Monday

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Monday, 30 October 2023 : 30th Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Romans 8 : 12-17

Then, brothers, let us leave the flesh and no longer live according to it. If not, we will die. Rather, walking in the spirit, let us put to death the body’s deeds, so that we may live. All those who walk in the Spirit of God are sons and daughters of God.

Then, no more fear : you did not receive a spirit of slavery, but the spirit that makes you sons and daughters, and every time, we cry, “Abba! (this means Dad!) Father!” the Spirit assures our spirit, that we are sons and daughters of God. If we are children, we are heirs, too. Ours will be the inheritance of God, and we will share it with Christ; for, if we now suffer with Him, we will also share glory with Him.

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Monday, 23 October 2023 : 29th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. John of Capestrano, Priest (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Priests)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, we are all reminded to put our faith and trust in the Lord, that we should always put our focus in life and centre our attention and efforts on the Lord and in glorifying Him instead of trusting in the various worldly means and methods for us to seek happiness and achievements in our lives. We must not allow ourselves to be easily swayed by those temptations and coercions of the world, all the things that may end up leading us down the wrong path in life, because they may end up preventing us from recognising God’s presence in our lives and turning us into people who are more concerned about attaining wealth and all sorts of worldly pleasures and ambitions rather than to live our lives in a righteous and worthy manner.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Romans in which St. Paul the Apostle spoke about the faith that Abraham had in the Lord. Abraham, who is the father of many nations and the faithful servant of God, with whom the Lord has established His Covenant, was found righteous, worthy and just because he trusted the Lord wholeheartedly and obeyed Him, His will and commands, despite perhaps having doubts or uncertainties at times in his heart and mind. Abraham allowed the Lord to lead him in all of his path and actions throughout life, and dedicated himself and his every moments to do what God has told him to do. He left behind his past life, his homeland and ancestral family in Ur of the Chaldeans, in what is now parts of Iraq, following the Lord Who called him to embark on a journey to the land He promised to him and his descendants.

Then, Abraham also obeyed the Lord when he was told to bring his beloved son, Isaac, whom the Lord had promised to him, and whom he finally received, to be offered as a sacrifice at Mount Moriah. But despite the prospect of losing this precious son to be slaughtered and offered to God, Abraham trusted in God wholly, and according to St. Paul in another occasion in one of his Epistles, Abraham had faith in God that even if he were to lose Isaac, in some way or some form God would restore Isaac to him, or fulfil His promise to him in another different way. This complete and total obedience to God is something that is truly rare amongst us mankind, and it is what made Abraham to stand out and why he is revered as the paragon of virtue and faith.

In what we have heard from our Gospel passage today, there is something similar in what the Lord Jesus had told to His disciples and followers, as He answered one of them who asked Him to be a judge and to convince his brother to share the family inheritance with him, and as He used a parable to highlight to them the futility and folly of one’s pursuit of worldly matter and inheritance, possessions and material wealth, as all those things will not avail us and will not remain with us in the end. None of our worldly goods, wealth and all the riches we have will be ours to possess or bring as we move on to the world that is to come. All those things are ultimately temporary and fleeting in nature, and no matter how rich or how many things we possess in this world, those things will be taken away from us at the end of our brief earthly sojourn, and as we enter the afterlife.

In that Gospel passage today, as we heard in the Lord’s parable, of how futile the rich man’s efforts and plans were, when he planned everything he could, to store for himself more and more of the worldly riches, when he already had so much, in his many granaries and storehouses, but only to lose all of them, because the Lord, the Master of all life and death, could call him back to Him, that very night, and all of his worldly plans, desires, ambitions and all of his attachments and designs, all of them would come to nothing in the end. This is an important reminder that if we allow ourselves to be swayed by worldly temptations and desires, we will likely end up being disappointed, and we may even end up falling into the path towards eternal damnation, because those things will likely tempt and keep us away from truly being able to follow the Lord and trust in Him. Abraham, on the other hand, was willing to even part with his precious treasure, his own beloved son, Isaac.

