Ordinary season

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Monday, 24 February 2025 : 7th Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Mark 9 : 14-29

At that time, when Jesus and His disciples, Peter, James and John came to the place where they had left the disciples, they saw many people around them and some teachers of the Law arguing with them. When the people saw Jesus, they were astonished and ran to greet Him.

He asked, “What are you arguing about with them?” A man answered Him from the crowd, “Master, I brought my son to You, for he has a spirit, deaf and mute. Whenever the spirit seizes him, it throws him down and he foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth and becomes stiff all over. I asked Your disciples to drive the spirit out, but they could not.”

Jesus replied, “You faithless people! How long must I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring him to Me.” And the brought the boy to Him. As soon as the spirit saw Jesus, it shook and convulsed the boy, who fell on the ground, and began rolling about, foaming at the mouth.

Then Jesus asked the father, “How long has this been happening to him?” He replied, “From childhood. And it has often thrown him into the fire and into the water to destroy him. If You can do anything, have pity on us and help us.”

Jesus said to him, “Why do you say, ‘If You can?’ All things are possible for the one who believes.” Immediately the father of the boy cried out, “I do believe, but help the little faith I have.” Jesus saw that the crowd was increasing rapidly, so He ordered the evil spirit, “Dumb and deaf spirit, I command you : Leave the boy and never enter him again.”

The evil spirit shook and convulsed the boy and with a terrible shriek came out. The boy lay like a corpse and people said, “He is dead.” But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him and the boy stood up. After Jesus had gone indoors, His disciples asked Him privately, “Why could we not drive out the spirit?”

And He answered, “Only prayer can drive out this kind, nothing else.”

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Monday, 24 February 2025 : 7th Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 92 : 1ab, 1c-2, 5

The Lord reigns, robed in majesty; the Lord is girded with strength.

The world now is firm, it cannot be moved. Your throne stands from long ago, o Lord, from all eternity You are.

Your decrees can be trusted; holiness dwells in Your house day after day without end, o Lord.

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Monday, 24 February 2025 : 7th Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Sirach 1 : 1-10

All wisdom comes from the Lord and endures with Him forever. The grains of sand, the drops of rain and the days of eternity, who can count them? The height of heaven, the extent of the earth and the depths of the abyss, who can measure them?

Wisdom was created before all things and the prudent intellect before the beginning of time. To whom was the source of Wisdom revealed? Who has known her secret designs? One alone is wise and greatly to be feared. The One Who is seated upon His throne.

The Lord Himself created Wisdom. He looked on her and knew her value. He poured her out over all His works; upon all mortal beings, in accordance with His goodness. He lavished her on those who love Him.

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Sunday, 23 February 2025 : Seventh Sunday of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday all of us are reminded of the need for all of us to embody in ourselves the most important virtue of love, one that denotes our Christian identity, because God Himself is Love, and as His people and children, it is imperative therefore that we have love in us, love that is truly genuine, generous and overflowing, just as God’s Love has always been shown towards us, without cease and without prejudice. God Himself has also shown us His love manifested perfectly in the flesh, in the person of Jesus Christ, His only Begotten Son, Our Lord and Saviour. Through Him and everything that we have heard in our Scripture passages this Sunday, we are all reminded to be generous in our love, first of all for the Lord, and then for our fellow brothers and sisters around us.

