Monday

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Monday, 30 August 2021 : 22nd Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day as we listened to the words of the Lord speaking to us through the Scripture, we are all called to remember that even though our journey as Christians may be tough and challenging, we must not give up our faith and hope in the Lord, as the Lord is truly our hope and strength, and through Him alone we can gain the full assurance of eternal life and true joy, in the end, when our faith in Him will bear fruits, a most joyful fruit for each one of us.

In our first reading today, we heard from the description by the Apostle St. Paul to the faithful in Thessalonica how all the faithful shall rise on the last day, at the time of the final judgment of the world, echoing what we may have also read from the Book of Revelations of St. John, how God would take all those who are faithful to Him, and rescue them. We heard from that account by St. Paul, how all, past and present and future, all will rise in body and spirit, and fully reunited with God, to share with Him the eternal glory and joy that He has promised to us.

In our Gospel passage today, we then heard about the moment when the Lord went to His hometown in Nazareth and then read the scroll of the prophet Isaiah in the town’s synagogue. That very passage proclaimed the Lord’s coming into the world as its Saviour, and as He Himself proclaimed those words, He announced to all gathered that the Lord is truly faithful to His people, loving all those precious to Him and has always fulfilled His words, and the coming of Jesus as the Messiah of the world is the perfect example of that.

The Lord reassured all of us that what He has promised us will come true, just as the Lord has shown His works, all the miracles and healing that He has performed among the people, all throughout Galilee and Judea. The Lord healed many of the sick, cast out many demons, opened the eyes of the blind, and the ears of the blind and the loosened the tongues of the deaf, and taught among the people, revealing God’s truth to them, fulfilling the words of the prophecy of Isaiah as mentioned in the scroll.

Yet, He was ridiculed and rejected, as the people of His own hometown of Nazareth refused to listen to His truth, and in fact were angered by His revelation that He was the One referred to in the prophecy of Isaiah. Those people must have heard about and perhaps might have even seen the miracles performed by the Lord. Then, why did they refuse to believe in Him? That is because they would have seen the Lord when He was still young, as He spent His growing years there.

Therefore, they likely could not believe and accept the fact that a mere local village boy, the mere Son of the village carpenter, could have been the promised Saviour of the people of God, less still the Saviour of the whole world. But it is in this presumption and thoughts which hindered their ability and willingness to listen and to be open to the Lord’s truth, hardening their hearts and minds against Him, and preventing the Lord from doing His works among them.

What is the significance of all of these passages that we have just read then, brothers and sisters in Christ? It is that each and every one of us should trust in the Lord, and listen to Him, and not be swayed easily by the temptations of pride, ego, our human desires and other distractions that may prevent us from finding our way to the Lord. This is why we should spend the time to reflect carefully on the path that we are going to take in life. And we should remind ourselves of God’s love for us, and His faithfulness to the Covenant that He has made and sealed with us.

Let us all grow more in our faith and trust in Him, opening our hearts and minds to welcome Him into them, so that by the Lord’s guidance and strength, we may be inspired to live our lives in ever greater commitment and devotion to Him, and in greater desire to love and show care and compassion for one another, just as we should do as Christians, as God’s beloved people, doing what He has shown and taught us to do, in each and every moments of our lives. May God bless us all, now and always, forevermore. Amen.

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Monday, 30 August 2021 : 22nd Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Luke 4 : 16-30

At that time, when Jesus came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, as He usually did. He stood up to read, and they handed Him the book of the prophet Isaiah.

Jesus then unrolled the scroll and found the place where it is written : “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me. He has anointed Me, to bring good news to the poor; to proclaim liberty to captives; and new sight to the blind; to free the oppressed; and to announce the Lord’s year of mercy.”

Jesus then rolled up the scroll, gave it to the attendant and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him. Then He said to them, “Today, these prophetic words come true, even as you listen.” All agreed with Him, and were lost in wonder, while He spoke of the grace of God. Nevertheless they asked, “Who is this but Joseph’s Son?”

So He said, “Doubtless you will quote Me the saying : Doctor, heal yourself! Do here, in Your town, what they say You did in Capernaum.” Jesus added, “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.

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Monday, 30 August 2021 : 22nd Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 95 : 1 and 3, 4-5, 11-12a, 12b-13

Sing to YHVH a new song, sing to YHVH, all the earth! Recall His glory among the nations, tell all the peoples His wonderful deeds.

