Ordinary Time season

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Wednesday, 15 November 2023 : 32nd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Albert the Great, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Bishops)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today all of us are reminded yet again to be righteous, good and worthy in all of our works and deeds. Each and every one of us are called to put our faith and trust in the Wisdom that God has given to us, and place ourselves firmly in the path which the Lord has shown us. All of us as God’s followers and disciples, we are all expected to follow God’s ways, obey His Law and commandments at all times, regardless of our background, nature, occupation or whatever it is that we are doing. And today we are also reminded that especially for those in the positions of power and responsibility, it is even more important that we live our lives in accordance with God and His ways, or else we may end up misleading many others down the wrong path, and the consequences for us will indeed be severe.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of Wisdom, we heard of the words of the Lord delivered to all of His people, and this time, particularly directed to those leaders, sovereigns and rulers of nations and peoples, reminding them all that all of their power, sovereignty and rule all ultimately came from God. Each and every one of them must always keep in mind that they should not allow the temptations of worldly pleasures, corruptions of sin and desires to mislead and trick us down the wrong path in life. Many people throughout history, especially those who have been entrusted with power and authority, fell into the temptations of sin and evil, abusing their power and authority for their own good, seeking to enrich themselves and to gain good things for themselves by misusing what God had entrusted to them.

What the Lord wants us all to know is that, each and every one of us have been given various distinct and unique blessings, gifts and abilities, talents and opportunities in our lives. How we use them is really up to us, and we have been given the freedom to choose how we want to live our lives. We can use those gifts and opportunities to do what is good, right and just according to God, or to misuse them just as how some of our ancestors and predecessors had done. What the Lord reminds us with is that, for everything we have done, be it good or bad, worthy or wicked, we shall be held accountable for them all, and for those of us who have been entrusted with more, then the more shall be accounted for them, in everything that they and all of us say and do, in our lives.

Then, in our Gospel reading today, we heard from the Gospel of St. Luke of the story of the encounter between the Lord Jesus and ten lepers, one of whom was a Samaritan and the healing that happened to all of them. All of them begged the Lord to have them healed from their leprosy, which had made them ostracised and cast out from the rest of the community. According to the Law of Moses, the lepers must be segregated and separated out from the community until they recovered from their illness, as this was meant to avoid the disease from spreading rampantly in the close quarters of the people during the time of the Exodus. However, this has also led to the the lepers from being treated badly and looked upon with disdain by everyone, and no one would have wanted that kind of experiences.

Hence, the Lord in His love and mercy, showed them His power and healed all of them from their sickness. He told them to show themselves to the priests as according to the Law of Moses, they had to present themselves being healed and whole to a priest before they could be readmitted into the community. But this happened before they were healed. They were healed as they made their way to the priests, and as we heard, everyone except for the Samaritan among them rejoiced greatly after knowing that they had been healed. Only the Samaritan retraced his steps and sought the Lord again to thank Him for what He had done. This is actually also an allusion and link to what we have heard in our first reading today, as this is yet another reminder that everything we have, and all that we have received, ultimately came from God, and we really should thank Him and keep in mind of whatever it is that He has entrusted to us.

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Albert the Great, or St. Albertus Magnus, a renowned man of God and great teacher of the faith, whose life, works and dedication to God should inspire us all to be dedicated and committed to Him ourselves. Each and every one of us should heed the good examples set by this wonderful man of God, so that we may also be always faithful to Him, at all times. St. Albert the Great was born in what is now Bavaria in southern part of Germany, during the High Middle Ages. He was brought up well academically and showed his talents early on. He then became a member of the Dominican Order, and studied to become a theologian, which began his great and long ministry as a teacher and theologian henceforth.

St. Albert the Great later on became one of the provincials of the Dominican Order, and carried out his duties with great obedience and dedication. And while later on he was appointed as a bishop, as the Bishop of Regensburg, he remained humble and committed to the missions entrusted to him, walking all around his diocese on foot instead of riding a horse as he was entitled to. He dedicated himself to whatever missions God had entrusted him with, and despite the honour and respect that many people and his positions entitled him with, he remained very humble and focused on the Lord, not being swayed by the temptations of worldly power and glory. Instead, he committed himself wholly to the Lord and to the people of God, all throughout his life, and this is something that we should be inspired to follow as well.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we have heard from the story of the life and works of St. Albert the Great, let us all therefore strive to be good, worthy and responsible in how we live our lives as Christians in this world. Let us all be filled with the desire to love God and to proclaim His truth and love, with humility and faith, much as St. Albert the Great and the many other saints, holy men and women of God had done. Let us all be good examples and role models for one another, in how we live our lives so that we may inspire more and more people to live their lives worthily and to walk ever always in God’s path. May God bless us all in our every good works and efforts, now and always. Amen.