In our first reading this Sunday, we heard from the First Book of the prophet Samuel in which the moment when David, the chosen King of Israel, who was on the run from the efforts of Saul, his predecessor as King of Israel, had a great and perfect chance to destroy the latter and seize the kingship for himself. As we heard in that passage, David and Abishai, his commander encountered Saul and his entourage in his camp in deep sleep, and David could indeed have struck Saul down there and then, and then easily seize the kingship over all of Israel which God had promised to him as the chosen new King to replace Saul. But David refused to do such a thing, and he resisted the temptations and the pressure from his commander Abishai, who encouraged him to strike Saul down. David showed mercy and love towards Saul, and let him to go unharmed, and told Saul that he would not strike at him, even when Saul had repeatedly sought his death.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, this example of love which King David showed to all of us is one of selfless love and love that endures even through difficulties, challenges and temptations. David chose to love even his enemies, those who have made his life difficult, persecuting him and chasing him away from the comfort of his life in Israel, where he had to wander off in the wilderness as an outlaw with his supporters. And yet, David remained full of love, compassion and mercy to those who have wronged him and attacked him. And this is the exact same kind of love that Christ Himself has also shown us, which He alluded in our Gospel passage this Sunday, as He spoke of how all of us as Christians ought to show love to everyone and not just to those who have loved us back. Our love should be truly unconditional and generous, and be shown to everyone we encounter in our lives.

This is of course much easier said than done, and it is indeed difficult for us to love those who have made our lives difficult, those who despised us and hated us. But if we do not show the first step to love them, and grew to hate and despise them instead, then there will be no end to this cycle of hatred and evil, as our hatred will only lead to even more hatred and negativities, which then lead to even more hatred and so on. As Christians, we are all challenged to be loving, compassionate and caring even to those who ignored us, those who refused our love and hated us, those who considered us to be their enemies and those who did not see eye to eye with us. As the Lord Himself had said, that if we only love those who love us back, then what difference that would make us as compared to those unbelievers, and even those who are evil and wicked in their ways, as they also do the same as well in their own lives.

Instead, as Christians, we are all challenged to show selfless and universal love, to everyone around us without any exception, much as the Lord Himself had done in His own life and ministry. Christ Himself has shown love and mercy to all, forgiving those who have rejected and hurt Him, those who have persecuted and oppressed Him. Despite having been betrayed and rejected by the very people to whom He had been sent to save, He still carried the Cross willingly for their sake, and when He suffered and died on that same Cross at Calvary, He died to save everyone, including those who have wronged Him and punished Him. He did not mean for His salvation to be kept only for those who are on His side or those who have favoured Him back, but to everyone, especially the last, the lost and the least, and this included those who have made Him to suffer as well.

And through this most loving and selfless sacrifice, our Lord has become the perfect offering for the atonement of our sins, and just as St. Paul in our second reading this Sunday, from the Epistle that he wrote to the Church and the faithful in Corinth, Christ has become the New Adam that negated the old sins of the old Adam, the disobedience and sins that have corrupted our human nature and existence. By His own perfect obedience and perfect love, the most generous, selfless and exemplary love that He has shown especially through His sacrifice and offering on the Cross, by bearing all of our sins and their consequences upon Himself, shouldering the burden and punishments that should have been ours to suffer, so that by His suffering and death all of us may be assured of the eternal life and salvation that God has promised to us from the very beginning.

The devil wants us to hate one another and to be angry at our fellow brethren, because if we are divided amongst ourselves due to this, it will be easy for him to strike at us and to drag us down into the path towards damnation. He does not want us to be filled with love, because love will lead us away from this path of darkness, and instead, the evil one is always ever busy in trying to tempt us with all sorts of temptations of the world, with the greed, ego and pride, all of which are the very reasons why we tend to be angry and be at conflict with each other, due to our conflicting wants and desires, and if we do not manage this carefully, we may end up losing our struggle against evil and sin, and fall into the path towards damnation and destruction, away from God, His love and salvation.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore be good and loving Christians at all times, to be filled with great love and kindness, compassion and mercy towards our fellow brothers and sisters, much as the Lord Himself, King David and many others among our holy predecessors, the holy saints and martyrs had done in their own lives and examples. We too should be truly filled with love in all things, and be generous in sharing our blessings with each other. We should strive to love everyone around us, all whom we encounter in life in each and every moments so that truly by our love and examples, more will come to know the Lord, and also know that we are indeed Christians, by our deeds and actions filled with this same love that God has shown us all. Let us all as His beloved people, continue to love most generously, showing one another how we can be better disciples and followers of God, Who is Love.

