Monday

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Monday, 28 November 2022 : 1st Week of Advent (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Isaiah 4 : 2-6

On that day the Shoot of YHVH will be beautiful and glorious; and the Fruit of the earth will be honour and splendour for the survivors of Israel. Those who are left in Zion and remain in Jerusalem will be called holy, all who are recorded among the living in Jerusalem, when YHVH washes away the filth of the women of Zion and purges Jerusalem of the bloodstains in its midst with the blast of searing judgment, the blast of fire.

Then will YHVH create over the whole site of Mount Zion and over its assemblies a cloud of smoke by day and a glow of fire by night. For the Glory of the Lord will be a canopy and a pavilion for all, a shade from the scorching heat by day, a refuge from the storm and rain.

Alternative reading

Isaiah 2 : 1-5

The vision of Isaiah, son of Amoz, concerning Judah and Jerusalem. In the last days, the mountain of YHVH’s house shall be set over the highest mountains and shall tower over the hills. All the nations shall stream to it, saying, “Come, let us go to the mountain of YHVH, to the house of the God of Jacob, that He may teach us His ways and we may walk in His paths. For the teaching comes from Zion, and from Jerusalem the word of YHVH.”

“He will rule over the nations and settle disputes for many people. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not raise sword against nation; they will train for war no more. O nation of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of YHVH!”

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Monday, 21 November 2022 : 34th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, we are reminded of the faith and the obedience of Mary, as the Mother of Our Lord, Saviour and God, Jesus Christ. Today the Church marks the occasion of the Feast of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and it is apt therefore for us to reflect upon the life and the works of Mary, whose examples and faith in God should be our source of inspiration and strength in following the Lord, in being faithful and committed to Him all the days of our lives. Each and every one of us as Christians should look up upon our beloved Mother Mary, as the role model and shining beacon of God’s light who have shown us the way towards the salvation in her Son, Our Lord, God and Master.

Mary was presented at the Temple of Jerusalem, the House of God as was common at that time. According to the Law of God, as revealed through Moses, the firstborn child of any family ought to be offered and consecrated to God, and in that manner therefore, the parents of Mary, St. Joachim and St. Anne both dedicated Mary to the Lord at His House as prescribed by the Law. According to some tradition, Mary was also descended from the priestly tribe of Levi, and it was therefore even more significant as members of the tribe of Levi had been dedicated to God to be the priests and servants of the Lord. While it was not definitive whether Mary was descended from either the tribe of Judah or Levi through her parents, but what is clear and certain is that she has truly been dedicated and committed to God for the missions entrusted to her.

Mary has been prepared specially by the Lord, through the singular grace He has granted her, that she was conceived free from the taints of the original sin that have tainted all the rest of us mankind. God hallowed her such, so that through her sanctity and purity, through her Immaculate Conception and perfect state of grace, she may truly become a most worthy Ark of the Covenant, the New Ark for the New Covenant that God wanted to make and establish with all of us, His beloved people, children and flock. The Lord has prepared her to bear the Saviour of the world, the very Word of God incarnate in the flesh, descending into this world and into our midst, and to bear Him within her, Mary indeed has to be worthy, and compared to the old Ark, truly, we can see how God had prepared everything for this.

In the Old Testament, as the Lord told Moses to make the Ark of the Covenant, the original Ark bearing the two tablets of the Law of God, the Ten Commandments, as well as the manna and the staff of Aaron, God ordered His people to make the Ark from the most precious of materials, from gold and the finest goods of the world, and it was hallowed, blessed and sanctified as such that, no one was allowed to touch the Ark of the Covenant. When a priest accidentally touched the Ark during the time of king David and his effort to bring the Ark to Jerusalem, the priest was struck dead immediately after he touched the Ark. The Ark of the Covenant was indeed so holy because God’s Holy Presence rested and dwelled in it, seated upon the Cherubim carved atop the Ark.

