omnes unum sint

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Thursday, 21 January 2016 : 2nd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Agnes, Virgin and Martyr, Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

1 Samuel 18 : 6-9 and 1 Samuel 19 : 1-7

When David and his men arrived after he had slain the Philistine, the women came out from the cities of Israel to meet king Saul singing and dancing with timbrels and musical instruments. They were merrily singing this song : “Saul has slain his thousands, and David, his tens of thousands.”

Saul was very displeased with this song and said, “They have given tens of thousands to David but to me only thousands! By now he has everything but the kingdom!” From then on, Saul became very distrustful of David.

Saul told his son Jonathan and his servants of his intention to kill David. But Jonathan, who liked David very much, said to David, “My father Saul wants to kill you. Be on your guard tomorrow morning and hide yourself in a secret place. I will go out and keep my father company in the countryside where you are and I will speak to him about you. If I find out something, I will let you know.”

Jonathan spoke well of David to his father Saul and said, “Let not the king sin against his servant David for he has not sinned against you. On the contrary, what he has done has benefitted you. He risked his life in killing the Philistine and YHVH brought about a great victory for Israel. You yourself saw this and greatly rejoiced. Why then sin against innocent blood and kill David without cause?”

Saul heeded Jonathan’s plea and swore, “As YHVH lives, he shall not be put to death.” So Jonathan called David and told him all these things. He then brought him to Saul and David was back in Saul’s service as before.

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Wednesday, 20 January 2016 : 2nd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Pope St. Fabian, Pope and Martyr, and St. Sebastian, Martyr, and Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we heard in our first reading from the book of the prophet Samuel, the story which all of us should be familiar with, namely the story of the duel between David, the future king of Israel, then no more than a mere young shepherd, small in stature but filled with great courage and love for God, and Goliath, the great champion of the Philistines, who was massive in stature and mighty in warfare.

To those who were there, certainly there could have been no doubt in their minds, who would emerge victorious. They would have thought that there was no way the feeble and apparently weak David could have stood any chance at all before the mighty Philistine warrior, not even the Israelites and king Saul themselves. And yet, God proved to all of them, that as long as His hand is with His chosen and anointed ones, there is nothing that is impossible.

Yet, the people of God were often so limited in their minds, as they thought with the thoughts and ways of the world, becoming preoccupied with the many concerns of the world, to the point that they were unable to comprehend God’s love and providence. In the same way the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law had acted during the time of Jesus, as they stubbornly refused to listen to our Lord’s teachings, and preferring to stick to the narrow viewpoint and wisdom that they had with regards to the obedience to the Law.

It was rightful for our Lord Jesus to be angry at all of these people, for in their stubborn resistance and refusal to listen to the truth, they blindly obeyed the commandments of the Law of God, thinking that the strict laws and regulations of the Sabbath days should be adhered to with greatest enforcement and obedience, without any exemption or bending from the words of the Law.

But they failed to understand that God is Love, and His law is the symbol and representation of that love which He had for us all. It was the stubbornness and the easily distracted nature of the people of Israel that God had given such a strict rule in order to help them to detach from all of their stubborn attitudes, and to find a time to spend in devotion to the Lord their God.

The purpose of the Sabbath day is to remind the people that out of their busy life and daily schedules, they ought to spend some time with the Lord, and this is the purpose of the Sabbath, to stop working and being so occupied with the matters of the world that the people simply forgot about the Lord. It is a Law meant to help the people of God closer to Him, but was never intended to be a burden to them.

The Pharisees and the teachers of the Law were examples of those who have forgotten the loving comforts of God’s care and protection. If only that they remembered the time when David defeated the Philistine warrior Goliath! It showed how God loved all those who also loved Him and devoted themselves to Him, and what better way to devote oneself to Him other than to do His will, that is to do good and to love one another?

Today we remember the love that God has for us, and the protection and providence He shall provide for all those who keep their faith in Him without fear and with great courage. Let us heed the examples of the two great saints, whose trust and devotion to God can be our examples. They were both martyrs of the Faith, who died defending their faith in the Lord, and also in their great dedication to the suffering people of God.

Pope St. Fabian was a great servant of God and leader of the entire Universal Church in his capacity as Pope, who served the people of God and the Church faithfully, and who gave up his own life willingly under the great persecution under the Roman Emperor Decius, who was very hostile to the Christian faith, and who had commanded the great persecution to be launched against the faithful.

Pope Fabian did not fear the suffering and the persecution by those who have tried to destroy the faithful and the Church. Even despite rising persecution by the Emperor Decius, he continued to serve the faithful as usual, and his leadership and exemplary faith helped the faithful to continue living courageously despite all the difficulties that they faced.

