boy to Him. As soon as the spirit saw Jesus, it shook and convulsed the boy, who fell on the ground, and began rolling about, foaming at the mouth.

Then Jesus asked the father, “How long has this been happening to him?” He replied, “From childhood. And it has often thrown him into the fire and into the water to destroy him. If You can do anything, have pity on us and help us.”

Jesus said to him, “Why do you say, ‘If You can?’ All things are possible for the one who believes.” Immediately the father of the boy cried out, “I do believe, but help the little faith I have.” Jesus saw that the crowd was increasing rapidly, so He ordered the evil spirit, “Dumb and deaf spirit, I command you : Leave the boy and never enter him again.”

The evil spirit shook and convulsed the boy and with a terrible shriek came out. The boy lay like a corpse and people said, “He is dead.” But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him and the boy stood up. After Jesus had gone indoors, His disciples asked Him privately, “Why could we not drive out the spirit?”

And He answered, “Only prayer can drive out this kind, nothing else.”

Alternative reading (Memorial of Mary, Mother of the Church)

John 19 : 25-34

At that time, near the cross of Jesus stood His mother, His mother’s sister Mary, who was the wife of Cleophas, and Mary of Magdala. When Jesus saw the mother, and the disciple whom He loved, He said to the mother, “Woman, this is your son.” Then He said to the disciple, “This is your mother.” And from that moment the disciple took her to his own home.

Jesus knew all was now finished and, in order to fulfil what was written in Scripture, He said, “I am thirsty.” A jar full of bitter wine stood there; so, putting a sponge soaked in the wine on a twig of hyssop, they raised it to His lips. Jesus took the wine and said, “It is accomplished.” Then He bowed His head and gave up the Spirit.

As it was Preparation Day, the Jews did not want the bodies to remain on the cross during the Sabbath, for this Sabbath was a very solemn day. They asked Pilate to have the legs of the condemned men broken, so that the bodies might be taken away. The soldiers came and broke the legs of the first man and of the other man, who had been crucified with Jesus.

When they came to Jesus, they saw that He was already dead, so they did not break His legs. One of the soldiers, however, pierced His side with a lance, and immediately there came out Blood and water.

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Monday, 21 May 2018 : 7th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Mary, Mother of the Church (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 18 : 8, 9, 10, 15

The Law of YHVH is perfect : it gives life to the soul. The word of YHVH is trustworthy : it gives wisdom to the simple.

The precepts of YHVH are right : they give joy to the heart. The commandments of YHVH are clear : they enlighten the eyes.

The fear of YHVH is pure, it endures forever; the judgments of YHVH are true, all of them just and right.

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart find favour in Your sight, o YHVH – my Redeemer, my Rock!

Alternative reading (Memorial of Mary, Mother of the Church)

Psalm 86 : 1-2, 3 and 5, 6-7

He Himself has built it in His holy mountain; YHVH prefers the gates of Zion to all of Jacob’s towns.

Great things have been foretold of you, o city of God. But of Zion, it shall be said, “More and more are being born in her.” For the Most High Himself has founded her.

And YHVH notes in the people’s register : “All these were also born in Zion.” And all will dance and sing joyfully for you.

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Monday, 21 May 2018 : 7th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Mary, Mother of the Church (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

James 3 : 13-18

If you consider yourself wise and learnt, show it by your good life, and let your actions, in all humility, be an example for others. But if your heart is full of bitter jealousy, and ambition, do not try to show off; that would be covering up the truth; this kind of wisdom does not come from above, but from the world, and it is earthly and devilish.

Wherever there is jealousy and ambition, you will also find discord, and all that is evil. Instead, the wisdom that comes from above is pure and peace-loving. Persons with this wisdom show understanding, and listen to advice; they are full of compassion and good works; they are impartial and sincere. Peacemakers, who sow peace, reap a harvest of justice?

Alternative reading (Memorial of Mary, Mother of the Church)

Genesis 3 : 9-15, 20

YHVH God called the man saying to him, “Where are you?” He said, “I heard Your voice in the garden and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid.” God said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree I ordered you not to eat?”

The man answered, “The woman You put with me gave me fruit from the tree and I ate it.” God said to the woman, “What have you done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me and I ate.”