That Ark was placed at the Holy of Holies of the Tent of Meeting and later on the Temple of Jerusalem, into which only the High Priest was allowed to enter, and even that, only in one occasion throughout the entire year. That was just how sacrosanct the old Ark was, and that was made by mere human hands. How it relates to Mary is that, in Mary, whom God herself made and crafted by His hands, she was entrusted with the Lord Himself, present in the flesh, in Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity, that her Son, in her womb and born from her, was truly the Holy Presence of God in the flesh, tangible and manifested perfectly in this world. And as such, she is the worthy Ark of the New Covenant, the Covenant that God would establish through Christ His Son, as she is truly full of grace, free from the taints of sin and evil.

What does it mean by Mary being full of grace, brothers and sisters in Christ? It means that Mary obeyed the Lord and loved Him so much and so perfectly, that she could not even contemplate the thought of disobeying Him. It was through such disobedience that sin entered into our midst, and that sin began to corrupt our hearts, minds, bodies and souls. Whereas Mary devoted herself so thoroughly to God and obeyed Him, just as she responded to the Archangel Gabriel at the moment of the Annunciation, ‘I am the handmaid of the Lord. Be it done unto me according to Your will.’ She showed us all therefore what it means to be a true disciple and follower of our Lord, as each one of us are called to embrace His path, His Law and commandments, and be faithful in Him, in a most genuine and sincere way as Mary herself has done.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we gather together today to celebrate this Feast of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, let us all therefore look upon Mary, the Mother of God and our mother as our role model and examples in life, as our guide and help in our journey of faith towards God. And we also should know just how much Mary loves us all as well, because even after she has been assumed into Heaven by her Son’s grace, she still looked upon us and cared for us, as proven by her many apparitions and efforts through those and more to reach out to us and to help us find our way out of the darkness and back into the light of Christ. All of us as Christians should strive to renew our faith and dedicate ourselves all the more to the Lord, spending more time and effort to love Him, and to follow Him wholeheartedly in the way that Mary herself had done.

May our beloved mother Mary continue to watch over us and inspire us by her life, her dedication and commitment to God. May she continue to intercede and pray for our sake, we sinners who have often betrayed and hurt her Son. May all of us be shown mercy and forgiveness, and may we all draw ever closer to God, to His love and grace, now and always, and may He continue to bless us all and remain with us, forevermore. Amen.

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Monday, 21 November 2022 : 34th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Matthew 12 : 46-50

At that time, while Jesus was talking to the people, His mother and His brothers wanted to speak to Him, and they waited outside. So someone said to Him, “Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside; they want to speak with You.”

Jesus answered, “Who is My mother? Who are My brothers?” Then He pointed to His disciples and said, “Look! Here are My mother and My brothers. Whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.”

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Monday, 21 November 2022 : 34th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Luke 1 : 46-47, 48-49, 50-51, 52-53, 54-55

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit exults in God, my Saviour!

He has looked upon His servant, in her lowliness, and people, forever, will call me blessed. The Mighty One has done great things for me, Holy is His Name!

From age to age, His mercy extends to those who live in His presence. He has acted with power and done wonders, and scattered the proud with their plans.

He has put down the mighty from their thrones, and lifted up those who are downtrodden. He has filled the hungry with good things, but has sent the rich away empty.

He held out His hand to Israel, His servant, for He remembered His mercy, even as He promised to our fathers, to Abraham and his descendants forever.

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Monday, 21 November 2022 : 34th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Zechariah 2 : 14-17

Sing and rejoice, o daughter of Zion, for I am about to come, I shall dwell among you,” says YHVH. “On that day, many nations will join YHVH and be My people, but My dwelling is among you.”

The people of Judah will be for YHVH as His portion in His holy land. He will choose Jerusalem again. Keep still in YHVH’s presence, for He comes, having risen from His holy dwelling.

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Monday, 14 November 2022 : 33rd Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, we are all called to keep our faith in God and remaining firm in our commitment and obedience to God and His will. Each and every one of us as Christians are reminded to put our trust in the Lord, and we should all believe in Him wholeheartedly, and not be easily swayed by the many temptations found all around us. This is the message that the Lord wants us all to know through His Church and the Scriptures so that in everything we do in this life here on Earth, we will always be ever vigilant, and remember that in the end, we have to account our actions, and our words and deeds, as well as our failures to act and do the will of God, at the end of time, when we face Him, our Lord and Creator, and the Judge of all the living and the dead.

