perfect obedience

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Wednesday, 7 May 2014 : 3rd Week of Easter (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

John 6 : 35-40

Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to Me shall never be hungry, and whoever believes in Me shall never be thirsty. Nevertheless, as I said, you refuse to believe, even when you have seen. Yet all those whom the Father gives Me will come to Me, and whoever comes to Me, I shall not turn away. For I have come from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of the One who sent Me.”

“And the will of Him who sent Me is that I lose nothing of what He has given Me, but instead that I raise it up on the last day. This is the will of the Father, that whoever sees the Son and believes in Him shall live eternal life; and I will raise Him up on the last day.”

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Tuesday, 25 March 2014 : Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord (Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Today is the celebration of the Annunciation of our Lord, that is the moment when it was announced to His mother Mary, that she is to bear the Saviour of the world within her. The Archangel Gabriel came to her to announce to her the Good News. Mary accepted the role she was to play in the salvation of the world.

And the moment she accepted her role, by her own words that she as the handmaid of the Lord obeyed all the will of God, then everything fell into place, and Mary became the Mother of God from then on. That was also the moment when Jesus was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit, upon the acceptance of Mary.

That is why today is chosen by the Church to represent and celebrate the Annunciation, because today, 25 March, is exactly nine months before Christmas, the day when Jesus our Lord was born. Nine months is the time that a baby is in gestation within the womb of the mother. So today, we mark the beginning of our journey of expectation of the Lord at Christmas.

And now we are also progressing through Lent, as we prepare ourselves to remember and celebrate the most holy week in our year, the Holy Week, when Jesus went through the most important moments in His ministry, as He revealed His salvation to all mankind. This we also remember, and we recall His promise, that He will come again a second time, this time to bring eternal happiness to all for good.

Thus, brothers and sisters in Christ, let us heed the lessons we can gain from the Annunciation, in the devotion and obedience that Mary showed through her honest and pious answer to the Lord and in the obedience she showed to Him when the angel broke the news to her that she is to bear a Child, and therefore tp bear a huge responsibility.

But obedience and faithfulness are often not in the list of things that we do. We often follow our desires and thoughts more than recognising and following the Lord and His commandments. And it is very often for us to just pay a kind of lip-service to the Lord in our observation of the faith.

Simple example is, how many of us when we go for Mass, are actually there fully because we want to be with God, and that we want to spend time with Him in prayer and togetherness? How many of us attend the Mass meaningfully and seriously? Do we come to the Mass to seek the Lord? Or do we do so because we want to chit-chat with our friends or to look for someone in the congregation?

Yes, brethren, even something as simple as attending the Mass can be a chore to us if we are not solid in our faith and devotion to God. That is where we can learn from the Mother of our God, in her faith and solid confidence in God, that she accepted the role that had been entrusted to her, to be the bearer of the Saviour, the Christ.

Let us not be like king Ahaz or those like the Pharisees in their faith. Their faith was not genuine and true because although outwardly in words they mentioned and talked about obeying God, but inside their heart they have no God inside of them. They are like empty cans, looking good still on the outside, but inside they are really empty and unsightly.

Our faith in God cannot be like this, brethren, because we have to be sincere and genuine in our devotion, and that means, firstly we have to put our trust in God, but we also have to walk the talk, that is we have to practice our faith and make it living. We cannot just pay lip service to God, but we have to take the initiative and be proactive.

Let us all, brothers and sisters, keep this in mind that Jesus will come again, just as He had come before into this world. So, when He comes again, can we show to Him that our faith is genuine? Can we show Him that we obey the Lord and His commandments as His mother did? If we do so, and are able to show such things, then we will be fine.

May the Lord, whose coming is announced on this day of the Annunciation, continue to guide us, so that we may always walk in His path, never turning left or right. Amen.

 

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Tuesday, 24 December 2013 : Vigil Mass of the Nativity of the Lord, Christmas Vigil (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Matthew 1 : 1-25

This is the account of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, Son of David, Son of Abraham. Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers.

Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah (their mother was Tamar),  Perez was the father of Hezron, and Hezron of Aram. Aram was the father of Aminadab, Aminadab of Nahshon, Nahshon of Salmon.

Salmon was the father of Boaz. His mother was Rahab. Boaz was the father of Obed. His mother was Ruth. Obed was the father of Jesse. Jesse was the father of David, the king. David was the father of Solomon. His mother had been Uriah’s wife.

Solomon was the father of Rehoboam. Then came the kings : Abijah, Asaph, Jehoshaphat, Joram, Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah, Manasseh, Amon, Josiah. Josiah was the father of Jechoniah and his brothers at the time of the deportation to Babylon.

After the deportation to Babylon, Jechoniah was the father of Salathiel and Salathiel of Zerubbabel. Zerubbabel was the father of Abiud, Abiud of Eliakim, and Eliakim of Azor. Azor was the father of Zadok, Zadok the father of Akim, and Akim the father of Eliud. Eliud was the father of Eleazar, Eleazar of Matthan, and Matthan of Jacob.

Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, and from her came Jesus who is called the Christ – the Messiah. There were then fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, and fourteen generations from David to the deportation to Babylon, and fourteen generations from the deportation to Babylon to the birth of Christ.

This is how Jesus Christ was born : Mary His mother had been given to Joseph in marriage, but before they lived together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit.

Then Joseph, her husband, made plans to divorce her in all secrecy. He was an upright man, and in no way did he want to discredit her. While he was pondering over this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, descendant of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. She has conceived by the Holy Spirit, and now she will bear a Son. You shall call Him ‘Jesus’ for He will save His people from their sins.”

All this happened in order to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet : ‘The virgin will conceive and bear a Son, and He will be called Emmanuel, which means : God-with-us.’

When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had told him to do, and he took his wife to his home. So she gave birth to a Son and he had not had marital relations with her. Joseph gave Him the Name Jesus.

Alternative Reading (Shorter version)

Matthew 1 : 18-25

This is how Jesus Christ was born : Mary His mother had been given to Joseph in marriage, but before they lived together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit.

Then Joseph, her husband, made plans to divorce her in all secrecy. He was an upright man, and in no way did he want to discredit her. While he was pondering over this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, descendant of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. She has conceived by the Holy Spirit, and now she will bear a Son. You shall call Him ‘Jesus’ for He will save His people from their sins.”

All this happened in order to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet : ‘The virgin will conceive and bear a Son, and He will be called Emmanuel, which means : God-with-us.’

When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had told him to do, and he took his wife to his home. So she gave birth to a Son and he had not had marital relations with her. Joseph gave Him the Name Jesus.

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Friday, 20 December 2013 : 3rd Week of Advent (Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Obedience to the Lord’s will and following His ways are the greatest virtues that mankind can have. And that is what we can take home from what we received today from the Holy Scriptures. And there is no greater obedience and its example, than what Mary, the mother of our Lord Jesus Christ had shown, in her acceptance of the role that she had been given in the grand plan of salvation.

Obedience entails listening to others of authority, those with rightful and legal authority over us, without doubting or disobedience to such authority with our words and actions. That was what King Ahaz of Judea had shown, when the prophet Isaiah spoke to him regarding the coming of the Messiah, the Saviour and Chosen One of God.

King Ahaz might appear to obey the Lord because he seemed to be humble and knowing of his place, refusing Isaiah’s request for the king to ask for a sign from God. But if we look deeper into the matter, the king did not do that out of true and clear faith in the Lord, and instead, out of fear, the fear of the power of God, repeatedly shown through the prophet Isaiah, and what that power could do to him.

King Ahaz said one thing, but in practice, did another thing. He did things wicked in the eyes of God, and worshipped the pagan gods and their idols, leading the people to sin against the Lord. He was not faithful to the laws and precepts of the Lord and instead followed the ways of the world. He made sacrifices to the idols, disgusting sight to God, and yet, he claimed to obey the Lord by saying that he would not put the Lord to the test.

In fact, his very actions had already repeatedly put the Lord to the test, exactly just as how the people of Israel put the Lord to the test during their long sojourn in the desert, on the way to the Promised Land. They were unfaithful, complaining constantly and worshipping the gods of the pagans around them, following their wicked practices and ways. And that was the kind of faith and ‘obedience’ that Ahaz, the king of Judea, had.

Compare that case with that of Mary, who received the Good News through the Archangel Gabriel, who announced to her, the coming of the Messiah, and the pivotal role that she would play in the coming of that Saviour. It is indeed an exceedingly rare honour for someone to be held in such high esteem by God, and Mary had indeed been prepared to be the one through whom the Saviour would come.

Mary did ask the Archangel Gabriel a question, on how that news which she received, would be possible, given that she was still a virgin and yet was to bear a Child. Mary made that statement, that inquiry, not because she doubted what the Lord could do to her, but because as a young woman given such an important role to play in the salvation of all mankind, she was uncertain. And yet, in her actions, our Blessed Virgin Mary was truly exemplary in all her deeds, showing clearly her faith and how much she treasured God in her heart.

It was also her sincere answer, which showed further the true quality and the brilliance of her faith. Mary simply said to the Archangel, that she as the handmaid of the Lord, as His servant, would obey the Lord and His will, whatever that will may be, and surrendered herself to whatever the Lord had designed for her. That complete surrender, the complete trust she had in God, and her virtuous actions, are what distinguished her from the actions of King Ahaz.

That is why we too should follow the example of the mother of our Lord. It was because of her obedience and her virtues, that many good things were to come into the world, foremost of which is our Lord Jesus Himself, who saved us all from sin and death, through His most noble sacrifice on the cross. It is the faith of Mary that we should emulate, follow, and replicate in our own lives, and not the faith as shown by King Ahaz.

It is the reality that many of us showed the faith of Ahaz, professing outwardly our faith in God through words, but not in our actions. That kind of faith is just lip-service to God, and not the kind of faith that God wants from us. It is the faith of Mary that we should emulate, follow, and replicate. Our faith cannot be limited with mere words or statements, as even though that kind of faith is necessary, it is simply not enough. Our faith must ever be like a living faith, vibrant and filled with life.

