Ordinary season

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Friday, 31 January 2025 : 3rd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. John Bosco, Priest (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Hebrews 10 : 32-39

Remember the first days when you were enlightened. You had to undergo a hard struggle in the face of suffering. Publicly you were exposed to humiliations and trials, and had to share the sufferings of others who were similarly treated.

You showed solidarity with those in prison; you were dispossessed of your goods and accepted it gladly for you knew you were acquiring a much better and more durable possession. Do not now throw away your confidence that will be handsomely rewarded.

Be patient in doing the will of God, and the promise will be yours : A little, a little longer – says Scripture – and He Who is coming will come; He will not delay. My righteous one will live if he believes: but if he distrusts, I will no longer look kindly on him. We are not among those who withdraw and perish, but among those who believe and win personal salvation.

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Thursday, 30 January 2025 : 3rd Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today all of us are reminded through the readings of the Sacred Scriptures in which we are all called to be active in fulfilling the many responsibilities and missions, the duties and works that we have been given, the opportunities and the many other things that God has given to us. All of us as Christians must always strive to carry out all those duties and works with great faith and commitment, and we should not be ignorant of this calling and mission which God has entrusted to us. To be a truly dedicated and faithful Christian, each and every one of us must always be active in the efforts to serve and glorify the Lord by our lives, to do what He has commanded to us, taught and shown us to do in our lives.

In our first reading today, taken from the Epistle to the Hebrews, we heard of the continuation of the exhortation by the author of this Epistle, held by many Biblical experts and scholars to be St. Luke the Evangelist, in which he continued to remind the Jewish community of the works and efforts which the Lord Himself has done for our sake through the sending of His most beloved Son, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, to be our High Priest and the One to deliver us all from the jaws of death by breaking us from the chains and domination by sin, evil and wickedness all around us. Through Christ, our Lord, Who has willingly taken upon Himself the many burdens of our sins and evils, and by offering His own Most Precious Body and Blood, God has redeemed us all and opened for us the sure path towards eternal life.

But as we have been made partakers of this Covenant, the New and Eternal Covenant that God Himself has made with us, His beloved and holy people, therefore, all of us are reminded again and again that a Covenant between us and God is not meant to be one way, as a Covenant is a most solemn agreement between two parties in which both parties agree to abide by the terms of the Covenant, the agreement that we have bound over us, and in this case, which has been sealed and made firm by the Blood of the Lamb of God, as He laid dying on the Cross at Calvary. It is therefore a reminder for all of us not to ignore our part in this Covenant between God and us, and we have to commit ourselves to the Lord wholeheartedly and completely just as the Lord Himself had done the same as well.

As Christians, it is important that we are the ones to proclaim the Lord to the whole world, His salvation and everything that He has taught and revealed to us. And therefore, we ought to adhere well to the path that He has shown to us, and help one another, just as the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews had said, to remain courageous and faithful in how we all live our lives in accordance with God and His path. We are all called to follow the Lord with ever greater commitment and devotion, and to help and inspire one another so that by our good examples and inspirations, many more among us may be touched, strengthened and awakened in our faith and in our desire to live a truly holy life in the Lord’s Presence, to be true and faithful Christians at all times.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Mark the Evangelist, we heard of the words of the Lord speaking with a parable to His disciples and to all the others who were then following Him, using the parable of the lamp or the light of the world. He told and reminded all of them that no one hid a lighted lamp under a table or bed, as a lamp that is lit but hidden serves no purpose and is utterly useless. This is a reminder for all the disciples and the people of God, and hence, all of us who have listened to these words that we should not be idle in the living of our faith, and as Christians, it is imperative that we fulfil our obligations and do whatever we can so that our lives will always be rich and full of virtue at all circumstances, to be truly full of love for God in everything that we say and do.

And the Lord also mentioned that the measure that a person has been given, is the measure that he or she is expected to give as well, which is yet another reminder that we have to be active in living our lives, devoting our time, effort and contributions to serve the Lord and to be the shining beacons of His light and truth in the midst of our communities and societies today. The Lord has given each and every one of us unique and diverse set of gifts, talents, abilities, and many opportunities for us to make good use of what He has given us so that we may truly enrich each others’ lives and fill one another with love, care and compassion. This is what He has expected us all to do, and in case we have not realised it yet, then we should begin doing so from now on.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore reorientate our lives and seek to follow the Lord ever more firmly and with ever greater love and devotion, dedicating the time and the resources to live a most Christian life, not just in mere words or appearances alone, but also in true devotion, commitment, action and the true application of whatever it is that we have believed in the Lord. We should always strive to be good Christians at all opportunities and in every circumstances, listening to the Lord and allowing Him to lead and guide us down the right path. We must not be idle or ignorant anymore of our mission, vocation and calling in life, and if we have not realised what these are yet, then we should spend the time to listen to the Lord calling us, and speaking to us in the depth of our hearts and minds, and remove all that had distracted and kept Him away from us, all the temptations and distractions around us in this world.