How great is YHVH and worthy of praise! Above all gods, He is to be feared. For all other gods are worthless idols, but YHVH is the One Who made the heavens.

Let the heavens be glad, the earth rejoice; let the sea and all that fills it resound; let the fields exult and everything in them.

Let the forest, all the trees, sing for joy. Let them sing before YHVH Who comes to judge the earth. He will rule the world with justice, and the peoples, with fairness.

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Monday, 30 August 2021 : 22nd Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

1 Thessalonians 4 : 13-18

Brothers and sisters, we want you not to be mistaken about those who are already asleep, lest you grieve as do those who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose; it will be the same for those who have died in Jesus. God will bring them together, with Jesus, and for His sake.

By the same word of the Lord, we assert this : those of us who are to be alive at the Lord’s coming, will not go ahead of those who are already asleep. When the command by the Archangel’s voice is given, the Lord, Himself, will come down from heaven, while the divine trumpet call is sounding.

Then, those who have died in the Lord, will rise first; as for us who are still alive, we will be brought along with them, in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the celestial world. And we will be with the Lord forever. So then, comfort one another with these words.

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Monday, 23 August 2021 : 21st Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Rose of Lima, Virgin (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Holy Virgins)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scripture, we are all reminded to be truly faithful to the Lord in all things, and not just having an empty and meaningless faith, or merely being superficial in our love and dedication to God. We should not allow ourselves to be swayed by worldly temptations for power, glory, fame and wealth, for influence and prestige, among many other things. We must not allow all these to cloud our judgment, and we have to keep ourselves well attuned to the Lord.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard from the Gospel according to St. Matthew on the matter of the Pharisees and their religious practices, which the Lord spoke before those assembled and gathered to listen to Him. The Lord rebuked the Pharisees and also the teachers of the Law because many among them, the religious and intellectual elites of the Jewish community, did things that were unbecoming of their trusted position as the guardians of the Law of God as well as the leaders of the people.

They made it difficult for the people of God to come towards their Lord and Master, imposing very strict practices and rules, customs and obligations to follow, which were mainly due to their mistaken interpretation and understanding of the Law of God. As such, they did not bring the people closer to God as they had been entrusted to do, but instead, they were driving more and more people away from God in their misguided zeal and lack of proper understanding of the Law and its true intentions.

That was why the Lord rebuked them, and spoke out against them, to remind all of them and the people included, of what it truly means to be the believers and followers of the Lord. It means that we cannot be merely superficial in our faith, focusing on our own appearances and vanity, by appearing outwardly religious and good, and yet rotten and wicked in our hearts and minds. We should not be like those who made loud and widely publicised prayers and acts of faith, and yet, at the same time, being prejudiced against the poor and sinners, hating and disliking them.

Instead, all of us are called to reflect more deeply on the true intention and meaning of the Law of God, so that all of us may understand and appreciate it better, and that we may be better and more genuine Christians in all things, and not just in name only. We cannot be those who only profess the faith in the Lord in our lips only, and then act in a manner contrary to our faith. Those who did so have not only been lacking in faith, but in fact, may also scandalise their faith and the Lord’s Name, by making others to misunderstand God and His truth.

That is why all of us are challenged to live our lives in the way that is aligned with the Lord, and to do whatever we can in order to proclaim Him in our own communities, by our own words, actions and deeds. We cannot be idle in our faith, and neither can we act in ways that brought scandal to the Lord and to our Christian faith and Church. And that is why, we should strive to do what we can, to obey the Lord more wholeheartedly from now on, and to give of ourselves to Him with ever greater sincerity.

Today we can also follow the good examples and inspiration from St. Rose of Lima, one of the famous saints of the Church, who is the first saint canonised from the New World, the Americas. She is remembered for her great love and true piety for the Lord, in all of her actions and deeds, dedicating her whole life to the Lord. She was born into a noble family, and later on would dedicate herself to a life of holy virginity and total dedication to God, as a lay member of the Dominican Order.

St. Rose of Lima had led a most virtuous and pious lifestyle since very early age, that since her youth, it was told that she had observed fasting and abstinence regularly, leading a prayerful life and a holy life. She was renowned for her great beauty, and many suitors tried to get her attention, and even her own family tried to force her to marry. In the face of all these efforts and oppositions, St. Rose of Lima cut her hair and made herself look ugly to deter the suitors and steadfastly refused any attempts to force her to marry.

