Monday

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Monday, 7 April 2025 : 5th Week of Lent, Memorial of St. John Baptist de la Salle, Priest (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Scriptures, we are reminded of the dangers of sin that can corrupt us and lead us down the wrong path of rebellion and disobedience against God, and eventually we all may fall into the eternal damnation and suffering in Hell, if we are not careful with how we carry out our lives. We are reminded that we should not easily be tempted by the temptations of the flesh, of pleasures and desires that can lead us deeper and deeper into sin. At the same time, we are also reminded that God has always been generous in His mercy and desire to forgive us all our sins and faults, and He has always reached out to us lovingly, giving us many means for us to find the way to God’s salvation. 

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the prophet Daniel in which the story of Susanna, an Israelite woman who was prominent in the exile community in Babylon in her predicament when she was faced with false accusation by two of the elders of the people who lusted over her and tried to force their way with her. Those elders wanted to prevent anyone from knowing their wicked deeds and therefore, they used their influence and great respect within the community to push the community to condemn Susanna to death, so that by this action, she might be silenced and then their wicked deeds would not be discovered. But before they managed to carry out such a wicked action, the Lord intervened on behalf of His faithful and righteous one, saving Susanna from certain death through Daniel.

Empowered and inspired by the Holy Spirit, Daniel spoke the word of God and proclaimed His Wisdom before the people, showing how the plots and the wickedness of the two elders would be uncovered, and how the righteous would be provided for by God. We heard how Daniel, by the power of the Holy Spirit, unveiled the wicked intentions and lies of the two elders which led to the vindication of Susanna and for the two elders to be punished instead. This is an important reminder for all of us that we should not allow sin to have its way with us, or else, like those two elders, we will end up committing more sin, one after another. And that may lead us to destruction in the end, as those elders had experienced. In this time and season of Lent, we have been reminded and given the opportunities to reconcile ourselves with the Lord and to come back towards Him.

Then, from our Gospel passage today taken from the Gospel of St. John the Apostle and Evangelist, we heard of the time when the Lord Jesus encountered a group of Pharisees and teachers of the Law who sought to trap Him with the case of a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. According to the Jewish laws and customs, especially the extra strict and rigid rule enforced and followed by the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, such an act of adultery would have led to punishment by stoning to death. That was why the Pharisees asked and pressured the Lord to respond to the case of the adulterous woman with the wicked intention of hoping that they could find something wrong in what He was to say and therefore they could accuse Him or advance their own cause. 

For example, if the Lord had said that the adulterous woman should be forgiven and shown mercy, as His enemies would have expected Him to do, given His penchant for outreach to sinners like prostitutes and tax collectors, then the Pharisees could accuse the Lord of colluding and siding with sinners, disobeying and refusing to obey the commandments of the Law of God. On the other hand, if the Lord said that the adulterous woman ought to be stoned for the sin that she had committed, then it was exactly what the Pharisees themselves would have done, and thus they could add on or gain to their own popularity and cause by claiming that what the Lord Jesus taught was affirming the teachings and the ways of the Pharisees.

But the Lord calmly evaded the argument as we all have heard, while those Pharisees continued to pressure Him to take action on the adulterous woman. It was there and then that the Lord in His Divine Wisdom told those people that if any one among them had no sin in them, then that person could cast the first stone to be thrown at the woman. And we heard how one by one, all those people left, beginning from the oldest, who likely had committed the most sins and disobedience to God, to the youngest ones among them. The truth is that, there was indeed one person there at that place who was without sin, and that was none other than the Lord Jesus Himself. And although He could indeed have cast the first stone, Jesus showed us all the meaning and importance of God’s generous mercy and forgiveness.