May the Lord, our ever loving God and Father, our Creator and Master continue to help and strengthen each and every one of us so that we may continue to persevere through the many different challenges and hardships that we may have to face in our journey of faith and life. May He continue to give us the strength and courage to walk down this path that He has led us into, and guide us along the journey so that we may continue to be the worthy disciples and followers of His, in everything that we say and do, in each and every moments of our lives, to lead more and more people towards the Lord. Amen.

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Thursday, 30 January 2025 : 3rd Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Mark 4 : 21-25

At that time, Jesus also said to His disciples, “When the light comes, is it put under a basket or a bed? Surely it is put on a lamp stand. Whatever is hidden will be disclosed, and whatever is kept secret will be brought to light. Listen then, if you have ears!”

And He also said to them, “Pay attention to what you hear. In the measure you give, so shall you receive, and still more will be given to you. For to the one who produces something, more will be given; and from him who does not produce anything, even what he has will be taken away from him.”

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Thursday, 30 January 2025 : 3rd Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 23 : 1-2, 3-4ab, 5-6

The earth and its fullness belong to the Lord, the world and all that dwell in it. He has founded it upon the ocean and set it firmly upon the waters.

Who will ascend the mountain of the Lord? Who will stand in His holy place? Those with clean hands and pure heart, who desire not what is vain.

They will receive blessings from the Lord, a reward from God, their Saviour. Such are the people who seek Him, who seek the face of Jacob’s God.

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Thursday, 30 January 2025 : 3rd Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Hebrews 10 : 19-25

So, my friends, we are assured of entering the Sanctuary, by the Blood of Jesus Who opened, for us, this new and living way, passing through the curtain, that is, His Body. Because we have a High Priest in charge of the House of God, let us approach, with a sincere heart, with full faith, interiorly cleansed from a bad conscience, and our bodies washed, with pure water.

Let us hold fast to our hope, without wavering, because He, Who promised, is faithful. Let us consider, how we may spur one another to love and good works. Do not abandon the assemblies, as some of you do, but encourage one another, and all the more, since the Day is drawing near.

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Wednesday, 29 January 2025 : 3rd Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, as we have listened through the readings from the Sacred Scriptures today, we are reminded again of what the Lord our God has done to us through His beloved Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour, Who has freely and willingly offered Himself out of obedience to His heavenly Father, so that He might become the perfect and worthy sacrifice and offering for the salvation of all mankind. This truth is something that all of us as Christians have believed and uphold to be the core tenet of our faith. Each and every one of us must remember and keep in mind this faith and belief that we have, and it is important that we have to nurture this faith in us, by continuing to deepen our relationship with the Lord, or else, we may find ourselves easily swayed and tempted by the various pressures, temptations and other obstacles present all around us.

In our first reading today, we heard again from the Epistle to the Hebrews, the continuation of the discourse by the author of the Epistle to the Jewish community of the time, about the role that Christ, the Saviour of the world has done in saving the people, and in revealing the manifested love of God in the flesh, acting as our One True and Eternal High Priest, offering Himself as the perfect and worthy offering to redeem all of us from our many sins and wickedness, establishing and affirming the New and Eternal Covenant between us and God, restoring to us the unity and grace that have been denied to us ever since we have fallen into sin, allowing the corruptions of sin to lead us astray from the Lord and His loving Presence. And the Lord has done it all at once through His ultimate loving sacrifice on the Cross.

As I have mentioned in previous days’ reflections and homily, this elaboration and exhortation by the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews must be understood in the context of the need for the sacrifices to be made regularly by the people through the priests at the Temple of God for them to atone for the sins they committed. And they, including the priests themselves had to repeatedly offer the sacrifices and offerings because of their sins, as none of those sacrifices could bring about lasting reprieve and liberation from the domination and power of sin, darkness and evil. It was only the sacrifice and offering which the Lord Jesus, the Saviour of all offered on our behalf, the offering of the Most Precious Body and the Most Precious Blood of the Lamb and Son of God Incarnate that could redeem all of us from our sins.

