preaching the faith

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Thursday, 7 July 2016 : 14th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we heard about the love which God has shown to His people, and the anger that was aroused in His heart when those same people refused to acknowledge and to appreciate that great love which He had shown them. They have been rescued from their suffering and enslavement at the hand of the Egyptians and the Pharaohs, and God Himself carried them out of the land of Egypt by His mighty power.

God has provided them with many things, and even cleared their way ahead of them, destroying their enemies and all those who plotted evil against them. And yet, they were almost always unfaithful and disobedient, refusing to listen to the precepts of the Lord their God, disobeying their commands and preferring to follow their own selfish desires.

In their disobedience, they have brought upon themselves the anger and the punishment of God. But God still loved them, and He wanted to help them and rescue them from the destruction that awaited them. And hence to that extent, God sent them His promised salvation that is Jesus Christ, the Son of God, Who came into the world to deliver to all mankind the word of God.

Despite all the things which they have seen and witnessed, even the healing of the sick, the opening of the eyes of the blind, the curing of the tied tongues of the mute and the opening of the ears of the deaf, the people still refused to believe. They doubted Jesus and His teachings, as shown by the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, who even went so far as to make it very difficult for Jesus and His disciples to do their works and ministry to the people.

And there were many others who followed Jesus just because He amazed them with the wonders of His miracles and works. These were satisfied by the food they ate when Jesus fed the multitudes of men and women, and they were astonished at what they saw when Jesus did all those miracles, even to the point of raising and returning someone from death back to life.

But they did not have strong and genuine faith in them. The moment their Lord was seized from them, and once Jesus was arrested, they abandoned Him quickly, everyone tending their own businesses and matters. It is the same with their ancestors who disobeyed the Lord and followed their own rebellious path, more often so because they were preoccupied with themselves and their desires so much that they were not able to let these go when the time comes for them to choose between God and the world.

Now let us ask ourselves, are we like them? Are our actions and all our directions in life mimic what those people had done? Have we been truly faithful to the Lord our God? Or have we rather been wayward and disobedient? The answer lies within ourselves. Let us all reflect on what we have done in life, and whether we have that courage and drive to follow on through with our faith, devoting our whole life to the Lord.

Do we let the temptations of this world to be obstacles on our path to God? Yes, they will become obstacles for us, but are we embracing them instead of pushing them aside or resisting them? Do we make the conscious effort to be faithful in all things? It will indeed not be easy for us, as challenges and difficulties are waiting for us, but the reward for remaining faithful to God to the end, is great.

Let us all no longer hesitate but be filled with faith and conviction, giving it all to be faithful and devoted to God in all things. Let us do our best in order to be devoted and committed servants of our God, and thus be worthy of His eternal glory and the life everlasting He had promised to all of His faithful ones. May God bless us all, now and forever. Amen.

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Wednesday, 6 July 2016 : 14th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Maria Goretti, Virgin and Martyr (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we listened to the words of the Scripture speaking about the people of the northern kingdom of Israel, to whom the prophet Hosea had been sent to. The people of Israel had been blessed with much blessings, as their ancestors had been faithful to God and to His covenant with them. And at that time, as a background, the prophet Hosea was sent to the northern kingdom of Israel at the time of relative prosperity.

And all that prosperity as well as their own stubbornness and lack of faith had made the people of God to lose track and deviate from the true faith in God. They refused to listen to the prophets which had been sent to them to remind them of what they ought to do to repent and to turn back to the Lord. They disobeyed God and instead, they lived in debauchery and wasted themselves on the prosperity and the wealth which they had gained.

And instead of following their one and true King, they followed the king whom they have set over themselves. Those kings had misled them into evil ways and thus into sin. But despite of this, they continued on with their wrong path, and they therefore sank deeper into the darkness. And yet, God continued to send His help again and again, one after another with the hope that some of them would realise their errors and return to Him.

That was why Jesus our Lord, Who came into the world in order to save it, also sent His twelve Apostles and the many other disciples He had to preach His Good News to the people, spreading the truth about God’s love and mercy to them, and calling them to repentance and to turn themselves to God’s ever great and generous mercy.

But the resistance by all those people to whom the Apostles and the disciples had been sent to, was great. They did not like it when they had to change their ways to suit that of the ways of the Lord. For them, it was much more preferable for them to continue with their then way of life rather than to abandon them for the sake of the Lord. Many of them were too attached to worldliness and thus their hearts were set against God and His message.

Then, this is where we should take note of what happened to the saint whose feast day we celebrate today. She is the famous saint whose story must be quite familiar with many of us. St. Maria Goretti was a young woman who was devoted to the Lord, and has promised herself before God to remain holy and pure in all things. She lived with another family as her own father had passed away when she was still very young.

The son of the family where St. Maria Goretti lived in took an interest in her, and he on one occasion, threatened St. Maria Goretti and wanted to rape her when she was alone, but St. Maria Goretti, even when threatened with a sharp knife, refused his advances, and courageously reminded him that such an act is a great and mortal sin that would condemn both of them to the eternal fires of hell.