He showed this to us all by forgiving that woman from her sins, pardoning her from the faults that she had made. Not only that, but as we heard, the Lord also told the woman that she should sin no more and live her life in the manner that is worthy of God from then on. And it is here exactly where we are reminded of what God has always desired to do with us, to forgive us all our sins and to bring us back to His loving embrace, while at the same time reminding us that we should no longer disobey Him, or to remain in the state of sin. Instead, all of us are called to embrace wholeheartedly the mercy which God has for us, and to change our way of life so that we are no longer corrupted and defiled by sin and its allures, showing that we truly commit ourselves to God and to His path of righteousness and virtue.

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of St. John Baptist de la Salle, a saint whose life and examples can be inspiration to many of us in how we ourselves ought to live our Christian faith and way of life each day. St. John Baptist de la Salle is the founder of the Institute of the Brothers of Christian Schools or also known well as the De La Salle Brothers. He was born in Reims in what is today France where since a young age he has been intended for service to God, eventually becoming the canon at Reims Cathedral and then ordained as a priest after a short period of time taking care of his immediate family, his brothers and sisters after the sudden passing of his parents. St. John Baptist de la Salle was inspired for his future role in the Catholic education through his interactions and works with the Sisters of the Child Jesus as he assisted them in establishing a school in Reims.

Eventually this inspired the then young priest, St. John Baptist de la Salle to dedicate himself in the area of education after seeing how so many young children did not have the opportunity for education due to the nature of that time’s society and how education worked then, being mostly reserved for those in the higher strata and echelons of the society. Without proper education, those children, especially the poorest, the weakest and the least among them had little chance to improve their lives or to have some sorts of economic improvement and social mobility. This inspired St. John Baptist de la Salle to establish the Institute of the Brothers of Christian Schools, calling together more men who were willing to follow in his examples and passion to work for the less fortunate. And that was how the Institute of the Brothers of Christian Schools eventually grew until today where they were involved extensively in education all around the world.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore continue to live our lives faithfully in the manner that the Lord had taught and shown us, and let us all be inspired by St. John Baptist de la Salle and our many other holy predecessors in how they all devoted themselves to the Lord, doing their best such that they were truly worthy of God in all of their actions. Let us all distance ourselves from sin and from all sorts of wicked things in life. Let us embrace God’s mercy and forgiveness, humbly asking Him to forgive us our faults, trespasses and all the things which we have committed in our daily lives. May God continue to strengthen us and empower us in our lives, and may He bless us with the perseverance to endure the challenges and struggles in life, so that we may draw ever closer to Him, and make best use of this Lenten season to commit ourselves anew to God, to be more faithful to Him, to sin no more and to live a new life in God’s grace. Amen.

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Monday, 7 April 2025 : 5th Week of Lent, Memorial of St. John Baptist de la Salle, Priest (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

John 8 : 1-11

At that time, Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. At daybreak He appeared in the Temple again. All the people came to Jesus, and He sat down and began to teach them. Then the teachers of the Law and the Pharisees brought in a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. They made her stand in front of everyone.

“Master,” they said, “this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. Now the Law of Moses orders that such women be stoned to death; but You, what do You say?” They said this to test Jesus, in order to have some charge against Him. Jesus bent down and started writing on the ground with His finger. And as they continued to ask Him, He straightened up and said to them, “Let anyone among you who has no sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” And He bent down again, writing on the ground.

As a result of these words, they went away, one by one, starting with the elders, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before Him. Then Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She replied, “No one.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go away and do not sin again.”

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Monday, 7 April 2025 : 5th Week of Lent, Memorial of St. John Baptist de la Salle, Priest (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

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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Monday, 7 April 2025 : 5th Week of Lent, Memorial of St. John Baptist de la Salle, Priest (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Daniel 13 : 1-9, 15-17, 19-30, 33-62

There lived in Babylon a man named Joakim, who was married to a very beautiful God-fearing woman, Susanna, Hilkiah’s daughter, whose pious parents had trained her in the law of Moses. A very rich man and greatly respected by all the Jews, Joakim was frequently visited by the Jews in his house adjoining a garden.