And it was mentioned how the Lord has triumphed against sin and death, destroying forever their hold on us, and He has established with all of us the New and Eternal Covenant that God has intended to form with us. This New Covenant has been established, made firm and sealed through the sacrifice of the Blood of the Lamb of God, slain on the Altar of the Cross at Calvary. Through Christ, Our Lord and Saviour, we have received this great grace from God, the promise of everlasting life that we have shared and partaken through the Holy Eucharist, which is the same sacrifice and offering that Our Lord Himself has made at Calvary for us. That is why as Christians, all of us are reminded of this very important truth as we continue to progress through life so that we will always appreciate what the Lord has generously given us all.

Then, in our Gospel passage today taken from the Gospel according to St. Mark the Evangelist we heard of the teachings of the Lord Jesus using a well-known parable, the parable of the sower, which He shared and explained to the people gathered to listen to Him, and He also then explained the parable in greater detail to His disciples and followers. This parable of the sower highlights how the Lord, as the Sower, has sowed the seeds of faith, truth, hope and love in all of us, and he has generously given all of these to us, with the intention that all of us may cultivate these gifts and faith in us so that they may truly benefit everyone around us. If we do not make good use of these gifts, talents, abilities and opportunities that the Lord has provuided, then we will not bear fruit in our faith, and we will not be found worthy at the time of judgment and reckoning.

As mentioned in the parable of the sower and in the explanation that the Lord presented to His disciples, the seeds fell on different places which represent the different conditions which the people of God have received those seeds of faith. And the Lord explained it clearly how the seeds that fell on the roadside, or by the rocky grounds and those that were surrounded by brambles and thistles, all of them allowed the evil one and the temptations, pressures and coercions of this world to dissuade them from truly committing themselves to the Lord and the path of His salvation and grace. And that was why many of them could not appreciate the Word of God, His Good News, truth and love, and everything which God has given them most generously through His Son and through the Holy Spirit that He has sent into our midst.

Meanwhile, those who have placed their seeds in good and fertile soil as mentioned are those who have allowed the Lord, His truth and love to grow in them, to be cultivated well and to allow them to come ever closer to the Lord. This is an important lesson which all of us are reminded of, a reminder that each and every one of us share the responsibility as part of the Covenant which the Lord has established with us, the New and Eternal Covenant that He has made and affirmed with us through His Son, Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Without this conscious effort to cultivate a good, strong and enduring relationship with God, through prayer and quality time spent with God, and through living our lives worthily in God’s Presence, and amongst the communities of the world we are living in today.

And it is through this commitment of our time, effort and by providing a conducive environment for our faith to grow and develop that we can truly be fruitful and grow wonderfully in our Christian faith, and in becoming worthy disciples and followers of the Lord. How can we do this, brothers and sisters in Christ?  We can do this through constant reception of the Holy Eucharist in the Holy Mass, active participation in the efforts and works of the Church, and constant and regular participation in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, to allow ourselves to grow ever stronger in our dedication towards the Lord and to attune ourselves ever better towards the ways and the teachings, the ideals of our Christian belief and faith.

We are all called to be good role models and inspirations towards one another, and through our great examples, this is how we may truly bless so many others with the grace of God, becoming that fruitful and faithful servant of God, bearing forth so many good and wonderful deeds, always anchored ever strongly and firmly in our faith and love towards the Lord. May the Lord our most loving God, Father and Creator, our Lord and Master continue to help us all and guide us in our journey of faith through life in this world, now and always. Amen.

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Wednesday, 29 January 2025 : 3rd Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Mark 4 : 1-20

At that time, Jesus began to teach by the lake; but such a large crowd gathered about Him, that He got into a boat and sat in it on the lake, while the crowd stood on the shore. He taught them many things through parables. In His teaching, He said, “Listen! The sower went out to sow. As he sowed, some of the seed fell along a path; and the birds came and ate it up.”

“Some of the seed fell on rocky ground, where it had little soil; it sprang up immediately, because it had no depth; but when the sun rose and burnt it, it withered, because it had no roots. Other seed fell among thorn bushes; and the thorns grew and choked it; so it did not produce any grain.”

“But some seed fell on good soil, grew and increased and yielded grain; some seed produced thirty times as much, some sixty, and some one hundred times as much.” And Jesus added, “Listen then, if you have ears.”

When the crowd went away, some who were around Him with the Twelve asked about the parables. He answered them, “The mystery of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But for those outside, everything comes in parables, so, that, the more they see, they do not perceive; the more they hear, they do not understand; otherwise they would be converted and pardoned.”