May the Lord, our most loving God and Creator, our most loving and generous Father and Lord, continue to bless us all and remain with us, guiding us in our every journey and in our every steps. May He continue to empower and support us all so that we may be ever stronger in our faith in Him and that we will grow ever more worthy in our lives and actions, to be His holy and beloved people, to be those whom He has called and chosen to be His own. May God be with us always, and may He bless our every good efforts, works and endeavours, and fill them with His most wonderful love, now and forevermore. Amen.

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Sunday, 23 February 2025 : Seventh Sunday of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday all of us are reminded of the need for all of us to embody in ourselves the most important virtue of love, one that denotes our Christian identity, because God Himself is Love, and as His people and children, it is imperative therefore that we have love in us, love that is truly genuine, generous and overflowing, just as God’s Love has always been shown towards us, without cease and without prejudice. God Himself has also shown us His love manifested perfectly in the flesh, in the person of Jesus Christ, His only Begotten Son, Our Lord and Saviour. Through Him and everything that we have heard in our Scripture passages this Sunday, we are all reminded to be generous in our love, first of all for the Lord, and then for our fellow brothers and sisters around us.

In our first reading this Sunday, we heard from the First Book of the prophet Samuel in which the moment when David, the chosen King of Israel, who was on the run from the efforts of Saul, his predecessor as King of Israel, had a great and perfect chance to destroy the latter and seize the kingship for himself. As we heard in that passage, David and Abishai, his commander encountered Saul and his entourage in his camp in deep sleep, and David could indeed have struck Saul down there and then, and then easily seize the kingship over all of Israel which God had promised to him as the chosen new King to replace Saul. But David refused to do such a thing, and he resisted the temptations and the pressure from his commander Abishai, who encouraged him to strike Saul down. David showed mercy and love towards Saul, and let him to go unharmed, and told Saul that he would not strike at him, even when Saul had repeatedly sought his death.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, this example of love which King David showed to all of us is one of selfless love and love that endures even through difficulties, challenges and temptations. David chose to love even his enemies, those who have made his life difficult, persecuting him and chasing him away from the comfort of his life in Israel, where he had to wander off in the wilderness as an outlaw with his supporters. And yet, David remained full of love, compassion and mercy to those who have wronged him and attacked him. And this is the exact same kind of love that Christ Himself has also shown us, which He alluded in our Gospel passage this Sunday, as He spoke of how all of us as Christians ought to show love to everyone and not just to those who have loved us back. Our love should be truly unconditional and generous, and be shown to everyone we encounter in our lives.

This is of course much easier said than done, and it is indeed difficult for us to love those who have made our lives difficult, those who despised us and hated us. But if we do not show the first step to love them, and grew to hate and despise them instead, then there will be no end to this cycle of hatred and evil, as our hatred will only lead to even more hatred and negativities, which then lead to even more hatred and so on. As Christians, we are all challenged to be loving, compassionate and caring even to those who ignored us, those who refused our love and hated us, those who considered us to be their enemies and those who did not see eye to eye with us. As the Lord Himself had said, that if we only love those who love us back, then what difference that would make us as compared to those unbelievers, and even those who are evil and wicked in their ways, as they also do the same as well in their own lives.

Instead, as Christians, we are all challenged to show selfless and universal love, to everyone around us without any exception, much as the Lord Himself had done in His own life and ministry. Christ Himself has shown love and mercy to all, forgiving those who have rejected and hurt Him, those who have persecuted and oppressed Him. Despite having been betrayed and rejected by the very people to whom He had been sent to save, He still carried the Cross willingly for their sake, and when He suffered and died on that same Cross at Calvary, He died to save everyone, including those who have wronged Him and punished Him. He did not mean for His salvation to be kept only for those who are on His side or those who have favoured Him back, but to everyone, especially the last, the lost and the least, and this included those who have made Him to suffer as well.