That year, two elders of the people were appointed judges, in whom this word of the Lord became true, “Wickedness has come forth from Babylon, through the elders appointed judges, who were supposed to govern the people.” These men frequented Joakim’s house, and all who had legal disputes used to come to them.

After the people had left at noon, Susanna would go into her husband’s garden for a walk. The two old men began to lust for her as they watched her enter the garden every day. Forgetting the demands of justice and virtue, their lust grew all the more as they made no effort to turn their eyes to heaven.

One day, as they were waiting for an opportune time, Susanna entered the garden as usual with only two maids. She decided to bathe, for it was a hot day. Nobody else was there except the two elders watching her from where they had hidden themselves. She said to the maids, “Bring me oil and ointments, and shut the garden doors while I bathe.”

When the maids had left, the two elders hurried to her and said, “Look, the garden doors are shut and no one sees us. We desire to posses you. If you refuse to give in, we will testify that you sent your maids away for there was a young man here with you.” Susanna moaned, “Whatever I do, I am trapped. If I give in to your desire, it will be death for me; if I refuse, I will not escape your persecution. I would rather be persecuted than sin in the eyes of the Lord.”

Susanna shrieked, but the old men shouted, putting the blame on her. One of them ran and opened the garden doors. Hearing the noise in the garden, the household servants rushed in by the side entrance to see what was happening. They were taken aback when they heard the elders’ accusation, for never had anything like this been said of Susanna.

The next day a meeting was held at Joakim’s house. The two elders arrived, vindictively determined to have Susanna sentenced to death. They ordered before all the people, “Send for Susanna, Hilkiah’s daughter and Joakim’s wife.” They sent for her, and she came with her parents, children and all her relatives. Her family and all who saw her wept.

The two elders stood up and laid their hands upon her head. Completely trusting in the Lord, she raised her tearful eyes to heaven. The elders started making their accusation, “We were taking a walk in the garden when this woman came in with two maids. She ordered them to shut the garden doors and dismissed them. Then a young man came out of hiding and lay with her. We were in a corner in the garden, and we saw this crime from there.”

“We ran to them, and caught them in the act of embracing. We were unable to take hold of the man. He was too strong for us. He made a dash for the door, opened it and ran off. But we were able to seize this woman. We asked her who the young man was, but she refused to tell us. This is our statement, and we testify to its truth.”

The assembly took their word, since they were elders and judges of the people. Susanna was condemned to death. She cried aloud, “Eternal God, nothing is hidden from You; You know all things before they come to be. You know that these men have testified falsely against me. Would You let me die, though I am not guilty of all their malicious charges?”

The Lord heard her, and as she was being led to her execution, God aroused the Holy Spirit residing in a young lad named Daniel. He shouted, “I will have no part in the death of this woman!” Those present turned to him, “What did you say?” they all asked.

Standing in their midst, he said to them, “Have you become fools, you Israelites, to condemn a daughter of Israel without due process and in the absence of clear evidence? Return to court, for those men have falsely testified against her.” Hurriedly they returned, and the elders said to Daniel, “Come and sit with us, for you also possess the gifts bestowed by God upon the elders.”

Daniel said to the people, “Separate these two men from one another and I will examine each of them.” When the two elders were separated from each other, Daniel called one of them and said, “How wicked you have grown with age. Your sins of earlier days have piled up against you, and now is the time of reckoning.”

“Remember how you have passed unjust sentences, condemning the innocent and freeing the guilty, although the Lord has said, ‘The innocent and the just should not be put to death.’ Now, if you really witnessed the crime, under what tree did you see them do it?”

The elder answered, “Under a mastic tree.” Daniel said, “Your lie will cost you your head. You will be cut in two, as soon as the Lord’s Angel receives your sentence from God.” Putting the first one aside, Daniel called the other elder and said to him, “You offspring of Canaan and not of Judah, you have long allowed yourself to be perverted by lust.”

“This is how you have dealt with the daughters of Israel, who out of fear have yielded to you. But here is a daughter of Judah who would not tolerate your wickedness. Tell me then, under what tree did you catch them committing the crime?”