This is why all of us as Christians must always keep ourselves free from the temptations of worldly desires, ambitions, glory and the pleasures of life. All of us must always stay away from the things that can distract and mislead us down the wrong paths in life, and we must always remind ourselves to stay focused in the Lord at all times. We should always be inspired by the examples of our holy predecessors, like Abraham and the many other saints, holy men and women of God who have dedicated themselves thoroughly to the Lord, in obeying His Law, His will and commandments. Each and every one of us must also follow their examples and inspirations, their lives and works, so that we ourselves may also ever be faithful to God in all things.

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of St. John of Capestrano, whose life and examples should inspire us all in how we can be better disciples and followers of the Lord in all things. St. John of Capestrano was a famous Franciscan friar and priest, and a courageous and dedicated preacher and servant of God who committed himself wholeheartedly to the Lord, in obeying the commandments and the Law of God. He was a renowned theologian whose works and efforts, in spreading the Good News and the truth of the Gospel of Christ have borne a lot of good fruits, in proclaiming the salvation of God to more and more of those who have not known them. He preached to huge crowds that came to listen to him, which numbered even more than a hundred thousand people in one occasion, and he also attained great successes in other places as well.

St. John of Capestrano also dedicated himself to the Lord, putting Him above all else, even volunteering to raise and lead a large army together to fight against the forces of the Ottoman Turks that were threatening Christendom at that time, fighting in a Crusade launched by the Pope to resist the mighty forces of the enemy and unbelievers. He kept on inspiring all the soldiers who fought during that Crusade and conflicts, and while he eventually survived the battle, he fell ill from the bubonic plague and passed away shortly after. Nonetheless, the memories of his courage, commitment to God and efforts in proclaiming the Lord, in giving himself completely to the Lord and His cause are remembered by many long after his death, even to this very day.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all henceforth renew our commitment to the Lord, and strive to lead a life that is also truly holy and worthy of the Lord. Let us all commit ourselves to follow God in all things, and do whatever we can so that our lives may always be exemplary and inspirational to all others around us, and to all who interact and spend time with us. We should always be the source of inspiration and the bearers of God’s light and truth to others all around us, that we may help more and more people to come ever closer to the Lord and to His loving Presence. May God be with us always, and may He empower and strengthen each and every one of us, in our every day moments, and may He bless our every efforts and good works in glorifying His Name, now and always. Amen.

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Monday, 23 October 2023 : 29th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. John of Capestrano, Priest (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Priests)

Luke 12 : 13-21

At that time, someone in the crowd spoke to Jesus, “Master, tell my brother to share with me the family inheritance.” He replied, “My friend, who has appointed Me as your Judge or your Attorney?” Then Jesus said to the people, “Be on your guard and avoid every kind of greed, for even though you have many possessions, it is not that which gives you life.”

And Jesus continued, “There was a rich man, and his land had produced a good harvest. He thought, ‘What shall I do, for I am short of room to store my harvest? Alright, I know what I shall do : I will pull down my barns and I will build bigger ones, to store all this grain, which is my wealth. Then I will say to myself : My friend, you have a lot of good things put by for many years. Rest, eat, drink and enjoy yourself.'”

“But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be taken from you. Tell Me, who shall get all you have put aside?’ This is the lot of the one who stores up riches for himself and is not wealthy in the eyes of God.”

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Monday, 23 October 2023 : 29th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. John of Capestrano, Priest (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Priests)

Luke 1 : 69-70, 71-72, 73-75

In the house of David His servant, He has raised up for us a victorious Saviour; as He promised through His prophets of old.

Salvation from our enemies and from the hand of our foes. He has shown mercy to our fathers; and remembered His holy Covenant.

The oath He swore to Abraham, our father, to deliver us from the enemy, that we might serve Him fearlessly, as a holy and righteous people, all the days of our lives.