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Wednesday, 15 November 2023 : 32nd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Albert the Great, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Bishops)

Luke 17 : 11-19

At that time, on the way to Jerusalem, Jesus passed through Samaria and Galilee, and as He entered a village, ten lepers came to meet Him. Keeping their distance, they called to Him, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!”

Jesus said to them, “Go, and show yourselves to the priests.” Then, as they went on their way, they found they were cured. One of them, as soon as he saw that he was cleansed, turned back, praising God in a loud voice; and throwing himself on his face before Jesus, he gave Him thanks. This man was a Samaritan.

Then Jesus asked him, “Were not all ten healed? Where are the other nine? Did none of them decide to return and give praise to God, but this foreigner?” And Jesus said to him, “Stand up and go your way; your faith has saved you.”

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Wednesday, 15 November 2023 : 32nd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Albert the Great, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Bishops)

Psalm 81 : 3-4, 6-7

Give justice to the weak and the orphan; defend the poor and the oppressed. Rescue the helpless and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.

“You are gods,” I said, “You are all sons of the Most High.” But now, you will die like the others; you will all fall, like any mortal.

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Wednesday, 15 November 2023 : 32nd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Albert the Great, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Bishops)

Wisdom 6 : 1-11

Listen, o kings, and understand; rulers of the most distant lands, take warning. Pay attention, you who rule multitudes and boast of the numerous subjects in your pagan nations!

For authority was given you by the Lord, your kingship is from the Most High Who will examine your works and scrutinise your intentions. If, as officials of His kingdom, you have not judged justly or observed His law or walked the way God pointed our, He will oppose you swiftly and terribly; His sentence strikes the mighty suddenly.

For the lowly there may be excuses and pardon, but the great will be severely punished. For the Lord of all makes no distinction, nor does He take account of greatness. Both great and lowly are His work and He watches over all, but the powerful are to be judged more strictly.

It is to you then, sovereigns, that I speak, that you may learn Wisdom and not stumble. For those who keep the holy laws in a holy way will be acknowledged holy, and those who accept the teaching will find in it their defence. Welcome my words, desire them and they will instruct you.

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Tuesday, 14 November 2023 : 32nd Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, we are all reminded of the nature of our human existence in this world, as those whose mortal bodies will eventually be subjected to death, while our souls are eternal and everlasting. God created each and every one of us out of His overflowing and ever enduring love, which He has most generously shared with us, in love that He has always shown us from the very beginning of time. We are all reminded that ultimately we all belong to the Lord, and we have to do whatever we can, such that we continue to live our lives worthily of God, by living righteously and virtuously, according to His Law and commandments, as much as we are able to.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of Wisdom, of the exhortation regarding the nature of our creation, and how we are all also reminded that we were actually never intended to suffer in this world or to experience any kind of suffering or death. Instead, God had created us out of His pure love for us, and He has always intended for each and every one of us to to live our lives filled with His grace and love, ever always in His loving Presence, to be holy just as He is Holy, and to be righteous, virtuous and just, in all of our ways, in all of our dealings, actions and works throughout our lives. This is what God has always intended for us all, His beloved people, whom He has called from the whole world, to come once again to His loving Presence.

Unfortunately, because we disobeyed God and did not listen to His words and commandments, hence, we end up falling into the path of sin. Since the time of our earliest forefathers, many of us chose to follow the temptations of evil, the allures of worldly pleasures and all the desires which had led many of us astray, down the wrong path away from the Lord. And this was why we have to endure and suffer the consequences of our disobedience, which is death. In truth, we were always meant to live our lives in the presence of God, harmoniously and joyfully enjoying the fullness of His love and grace. Unfortunately, disobedience led to sin, and sin brought us to suffering and death, because sin corrupted our bodies and mind, our hearts and souls, separating us from God.

Yet, God did not intend to destroy us, or to cast us out from His Presence forever, because His love for each and every one of us is far greater than how much He despises our sins and wickedness. Thus, He gave us many opportunities, again and again, to find our way back to Him, through His numerous reminders and help, all those messengers and helpers He had provided to us, through the help of the Angels and the saints, all those who lives have been good, worthy and exemplary, and hence became great role models, inspirations and encouragement for all of us coming after them. And to those of us who have embraced God once again with love and faith, while our bodies may succumb to the temporary effects of death and destruction, but our eternal soul persists and will be reunited with God in due time.

This is also where the Church’s teachings and beliefs in the afterlife is yet again highlighted on this month of November, as we remember in particular the holy souls in Purgatory. After we die, there are three states that may happen to us, at the moment called the Particular Judgment, which separated the righteous from the wicked. Those who had rejected God and continued to persist in sin had condemned themselves to an eternity of suffering and despair, cast out forever in Hell. Meanwhile, some of the very righteous and worthy ones had lived their lives most virtuously, and hence, merited immediately the entry into the eternal bliss and true joy of Heaven. These are the saints, those who have been officially recognised by the Church for their virtues, as well as the many others whose lives and deeds may not yet been recognised, and yet, whose virtues are known to God, and merit Heaven.