The answer came, “Under an oak.” “Your lie has also cost you your head,” Daniel said. “God’s Angel waits to cut you both in two.” The whole assembly shouted and blessed God for helping those who hope in Him. They turned against the two elders who, through Daniel’s efforts, had been convicted by their own mouths. In accordance with Moses’ law, the penalty the two elders had intended to impose upon their neighbour was inflicted upon them. They were sentenced to death. Thus was the life of an innocent woman spared that day.

Alternative reading (shorter version)

Daniel 13 : 41c-62

Susanna was condemned to death. She cried aloud, “Eternal God, nothing is hidden from You; You know all things before they come to be. You know that these men have testified falsely against me. Would You let me die, though I am not guilty of all their malicious charges?”

The Lord heard her, and as she was being led to her execution, God aroused the Holy Spirit residing in a young lad named Daniel. He shouted, “I will have no part in the death of this woman!” Those present turned to him, “What did you say?” they all asked.

Standing in their midst, he said to them, “Have you become fools, you Israelites, to condemn a daughter of Israel without due process and in the absence of clear evidence? Return to court, for those men have falsely testified against her.” Hurriedly they returned, and the elders said to Daniel, “Come and sit with us, for you also possess the gifts bestowed by God upon the elders.”

Daniel said to the people, “Separate these two men from one another and I will examine each of them.” When the two elders were separated from each other, Daniel called one of them and said, “How wicked you have grown with age. Your sins of earlier days have piled up against you, and now is the time of reckoning.”

“Remember how you have passed unjust sentences, condemning the innocent and freeing the guilty, although the Lord has said, ‘The innocent and the just should not be put to death.’ Now, if you really witnessed the crime, under what tree did you see them do it?”

The elder answered, “Under a mastic tree.” Daniel said, “Your lie will cost you your head. You will be cut in two, as soon as the Lord’s Angel receives your sentence from God.” Putting the first one aside, Daniel called the other elder and said to him, “You offspring of Canaan and not of Judah, you have long allowed yourself to be perverted by lust.”

“This is how you have dealt with the daughters of Israel, who out of fear have yielded to you. But here is a daughter of Judah who would not tolerate your wickedness. Tell me then, under what tree did you catch them committing the crime?”

The answer came, “Under an oak.” “Your lie has also cost you your head,” Daniel said. “God’s Angel waits to cut you both in two.” The whole assembly shouted and blessed God for helping those who hope in Him. They turned against the two elders who, through Daniel’s efforts, had been convicted by their own mouths. In accordance with Moses’ law, the penalty the two elders had intended to impose upon their neighbour was inflicted upon them. They were sentenced to death. Thus was the life of an innocent woman spared that day.

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Monday, 31 March 2025 : 4th Week of Lent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Scriptures, and as we continue to journey through this season and time of Lent, all of us are reminded of the great providence and love by which God has always provided for us. We are reminded how in God we can find consolation and renewal, the freedom from all the bonds and shackles that we have been imposed with due to those sins we have committed in our own lives. All of us have been given these wonderful opportunities for us to turn away from our sins and to embrace wholeheartedly the rich mercy and compassion that God our Father has for each and every one of us, His beloved children. However, many of us often delayed in seeking God’s mercy and love, and we took it for granted that God loves us, to the point that we continue to live in the state of sin.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the prophet Isaiah in which God reassured His beloved people, the Israelites of the renewal, hope and good things that they would enjoy once again after they had been freed from their troubles, their domination by sin, all of which had made them to suffer separation from God, the misfortunes and difficulties that they had to experience because of their rebelliousness and stubborn attitudes. But God did not easily give up on His people despite all of that, and He remained committed to the Covenant which He had made with them all, and He still sent to them lots of help and guidance nonetheless, providing them with the means to reach out to His salvation and reconciliation with Him.