Meanwhile, St. Sebastian the Martyr was a Roman army commander who served during the time of the great persecution of the Roman Emperor Diocletian, one of the last of those who sought to destroy the Church and the faithful. He was a Christian who secretly served in the army, and when the time came for some Christians to be killed for their faith, St. Sebastian helped them out, and he even convinced a local official and his family to convert to the true faith.

Eventually he was found out, that he was a Christian, as well as his actions in helping other Christians, and the furious Emperor ordered him to be tied to a tree and shot with arrows, left to die at the roadside. Miraculously, he was not harmed by the arrows, and he appeared at the place where the Emperor was to pass, and rebuked him for his actions against the Church and the faithful.

In the end, he met his end in death, but he did not certainly regret dying in faith and in defending his faith in the Lord, and for the glory of the Lord Himself. The examples of Pope St. Fabian and St. Sebastian, holy martyrs of our Faith should be inspiration to all of us today, that all of us ought to put our trust in the Lord and devote ourselves ever more to Him.

Let us all therefore commit ourselves to the Lord, not just in word, but also in actions and deeds, so that through our genuine and sincere faith, and by understanding His love for us, we may all draw closer to Him, and find our way to the eternal life and salvation which we can only find in Him. May God bless us all in our endeavours. Amen.

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Wednesday, 20 January 2016 : 2nd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Pope St. Fabian, Pope and Martyr, and St. Sebastian, Martyr, and Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)

Mark 3 : 1-6

At that time, again Jesus entered the synagogue. A man, who had a paralysed hand, was there and some people watched Jesus : would He heal the man on the Sabbath? If He did, they could accuse Him.

Jesus said to the man with the paralysed hand, “Stand here in the centre.” Then He asked them, “What does the Law allow us to do on the Sabbath? To do good or to do harm? To save life or to kill?” But they were silent.

Then Jesus looked around at them with anger and deep sadness, because they had closer their minds. And He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was healed.

As soon as the Pharisees left, they met with Herod’s supporters, looking for a way to destroy Jesus.

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Wednesday, 20 January 2016 : 2nd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Pope St. Fabian, Pope and Martyr, and St. Sebastian, Martyr, and Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)

Psalm 143 : 1, 2, 9-10

Blessed be the Lord, my Rock, Who trains my hands for war and my fingers for battle.

My loving God, my Fortress; my Protector and Deliverer, my Shield where I take refuge, Who conquers nations and subjects them to my rule.

I will sing a new song to You, o God, I will make music on the ten-stringed harp, for You Who give victory to kings and deliver David, Your servant.

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Wednesday, 20 January 2016 : 2nd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Pope St. Fabian, Pope and Martyr, and St. Sebastian, Martyr, and Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)

1 Samuel 17 : 32-33, 37, 40-51

David said to Saul, “Let no one be discouraged on account of this Philistine, for your servant will engage him in battle.” Saul told David, “You cannot fight with this Philistine for you are still young, whereas this man has been a warrior from his youth.”

David continued, “YHVH, Who delivered me from the paws of lions and bears, will deliver me from the hands of the Philistine.” Saul then told David, “Go and may YHVH be with you!”

David took his staff, picked up five smooth stones from the brook and dropped them inside his shepherd’s bag. And with his sling in hand, he drew near to the Philistine. The Philistine moved forward, closing in on David, his shield-bearer in front of him. When he saw that David was only a lad, (he was of fresh complexion and handsome) he despised him and said, “Am I a dog that you should approach me with a stick?”

Cursing David by his gods, he continued, “Come and I will give your flesh to the birds of the sky and the beasts of the field!” David answered the Philistine, “You have come against me with sword, spear and javelin, but I come against you with YHVH, the God of the armies of Israel Whom you have defied. YHVH will deliver you this day into my hands and I will strike you down and cut off your head.”

“I will give the corpses of the Philistine army today to the birds of the sky and the wild beasts of the earth, and all the earth shall know that there is a God of Israel. All the people gathered here shall know that YHVH saves not by sword or spear; the battle belongs to YHVH, and He will deliver you into our hands.”

No sooner had the Philistine moved to attack him, than David rushed to the battleground. Putting his hand into his bag, he took out a stone, slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead; it penetrated his forehead and he fell on his face to the ground.

David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, felling him without using a sword. He rushed forward, stood over him, took the Philistine’s sword and slew him by cutting off his head. When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they scattered in all directions.