Throughout the rest of her life, St. Rose of Lima dedicated herself to the Lord and poured out her love to others, especially those who were poor and needy, those who were sick and troubled. She spent a lot of time ministering to them and taking care of them, while spending other times in prayers and devotions, doing whatever she could to commit herself wholly to God. Her exemplary faith and life had inspired so many others to follow in her footsteps.

How about us, brothers and sisters in Christ? Are we also able to do the same with our own lives? Are we able to love God and our fellow brothers and sisters in the same way as St. Rose of Lima had done with hers? Let us all commit ourselves anew to the Lord and do whatever we can to glorify God by our lives, and be faithful witnesses of His truth in all things. May the Lord be with us all and may He bless us in everything we say and do, now and always. Amen.

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Monday, 23 August 2021 : 21st Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Rose of Lima, Virgin (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Holy Virgins)

Matthew 23 : 13-22

At that time, Jesus said to the people and to His disciples, “But woe to you, teachers of the Law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door to the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You, yourselves, do not enter it, nor do you allow others to do so.”

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You devour widows’ property; and as a show, you pray long prayers! Therefore, you shall receive greater condemnation. Woe to you, teachers of the Law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel by sea and land to make a single convert; yet, once he is converted, you make him twice as fit for hell as yourselves!”

“Woe to you, blind guides! You say : To swear by the temple is not binding; but, to swear by the gold of the temple is binding. Foolish men! Blind men! Which is of more worth : the gold in the temple, or the temple which makes the gold a sacred treasure? You say : To swear by the altar is not binding, but to swear by the offering on the altar is binding. How blind you are! Which is of more value : the offering on the altar, or the altar which makes the offering sacred?”

“Whoever swears by the altar, is swearing by the altar and by everything on it. Whoever swears by the temple, is swearing by the temple, and by God, Who dwells in the temple. Whoever swears by heaven, is swearing by the throne of God, and by Him, Who is seated on it.”

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Monday, 23 August 2021 : 21st Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Rose of Lima, Virgin (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Holy Virgins)

Psalm 149 : 1-2, 3-4, 5-6a and 9b

Alleluia! Sing to YHVH a new song, sing His praise in the assembly of His saints. Let Israel rejoice in his Maker; let the people of Zion glory in their King!

Let them dance in praise of His Name; and make music for Him with harp and timbrel. For YHVH delights in His people; He crowns the lowly with victory.

The saints will exult in triumph; even at night, on their couches, let the praise of God be on their lips. This is the glory of all His saints. Alleluia!

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Monday, 23 August 2021 : 21st Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Rose of Lima, Virgin (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Holy Virgins)

1 Thessalonians 1 : 1-5, 8b-10

From Paul, Sylvanus and Timothy, to the church of Thessalonica, which is in God, the Father, and in Christ Jesus, the Lord. May the peace and grace of God be with you.

We give thanks to God, at all times for you, and remember you in our prayers. We constantly recall, before God, our Father, the work of your faith, the labours of your love, and your endurance, in waiting for Christ Jesus our Lord.

We remember, brothers and sisters, the circumstances of your being called. The Gospel we brought you was such, not only in words. Miracles, the Holy Spirit, and plenty of everything, were given to you. You, also, know how we dealt with you, for your sake.

The faith you have in God has become news in so many places, that we need say no more about it. Others tell, of how you welcomed us, and turned from idols, to the Lord. For you serve the living and true God, and you wait for His Son, from heaven, Whom He raised from the dead, Jesus, Who frees us from impending trial.

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Monday, 16 August 2021 : 20th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Stephen of Hungary (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Saints)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, we are all reminded that we as God’s people are to keep His commandments and His Law faithfully, dedicating our hearts completely to the Lord, loving Him with all our strength and effort, and doing whatever we can to be His faithful and dedicated witnesses in our community, wherever we may be. And we should do this with sincere heart and be filled with genuine commitment to the Lord, in giving of ourselves wholeheartedly to Him.

In our first reading today, we heard of the moment when the Lord sent His servants and called judges to be His representatives among His people, to be their leader and guides in their journey of life, in the land promised to them and which they had received. And we heard how those people had fallen into sin, disobeying God and following the path of pagan and idol worship, forgetting the love which God had shown them and their ancestors, all the miracles and wonders, and the good fortunes and life they have enjoyed in the promised land.