Faced with such a setback and opposition, the boy panicked and as he gave in to his fears and anger, he struck at St. Maria Goretti many times with the knife. As she laid dying from her wounds in the hospital, she forgave her murderer with love, and wished that he would be with her in Heaven.

And indeed, while the murderer refused to repent and did not show regret over his actions in the first few years of his imprisonment, but after a bishop visited him in prison and told him how St. Maria Goretti had forgiven him and even prayed for him, and as on one night she even appeared before him and spoke to him, the murderer, Alessandro Serenelli, repented sincerely and changed his ways, eventually even becoming a member of a religious order, dedicating himself to a life of piety and devotion to God.

This wonderful story of the life and death of St. Maria Goretti, and how her murderer had been converted into the way to salvation should be inspiration for us all as well. Let us not be like the people of Israel in ancient times, who placed their worldly desires and greed above their faith in God. The same problem had caused that Alessandro to murder St. Maria Goretti, and also many other sinful things which we mankind commit in this world today.

Let us all no longer give in to our human desires and the greed that is in our hearts. Let us instead devote ourselves ever more faithfully to our God, and give ourselves to Him in all the things that we say and do, so that we may draw ever closer to the throne of His love and mercy. God bless us all. Amen.

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Tuesday, 5 July 2016 : 14th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Anthony Zaccaria, Priest (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Priests)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day the message of the Sacred Scriptures is very clear, as the messages in unison are reminders for all of us, not to put our trust or to worship the pagan gods and idols, which the people in the past had worshipped, the pagan gods and idols of wood, gold, silver, bronze and carven artefacts.

The first reading taken from the book of the prophet Hosea spoke about the lamentation and the anger which God had for His people, especially those in the northern kingdom of Israel who abandoned Him and instead followed the path of their neighbouring countries, those who worshipped the gods and idols of carved stones, gold and silver statues, the gods of the Canaanites, Baal, Asherah and many others.

Just as their ancestors had done at the time of their Exodus from Egypt, they were and can indeed be considered as fools for abandoning the sure certainty and the guarantee of their God for the comfort of the worldly falsehoods and for the beings crafted by mere human hands, of idols made from gold, silver, wood or other precious stones.

Since times and moments immemorial, mankind had worshipped objects of nature, both visible and invisible. They have worshipped the sun, the moon, the stars, and even elements such as fire, water and all the other creations of God. They were awed by their glorious appearances and how wonderful they were. But they did not realise or understand that all these things were mere creations, and not the Lord and Creator.

And all of us have the privilege to know the truth, that by what had been revealed to us, we know that we worship the Creator God, Who had created all those wonderful things, and yet we also know that those things were mere creations, and thus do not deserve our obeisance and worship. Those people put their trust in those things, and worse of all, they worshipped those creations of their own, the works of their own hands.

All that is because they were incapable of understanding the will and the intention of God. They were unable to comprehend the mysteries of God, and instead, they put emphasis on themselves, thinking that whatever greatness and glory they have received were due to them alone. And thus, many men who thought in accordance to the ways of the world would not be able to comprehend the will of God, just as what the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law showed us.

The teachers of the Law and the Pharisees were those supposedly chosen from among the people, educated and filled with wisdom and the teachings of the Law and the prophets, and as such, they were highly respected in the society. And yet, when they saw what Jesus had done, which was clearly the works of God made evident in the world of man, they refused to acknowledge it, and even made a grave lie and false accusation that Jesus had done His works with the power of demons.

Why is that so, brothers and sisters in Christ? We do not have to look further than the tension that arose between them and Jesus our Lord. They were the powerful and the privileged ones in the society. Through their authority, they gained honour, respect and many other things through their influence, but Jesus, Who came to dispel all falsehoods and revealed the entirety of God’s truth to us, thus became a great threat to the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law.

Their ego and pride prevented them from opening their eyes, minds and hearts, to look beyond the veil of jealousy and human greed, in order to realise that indeed they were the ones who had been mistaken in their approach. They were too self-centred to be able to realise the love of God which has been poured for their sake. They thought that they were doing the right thing, while the fact is that they are just serving their own purposes.

Today’s Scripture readings serve as a reminder for us all, so that as we live our own lives today, we may keep ourselves free from those temptations, the temptations of power, the temptations of the flesh, and all the things that kept us away from truly being faithful to God. And we may think that in this current times, we no longer do what the ancients were doing, worshipping the idols of gold, silver, bronze or wood, but we are mistaken.

For there are always idols that keep us away from the Lord, no matter in what form it is. Do we not realise that many of us are so preoccupied by our work, by our income, wealth and possessions, which distracted us from following the Lord our God? Do we not realise that there are many modern day idols of materialism, of selfishness and of human pride that still stand on the path which we ought to take, as obstacles on our way to salvation?

Let us all reflect on this, and let us also see the example of St. Anthony Zaccaria, the faithful servant of God, whose feast day we are celebrating today. St. Anthony Zaccaria was an Italian priest, who lived a few hundred years ago, and he was well known for his piety and charitable acts, and became a great role model for many people, championing strong piety and devotion to God.