And through this most loving and selfless sacrifice, our Lord has become the perfect offering for the atonement of our sins, and just as St. Paul in our second reading this Sunday, from the Epistle that he wrote to the Church and the faithful in Corinth, Christ has become the New Adam that negated the old sins of the old Adam, the disobedience and sins that have corrupted our human nature and existence. By His own perfect obedience and perfect love, the most generous, selfless and exemplary love that He has shown especially through His sacrifice and offering on the Cross, by bearing all of our sins and their consequences upon Himself, shouldering the burden and punishments that should have been ours to suffer, so that by His suffering and death all of us may be assured of the eternal life and salvation that God has promised to us from the very beginning.

The devil wants us to hate one another and to be angry at our fellow brethren, because if we are divided amongst ourselves due to this, it will be easy for him to strike at us and to drag us down into the path towards damnation. He does not want us to be filled with love, because love will lead us away from this path of darkness, and instead, the evil one is always ever busy in trying to tempt us with all sorts of temptations of the world, with the greed, ego and pride, all of which are the very reasons why we tend to be angry and be at conflict with each other, due to our conflicting wants and desires, and if we do not manage this carefully, we may end up losing our struggle against evil and sin, and fall into the path towards damnation and destruction, away from God, His love and salvation.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore be good and loving Christians at all times, to be filled with great love and kindness, compassion and mercy towards our fellow brothers and sisters, much as the Lord Himself, King David and many others among our holy predecessors, the holy saints and martyrs had done in their own lives and examples. We too should be truly filled with love in all things, and be generous in sharing our blessings with each other. We should strive to love everyone around us, all whom we encounter in life in each and every moments so that truly by our love and examples, more will come to know the Lord, and also know that we are indeed Christians, by our deeds and actions filled with this same love that God has shown us all. Let us all as His beloved people, continue to love most generously, showing one another how we can be better disciples and followers of God, Who is Love.

May the Lord, our most loving God and Creator, our most loving and generous Father and Lord, continue to bless us all and remain with us, guiding us in our every journey and in our every steps. May He continue to empower and support us all so that we may be ever stronger in our faith in Him and that we will grow ever more worthy in our lives and actions, to be His holy and beloved people, to be those whom He has called and chosen to be His own. May God be with us always, and may He bless our every good efforts, works and endeavours, and fill them with His most wonderful love, now and forevermore. Amen.

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Sunday, 23 February 2025 : Seventh Sunday of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Luke 6 : 27-38

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “But I say to you who hear Me : Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you, and pray for those who treat you badly. To the one who strikes you on the cheek, turn the other cheek; from the one who takes your coat, do not keep back your shirt. Give to the one who asks, and if anyone has taken something from you, do not demand it back.”

“Do to others as you would have others do to you. If you love only those who love you, what kind of grace is yours? Even sinners love those who love them. If you do favours to those who are good to you, what kind of grace is yours? Even sinners do the same. If you lend only when you expect to receive, what kind of grace is yours? For sinners also lend to sinners, expecting to receive something in return.

But love your enemies and do good to them, and lend when there is nothing to expect in return. Then will your reward be great, and you will be sons and daughters of the Most High. For He is kind toward the ungrateful and the wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”

“Do not be a judge of others and you will not be judged; do not condemn and you will not be condemned; forgive and you will be forgiven; give and it will be given to you, and you will receive in your sack good measure, pressed down, full and running over. For the measure you give will be the measure you receive back.”

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Sunday, 23 February 2025 : Seventh Sunday of Ordinary Time (Second Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

1 Corinthians 15 : 45-49

Scripture says that Adam, the first man, became a living being; but the last Adam has become a life-giving Spirit. The Spirit does not appear first, but the natural life, and afterward comes the Spirit. The first man comes from the earth and is earthly, while the Second One comes from heaven.