As a consequence, they had to suffer because of their insolence and their lack of gratitude and appreciation of everything that the Lord had done for them. They were easily swayed by worldly pleasures and temptations, and they did not truly have genuine love for the Lord, and as a result, they easily fell into the traps that the devil and all of his forces had set up in order to mislead and distract all of the people from their path towards God. They were lulled by the comfort of their new life, and were tempted to abandon the strict rules and regulations of the Law, which served as a constant reminder that they ought to live worthily for the Lord.

That is why, they walked away from God’s path and became wayward. And yet, despite the punishment that He has levied against them, the Lord in fact still loved His people very much. Those punishments were meant to chastise and discipline as much as to remind and to redirect the people to the right path, which God has shown His people through His judges and other servants, all those appointed to help the people to be reconciled with God and to find their way back to Him, so that they may be saved. And the same passage told us how the people fell again and again into sin, as once the previous judge passed on, they would fall again into temptations and sin.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, in what we then heard in our Gospel passage today, we heard about the encounter between a rich young man with the Lord. The young man wanted to follow the Lord and asked Him what he should have done in order to follow Him. And the Lord then asked him if he has already dedicated himself to the Law and understood God’s commandments. The young man was well-versed in the Law and the commandments, and he confidently said that he had done everything as prescribed by the Law.

However, when the Lord then called him and asked him to give up everything he had to the poor and to leave everything behind in order to follow the Lord, he left the Lord with great sorrow and being very dejected. This showed us all that the man did not truly have the Lord as the true focus and emphasis of his heart, and that is why he had a hard time detaching himself from the temptations of his worldly comforts, his possessions and wealth, his properties and resources, all of which had prevented him from truly embracing the Lord’s will.

This is why today we are all reminded not to fall into the same temptation of the flesh, and to listen to God and obey His will. We should remain firmly faithful in Him, and just as the Israelites looked up to the Lord’s appointed judges for guidance and inspiration, we should also seek inspiration from among our holy predecessors, namely the saints whose lives had been virtuous and exemplary, and which we can also emulate and follow in our own respective lives.

Today, we celebrate the feast of St. Stephen of Hungary, the first Christian King of Hungary. St. Stephen was remembered as a great king who ruled wisely and helped to unite his people and make his nation a strong and also most importantly Christian one. He dedicated his country to the Blessed Virgin Mother of God and established many churches and institutions throughout the land. Not only that the people and the country flourished physically and economically, but also spiritually.

St. Stephen ruled as a wise and just king, and he genuinely cared for the well-being of his people, both in physical and spiritual matters. He helped to establish a solid foundation for the Church, building its infrastructure and hierarchy, and led to many of his own people to convert to the true faith. He was also pious and dedicated to God, and his own piety became great inspiration to many of his successors and many others who emulated his great example as a Christian king.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, we too can emulate the faith and the good examples set by St. Stephen of Hungary, in our own lives. Are we all able to commit ourselves to the Lord in the same way, brothers and sisters in Christ? Are we willing to follow the Lord wholeheartedly, and not be easily tempted and swayed by worldly desires and possessions? Let us all not be like the rich young man, who still loved his worldly possessions more than the Lord. It does not mean that we have to sell everything and give everything to the poor, but rather, we must never put the Lord as less important than those worldly things.

Let us all now therefore commit ourselves anew to the Lord, inspired by the examples of the holy saints and martyrs, particularly that of St. Stephen of Hungary. May the Lord be our guide and strength, and may He empower us all to live ever more faithfully and with greater dedication to serve the Lord in each and every moments of our lives. May God bless each and every one of us, now and always, forevermore. Amen.

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Monday, 16 August 2021 : 20th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Stephen of Hungary (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Saints)

Matthew 19 : 16-22

At that time, it was then, that a young man approached Him and asked, “Master, what good work must I do to receive eternal life?” Jesus answered, “Why do you ask Me about what is good? One, only, is good. If you want to enter eternal life, keep the commandments.”

The young man said, “Which commandments?” Jesus replied, “Do not kill; do not commit adultery; do not steal; do not bear false witness; honour your father and mother. And love your neighbour as yourself.” The young man said to Him, “I have kept all these commandments. What do I still lack?”

Jesus answered, “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell all that you possess, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come back and follow Me.” On hearing this, the young man went away sad, for he was a man of great wealth.