As the current liturgical year is drawing to an end soon, and as we approach the beginning of the new liturgical year with the season of Advent in just less than two weeks’ time, the readings from the Sacred Scriptures take a rather apocalyptic tone with the clear purpose of reminding us that as we continue on living in this world, we cannot be ignorant of the things that we are expected to do as followers and disciples of the Lord, in each and every moments of our lives. We cannot continue on living year after year, moment after moment as we usually have done, in immersing ourselves in worldly desires and pursuits, and forgetting or ignoring our Christian call and mission, the obligation we have to do God’s will, His Law and commandments.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of Revelations of St. John the Apostle, written at the time when St. John was exiled at the island of Patmos in his old age, we heard of the vision received by the Apostle of the Angels of the Church, that God had sent to protect the Church in the various places that the communities of the faithful had been established. This revelation was also meant to strengthen the various members of the faithful and the Church in those places, amidst all the persecutions and hardships that they had to endure, that the Lord has, is and will always be by their side, no matter what. He is always with them, guarding them, protecting them and giving them guidance, through His Holy Spirit and His Angels, and St. John wanted to remind them all about that.

Yet, the Apostle also reminded them in the same occasion how the faith of those faithful communities had been wavering and faltering, and he reminded them all therefore to once again be faithful and obedient again to God. He told them all to put their whole trust and faith in Him, and to follow Him once again wholeheartedly, and not be swayed by the temptations of the world or by any other coercions or pressures from various quarters trying to pull the faithful away from the Lord, His path and the salvation in Him. St. John thereafter continued on with his writing on whatever he had seen and received in vision regarding the Revelation of what will happen in the end of time, that despite all the hardships and persecutions that the faithful people of God had to suffer, they shall all be triumphant with God in the end.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard of the blind man who sought the Lord’s help and healing, crying out to Him incessantly, calling on Him to heal him and open his eyes, that he might see again. Despite the people around him chiding him and telling him to be quiet, the blind man kept on crying out for the Lord regardless. He had total faith in the Lord that He could heal him from his maladies, and indeed, that faith touched the Lord and He healed him from his blindness. That, brothers and sisters in Christ, is the kind of faith which we all should have in God, that we seek Him with all of our strength, despite of challenges, trials and difficulties all around us. That is the love and faith which the Lord has called on us all to have in Him, the dedication and commitment which each one of us as Christians ought to have.

On the contrary, many of the other people of the time of the Lord’s ministry refused to believe in Him and even challenged and opposed Him and His works. It was about all those people that the Lord Himself spoke of how while they were able to see things clearly with their eyes, but in truth they were blind, blinded by their own ego and pride, and all the things which prevented them from seeing the truth of God in all that He Himself had done before their own eyes, and hence, they disobeyed the Lord and sinned, because although they had all witnessed everything that God Himself had done, and heard all the words of God’s truth and wisdom directly, they had failed to believe, as they did not open their hearts and minds to God.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we heard from these words of the Scriptures, we are reminded that all of us should also be faithful to God in real and genuine ways, like that of the blind man and also like the innumerable saints, martyrs and holy men and women of God who had gone before us to the Lord with glory because of their ceaseless and courageous dedication to the Lord. Many had suffered for their faith, and yet they persevered on regardless because they believed in God and His providence. They did not give up their faith because they know that God has always been by their side, being with them, guiding them and providing for them along their journey and path, and that they will be triumphant with God in the end. Those who gloated over and persecuted them enjoyed only for a moment, and they will face their due in time.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, hence, let us all persevere in faith in the manner our predecessors had done. And let us all be ever more faithful and committed to God in each and every moments of our lives, so that, when the time comes for us to account our actions and lives before the Lord, the great and just Judge at the Judgment, we will be found and deemed truly worthy of the Lord and His eternal dominion. May God continue to bless us in our every good efforts, works and endeavours, and guide us through our every journey and path, now and always. Amen.