In particular, he made popular what is called the forty-hour devotion, the long period of solemn adoration and worship of the Blessed Sacrament, which is indeed the Lord Himself in the presence within the Eucharist. Through this devotion, which he championed and by his many other works and establishments of societies and religious groups dedicated to further the cause of the Lord, he had brought many souls from the precipice of darkness and back into the light.

Let us all therefore also follow in his footsteps, brothers and sisters in Christ. Let us throw away all the idols of our life, those things that do not bring us closer to God and instead became barriers and obstacles on our path to Him. Let us not be distracted by ceaseless and endless pursuits of money, fame, wealth and human glory, but instead, put our trust in the Lord. Let us live our lives faithfully to God, and increase our devotion to the Lord, perhaps following the examples of St. Anthony Zaccaria through regular adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. May God help us all in all things. Amen.

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Monday, 4 July 2016 : 14th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Elizabeth of Portugal (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we heard firstly the prophecy of the prophet Hosea, who came to pronounce the words and the will of God at a time of great turbulence. At that time, the kingdom of Israel had been divided into the northern kingdom also called Israel, and the southern kingdom of Judah. And the people of the northern kingdom, to whom the prophet Hosea had been sent to, had become corrupt and wicked, revelling in the pleasures and the goods of the world, as they lived in prosperity and wealth.

The prophet Hosea often rebuked the people for their debauchery and wicked ways, but at the same time, as what we have heard in today’s first reading, he also spoke of the coming of the time of God’s forgiveness and redemption of His people, as a hope for those who chose to keep their faith in their one and only true Lord and Master. Those who would abandon their past obstinate attitude and embrace fully God’s love and mercy would receive the rich fruits of God’s mercy and love.

And this has been proven in what we have heard in the Gospel today, the well known story of how Jesus healed the woman with bleeding issues, and how He raised the daughter of the synagogue official from death and back into life. We saw through these examples, that if we have faith in God, everything will be made possible for us. And God will not abandon all of His faithful ones to despair and hopelessness.

Because the woman had faith in Jesus, and she dared to seek Him to heal her from her afflictions, God saw her faith and praised her for the faith which she had, and healed her from the sickness that had troubled her for so many years. And because the synagogue official believed in Him, and sought for Him when his daughter was in trouble, and in fact had died, because of this Jesus healed the daughter and returned her to life.

From all these, we heard that faith in God is what saves us all. If we do not have faith in Him, then there is no way that we would achieve salvation. After all, Jesus Himself had said that only through Him that salvation can be achieved, and beyond Him there is no hope for salvation, for He is the Bridge, the Way to the Lord our God, the One Who linked us between ourselves and God our Father.

Let us then look at the example of the holy and faithful St. Elizabeth of Portugal, whose feast we are celebrating today. St. Elizabeth of Portugal was once a Spanish princess who married the King of Portugal and hence became the Queen of Portugal. As Queen, she was devoted to her people, and committed many charitable works that made the people’s livelihood better.

She was a pious person, and she devoted her life to God. She was a great servant of God and tried her best to show the people how they ought to live as the people of God, by having true faith in Him, by loving one another. And she was indeed leading by example, doing as much charity as she was able to. And after her husband, the King of Portugal passed away, she left behind her life as queen, and devoted herself to God by entering the religious life.

And yet, even so, she still committed herself to many good works, including to broker peace among the kingdoms at the time which were rife with rivalry and warfare. She made peace among the fighters and warmongers, and won for the people of God the peace and harmony through which more good works of God’s salvation could be done.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, St. Elizabeth of Portugal had great faith in God, and for that great faith she was rewarded with the glory of heaven. And even after she passed away, her examples and works in life still continued to inspire many others, and indeed, became a source of courage for many of those who were unsure and uncertain about following God.

Shall we too do the same as those people had done? Shall we also follow in the footsteps of the holy saints of God, the woman whose faith healed her from her bleeding affliction, and the synagogue official whose faith restored her daughter back to life, even from death? It is our choice now, brothers and sisters, and we must now choose, whether we are going to be faithful to God, or whether we are going to abandon Him for some other things.

Just as at the time of the prophet Hosea, there are many temptations in this world. And as we progress on, there are going to just be more and more temptations along our path, be it wealth, possessions, fame, human glory and praise, as well as many others.let us ask ourselves, are we able to resist these temptations? Are we able to be truly faithful to our God without being overly attached to all the things I had just mentioned?

May God strengthen our faith for Him, and enkindle in our hearts the fire of His love, that through them, we may draw ever closer to Him and find salvation and succour in His presence, and be worthy to receive the promise of eternal glory and praise He had promised to all those who believe in Him and keep their faith in Him. God bless us all. Amen.