He promised all of His beloved people of the coming of the Saviour through Whom He has revealed to us His plan of salvation, the redemption and the new life that He would grant all of them, liberation from all the forces of evil and wickedness that have dominated them all those while. And through what we have heard, we ourselves are reminded of this great love of God which He desired to show and deliver to us, to bring us all into His loving Presence and kindness once again. During this time and season of Lent, we have been given the time, opportunities and chances to turn away from the path of darkness and evil, from our rebelliousness and waywardness, so that we may be found worthy again to be the holy and beloved people of God, His children, whom His favour has been given to.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, we heard of how the Lord Jesus, the same Saviour that we have just mentioned and discussed about, performed great miracles and deeds, proving to everyone of the truth and promises that God has given to us all His people throughout all of history. We heard how the Lord Jesus performed those wonderful miracles and works, amazing deeds that He has shown to everyone so that they might be convinced and encouraged in following the Lord, their God, and believe in His Providence and all that He has promised to them. God has always been loving to His people, and He does not want any one of them to be separated from Him, and He has offered us all His most generous love and kindness, opening the way to come back to Him, and through His Son, He made manifest and tangible all these before us.

We heard how the Lord encountered an official whose son has been very sick to the point of death, and how the official begged Him to heal his son. The Lord told the official at first with the words saying that unless he and others saw the signs and wonders performed before their eyes, they would not believe, likely referring to how many of the Lord’s own people in Judea and Galilee refused to believe in Him as mentioned in the same Gospel passage, despite having seen and witnessed with their own eyes, all the things and wonders that the Lord had performed before them. Especially those Pharisees and teachers of the Law, many of whom followed the Lord on His works and ministry, and continuously shown doubt and disagreements with the Lord in His teachings and works, despite having witnessed HIs miracles and heard of His Wisdom themselves.

The official professed his faith in the Lord, believing that He could heal his son despite not having to witness the deed in person. Therefore, when the Lord told him that his son would be healed, he believed and trusted in the Lord, and as we all heard, he encountered his servant who told him that his son recovered precisely the very moment that the Lord said to him that his son would be healed. By his faith in God, the official has received the great grace from God, the healing for his son and the promise of redemption which God has made evident and true by those miracles that He has performed. And all of us are reminded today through this story that we too are God’s beloved ones, and we shall receive His great grace and love, His kindness and mercy if we are truly faithful and committed to Him like that of the official.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as all of us continue to progress through this time and season of Lent, let us make good use of the opportunities that God has provided to us so that by His providence, we may come ever closer to Him and to His holy Presence, ever trusting in Him and realising that being separate from Him, there is no true future for us. There is hope in God alone, and we should make use of the opportunities provided to us such that we may embrace this hope and light that God has shown to us, so that immersed in His light and in His love, we may be renewed and made whole again by His grace, and be freed from the bondage and shackles of our many sins and evils, from all the temptations and attachments of earthly desires and more, all the things that had kept us away from God.

May the Lord, our most loving and merciful God continue to guide us all in our journey of faith through life, and may He continue to strengthen us especially during this season and time of Lent so that we may be healed from our transgressions and sins, and be truly reconciled and reunited with God, Whose love for us has always endured despite all the disobedience and stubborn attitudes we have shown Him. Let us all no longer harden our hearts, but let us instead be humble and recognising our sinfulness, embracing God’s healing and mercy. May God bless us all and our Lenten journey, and make us to have a truly fruitful Lenten season. Amen.

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Monday, 31 March 2025 : 4th Week of Lent (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

John 4 : 43-54

At that time, when the two days Jesus spent with the Samaritans were over, He left for Galilee. Jesus Himself said that no prophet is recognised in his own country. Yet the Galileans welcomed Him when He arrived, because of all the things which He had done in Jerusalem during the Festival, and which they had seen. For they, too, had gone to the feast.

Jesus went back to Cana of Galilee, where He had changed the water into wine. At Capernaum there was an official, whose son was ill, and when he heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went and asked Him to come and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. Jesus said, “Unless you see signs and wonders, you will not believe!” The official said, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” And Jesus replied, “Go, your son lives!”