Therefore, brothers and sisters, for this coming Christmas, let us show the birthday boy, Jesus Christ our Lord, that we truly rejoice in His coming, by showing it through our actions and dedications of love to our brethren, and to love one another without exception, and showing that we truly are children of God. Amen.

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Monday, 9 November 2013 : Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Luke 1 : 26-38

In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth. He was sent to a young virgin, who was betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the family of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.

The angel came to her and said, “Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with you.” Mary was troubled at these words, wondering what this greeting could mean. But the angel said, “Do not fear, Mary, for God has looked kindly on you. You shall conceive and bear a Son, and you shall call Him Jesus.”

“He will be great, and shall rightly be called Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the kingdom of David, His ancestor; He will rule over the people of Jacob forever, and His reign shall have no end.”

Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” And the angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore, the Holy Child to be born of you shall be called Son of God.”

“Even your relative Elizabeth is expecting a son in her old age, although she was unable to have a child; and she is now in her sixth month. With God nothing is impossible.”

Then Mary said, “I am the handmaid of the Lord, let it be done to me as you have said.” And the angel left her.

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Thursday, 21 November 2013 : 33rd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Brothers and sisters in Christ, we have been called by the Lord, to be His possessions. Yes, indeed, to be within His Holy Family, with Him at the centre of all, at the centre of our own lives. That is what He meant, when He said that all those who do the will of God, belongs to Him and He claims at His own.

It may seem to some that the Lord Jesus was being rude towards His own family, especially to His own mother, Mary, who had given birth to Him. But this is not so! Why so? That is because indeed, when we try to portray what happened in our human language, it is distorted in its true meaning. What the Lord truly meant was in fact that, firstly, He is the property of all mankind, of all creation, and He belongs to all of us, just as we all belong to Him.

Then secondly, Jesus meant for all of us to be more like His own mother, the role model of all the faithful. Yes, Jesus in fact praised His own mother in a subtle means, through what He had said. He highlighted the goodness and the faith that is in Mary, His mother, whom we celebrate today, the event of her presentation just after her birth.

For the Blessed Virgin Mary, she was born in a state of purity, without the taint of original sin, and she led a pure, holy, and immaculate life from then on. This is to prepare her to become the very vessel, the gateway through which the salvation of our Lord would come down to us. Through her, our Lord Himself came upon this world in Jesus, God incarnate into Man.

Today we celebrate this Mother of our God, when she was presented after her immaculate birth, at the Temple of God, just as her Son Jesus was presented many years later. From this presentation, mankind has presented to the Lord, the one through whom the Salvation of the world would come. As we approach the end of this liturgical year, we talk a lot about the end of times and the final salvation of all souls, and therefore, in Mary, the Lord has further advanced the path of mankind, to be closer and closer towards the final end.

Mary is a role model for us, to follow in our journey of faith. That was what Jesus meant, as He spoke to His disciples and the people who heard Him. As the Lord said in the Book of the prophet Zechariah, that He will make His people His own, and taking them into His own presence and being. And they ought to rejoice, for God Himself has come to dwell among us, within us, and alongside us.

And this happened through Mary, and with the full cooperation from this wonderful and yet humble and good woman. Without the cooperation, the perfect obedience, and dedication of Mary, the salvation of the Lord would not have come. Through Mary and her own words, ‘I am the handmaid and servant of the Lord, be it done unto me as what He willed.’, Mary made salvation to come unto this world, and also at the same time, showed the kind of virtue and obedience that the Lord expects from all of us.

That is why our Lord said, ‘Those who do the will of God are My family.’ Essentially, what Mary had done, is what we are all expected to become. Obey the will of the Lord, keep His laws and precepts foremost in our lives, and cast away all things that made us unworthy. And indeed, just as Mary was presented before the Lord, we too should do the same.

Yes, brethren, surrender ourselves to the Lord, and to His infinite and undying love. Open the gates of our hearts to allow God’s love and mercy to flow unrestricted in their fullness into us. Present our dirty and sinful selves, that we may be made whole and pure again, worthy of the Lord who will bring us into Himself, and made us all His family, to enjoy the happiness He had prepared for all of us.

Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners and help us to draw ever closer to Your Son. Amen.

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Thursday, 10 October 2013 : 27th Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Malachi 3 : 13-20a

You say very harsh things about Me, says YHVH, and yet you say : “What harsh things did we say against You. You say : ‘It is useless to serve God. There is no benefit in observing His commandments or in leading an austere life for His sake. Happy are the shameless! Those who do evil succeed in everything; though they provoke God, they remain unharmed.”

Those were the very words of those who fear YHVH. YHVH listened and heard what they said. He ordered at once that the names of those who respect Him and reverence His Name be written in a record.

And He declared, “They will be Mine on the day I have already set. Then I shall care for them as a father cares for his obedient son. And you will see the different fates of the good and the bad, those who obey God and those who disobey Him.”

“The day already comes, flaming as a furnace. On that day all the proud and evildoers will be burned like straw in the fire. They will be left without branches or roots. On the other hand the sun of justice will shine upon you who respect My Name and bring health in its rays.”