Jesus said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How, then, will you understand any of the parables? What the sower is sowing is the word. Those along the path, where the seed fell, are people who hear the word, but as soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them.”

“Other people receive the word like rocky ground. As soon as they hear the word, they accept it with joy. But they have no roots, so it lasts only a little while. No sooner does trouble or persecution come because of the word, than they fall. Others receive the seed, as seed among thorns. After they hear the word, they are caught up in the worries of this life, false hope of riches and other desires. All these come in and choke the word, so that finally it produces nothing.”

“And there are others who receive the word as good soil. They hear the word, take it to heart and produce : some thirty, some sixty, and some one hundred times as much.”

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Wednesday, 29 January 2025 : 3rd Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 109 : 1, 2, 3, 4

The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand till I make Your foes Your footstool.”

From Zion the Lord will extend Your mighty sceptre and You will rule in the midst of Your enemies.

Yours is royal dignity from the day You were born in holy majesty. Like dew from the womb of the dawn, I have begotten You.

The Lord has sworn, and He will not take back His word : “You are a Priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.”

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Wednesday, 29 January 2025 : 3rd Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Hebrews 10 : 11-18

So, whereas every priest stands, daily, by the Altar, offering, repeatedly, the same sacrifices, that can never take away sins, Christ has offered, for all times, a single sacrifice for sins, and has taken His seat at the right hand of God, waiting, until God puts His enemies as a footstool under His feet. By a single sacrifice He has brought those who are sanctified to what is perfect forever.

This also was testified by the Holy Spirit. For after having declared : This is the Covenant that I will make with them in the days to come – says the Lord – I will put My Laws in their hearts and write them on their minds. He says : Their sins and evil deeds I will remember no more. So, if sins are forgiven, there is no longer need of any sacrifice for sin.

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Tuesday, 28 January 2025 : 3rd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Thomas Aquinas, Priest and Doctor of the Church (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, as we listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures that we have received today, we are all reminded that we are partakers of the same Covenant which our Lord Jesus Christ, our Saviour has formed and mediated for us, and which He has established and sealed through the breaking of His own Most Precious Body and the outpouring of His own Most Precious Blood, the Body and Blood of the Holy Lamb of God, the One Who takes away the sins of the whole world, of all mankind, past, present and future. And therefore, as we have been given this great gift from God, the outpouring and sharing of the most generous love of God, we should hence appreciate what the Lord has granted us and learn to obey Him wholeheartedly at all times, doing our best to walk in His Holy Presence and living our lives to the best of our abilities as faithful disciples and followers of God.

In our first reading today, taken from the continuation of the discourse we have heard for the past few weeks from the Epistle to the Hebrews, we heard the author of the Epistle explaining to the intended audience, the Jewish community and people, likely both the believers among them and also those who have not yet believed in Christ, about the nature of the works of the Messiah, Who has offered Himself as a worthy sacrifice and offering to redeem all of us sinners. The context was that the requirement by the Law of God revealed to Moses obliged the people to offer sacrifices to the Lord regularly for the cleansing from their sins and debts, which they had to offer through the priests at the Temple and House of God.

And by the nature of those sacrificial offerings, they had to be offered regularly and periodically, as the offerings were animals and other earthly offerings that cannot be enough to be offered to atone for the multitudes of our innumerable sins. There is one and only one sacrifice and offering that is worthy and good enough for that purpose, and that is exactly what the Lord Jesus had offered for our sake. He has given freely the offering of His own Most Precious Body and Blood, the Immaculate, Perfect and Infinitely wonderful Body and Blood of the Paschal Lamb, the Divine Word Incarnate. There can be no greater offering than the offering of God made Man, God Who loves us all so much that He has willingly embraced us all with His most generous love and mercy, giving us all the assurance of hope and eternal life.

And because of this most wonderful and generous love of God, Christ has offered for us the one only necessary sacrifice and offering for the atonement of all of our multitudes of sins. There is no longer any need for us to bear the burden of sin, as long as we put ourselves, our lives and our faith in the Lord, and commit ourselves wholeheartedly to Him, as we all should be doing. That is why the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews mentioned that the sacrifice and offerings which the Lord Jesus, the Saviour of the world has offered on the Altar of His Cross has nullified the need for the regular sacrifices and offerings at the Temple of God as prescribed by the old Law of God, and instead, everyone has been called to embrace God’s love and put their faith in Him.