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Monday, 14 November 2022 : 33rd Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Luke 18 : 35-43

At that time, when Jesus drew near to Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the road, begging. As he heard the crowd passing by, he inquired what was happening, and they told him that Jesus of Nazareth was going by.

Then he cried out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” The people in front of him scolded him. “Be quiet!” they said, but he cried out all the more, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

Jesus stopped, and ordered the blind man to be brought to Him; and when he came near, Jesus asked him, “What do you want Me to do for you?” And the man said, “Lord, that I may see!” Jesus said, “Receive your sight, your faith has saved you.”

At once the blind man was able to see, and he followed Jesus, giving praise to God. And all the people who were there also praised God.

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Monday, 14 November 2022 : 33rd Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 1 : 1-2, 3, 4 and 6

Blessed is the one who does not go where the wicked gather, or stand in the way of sinners, or sit where the scoffers sit! Instead, he finds delight in the law of the Lord and meditates day and night on His commandments.

He is like a tree beside a brook producing its fruit in due season, its leaves never withering. Everything he does is a success.

But it is different with the wicked. They are like chaff driven away by the wind. For the Lord knows the way of the righteous but cuts off the way of the wicked.

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Monday, 14 November 2022 : 33rd Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Revelations 1 : 1-4 and Revelations 2 : 1-5a

The Revelation of Jesus Christ. God gave it to Him to let His servants know what is soon to take place. He sent His Angel to make it known to His servant, John, who reports everything he saw, for this is the word of God and the declaration of Jesus Christ.

Happy is the one who reads aloud these prophetic words, and happy those who hear them and treasure everything written here, for the time is near. From John to the seven Churches of Asia : receive grace and peace from Him Who is, Who was and Who is to come, and from the seven Spirits of God which are before His throne.

Write this to the Angel of the Church in Ephesus, “Thus says the One Who holds the seven stars in His right hand and Who walks among the seven golden lampstands : ‘I know your works, your difficulties and your patient suffering. I know you cannot tolerate evildoers but have tested those who call themselves Apostles and have proved them to be liars. You have persevered and have suffered for My Name without losing heart.”

“Nevertheless, I have this complaint against you : you have lost your first love. Remember from where you have fallen and repent.”

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Monday, 7 November 2022 : 32nd Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, we are presented with the important reminder that each and every one of us as Christians have to be really mindful of our actions and we have to be careful lest our way of life bring about scandal and disrepute to our Christian faith. That is why we have to reflect upon our way of life and actions so that we do not end up causing others to be scandalised by what we are doing, and by our lack of faith in God. The Lord has taught us and shown us what we are to do with our lives and how we should walk in the path He has set before us, but it is up to us to listen to Him and embrace His ways and path. If we do not do so and continue to walk our own path of disobedience and sin, then how can we truly call ourselves as Christians?

In our first reading today, taken from the Epistle of St. Paul to St. Titus, we heard the Apostle communicating with his protege, St. Titus, one of the chief supporters of the Apostles, who would become one of the earliest bishops of the Church. St. Paul told St. Titus to help him assist in maintaining the Church in Crete in how to appoint faithful, good and responsible elders of the Church, who were without defect or scandal, and those considered for the position ought to be free of worldly attachments, corruption of sin and other things that can become serious barriers and things that invalidate their selection as the overseers or elders of the Christian community and Church. This is in fact how the Church was governed and managed in its very earliest days.

At that time, when the Apostles and the other missionaries were going all around preaching the Good News, baptising many people who became believers and all, they began establishing the foundations of the local Church and the communities of the faithful. Back then, there was no hierarchy or solid leadership among the whole Church yet unlike what exists today. However, the whole Church was united by their union in faith and Communion with each other, and with the Apostles as the pillars and the foundations that held the entire Church together. St. Peter led all the Apostles, the disciples and hence the whole entire Church, as the first Vicar of Christ and the first Pope, as appointed by the Lord Himself, to be the leader over all of the whole flock of His faithful.