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Friday, 1 July 2016 : 13th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we heard the story of how Jesus called one of His twelve Apostles from among the tax collectors and sinners, Levi who was then afterwards known as St. Matthew, the Apostle and one of the Four Evangelists. And this calling of St. Matthew was closely linked to what we also heard in the first reading, when in the book of the prophet Amos, God through him denounced all those wicked ones who manipulated the poor and the weak for their own benefits.

It is also related to the behaviours and attitudes of the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law during the time of Jesus our Lord. The Pharisees and the teachers of the Law during that time behaved as if they were righteous and just, as great ‘role models’ for all the faithful people of God. They acted as if they were beyond and above all the other people of God, and they thought highly of themselves, thinking that because of all the supposedly good and pious things they have done, they have earned the right to brag about them.

And worse still, it was not just that they have bragged about their faith and being proud of them and the high status which they have received from the people, but they also actively persecuted all those who disagreed with them, or those who openly refused to listen to their demands and orders. They persecuted the people and burdened them with many obligations to the laws and the customs of the Jewish traditions.

And worst of all is the fact that, which our Lord Jesus had mentioned directly to them and to others, is how these people preached and demanded very strict, unbending and even blind obedience to the precepts and the laws of God, and yet they themselves had no God in their hearts and minds. They did not do what they had preached, and their actions were often contrary to what they have said. And as a result, the faith they had was superficial and lacking in real substance.

Thus Jesus rebuked them and warned the people that while they should listen to them, but they should not follow what they were doing or how they observed the laws and precepts that they themselves preached. Thus was the faith of the hypocrites who thought of themselves as better than the others and those whom they deemed as sinners, unworthy of God’s love and grace.

And Jesus broke all of those misconceptions, as He ventured forth to the sinners and to all those whom the society had deemed to be beyond salvation. He called Levi, the tax collector who would then become a great Apostle and a great Evangelist. If we read through the entirety of the Gospel of St. Matthew, surely we will be amazed at the kind and the extent of transformation that had occurred, from a lowly and considered sinner as tax collector, to a great and eloquent writer of the Gospels of the Lord.

But before we then go and claim that all sinners are welcome and can have an easy happy ending in the Lord, we too have to take note that, when Jesus called Levi the tax collector, he had the choice to ignore Him or to listen to His call and follow Him. Certainly he had a choice, and by the conventional wisdom of the world, even at that time, the most logical choice would be to ignore Him and to continue with his life.

But instead, he chose to abandon everything behind, leaving behind all of his wealth and status as the tax collector, whatever advantages and disadvantages these brought to him, and followed Jesus from then on. This therefore is the same thing we must expect from ourselves, and from all sinners who are willing to return to the Lord. God’s mercy is for all, and He loves us all without end, but sincere and genuine repentance is a must.

May the Lord bless us all and help us on our journey. Let us all devote ourselves anew and commit ourselves fully to God and His ways. Let us all not doubt any longer but give ourselves fully to the Lord and do our best to fulfil what the Lord asked of us, not through blind obedience as what the Pharisees and the teachers of the Lord had done, but instead through sincere and true faith. May God be with us all. Amen.

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Wednesday, 29 June 2016 : Solemnity of St. Peter and St. Paul, Apostles, Great Feast of the Church of Rome and the Universal Church (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we celebrate the great feast day of our Church, the commemoration and celebration of the Solemnity of the two main patron saints of the Church, that is St. Peter the Apostle and St. Paul the Apostle. Both of them had their respective contributions to the Church and to God’s people, especially to the people and the faithful in the Church in the great city of Rome.

Both of them once led very different lifestyles, and they had their own works and careers before them. St. Peter, originally known as Simon, son of John, was a humble and simple fisherman hailing from the region of the Lake of Galilee. He went out to catch fishes everyday from his boat and did so for a living. But Jesus called him and gave him a new charge, to be the steward of His Church and as His representative on earth.

Meanwhile, St. Paul was once also known Saul, the great enemy of the Church and the faithful people of God as he went around many places to persecute and to bring harm to the faithful. He caused great harm, suffering and sorrow for the people of God, and by his hands, he brought harm and persecution to many, even including the women and children, with the aim to destroy the Church of God. But Jesus our Lord also called him and gave him a new command, that is to bring forth His words and His truth to the pagan nations.

In this manner, we see how God called and made worthy those who were seemingly unlikely to become His champions and servants. He called a simple fisherman and one who wanted to destroy His Church and destroy the memory of His Name to be those to whom He entrusted His care of the people whom He loved. He transformed them to be His greatest servants through whom many people were brought to the salvation in Him.

If we think that God chose the great and the mighty to be His servants, then we should go no further than looking at what God had done in calling those people whom He chose to be His disciples, to be the Apostles, the foundations of the Church which He Himself had established in this world. And He built this Church upon the foundation of the rock of faith, that is upon St. Peter, to whom He had said that he is Peter, and upon that rock, as Peter in Aramaic is Cephas or Rock, God would build and establish His Church.

And through the Gospels, we could see that Peter was not a perfect person. He was doubtful and although he showed bravery and courage in faith, but no sooner that trouble came, that he trembled and fell. When the Lord Jesus came walking on the water amidst the great storm in the lake, St. Peter was the first one to dare to step on the water towards the Lord, but in his fear, he almost sank into the water.