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Monday, 23 October 2023 : 29th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. John of Capestrano, Priest (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Priests)

Romans 4 : 20-25

Abraham did not doubt, nor did he distrust the promise of God, and, by being strong in faith, he gave glory to God : He was convinced, that, He Who had given the promise, had power to fulfil it.

This was taken into account, for him to attain righteousness. This was taken into account : these words of Scripture are not only for him, but for us, too, because we believe in Him, Who raised Jesus, our Lord, from among the dead, He, Who was delivered for our sins, and raised to life, for us to receive true righteousness.

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Monday, 16 October 2023 : 28th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Hedwig, Religious, and St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, Virgin (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Religious and Holy Virgins)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, we are all reminded of the words of the Lord being spoken through the promises of God’s servants and His own Son, Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, through Whom, salvation has come into this world, and God’s promises have all come true, and been perfectly fulfilled just as He has promised to us. God has never abandoned us, and He has always provided for us in His own mysterious ways. He showed us all the path to Himself, and opened for us the gates of Heaven, ever graciously offering to us the richness of His mercy, compassion and love, that He has always given us all these while.

In our first reading today, taken from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Church and the faithful people of God in the city of Rome, we heard of the reminders from St. Paul the Apostle to the faithful there that all of them have received salvation and grace through none other than Jesus Christ, the Saviour of all, Who is also the Son of God and Heir of David, Who has come into this world in the flesh, Incarnate through His mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary, as the fulfilment of all of God’s promises to us mankind. Through His Son, God has reaffirmed everything that He has promised to us and our forefathers from the very beginning, and reaffirmed to us His love and compassion, to each and every one of us.

Through Christ, God has revealed to us all that He has planned for us, and has reminded us that we truly belong to Him, and therefore we all should embrace Him wholeheartedly, in His Law and commandments, and we should not allow ourselves to be swayed by the many worldly temptations and the evils all around us, and we must always put our trust and faith in Him, at all times. God has never abandoned us, and He has always renewed and made true of everything that He has promised us, making a Covenant with us, that is everlasting and generous. However, it is us mankind who often reneged on our commitments to God and His Covenant, betraying and abandoning Him.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard of the words of the Lord telling to His people, mentioning those of Jonah and the Queen of the South, and highlighted His frustrations at them, at how many of them still refused to believe despite having received and witnessed many proofs and signs of His truth, wisdom and greatness. The Lord Jesus has performed many miracles and wonders, and despite those people having seen those wonders and signs being done before their very own eyes, and despite having heard of the words of wisdom and truth being spoken right before their very own selves, they still failed to believe and even doubting Him, demanding that He gave them signs and proofs of His authenticity and authority.

The Lord mentioned first of the sign of Jonah, because He was comparing of the sign which He Himself would perform to them, as He would lay down in the underworld for three days, just as the prophet Jonah ended up being in the belly of a whale for three days, when the Lord Jesus would face His Passion, suffering and death on the Cross. And then, the mention of the Queen of the South was meant as a rebuke to those people who refused to believe in Him, because this Queen of the South, also known as the Queen of Sheba, went on a long journey from her land to come and listen to King Solomon’s wisdom, and the Lord Himself said that, what the people all beheld before them was One far greater than Solomon himself, in all of his wisdom and power, the Wisdom of God as revealed through Christ, His Son.

Today, the Church celebrates the feast of two holy and great women, whose lives and great examples in faith and in their way of life should inspire each and every one of us in how we should be living our lives, and in how we can be good and devout Christians in all things, in putting our faith and trust in God, rather than in worldly matters and temptations. St. Hedwig, also known as St. Hedwig of Silesia was the Duchess of Silesia as the consort of the Silesian Duke, and was renowned for her great piety and dedication to God, while St. Margaret Mary Alacoque was a French religious nun, who was also renowned for her faith in God, as well as for having received visions and revelation from the Lord, which has shown His Most Sacred Heart to her.