Meanwhile, for many others, they were fairly righteous and good, but because of their residual sins and unrepented faults, they cannot enter into Heaven yet, because no sin can be present before God, unforgiven and unrepented. Hence, they are the ones known as the holy souls in Purgatory, as a state between this world and Heaven, where the ones who still have to endure some sufferings and wait, in the moments when they were being purified and brought free from the remnants of their sins, lay in wait, until the moment when they are finally ready to move on into the Holy Presence of God in Heaven as they are intended for. The passage from the Book of Wisdom today spoke of this, of the souls being tested by fire, which is not exactly a kind of fire that we are familiar with, but spiritual fire that cleanses the corruptions of sin in the souls of the faithful.

In our Gospel passage today, we then heard of the Lord speaking to His disciples and followers, regarding the nature of a servant and the relationship that servant has to his or her master. The master has a very clear supremacy and dominion over the servants, who have to obey everything that the master commanded the servant to do. This was meant to represent the relationship between God and us mankind, because we are truly God’s servants, and the Lord did not have anything that He owes to us, because He is our Lord and Master, and we naturally ought to follow Him and obey His every will and whim. Yet, at the same time, the Lord also wants us to know that, unlike the traditional master-servant relationship highlighted in His exhortation, the Lord is a loving Master, Who truly cares for us all, even though we are undeserving of Him, His love and attention.

Why is this so? That is because we must ask ourselves, which Lord and Master chose to come down upon us, humble Himself and live among us, walking in our midst, communicating and contacting us, dwelling among us and having meal with us, even with the ones whom some deemed to be sinful and unworthy, like the tax collectors. And yet, the Lord Jesus came into our midst, bringing forth towards us the love of God manifested fully in the flesh, making God to be perceptible, tangible and reachable for all of us, that He is no longer distant or intangible for us. He reached out to us with love, reminding all of us that His nature, truly first and foremost is one of love, and this love has always been directed towards all of us, without exception.

Therefore, having been reminded of God’s love and generous kindness, let us all as Christians embrace the Lord once again with sincerity and commitment at all times, reminding ourselves ever always that God has always wanted each one of us to be fully reconciled with Him. Let us all no longer be separated from God’s love and grace, and do our best in each and every moments of our lives, that we will always be exemplary and worthy in everything that we say and do, in our every interactions and efforts, our collaborations and works. Let us also pray for one another, and also for the holy souls in Purgatory, our beloved brothers and sisters. May the Lord be with us always, His love and kindness, and may He strengthen each and every one of us that all of us may always be strong and resilient, dedicated and faithful in each and every moments of our lives. Amen.

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Tuesday, 14 November 2023 : 32nd Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Luke 17 : 7-10

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “Who among you would say to your servant, coming in from the fields after plowing or tending sheep, ‘Go ahead and have your dinner’? No, you tell him, ‘Prepare my dinner. Put on your apron, and wait on me while I eat and drink. You can eat and drink afterward.'”

“Do you thank this servant for doing what you told him to do? I do not think so. And therefore, when you have done all that you have been told to do, you should say, ‘We are no more than servants; we have only done our duty.'”

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Tuesday, 14 November 2023 : 32nd Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 33 : 2-3, 16-17, 18-19

I will praise YHVH all my days; His praise will be ever on my lips. My soul makes its boast in YHVH; let the lowly hear and rejoice.

The eyes of YHVH are fixed on the righteous; His ears are inclined to their cries. But His face is set against the wicked, to destroy their memory from the earth.

YHVH hears the cry of the righteous and rescues them from all their troubles. YHVH is close to the brokenhearted and saves the distraught.

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Tuesday, 14 November 2023 : 32nd Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Wisdom 2 : 23 – Wisdom 3 : 9

Indeed God created man to be immortal in the likeness of His own nature, but the envy of the devil brought death to the world, and those who take his side shall experience death.

The souls of the just are in the hands of God and no torment shall touch them. In the eyes of the unwise they appear to be dead. Their going is held as a disaster; it seems that they lose everything by departing from us, but they are in peace.

Though seemingly they have been punished, immortality was the soul of their hope. After slight affliction will come great blessings, for God has tried them and found them worthy to be with Him; after testing them as gold in the furnace, He has accepted them as a holocaust.

At the time of His coming they will shine like sparks that run in the stubble. They will govern nations and rule over peoples, and the Lord will be their King forever. Those who trust in Him will penetrate the truth, those who are faithful will live with Him in love, for His grace and mercy are for His chosen ones.