As it was with the earthly one, so it is with the earthly people. As it is with Christ, so with the heavenly. This is why, after bearing the image of the earthly one, we shall also bear the image of the Heavenly One.

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Sunday, 23 February 2025 : Seventh Sunday of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 102 : 1-2, 3-4, 8 and 10, 12-13

Praise YHVH, my soul; all my being, praise His holy Name! Praise YHVH, my soul, and do not forget all His kindness.

He forgives all your sins and heals all your sickness; He redeems your life from destruction and crowns you with love and compassion.

YHVH is gracious and merciful, abounding in love and slow to anger. He does not treat us according to our sins, nor does He punish us as we deserve.

As far as the east is from the west, so far does He remove from us our sins. As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord pities those who fear Him.

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Sunday, 23 February 2025 : Seventh Sunday of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

1 Samuel 26 : 2, 7-9, 12-13, 22-23

On hearing that David was hiding on the hill of Hachilah, east of Jeshimon, Saul went down with three thousand picked men of Israel to the desert of Ziph in search of David.

So, that night, David and Abishai went into the camp and found Saul sleeping in the centre, his spear thrust into the ground at his head, while Abner and the rest of the soldiers were sleeping around him. Abishai said to David, “God has delivered your enemy into your hands this day. Let me nail him to the ground with one thrust of the spear; I will not repeat it.”

But David answered Abishai, “Do not harm him. For who could harm YHVH’s anointed and not be punished?” So David took the spear and the water jug from near Saul’s head and they left. Nobody saw, nobody knew, nobody woke up. All remained asleep, for a deep sleep from YHVH had fallen on them.

On the opposite slope David stood at a distance, on top of the hill. David answered, “I have your spear with me, o king! Let one of your servants come over to fetch it. YHVH rewards a righteous and loyal man. Today He delivered you into my hands but I refused to harm YHVH’s anointed.”

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Saturday, 22 February 2025 : Feast of the Chair of St. Peter the Apostle (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today the Church celebrates the Feast of the Chair of St. Peter the Apostle, marking this occasion when we honour the Apostolic and leadership authority of St. Peter as the chief and leader of the Apostles and also as the Vicar of Christ, the one to whom the Lord had entrusted His whole entire Church. If we are wondering why we are celebrating the Feast over a Chair, this is an important reminder for all of us that this Chair is not just representing the physical Chair that St. Peter had been sitting on as the Bishop of Rome and Christ’s Vicar on earth, but also the Chair representing his authority which had been given by God, to be the one through whom the Lord would exercise His power and governance over His Church, together with the other Apostles.

The first representation of the Chair mentioned has its physical embodiment in the actual Chair that St. Peter had been using, an antique Roman chair made from wood, known as the ‘Cathedra Sancti Petri’ dating from the earliest days of the Church, and which is now housed within the Altar of the Chair at the great Basilica of St. Peter in Vatican City. But as mentioned, this ‘Cathedra Sancti Petri’ is also a representation of the God-given authority and power which God has granted to St. Peter the Apostle and his successors as Bishop of Rome and leader of the Universal Church, the Popes, right up to the present Pope, Pope Francis. And therefore this Feast celebrates this unity that the whole entire Church has under the leadership of the Pope, the Vicar of Christ, as the successor of St. Peter the Apostle.

In our first reading today, taken from the First Epistle of St. Peter, we heard of the words of St. Peter, the chief of the Apostles and leader of the Church to the elders of the Christian communities equivalent of the present days bishops of the Church, reminding them that as shepherds of the flock of God’s people, all of them are responsible for the well-being of the people of God, and they were reminded as shepherds and leaders that they should be good and faithful in the exercise of their ministry so that in everything that they do and carry out, in their works and efforts they would always be good role models and inspirations for others around them all to follow in their own lives. They should not seek glory and fame for themselves, but rather they should strive to be the faithful servants of the Lord’s will, so that in the end, they shall all share in the glory of God.