St. Hedwig of Silesia was married to the heir of the Duke of Silesia when she was barely just twelve years old, and she was involved for many years in the great intrigue and court politics involving her husband, who struggled to maintain the ducal authority while at the same time expanding his rule and influence, against rival duchies and other rulers. In one occasion, St. Hedwig interceded on behalf of her husband, when the latter was in captivity, and her husband was released by her efforts. The virtues and good actions of St. Hedwig helped her husband in his rule, and also became great inspiration for many people of her time, and both St. Hedwig and her husband, Duke Henry of Silesia, were very pious and faithful to God. And when she was widowed after many decades of marriage, she moved into a monastery and dedicated the rest of her life in commitment to God.

Meanwhile, St. Margaret Mary Alacoque was a very devout servant of God who had great and intense love for the Lord even from her early childhood. She dedicated herself to the Blessed Sacrament and the Lord, as well as to His Blessed Mother Mary, since early on, especially after recovering from a bout of serious illness, and eventually became a religious nun after having received a vision of Christ, reminding her of her love for Him. St. Margaret Mary Alacoque received several private revelations on the Sacred Heart of Jesus over a period of eighteen months, in which the Lord Jesus revealed to her the intense love that God has for each and every one of us, as manifested through His Most Sacred Heart, injured and wounded because of our many sins and transgressions.

Eventually, St. Margaret Mary Alacoque revealed her visions to her superior, after a period of struggle and discernment, and the messages she received from the Lord were made known, writing testaments and other works to make the Lord’s intentions known better, for the state, the society and all the people of God. Ever since then, and after having her visions and revelations certified as genuine, the devotion to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, which had actually begun centuries earlier, came to take form in the manner that we are familiar with today, and became widespread among the people throughout Christendom, which continues to this very day, all thanks to the faith, devotion and commitment shown by St. Margaret Mary Alacoque.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, having reflected upon the Scripture readings we have heard today, and having listened to the lives and examples of both St. Hedwig of Silesia and St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, let us all therefore renew our faith in the Lord, and strive so that we will always be ever more virtuous, worthy and good in all of our works, actions and way of life, in our every interactions with one another. May the Lord continue to guide us in our journey of faith throughout our lives, and may He bless us in our every good works, efforts and endeavours, now and always. Amen.

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Monday, 16 October 2023 : 28th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Hedwig, Religious, and St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, Virgin (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Religious and Holy Virgins)

Luke 11 : 29-32

At that time, as the crowd increased, Jesus spoke the following words : “People of the present time are troubled people. They ask for a sign, but no sign will be given to them except the sign of Jonah. As Jonah became a sign for the people of Nineveh, so will the Son of Man be a sign for this generation.”

“The Queen of the South will rise up on Judgment Day with the people of these times and accuse them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and here, there is greater than Solomon. The people of Nineveh will rise up on Judgment Day with the people of these times and accuse them, for Jonah’s preaching made them turn from their sins, and here, there is greater than Jonah.”

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Monday, 16 October 2023 : 28th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Hedwig, Religious, and St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, Virgin (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Religious and Holy Virgins)

Psalm 97 : 1, 2-3ab, 3cd-4

Sing to YHVH a new song, for He has done wonders; His right hand, His holy arm, has won victory for Him.

YHVH has shown His salvation, revealing His justice to the nations. He has not forgotten His love, nor His faithfulness to Israel.

The farthest ends of the earth all have seen God’s saving power. All you, lands, make a joyful noise to YHVH, break into song and sing praise.

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Monday, 16 October 2023 : 28th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Hedwig, Religious, and St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, Virgin (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Religious and Holy Virgins)

Romans 1 : 1-7

From Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, an Apostle, called and set apart for God’s Good News, the very promises He foretold through His prophets in the sacred Scriptures, regarding His Son, Who was born in the flesh a descendant of David, and has been recognised as the Son of God, endowed with Power, upon rising from the dead, through the Holy Spirit.