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Tuesday, 19 January 2016 : 2nd Week of Ordinary Time, Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we heard about how God instructed Samuel to look for the one who would replace Saul as the king over Israel, which was none other than David, the faithful king of Israel, who would be placed by the Lord, he and his family forever, to rule over the multitudes of the people of God. God placed His favour on David, because of his faith and devotion to the Lord, and his heart’s intention of love for the Lord was pure.

The Lord had turned His grace and attention away from Saul, because the man whom God had chosen proved himself to be unfaithful and unwilling to devote himself to the Lord. He followed his own personal judgments and desires in acting in leading the people of God. As a result, he brought disobedience and rebellion as consequences to the people, and sin entered the heart of Saul and the people.

Saul was a great man in stature and appearance, as according to the Book of the prophet Samuel itself, Saul was described as being taller than most of his fellow countrymen, and he had that charisma about him, which would in the terms of the world, be seen as qualities and traits befitting a potential leader. And for the people who had been clamouring and arguing for God to give them a king, he seemed indeed to be the perfect man for the job.

But God made it clear in His conversation with Samuel, as He made a choice for His servant the new king of Israel from amongst the many sons of Jesse the Bethlehemite, that He sees not the appearances nor the outwardly exposition of one’s being, but rather, He sees deep inside the heart, the mind and the soul, searching for the love and devotion that one ought to have for Him.

And from among the sons of Jesse, David who was the youngest was chosen because of His piety and everlasting devotion to God, unwavering and strong even amidst dangers and challenges. Among the people indeed such a choice might not have made any sense, since David was a small person, still in his youth and seemingly inexperienced, but deep in his heart, he was truly a great man beyond many others.

God sees beyond appearances and sees the heart. And similarly, Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for their shortsightedness and inability to look beyond their rigid following and obedience of the Law of God. They were so focused on following the Law of God to the letter, that they became lost and disoriented, not knowing that obedience of the Law should be done with proper understanding.

They rebuked the Lord and His followers for doing things that were not supposed to be done during the Sabbath day, but if we look at the occurrences throughout the ages, in the Scriptures themselves, there were many occasions where the Law were adjusted in order to accommodate certain needs that could not be done otherwise, including what Jesus our Lord told the Pharisees themselves about king David and his followers who ate the bread of offerings at the house of God when they were really hungry and starving.

All these lead us to the reality that if we truly love God and want to follow Him, then it is not just enough to mouth His commandments or to obey His laws and commandments. We must also have that genuine and strong love for our God, and we must have that devotion in our hearts, that we genuinely believe in His precepts and follow Him in all of our ways with great zeal and sincerity.

Let us all therefore from now on commit ourselves anew to the Lord, and let us all seek to better ourselves in faith, and in all of our words, actions and dealings, let us all be ever more committed to Him, and through us, may the Lord’s good works for our salvation be made ever more evident and concrete for the good of all of us. Let us not be like king Saul who gave in to his desires and pride, but be more like David, who humbly submitted to the will of God. Amen.

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Tuesday, 19 January 2016 : 2nd Week of Ordinary Time, Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Mark 2 : 23-28

At that time, one Sabbath Jesus was walking through grainfields. As His disciples walked along with Him, they began to pick the heads of grain and crush them in their hands. Then the Pharisees said to Jesus, “Look! They are doing what is forbidden on the Sabbath!”

And He said to them, “Have you never read what David did in his time of need, when he and his men were very hungry? He went into the House of God, when Abiathar was High Priest, and ate the bread of offering, which only the priests are allowed to eat, and he also gave some to the men who were with him.”

Then Jesus said to them, “The sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Master even of the Sabbath.”

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Tuesday, 19 January 2016 : 2nd Week of Ordinary Time, Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 88 : 20, 21-22, 27-28

In the past You spoke in a vision; You said of Your faithful servant : I have set the crown upon a mighty one; on one chosen from the people.

I have found David My servant, and with My holy oil I have anointed him. My hand will be ever with him and My arm will sustain him.

He will call on Me, “You are My Father, My God, My Rock, My Saviour.” I will make him the Firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth.

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Tuesday, 19 January 2016 : 2nd Week of Ordinary Time, Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

1 Samuel 16 : 1-13

YHVH asked Samuel, “How long will you be grieving over Saul whom I have rejected as king of Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way to Jesse the Bethlehemite for I have chosen My king from among his sons.”

Samuel asked, “How can I go? If Saul hears of this, he will kill me!” YHVH replied, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to YHVH.’ Invite Jesse to the sacrifice and I will let you know what to do next. You shall anoint for Me the one I point out to you.”