In that same occasion, we also heard how the author mentioned that the Lord Jesus has obeyed His Father’s will perfectly, to do what He has been sent to do in this world, to show that if by our disobedience and disregard of God’s Law and will we have fallen into sin and destruction, the path to damnation and downfall, then by listening to God and obeying His will, all of us can be restored to grace and be reconciled with God, our most loving Father and Creator. We have been given the free will and the freedom to choose the path that we want to walk in our lives. If we choose to follow the Lord and obey Him, walking in the path that He has shown us, then He will guide us to the sure path towards everlasting life and eternity of happiness and joy with Him. But, if we choose to walk our own path, and allow the temptations of sin to mislead us into the wrong path, we may end up falling into eternal damnation and regret our choice later on.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Mark the Evangelist, we heard of the moment when the people told the Lord Jesus Who was busy teaching all of them that His mother and other family members were there waiting on Him. Then, the Lord immediately told all of them that all those who obey Him and the words and will of God are His mother, brothers and relatives. If we only read this remark from the face value and interpret it literally, then we may think that the Lord had been very rude towards His mother and relatives. However, what the Lord Jesus truly intended by mentioning those words was that everyone are welcome to come to Him and all are equally beloved to Him. There is no favouritism by the Lord, and it does not mean that one has privilege simply by being related to Him.

This is contrasted to the common attitude and actions of many people at the time, and even up to this day, where we tend to give special favours and treatment, over others who are not related to us. Meanwhile, the Lord gives this opportunity of reconciliation between us and Himself generously and equally regardless of our background and origin, and no one is to be excluded from the generous love of God, no matter what. And as we heard from our first reading today and discussed earlier, it was by the selfless and most loving sacrifice of Christ that we have been saved. That is why we are truly very fortunate to have received such great grace and opportunities from the Lord, and we have been reminded of this fact yet again today so that we will not squander these many opportunities and pathways that the Lord has offered generously, freely and willingly to us. It is now up to us to come to Him and to follow Him, to obey the Lord and His Law, to do what He has commanded us all to do.

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Thomas Aquinas, a renowned saint and man of God, a holy priest and theologian whose many works and contributions are still well-known even to this very day. St. Thomas Aquinas was born to a powerful noble and landed family in what is today part of Italy, where he was raised with excellent academic preparations and education, and his family definitely had wanted him to pursue a career in the world as was common for his family at the time. However, the young future St. Thomas Aquinas had a different calling, and he wanted to join religious life as a member of the Dominican Order or the Order of Preachers. This was naturally opposed by his family, who attempted to stop him, and St. Thomas Aquinas even had to endure a year being imprisoned at that time, and he had to face seductions and efforts to dissuade him from pursuing religious life and calling.

But none of these eventually succeeded, and in the end, his family, especially his mother, Theodora, relented and allowed him to secretly escape his detention, after which St. Thomas Aquinas eventually went through the preparation and formation to become a member of the Dominicans. And as he went through his religious journey, he began working on many writings and works that would eventually be famous as theological masterpieces and compulsory reading materials for those studying theology centuries in the future, right up to the present day. While St. Thomas Aquinas was known to be relatively quiet as a person, but his understanding, appreciation and efforts in describing and explaining the Divine were truly legendary and amazing, and he dedicated the rest of his life to these theological pursuits and efforts, while ministering to the people of God around him with great love and dedication.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we have discussed and spent time discerning earlier on from the words of the Sacred Scriptures, and also from the discussion on the life, ministry and work of St. Thomas Aquinas, let us all therefore do our best in our own respective lives to live a most faithful, committed life to God, putting God at the centre of our lives, and focusing our attention on glorifying Him through our lives. Each and every one of us have been entrusted with the responsibility, mission and calling to carry out all that the Lord has entrusted to us, through the various opportunities He has provided to us. We should not squander these opportunities, and instead strive our best to commit ourselves with faith, and to remember always the great and most generous love that God has given us, and thus, commit ourselves to love Him with the same vigour and purpose.

May the Lord be with us all and may He empower each one of us to be the faithful bearers of His love, His truth and hope amongst our brethren in this world today. May each and every one of us continue to be strong and courageous in standing up for our faith, doing our best each day and at every moments to be good examplesand inspirations to everyone around us, much as St. Thomas Aquinas and many other saints had inspired us all through their exemplary lives and faith. May God bless our every good efforts and endeavours, all for His greater glory, and may He continue to guide us in our journey in life towards Him, now and always. Amen.