Through Him, Jesus Christ, our Lord, and for the sake of His Name, we received grace, and mission in all the nations, for them to accept the faith. All of you, the elected of Christ, are part of them, you, the beloved God in Rome, called to be holy : May God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ, give you grace and peace.

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Monday, 9 October 2023 : 27th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Denis, Bishop and Martyr, and Companions, Martyrs, and St. John Leonardi, Priest (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs) or White (Priests)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Lord, we are all called and reminded to be loving and kind towards our fellow brethren, as each and every one of us as Christians have to emulate the Lord’s ways and His loving examples, His Law and commandments, in all of our way of life, words, actions and deeds. All of us must do what the Lord has called all of us to do, in our best way, in whatever ways He has taught and entrusted to us, as the ones whom He had called, chosen and revealed His intentions and ways to, in all of our actions and ways throughout this world. All of us should not be ignorant or idle in what we are expected to do, in reaching out to our fellow brothers and sisters, with great love and compassion.

In our first reading, we heard from the Book of the prophet Jonah about the calling and mission which God had entrusted to Jonah, as God told Jonah to go forth to the great city of Nineveh, which was then the capital and great city of the mighty and powerful Assyrian Empire. Contextually, by that time, the Assyrians had rose to power and conquered many nations, and the prophet Jonah lived and was called by God during this period of the Assyrians’ rise to power, about seven or eight centuries before the birth of Christ. At that time, the Assyrians were known for their power, but they had also risen to power amidst a lot of bloodshed and evil deeds, destroying many people and cities, killing countless thousands, tens of thousands and more during their many wars and conquests.

Hence, the Lord was sending Jonah to the people and city of Nineveh, to the Assyrians, their king and nobles in order to warn them of their impending destruction because of their own evil and wicked deeds. The Lord is Lord and God over all the whole world, and not only over the Israelites, His chosen people, only. Hence, just as the Israelites had suffered the consequences of their disobedience, sins and wickedness, thus, the Assyrians would also face similar consequences, just as how the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah in the ancient past, according to the Scriptures, were destroyed by God when their wickedness were truly great and vile. That was how most of the people during the time of Noah were destroyed by the Great Flood, save for that of Noah and his own family, the only ones that remained righteous among mankind.

All these reminded us first of all that God wants us all, His creation, to be truly virtuous, good and free from sin and evil. Sin comes from our disobedience against God, His will, Law and commandments, and through sin, corruption and wickedness come into us, and we will have to face the consequences for sins and all the evils and wicked deeds we have done in our lives. But, just as we have heard how God sent His prophet Jonah to the people of Nineveh, and how He has also sent many other prophets like Isaiah, Elisha, Isaiah and others to His people in both the kingdoms of Israel and Judah, to point out to them their sins and wickedness, and to help guide them to the right path, we can see that God truly loves us all, and what He despises is not us, but rather our sins and wickedness.

This is also where, the contrast between the attitude of the people of Nineveh and those of God’s chosen people, the Israelites can be clearly seen. The people of Nineveh, if we read on further in the accounts from the Book of the prophet Jonah, actually listened to the Lord and heeded Jonah’s warning and proclamation of their doom with repentance and true regret for their wickedness and sins, as the whole entire city, from the king right to the lowest among the people all publicly showed their repentance, wearing sackcloth and declaring fasting and regret over their sins. On the contrary, the people of Israel kept on hardening their hearts and refusing to believe in God, despite repeated reminders, omens and all the punishments that they had all suffered.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard of the famous parable of the Good Samaritan being told by the Lord to His disciples and followers. The Good Samaritan refers to the Samaritan who bothered to stop by a Jew who was assaulted by robbers on his way to Jericho, when a Levite and a priest each refused to help the injured man. Back then, the Samaritans were hated and despised by the Jewish people, and they were seen by the latter as those who had adopted the heretical and mistaken beliefs incompatible to the version of faith held and preserved by the Jewish people and elders. This came about because the Samaritans were descended from the mixture of the people living in the northern regions of the northern kingdom of Israel, that had been destroyed by the same Assyrians mentioned earlier, and intermingled with the foreigners and other peoples brought in by the Assyrians.