The man had faith in the word that Jesus spoke to him, and went his way. As he was approaching his house, his servants met Him, and gave him the good news, “Your son has recovered!” So he asked them at what hour the child began to recover, and they said to him, “The fever left him yesterday, at about one o’clock in the afternoon.”

And the father realised that was the time when Jesus had told him, “Your son lives!” And he became a believer, he and all his family. Jesus performed this second miraculous sign when He returned from Judea to Galilee.

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Monday, 31 March 2025 : 4th Week of Lent (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Psalm 29 : 2 and 4, 5-6, 11-12a and 13b

I extol You, o Lord, for You have rescued me; my enemies will not gloat over me. O Lord, You have brought me up from the grave, You gave me life when I was going to the pit.

Sing to the Lord, o you His saints, give thanks and praise to His holy Name. For His anger lasts but a little while, and His kindness all through life. Weeping may tarry for the night, but rejoicing comes with the dawn.

Hear, o Lord, and have mercy on me; o Lord, be my Protector. But now, You have turned my mourning into rejoicing; O Lord, my God, forever will I give You thanks.

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Monday, 31 March 2025 : 4th Week of Lent (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Isaiah 65 : 17-21

I now create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind again. Be glad forever and rejoice in what I create; for I create Jerusalem to be a joy and its people to be a delight. I will rejoice over Jerusalem and take delight in My people.

The sound of distress and the voice of weeping will not be heard in it any more. You will no longer know of dead children or of adults who do not live out a lifetime. One who reaches a hundred years will have died a mere youth, but the one who fails to reach a hundred will be considered accursed.

They will build houses and dwell in them; they will plant crops and eat their fruit.

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Monday, 24 March 2025 : 3rd Week of Lent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are reminded of the power of God’s healing and mercy, as He forgives us all our sins and faults, our trespasses and mistakes. And we are also reminded of the importance of humility in our lives and actions so that we will not allow ourselves to be swayed and tempted by pride, which is one of the greatest obstacles that may lead us to our downfall and destruction. We are reminded that we are all sinners in need of God’s mercy, and if we come towards Him with contrite hearts, with genuine intention and desire to be forgiven from our many sins, and to be reconciled to Him, God will surely show us His love and kindness, granting us all the pardon and reconciliation that we seek from Him.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah in which the story of Naaman, the famous general of the Kingdom of Aram, the neighbour of the northern kingdom of Israel, went to seek healing and resolution for his issue of leprosy, which had affected him greatly due to it being seen as a sign of curse and Divine displeasure. That was why Naaman came to the land of Israel, seeking the king of Israel to ask for the favour from the famous prophet Elisha, whose miracles were well known even to Naaman’s own homeland. And we heard how Naaman came to Elisha seeking this healing, in which the prophet told him to immerse seven times in the River Jordan in order to be healed from his leprosy.

Naaman was initially angered at the instruction, proudly declaring how he expected the prophet ought to have come out and heal him in the manner that he wanted it, and how he could have done it as well in the rivers of his own homeland. Naaman was unhappy because of the expectations that he had in his mind on how he ought to be healed, being a person of high status and well-respected, and hence likely he was unused to being told what to do, and instead of being healed by the service of the prophet as he had expected it, he was told to do a menial task, at least in his perception, to get himself healed. But Naaman’s servant shook Naaman out of his pride and arrogance, and told him that what the prophet Elisha asked of him was not something unreasonable or difficult to do, and hence, Naaman obeyed, and was healed of his leprosy.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, this healing of Naaman is a reminder for all of us of our own ‘leprosy’, that is sin, the leprosy of the soul. Our own souls, and hence, our whole bodies, hearts, minds and indeed our whole beings have been corrupted by sin, and hence tainted, we have been made unworthy of God and His grace, and sundered therefore from His love and grace, we have been forced to wander off in the darkness of the world, to suffer the consequences of our disobedience and sins. But God loves each and every one of us as well, and He does not want us to be lost or separated from Him, and that is why He gave us all the means to reach out to Him and to return to Him, by giving us all the promise and assurance of salvation through none other than His own only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour.