And in another occasion, St. Peter professed that he would even lay down his life for the Lord, only for the Lord to say to him that before the cock crowed the next morning, he would have betrayed and abandoned the Lord not just once but three times, a story which all of us must be very familiar with. St. Peter in his moment of fear, anguish and uncertainty, chose to abandon the Lord and denied that he ever knew Him when the enemies of the Lord closed in on Him and His disciples.

This has certainly had happened to us and many others as well. How many of us in our moments of fear and uncertainty ended up turning our backs to the Lord and turned away from His ways? How many of us compromised with our faith and the ways of the Lord for the sake of saving our own selves? This is what happened to St. Peter, who in fear abandoned Jesus his Lord and Master to save himself.

However, what differentiated him from someone like Judas Iscariot the betrayer was that, while Judas did not truly repent for his sins, and chose the easy way out by committing suicide, St. Peter chose the hard path of repentance and suffering, choosing to seek His forgiveness and love, and to commit himself anew to the works and the commands which He had entrusted to him.

It is this quality that our Lord saw in Peter, and that was why He chose to honour him with such a great position and with such a responsibility. He chose those whose faith were trembling and were tested, so that when they emerged triumphant and stronger from the trials they faced, they might become examples for all others to follow. After all, brethren, none of us are perfect, as we always have imperfections in us. It is by striving together with God that we are made stronger.

And it is the same with St. Paul, who was once a great enemy of the Church and the faithful. Once his name was uttered with great fear by the faithful and they all were terrified of the day when he would ransack and destroy their communities and handing them over to the Jewish authorities to be punished. But the same person became the source of much goodness and the source of salvation as he made a turnaround in his life and embraced God as his Lord and Saviour with all of his heart.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, St. Peter and St. Paul showed all of us that God chose sinners and sinful men to be His servants, to follow Him and to do His will, that through His hands and His guidance, they may be transformed to be great servants and great tools through which God made evident His will in this world. By the works of the two holy Apostles, the Church has become what we know it today, and countless, billions and more souls have been saved.

St. Peter and St. Paul were known for their great devotion and work for the sake of the whole Church. St. Peter was the foundation upon which the whole Church had been built. He was the rock upon which God Himself had built the Church upon. He was the centre of the Church, and to him, as God Himself mentioned, the authority over all things on earth has been given to him, as the Vicar of the Lord, the Head of the Church.

Meanwhile, St. Paul was crucial in his evangelising and missionary works, through which he established numerous communities of the faithful, the seeds of the Church in many cities through the Roman world at the time, courageously going forth to the pagans and the Gentiles or the non-Jews, while others were reluctant or even refused directly to go to them to preach the Good News of God.

Both of them encountered many difficulties during their missions, and they were persecuted, imprisoned, had to endure torture and rejection, just as the evidences in the Acts of the Apostles and the other sources told us. They were the shepherds of God’s people, and the wolves of this world who were looking for the prey among God’s flock were striking at them, and they suffered, but God was with them.

Both of them went to Rome, where they ended their works of evangelisation. And both St. Peter and St. Paul built the strong foundation of the Church there, and as the first Bishop of Rome, St. Peter also institutionalised the hierarchy and structure of the Church, through his successors, the Popes, who led the Universal Church through the authority which has been passed down to them through St. Peter from God Himself.

And they shed their blood in martyrdom at that city, the heart of the Roman Empire, the centre of the world at that time. They died in suffering, standing up firmly for their faith. And through their great courage and commitment, they showed to the whole world and to all the faithful, that in God there is hope for eternal life and salvation.

These brave and courageous servants of God has become the strong pillars of the Church and the Faith. They helped the whole Universal Church to grow strong despite of persecutions, and their examples inspired their successors to be strong and to devote themselves all the more to the Lord and to the evangelisation of the peoples. And today, all of us are called to reflect upon their examples and follow in their footsteps.

The works of the Apostles are not done. They are still ongoing, and the command which God had given His Apostles to go forth to the nations and to preach to them the Good News, and to baptise them in the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit is still true to this day. There are still many people who have yet to hear of the word of God, and they are still waiting for those who will bring them the word of God’s salvation. And it is truly up to us to do so.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, shall we then devote ourselves to the Lord, and follow in the footsteps of the Apostles St. Peter and St. Paul? Let us ask them to intercede for us and for the whole Universal Church, that the works of the Lord done through His Church will continue unabated, and through these works, may more people come closer to the salvation of God and receive eternal life.

May God bless us all, and may He strengthen our faith as He has strengthen the faith of St. Peter and St. Paul, the pillars of our Church and our Faith. May His Church remains strong amidst the challenges and the persecutions of the world, just as God Himself had said that not even the gates of hell would be able to stand against the Church. May God remain with us always and bless us now and forevermore. Amen.