YHVH God said to the serpent, “Since you have done that, be cursed among all the cattle and wild beasts! You will crawl on your belly and eat dust all the days of your life. I will make you enemies, you and the woman, your offspring and her offspring. He will crush your head and you will strike his heel.”

The man called his wife by the name of Eve, because she was the mother of all the living.

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Monday, 14 May 2018 : Feast of St. Matthias, Apostle (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we celebrate the feast of one of the Twelve holy Apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is St. Matthias the Apostle, the one who was chosen out of the original disciples of the Lord Jesus who followed Him from the beginning, in order to replace Judas Iscariot, the traitor. St. Matthias was chosen after the Apostles prayed to the Lord asking for His guidance in the decision-making.

Judas Iscariot was called to be an Apostle, but he failed in the process of doing so, as he was unable to resist the temptation of worldly riches and wealth, that he ended up selling off his Lord for just a mere thirty pieces of silver, the price of a slave at that time. And not just that, but as mentioned in the Gospels, Judas Iscariot also frequently helped himself to the money which he held, supposedly for the expenses of the Apostles, meaning that he was corrupt in action and mind.

And therefore, as he was unworthy, and refused to be forgiven, by his despair and suicide after having betrayed the Lord, his place among the Twelve Apostles was vacated, and replaced with someone else more deserving and worthy, and God chose St. Matthias to be this replacement. And hence, St. Matthias from then on became a member of the Twelve Apostles, the principal disciples of Christ.

However, we may think that such a position and appointment brought about great honour and glory for the Apostles. Indeed, that was what the Apostles themselves thought, when they were first called by the Lord. They bickered among themselves, wondering who among them was the greatest, and indeed, asking the Lord who would be the one greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

And in one occasion, the mother of two of the Twelve, St. James and St. John, came to the Lord Jesus and asked Him to grant her children special favour and position before the Lord. However, the Lord rebuked her and the two Apostles, as well as the other Apostles who were angered by the actions of the two and their mother, because of their pursuit for power, influence and worldly glory.

This then highlights the truth and reality of being Christ’s followers, and foremost of all, His Twelve Apostles, whom He had chosen from among His many disciples to be His closest confidants. They might have come from various backgrounds, from backgrounds some at the time, and even in our present day may consider to be unworthy, as many of them were uneducated and unintelligent, but God chose those whom He deemed to be deserving and worthy.

He empowered them and gave them the strength and courage, through the Holy Spirit He sent to them. He made them to be His great servants, through which many souls have been saved from certain damnation. Many had been called by the Lord through His Apostles, led by the Twelve, including St. Matthias. However, they also encountered great challenges and tribulations. They suffered for the sake of God and His Church, and yet they remained true to their mission.

And the mission which God had given to them has been laid out in today’s Gospel passage, where the Lord spoke to them about the commandment of love. They are told to reflect and imitate the same love that He has with His Father, and this is what He truly wants all of His followers to do, the two important commandments of love, that is loving God and then loving one another, and doing it with all of our ability and strength.

And all of us therefore, as Christians, are called to show the same love in our actions and in how we live our lives. We must first of all, love the Lord our God, and devote ourselves wholeheartedly to Him, regardless of whether things are good or bad for, whether in happy times or difficult and sad times. This may be easier said than done, as many of us can say that we love God, and yet, in our actions, we are always tempted to serve our own desires and wants first, and we relegate God to a secondary importance in our lives.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, St. Matthias and the other Apostles showed great dedication and love for God. They had such great such faith and love for God, that when the situation called for it, they did not hesitate to lay down their lives for Him, when they were persuaded, then coerced, forced and tortured in order to give up their faith and save themselves. They rather chose death instead of life, but betraying their Lord.

And they showed this same love to one another, to each and every members of the Church of God. They showed God’s love through their own loving actions, being genuinely caring and compassionate, towards those who are in need, exhibiting the true meaning behind Christian love and fellowship. Through them many people came to believe in the Lord, as they saw what these faithful servants of God had done in their midst.

Now, brothers and sisters in Christ, are we able to do the same with our own lives? Are we able to love the Lord our God, and our fellow brethren in the same way? This is what each and every one of us are challenged as Christians, that we should emulate the examples shown to us by the Apostles. Let us all therefore devote ourselves, wholeheartedly and commit ourselves anew to the Lord. May the Lord be with us all, and through the intercession of St. Matthias and the Apostles, may we draw ever closer to God, each and every day of our lives. Amen.