As such, the disagreements and the misunderstandings that existed between both peoples led to the bitter divisions and prejudices between both communities. The Samaritans were despised and hated by the Jews, and were treated no better than pagans and foreigners, or even worse than those, even when the Samaritans actually worshipped the same Lord and God as the Jewish people. But as we heard from the parable, the despised and hated Samaritan was the one who actually had pity on the injured Jewish man, while ironically the Levite and the priest, who were both highly respected and esteemed among the Jewish community, did not even stop to help their own fellow countrymen, as they would have been expected to. They did not even show any care or even bothered to stop.

On the contrary, the Good Samaritan not only stopped by and helped the injured man, but he even took good care of him and paid all the expenses for the injured man and told the innkeeper to settle everything for him, to make sure that he fully recovered, and paid for everything with bonus added. He truly had gone the extra mile with his care and compassion, and through this story, we are all first of all reminded that we must not be prejudiced or biased against anyone simply because of their backgrounds or due to our preconceived notions or often flawed understanding of others. We must always remember that each and every one of us are equally beloved by God, and that everyone has the opportunity and the potential to be like the saints, to be reconciled fully with God and to be filled once again with God’s grace.

What matters now is for us to embrace God’s call and answer Him with faith. We should not be like Jonah, who ignored the Lord’s call and even tried to flee from the Lord, in ignoring the mission which God has entrusted to him. Neither should we be like the priest and the Levite in the parable of the Good Samaritan, who have ignored the pleas and the need of the injured man. Instead, we should enthusiastically and courageously answer God’s call with dedication, just as what the Good Samaritan himself had done. We should always carry ourselves with commitment and faith, and with the genuine desire to love the Lord as well as our fellow brothers and sisters, all around us. Thus, we should also be inspired by the great examples set by our holy predecessors, the saints and martyrs, so that we too can live lives that are truly worthy of God.

Today, the Church celebrates the feast of St. Denis and his companions in martyrdom, as well as that of St. John Leonardi, a devout man of God and priest, the founder of the Order of Clerks Regular of the Mother of God of Lucca. First of all, St. Denis was the Bishop of Paris during the middle of the third century, in which he was remembered for his most miraculous martyrdom among with many others, who were oppressed and martyred during the intense persecution of Christians by the Roman Emperor Decius. St. Denis was arrested and tortured after his efforts in converting many pagans made many pagan priests and officials to be afraid of them, and he and others were brought to a hill where they were executed, with St. Denis being beheaded. However, miraculously, St. Denis still continued to preach while his head had been severed from his body, walking for a few miles before he finally died at the site where a great Basilica in his honour stands now. Not few were converted to the faith by this miraculous occasion.

St. John Leonardi meanwhile was a priest in what is now Italy, who answered God’s call for him to be a priest, and to serve among the people of God, ministering to their spiritual needs, while spreading the devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary and the popular Forty Hours devotion, which were instrumental in checking the growth of the heresy of Protestant reformation at that time. He helped spreading the reforms of the Council of Trent, and established the aforementioned Order of Clerks Regular of the Mother of God of Lucca. He did not have it easy as he encountered opposition and challenges from those who were politically motivated back then in opposing the establishment of the new religious order, known well as the Lucca Fathers. Nevertheless, St. John Leonardi continued to do his best in doing God’s work among His people.

May the Lord continue to guide and strengthen us in all things, so that we may be inspired and encouraged to follow in the footsteps of our holy predecessors, the saints and martyrs, particularly those of St. Denis and his companions in holy martyrdom, and also the commitment and faith shown by St. John Leonardi. Let us all continue to strengthen and deepen our faith in each and every opportunities provided for us, and draw ever closer to the Lord, now and always. Amen.