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Friday, 24 June 2016 : Solemnity of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we celebrate the great feast and solemnity in honour of the great saint and Herald of our Saviour, St. John the Baptist, whom God had sent to walk before Him, in order to prepare the way for His own coming into the world in Jesus Christ. On this day we commemorate the birth of St. John the Baptist, faithful and devoted servant of God Most High, through whom God willed to reveal Himself to the world.

St. John the Baptist was told to be the return of the prophet Elijah to the world, as Elijah was taken up by God with the flaming chariots of God Himself, and just as the prophet Elijah was sent to the people of Israel to call them to repent from their sins and to turn their backs against the wickedness that they and their ancestors have committed, thus, St. John the Baptist also came into the world, called and chosen by God since within his mother’s womb, to be the one to call God’s people to repentance and forgiveness in God.

And God was with him as he grew up and became strong in faith. He wandered in the desert, preparing himself for the ministry to which he was called into, that is the ministry to proclaim the One and only Messiah and Saviour of the world, God Himself Who became Man for the sake of our salvation. He preached to the people, many of whom had been living in ignorance of God and His ways, calling them to repent their sinful ways and return to God in penitence.

Many came to follow him and listened to him. They gave themselves to be baptised by St. John through the baptism of water, that they might prepare themselves for the eventual coming of the Lord and Saviour. He also rebuked the Pharisees, the elders and the teachers of the Law for their hypocrisy in faith and pride, calling them brood of vipers, those who have neglected their duties in guiding the people of God for their own benefits.

But when the people thought that he was the Messiah and Saviour of God, he humbly rejected that opinion, and he told his disciples openly that he was not the Messiah. He told all of them that when the Lord and Messiah came, which would be soon at that time, he who was the greatest of the prophets of God and most honoured of all, would not even be worthy to untie the straps of the sandals of the Lord Who was coming into the world.

In all these examples, we can see the example of a great servant of God, who was devoted and totally committed to the mission he was called to by God, and yet was filled with humility and love for his Lord and Master. When mankind by their nature would give in to pride and to their human desires, and the tendency for them to follow their heart’s wishes, St. John the Baptist showed us all how to be a committed and good follower of our God.

What does this mean, brothers and sisters in Christ? It means that we as Christians must be true disciples of our Lord, in all of our words, deeds and actions. We cannot be calling ourselves as Christians and yet our actions prove to be otherwise. If that is so, then we are causing a great scandal both to our faith and to our Lord Himself.

Let us all today as we reflect on this occasion of the Solemnity of the birth of St. John the Baptist, the Herald of our Lord and Saviour, the one who made it known to all the world that God was coming to save the whole race of mankind, that we may give ourselves to the Lord in the same manner as St. John the Baptist himself had devoted himself to God.

May God help us in our endeavours and in our perseverance and commitment to live by His grace, that we may be inspired to follow and walk in the footsteps of St. John the Baptist, fully committing ourselves to God and remaining humble and loving in His presence. May we all as Christians be light for the world, and reveal the truth about Christ to the darkened world just as St. John the Baptist had once done. May God bless us all, now and forever. Amen.

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Thursday, 23 June 2016 : 12th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we heard about the first exile of the people of Judah from Jerusalem and the rest of Judah into exile in Babylon, which was done by the king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar. Many people were uprooted from their lands and were carried away into a foreign land, and many more would follow when the same king of Babylon destroyed the city of Jerusalem eleven years from what we heard in the Scriptures today.

In all that, we saw the final stage of the downfall of the Israelites, who had for generations been disobedient to God, and following their own ways, they have brought upon themselves those consequences which at that time, the time finally was at hand for them to endure the sufferings and tribulations as punishments for their numerous and wicked sins.

In the Gospel today we heard our Lord Jesus Who spoke to the people about the parable of the foundations or the parable of the houses. He spoke of those who did not listen or act upon what they have heard from the Lord, as those who built their houses on the weak and unstable foundation of sand, while those who in their faith kept faithfully the commandments of the Lord and did what the Lord had asked of them, built their houses on the firm foundation of the word of God.

This is closely related to what we have heard in the first reading about the downfall of the people of Judah, how they were defeated by the Babylonians and were carted off into exile. Those faithless people had disobeyed God from time to time, again and again. Many of them refused to listen to the prophets and leaders who were sent to them, from Isaiah to Jeremiah, and from many other servants of God who told them of God’s words and His will.

They were like those mentioned by Jesus our Lord as those who built their houses on the shaky and unstable foundation of sand, as they trusted in their own power and in worldly things. They refused to submit to God and to obey His will. They worshipped the pagan idols and gods of their neighbours, the Canaanites, the Ammonites, the Moabites and others.

And God in His anger turned away from them and withheld from them His grace and blessings. He let them to be on their own, supported by their own power, and very soon they realised that no human power is useful without the grace and blessings from God. When troubles come, and when all the challenges of life came, the power and strength of their wealth and worldly power could no longer help them, and they were at the mercy of their enemies.