Samuel did what YHVH commanded and left for Bethlehem. When he appeared, the elders of the city came to him asking, fearfully, “Do you bring us peace?” Samuel replied, “I come in peace; I am here to sacrifice to YHVH. Cleanse yourselves and join me in the sacrifice.” He also had Jesse and his sons cleansed and invited them to the sacrifice.

As they came, Samuel looked at Eliab the older and thought, “This must be YHVH’s anointed.” But YHVH told Samuel, “Do not judge by his looks or his stature for I have rejected him. YHVH does not judge as man judges; humans see with tge eyes; YHVH sees the heart.”

Jesse called his son Abinadab and presented him to Samuel who said, “YHVH has not chosen this one either.” Jesse presented Shamah and Samuel said, “Nor has YHVH chosen this one.” Jesse presented seven of his sons to Samuel who said, “YHVH has chosen none of them. But are all your sons here?” Jesse replied, “There is still the youngest, tending the flock just now.”

Samuel said to him, “Send for him and bring him to me; we not sit down to eat until he arrives.” So Jesse sent for his youngest son and brought him to Samuel. He was a handsome lad with ruddy complexion and beautiful eyes. And YHVH spoke, “Go, anoint him for he is the one.”

Samuel then took the horn of oil and anointed him in his brothers’ presence. From that day onwards, YHVH’s Spirit took hold of David. Then Samuel left for Ramah.

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Monday, 18 January 2016 : 2nd Week of Ordinary Time, Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we heard about the Lord Jesus Who spoke to His disciples about the new and old wineskins, and how only new skins should be used to contain new wines, or else, if old wine is put into new wineskins and vice versa, they would not be compatible and will ruin everything. Similarly, our Lord Jesus also spoke of how a piece of new cloth put to patch a hole in an old cloth will just cause the tear to become even bigger.

In the first reading today, we heard about the disobedience of king Saul, the first king chosen by God to lead His people Israel, who refused to obey fully the commands of the Lord, Who had commanded that he and the Israelites destroy the Amalekites completely, from their king, towards all the women and children, all their cattle and their goods, for they have been a great enemy and a great hindrance to the people of God for a long time.

Instead, king Saul chose only to destroy the men and all the armaments of war and the people of the Amalekites, sparing not just the cattle, the lambs and the possessions of the Amalekites, but even sparing the life of their king, Agag. Saul tried to argue his way out of trouble by saying that he had spared the cattle and the possessions of the Amalekites in order to give sacrifices to the Lord as a symbol of thanksgiving, but he failed to realise that, as Samuel and the Lord had made it clear, that sacrifices are no more important than obedience. In fact, sacrifice made without obedience and understanding is meaningless.

Jesus our Lord Himself had often repeated this point as well, saying that like the faith of the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, who often followed the code of the law so strictly and emphasised so much on the rituals and the properness of the actions that one should undertake in the Law, that they had often forgotten the true meaning and purpose of the Law itself.

Yes, that is just as the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law were so engrossed with the preserving of the Law of God, such as the law of the Sabbath prohibiting people from doing anything as prescribed by the law of Moses, but yet failed to take notice that indeed, the purpose of such law is to help mankind to love God more and devote their time to the Lord rather than being constantly engrossed in their own daily business.

They fasted and prayed loudly in public places not because they loved the Lord or had a real piety and devotion to Him. Some of them might have been truly faithful, but for most of them, they did all those things in order to be noticed by the people, and to be praised and honoured for their supposed great piety and devotion to the Lord. And this is what the Lord Jesus mentioned as the old way, that is incompatible to the new way He was revealing to the world.

It is a clear reminder to all of us, that if we are to become the disciples and followers of the Lord, then we all have to forsake and leave behind our earthly and worldly ways, or else, the incompatibility between the two will cause a rift and a trouble for us in the days to come, just as the Lord Jesus showed it with the incompatibility of old wineskins and new wine.

The way of the world is the way of pride and desire, the desire to be praised, to receive fame and to be showered with good things in life. The way of the world is to turn our back to the Lord and to His love, and the way that we have usually followed is the path of selfishness and self-indulgence, which we must avoid if we are to be true disciples of our Lord.

Let us all renew all of our faith to God with great passion and good understanding what the Lord expects from us. He does not expect from us sacrifices or offerings, but rather the true offering of our love, our devotion, our commitment to Him. This is what He desires from us, rather than the long prayers and all the rituals. But do take note, that it does not mean that we should not pray, but rather, when we pray, from now on, let us do it with zeal and fervour.

May Almighty God bless us all and strengthen us, so that we all may cast away our old shell of life, and discard all the wicked things of the past which we had, and take up the new mantle of life that is blessed and in the grace of God. May God be with us all, now and always. Amen.