Then for the various Church communities spread throughout the regions visited by the Apostles and the missionaries, the Apostles and the other disciples of the Lord appointed shepherds to guide and look after the Lord’s flock, called overseers or elders in the earliest days, as the precursors of the bishops of the Church. St. Paul therefore highlighted to St. Titus the criteria and the expectations that were made of the candidates for the leaders of the faithful, as even as early as back then, divisions had begun to affect the early Church communities, firstly because of the lack of leaders, and the communities of the faithful ended up bickering on the background of their past allegiances or beliefs, like between the Jews and Gentiles, and between different supporters of various missionaries. All these were hurting the unity of the Church and its missions.

Not only that, but some of the faithful had been drawn to false teachings and ideas by those who sought to subvert the Church teachings for their own gain and to support their own personal beliefs. Some of those leaders of the faithful had not been truly faithful to God, were scandal filled and tainted in their ways, and hence, it caused further divisions within the Church, and led many to heretical teachings and ways. Hence, St. Paul wanted to remind all of the faithful to elect only those candidates who were truly worthy to be the elders and leaders of the people. That was important as only good and faithful leaders could have guided the Church through its difficult early days, and not fall into the temptations of sin and selfishness, of wanting personal glory and ambition instead of the well-being of the people of God.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, we heard the Lord speaking to His disciples about exactly the same thing as well. The Lord told His disciples that they had to be vigilant and not become a source of scandal for all the other faithful, and that they should not cause others among the faithful to fall into sin as well, or else, they would be held accountable for whatever wrongdoings and failures that they had committed. The actions of those who have been entrusted with the care of the faithful are very important, and they must not take it lightly that God had entrusted them with the very crucial task of evangelising to those who have not yet known God and His truth. Unfortunately, we also have to realise that our own actions and way of life are also part of that evangelisation and missionary efforts.

After all, if we do not truly believe in the Lord and our actions contradict what we believe, then who will end up believing in us? And if our own faith is shaky and unsteady, will that not lead others who are under our care and responsibility astray even further away from God? That is why, it is important that each one of us as Christians have to have that genuine and strong faith in God, and not only that, but each and every one of us must truly embody our faith in our every actions, works and deeds. We must put the sincere and genuine effort to cultivate our faith, as highlighted by the Lord in His answer to the Apostles who asked Him to increase their faith. He told them that if they had even faith of the size of a mustard seed, everything is possible as long as they nurture their faith.

This ought to be linked to another parable that the Lord mentioned on the kingdom of God, in which He also used the mustard seeds as comparison with the kingdom of God. The mustard seed may be a very small seed, and yet, once grown into a fully grown plant, it is actually a rather large tree with wide branches and enough shelter for many animals to make their house upon its branches. In this same analogy therefore, although our faith in the beginning may seem to be rather small and insignificant, but in time, as we nurture that faith continuously and with devotion to God, I can guarantee that we will soon realise how that faith can become so strong and powerful, capable of inspiring many others and calling on many more people to become believers in Our Lord and Saviour as well.

Let us hence keep this in mind today as we reflect further upon our way of life and whether we have been truly faithful to God in all of our ways, or whether we have allowed the many temptations present in this world to distract us and to keep us away from God and His salvation. Let us discern carefully whether our way of life, our actions, words and deeds have been in accordance to what the Lord has shown and taught us to do, or whether they had been wayward thus far. Each and every one of us as Christians have important parts to play in the mission of the Church, and all of us should be source of inspiration for each other in faith, and also for those who have not yet known or believed in God yet. We must not be the source of scandal or falsehoods for others, and we have this important responsibility that we must remember and uphold always.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, may the Lord continue to guide us in our journey of faith henceforth, that our lives may be transformed to be the ones that proclaim the truth and love of God by every single words, actions and deeds we do. May the Lord continue to be with us and strengthen us each day that our lives may ever be more bountiful and filled with God’s most amazing love. May God bless us in our every good works, efforts and endeavours. Amen.