But those who put their trust in the Lord shall never be shaken. We just have to look at the clear example of Abraham, our father in faith, who followed the Lord Who called him, leaving behind his ancestral lands, and travelled to a faraway foreign land, and God blessed him and all those who were with him. And He has also fulfilled the promise which He made with him, to make his descendants to be great among the nations.

And God Himself brought His beloved people, the children of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob out from the slavery at the land of Egypt. He brought them out by the means of mighty power, which He displayed against the Egyptians and their Pharaoh. He cast the Ten Plagues against Egypt, and brought them away from death and destruction intended on them, and opened a sea before them to walk through. And He fed them with manna and with crystal clear water. What else can we seek from the Lord, our faithful and loving God?

Brothers and sisters in Christ, therefore, let us all devote ourselves to the Lord with a renewed spirit, especially if we have not done so all these while. Let us all resist the many temptations of the flesh, the temptations of this world, which Satan is using to corrupt us and to divert us away from finding the way to the Lord, our God and Saviour. May God help us in our journey towards Him, and may He strengthen each and every one of us, now and forever. Amen.

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Wednesday, 22 June 2016 : 12th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Paulinus of Nola, Bishop and St. John Fisher, Bishop and St. Thomas More, Martyrs (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Bishops) or Red (Martyrs)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day, we heard firstly the account of what happened during the time of king Josiah of Judah, when the book of the Law of God was rediscovered in the Temple of God after it had been abandoned or presumably lost for quite some time. The king ordered for the Law to be read to him, and what he heard astounded him and made him tore his clothes in regret to the Lord.

King Josiah was a faithful king, who renewed the covenant of God with His people in the kingdom of Judah. He destroyed the pagan worship sites and the pagan idols, destroying their altars and returned the purity to the faith of the people, enforcing once again the righteous and good worship of YHVH, their Lord and God. And he was also renowned for his celebration of the proper Passover again which have not been truly observed since the days of Solomon, several centuries prior.

But then why did he tremble and acted in terror when he heard about the Law of God which were read to him? That is because the Law of God told the people about the blessings which God would give all those who obeyed the Lord and were faithful to Him, while curses and destruction would be the fate of all those who have disobeyed the Lord and abandoned His ways.

And prior to the reign of king Josiah, there had been many wicked and unfaithful kings of Judah, amidst some of those who were faithful. And these led the people of God in Judah into sin, and as a result, God’s wrath was stoked against His people and His anger has blazed against them. And by the time of Josiah, the time of reckoning was at hand, as the time when the people of Judah would be carried off into exile as what their northern brethren had experienced was coming.

A good king produces good results, and led his people into the right paths. And that was what Josiah tried to do, to led the wayward people of God back to His presence, and hopefully the anger of God would be appeased and calmed down. Unfortunately, for a good king like Josiah and some of his predecessors, there were too many of those who had been wicked and unfaithful.

And these wicked leaders led the people into sin as I have mentioned. A bad tree also produces bad and rotten fruits as well. It was what the Lord Jesus mentioned in the Gospel today. And in the end, as Josiah was the last king of Judah who was faithful to God, and the people of God had their last chance of redemption and forgiveness through him. Unfortunately, they continued to live in sin, and thus God scattered them through the foreign lands where they were exiled in, after the Holy City and the Temple of God were destroyed.

In this we heard what are the consequences if we do not keep our faith in God, and if we do what is wicked and evil. If our hearts are filled with impurities and corruptions of the world, then it is likely that our actions will also be filled with sins and wickedness, and as a result, we are in great danger, for if the Lord comes again to judge us, then He may find our faith wanting, and we will be judged amongst those who deserve the eternal suffering of hell.

If we want to be saved, then we must make sure that we walk in the path of righteousness, and lead a just and devoted life. And if we have not done so all these while, then we should start it right now. Otherwise, if we have done so, then we should continue doing what is right and just before God. And indeed, today, we are all blessed with the presence of not just one, but three honourable saints whose feast we commemorate today.

St. Paulinus of Nola was a Roman noble, who was born into privilege and belonged to a distinguished family, who became an official in the government and eventually rising to the rank of the Roman governor of Campania, a very distinguished and privileged position at that time, ruling one of the main provinces and region of Italy, the heart of the Roman Empire.

But despite that influential position, and the wealth and position which he possessed, St. Paulinus of Nola changed his ways almost entirely after he married a Christian to be his wife. He accepted the Lord as his Messiah and Saviour, and was baptised as a Christian. He was once a devoted pagan, but after having been baptised and followed the Lord’s way, he came to realise the errors of his previous ways, and changed his ways almost completely.

After his son died at an early young age, he and his wife shunned all forms of worldly influences and attractions, with St. Paulinus of Nola leaving behind his career as the governor of Campana and embraced wholly the way of the Lord through service to the Church of God and to His people. And St. Paulinus of Nola ministered to the people of God over many years, eventually appointed as the Bishop of Nola.

Meanwhile St. Thomas More was the Chancellor under the employ of the King of England, King Henry VIII. He was a powerful man with great influence, and he has a lot of power and authority being the one most trusted and most powerful beneath the king himself. However, he remained humble and devoted to his works, and in many cases, he did his best for the sake of his kingdom and his Faith.