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Monday, 13 November 2023 : 32nd 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 Sacred Scriptures, each and every one of us are reminded of the importance for all of us as Christians to be truly attuned to God and His ways, and to trust in His Wisdom and path, and do whatever we can, in every opportunities and time which we have been given, so that we may always cherish all the truth, love and the wonders that God has shown each and every one of us. All of us should always strive to be faithful to God, and to hold strong and firmly upon all the truth and revelations which He has shown us, the teachings which He has passed down unto us through His Apostles and His Church, right up to this very day, the Wisdom that He has imparted upon all of us.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of Wisdom, we heard of the revelation of God’s Wisdom, and how His Wisdom has been imparted upon each and every one of us. Through God’s Wisdom, all of us have been given the revelation of truth, and the knowledge of God’s righteousness and the virtues of our Christian faith. However, as the author of the Book of Wisdom mentioned, we cannot be truly filled with God’s Wisdom if our hearts and minds are corrupted by sin, because sin severs our connection with God and turns us away from Him. If we allow sin to lead us in our lives and to corrupt us, then in the end, the Wisdom of God and His truth will have no place in our hearts and minds, and we will likely end up walking down the wrong path, one that may lead us down to damnation.

God’s Wisdom has been freely imparted and given to us, and He has also given us a lot of guidance and help, through His many servants and messengers, through which He has passed unto us the revelation of His love, all that He wants us to know so that we may indeed find our path towards Him, and be fully reconciled once again with Him. God has revealed to us His love and truth so that His light may shine forth and dispel the darkness that engulfed us and kept us from His path, and He has given us His help again and again, so that by the efforts He had made, more and more of us may find our way to Him, and thus, be saved and be gathered once again as His beloved flock, back into His loving presence, no longer separated and severed from Him because of our sins. This is why each and every one of us should always trust in the Wisdom of God and not in our own limited wisdom and understanding.

Then in our Gospel passage today, we heard from the Lord Jesus speaking to His disciples warning them all from doing what is wicked and evil in the sight of God, and from misleading others down the wrong path, as all those wickedness and evils will likely lead to scandals that may cause the faith of those who wavered in faith to weaken, and eventually they themselves will end up in the wrong path as well. The Lord told His disciples and therefore all of us to live our lives worthily, and to do what He Himself has taught His disciples and asked them all to follow and to propagate, which they had indeed done through the Church that the Lord Himself established, and through which He has gathered us all together as one flock, and one holy, beloved and worthy people of God.

The Lord reminded His disciples and followers that they must always be filled with love, compassion and mercy in all of their ways and actions. They have to be forgiving and merciful, and they must not allow their anger and hatred to mislead them down the path of evil and sin. They should always be ready to forgive and to let bygone be bygones, just as the Lord Himself has most generously loved us and forgiven us our many sins, even when we were still sinners and acted in ways that were rebellious and ungrateful towards His love. The Lord has taught us all His path, so that we may follow Him, and have faith in Him. And if only we can have true and genuine faith in Him, then we would have been able to walk righteously in His presence, and do everything that needs to be done for us to follow Him.

Today, as we listened to all these words from the Sacred Scriptures, we are all therefore reminded that we must always strive to put God above all else, resisting the temptations and the pressures, the pull and the allures of sin, of the worldly vices, evils and wickedness, all of which are trying to turn us away from the path of God and His righteousness. We must always remember that as Christians, we cannot be idle in living our lives and our faith, and we have to continue to be good role models, inspirations and strength for one another, in inspiring more and more of our fellow brethren in how we live our lives and in how we do our part as Christians, in ensuring that our actions, words and our whole entire way of life are truly compatible with God’s path.

Now, let us ask ourselves if we have the courage and commitment to do what the Lord has told and commanded us to do, and if we are courageous and committed enough to live our lives worthily in the manner that God Himself has shown and taught us all.

May the Lord continue to bless us with His Wisdom and love, and may He empower each one of us so that by the guidance of His Wisdom and by the strength and perseverance that He has shown us, each one of us may indeed be truly worthy in all of our words, actions and deeds. May all of us be exemplary and inspirational in our every way of life, and may God bless our every good works and efforts, now and always. Amen.

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Monday, 13 November 2023 : 32nd Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Luke 17 : 1-6

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “Scandals will necessarily come and cause people to fall; but woe to the one who brings them about. It would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a millstone around his neck. Truly, this would be better for that person, than to cause one of these little ones to fall.”

“Listen carefully : if your brother offends you, tell him, and if he is sorry, forgive him. And if he offends you seven times in one day, but seven times he says to you, ‘I am sorry,’ forgive him.”

The Apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.” And the Lord said, “If you have faith, even the size of a mustard seed, you may say to this tree, ‘Be uprooted, and plant yourself in the sea!’ and it will obey you.”