This set of reminders is an important one for all of us as Christians, especially so for those who have been entrusted with the responsibility over the faithful but at the same time is also applicable for everyone else who call themselves as Christians, as God’s holy and beloved people. This is because all of us as Christians must also live our lives worthily in the Lord’s path such that we may become the shining beacons of God’s light and truth, His Good News and salvation to everyone else around us. After all, how can we expect others to believe in the Lord as well, if we ourselves have not shown good examples in our own lives and in how we ourselves live our lives as Christians, or worse still, if we cause scandal to our faith and the Church due to the wickedness and sins that we have committed?

Then from the Gospel passage taken from the Gospel according to St. Matthew the Apostle, we heard that classic account of the moment when the Lord established His Church and entrusted all of His faithful and people to St. Peter the Apostle, the ‘Rock’ of faith upon which He had founded His Church, and also to the other Apostles who were the important pillars supporting the Church. In that passage the Lord first asked the disciples on His identity, and they spoke first about the identity that many of the people at that time attributed to the Lord, either as one of the past prophets being sent back, or as a new great Prophet and Teacher sent into the world. But St. Peter spoke firmly and courageously when the Lord asked of the disciples again, ‘but you, Who do you say I am?’, saying that He is truly the Messiah, the Holy One and Son of God.

In this great profession of faith, we can see the shining qualities of St. Peter, which the Lord could see and know within his heart and mind. We can see the great love and commitment which St. Peter had for the Lord, which made him to be chosen as the one to lead all the whole Church. He was not perfect himself, as he was just as flawed as any one of us are. If we know the character of St. Peter from the evidences throughout the Gospels and other sources, we can see clearly how he was just a sinner like any of us. He was illiterate, brash and hot-headed, and easily gave in to anger and temptations, and was once chided by the Lord for striking the servant of the High Priest with a sword, cutting of that servant’s ear. St. Peter was also well-known for his thrice denial of the Lord around the same time, when he fearfully denied knowing the Lord at the time of His arrest.

But God chose this imperfect man, this sinner to be the great instrument of His works, His desire to see us all reconciled and reunited with Him. He knew that despite all of St. Peter’s imperfections, faults and problems, within him there lies a heart full of love and obedience towards Him, that despite the doubts, fears and other things he had with him, ultimately, he was willing to give it all to the Lord and devote himself thoroughly to His cause, as St. Peter himself proved with his many decades of service in glorifying God through the extensive and intensive efforts at evangelisation and conversion of many to the Lord’s path. To the very end, St. Peter the Apostle committed himself to God and to His Church, carrying out what he himself told the other elders of the Church, ultimately suffering and dying for the Lord, being crucified upside-down at the site where the great Basilica of St. Peter now stands.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, today therefore as we celebrate together this occasion of the Feast of the Chair of St. Peter the Apostle, let us all reaffirm our faith in the Lord and the unity which all of us the faithful people of God have in Him through His Church, and affirm our unity as one flock of the faithful, under the leadership of our Holy Father, Pope Francis, successor of St. Peter the Apostle, who is now sitting on the Chair of St. Peter, the ‘Cathedra Sancti Petri’ as God’s holy Vicar in this world. Let us all continue to strive to live our lives each day with dedication and commitment to God so that our examples may help many more people to come ever closer to God’s Presence, as how St. Peter the Apostle himself, the other Apostles and our other holy predecessors had been good role models and examples for us as Christians.

May all of us continue to do our best in living our lives each day that even in the smallest and seemingly least significant things that we do, we will embody our Christian faith, our love for the Lord and our faith in Him at all times. May we continue to persevere through the challenges, trials and sufferings that we may have to endure as part of our Christian journey in this life, so that we may grow ever stronger in our commitment as those whom God had called and chosen to be His own, His faithful and holy people, now and always. Holy Apostle, St. Peter, Holy Vicar of Christ, pray for us all. Amen.