Like Naaman who came seeking the prophet Elisha, all of us especially during this time of Lent are reminded to seek God’s healing and forgiveness for our sins, to be healed of our ‘leprosy’ of sin, which can be done through the Sacrament of Reconciliation which the Lord has readily made available for all of us. The Lord has given His Church and disciples the power and authority to forgive sins, which they then passed on to us today through their successors, the Popes, the bishops and priests who tirelessly minister to us the faithful and holy people of God. The problem is that, many of us are unaware of the need for all of us to seek this healing from our corruption by sin, and as a result, we continue to live in the state of sin, and are in danger of falling into the path towards eternal damnation and destruction.

Many of us are perhaps also too proud to admit that we are wrong, and we, like Naaman before us, expect that we are forgiven without effort or contrition. But as Naaman had been kindly reminded by his servant to be humble and obedient, therefore, we too should be obedient and humble in allowing ourselves to be forgiven by God by showing a contrite and truly sorrowful heart to the Lord. Pride is one of the greatest vices that led so many people to their downfall, including Satan himself, and in a similar manner pride is also a crucial reason why so many people failed to come and seek God’s healing and mercy, which He has offered us all so generously and lovingly. Unless we humble ourselves and be willing to rid ourselves of our sins, we may find it difficult to come back towards God.

Then, in our Gospel passage today we all heard of the story of the time when the Lord Jesus was in His hometown of Nazareth, as He came there bearing the Good News of God’s salvation, which had come to fruition and its perfect fulfilment with the arrival of Jesus Himself, the One Who was born into this world, the Divine Word Incarnate, Son of God born into our midst as the Son of Man, showing unto us the love of God manifested in the flesh. However, when the people of Nazareth listened to the words of the Lord and His proclamation of the fulfilment of the prophets, they were all filled with amazement and disbelief, because to them, Jesus was merely the Son of the town or village carpenter, St. Joseph. And at that time, carpenters were not highly regarded by the people as a profession.

Therefore, when the Lord claimed to have fulfilled the prophecies about the Messiah, many among them likely thought that He was being preposterous in doing so, and this was when the Lord them that unfortunately the reality is such that the prophets, messengers and servants of God are treated badly in their own homeland and countries, those places where they had hailed from. This is again because the people’s pride and arrogance, thinking that they know it better, and that they could not be wrong or no one whom they knew all ought to tell them what to do. As I mentioned earlier, this is one of the greatest challenges that we face in seeking God’s forgiveness and mercy, in our attempts to be reconciled to God, our loving Father and Master.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore resist the temptations of pride and desire in our daily lives, especially during this time and season of Lent when God has renewed His assurance and promises to us, His assurance that His mercy and compassion have been extended most generously to us. Like Naaman, let us all be humble and be willing to rid ourselves of our pride, ego, arrogance and ambitions, and instead be willing to walk down the path of repentance and reconciliation with God. Are we willing to make this commitment, brothers and sisters? Let our Lenten observance and journey be truly fruitful and blessed, and may God empower each one of us to walk ever more courageously in His path, now and always. Amen.

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Monday, 24 March 2025 : 3rd Week of Lent (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Luke 4 : 24-30

At that time, Jesus said to the people of Nazareth, “No prophet is honoured in his own country. Truly, I say to you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heavens withheld rain for three years and six months and a great famine came over the whole land. Yet, Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow of Zarephath, in the country of Sidon. There were also many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha, the prophet; and no one was healed except Naaman, the Syrian.”

On hearing these words, the whole assembly became indignant. They rose up and brought Him out of the town, to the edge of the hill on which Nazareth is built, intending to throw Him down the cliff. But He passed through their midst and went His way.