St. Thomas More in particular was strongly against the heresy of the Protestant ‘reformation’, the heresy which had spread rapidly throughout Christendom, and caused many people to fall into sin. And he worked closely with the Church, ensuring that the heretical teachings were outlawed and prevented from misleading the people of God into sin.

St. Thomas More remained steadfast even in the midst of the increasing pressure from the king and his allies, all of whom were drifting gradually towards the Protestant camp, with the king having had the grudge against the Church and the Pope for the refusal against the remarriage of the king with another woman as well as his protracted attempt at annulment from his wife, which caused a great scandal at that time.

Both he and St. John Fisher, Bishop of Rochester, refused to obey the king on the matters in which he had caused a break between the Church in England from Rome. St. Thomas More resigned his Chancellorship and remained true to his faith, and openly with St. John Fisher stood against the tide of heresy and wickedness that had engulfed the king and his court.

They were the examples of good trees that produce good fruits, for their steadfast faith led to great courage and bravery to stand up even against overwhelming forces, and even in the face of suffering and death. They were martyred for their Faith, and from their examples, inspirations and hope remained for many people to keep up their faith even amidst persecutions.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all today reflect on all these, and think about what all of us as the people of God can do, so that our actions, words and deeds may be filled with righteousness because our hearts and minds are filled with the Law of God, as well as obedience to His laws and the justice and strength which God has given to all of His faithful ones. Let us all commit ourselves anew to God, and do our best to be righteous in His sight always. God bless us all. Amen.

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Tuesday, 21 June 2016 : 12th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Aloysius Gonzaga, Religious (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we heard about the Lord Jesus Who reminded all of us that the path to the Lord and His salvation is difficult and tough, and the gate to His presence is narrow. And many would not be able to enter into the kingdom of God. Those who manage to enter are those whose faith have been tested by trials and tribulations and yet they remain faithful to the very end without doubt and without falling into temptation.

And we have an excellent example of this from the Old Testament, as we heard today how the king Hezekiah of Judah, the faithful king of God’s people stood up against Sennacherib, the great and very mighty king of Assyria, feared all over the known world at that time due to his great conquests and his ruthlessness. Sennacherib brought all of his armies to strike at Jerusalem, which stood defiantly against the Assyrian forces.

And Sennacherib taunted Hezekiah and the people of Judah, boasting of his many conquests and his many triumphs, and how all of them were not saved by their gods and idols, and were delivered into his hands. He boasted that neither the Lord our God, the God of Israel would be able to save Jerusalem and Judah from Sennacherib and his mighty armies.

But Hezekiah and the people of Judah did not falter in their faith in God. They knew that God has been faithful to His covenant, and He would not abandon His people in their time of need. And unlike the other gods and idols which were mere creations of men and their hands, the Lord God of Israel is the one and only true God Who created all and rules over all, even over the Assyrians and Sennacherib.

And God delivered Hezekiah and Judah through His mighty power, saving them for they have stood by Him faithfully to the end, even amidst such a great odds stacked against them. He sent His mighty Angel to slay most if not all of Sennacherib’s mighty army. The mighty and great army of the Assyrians has been humbled and destroyed.

We were told that a hundred and eighty-five thousand soldiers of the Assyrians perished that day, and this told us that the army which besieged Jerusalem was very great indeed. And this was at the time when Hezekiah would likely not be able to barely muster even ten thousand men to defend his kingdom. And thus we see again how great is the victory that God would give to His faithful ones over the wicked.

And Sennacherib would return in total shame to Nineveh, his capital, having his armies destroyed and his aim of conquering Jerusalem unfulfilled. And he met his end, murdered by two of his own sons who killed him in the temple of his gods. In the end, from this history, we can see how many people would not enter into the glory of God but end up in defeat and destruction.

Only those who keep their faith and stand fast amidst the darkness will triumph in the end. Those who have been true to God will be richly rewarded. And thus all of us have to persevere in faith and devote ourselves to the Lord in all things. And perhaps the saint whose feast we are celebrating today can give us hints on how we ought to live our lives faithfully and gain righteousness in God.

St. Aloysius Gonzaga was the scion of a noble family who was expected to be the successor to his father’s noble titles and rights, as well as possessions and wealth. And from early on in his life, he has been prepared for that role to be the head of the noble house. He was given military training and good education, but deep in St. Aloysius Gonzaga’s heart, the seeds of love and devotion for the Lord began to take root and grow deep.

St. Aloysius witnessed the terrible nature of the conflicts that raged on in Italy and Spain during his youth at that time, when wars and conflicts were commonplace, and where conflicts between noble houses and families were numerous. As such, he witnessed how two of his brothers were killed in that conflict, and St. Aloysius Gonzaga began questioning his aim and direction in life, which eventually led to his desire to become a Jesuit.

And although his father was firmly against the decision, but St. Aloysius Gonzaga was truly firm and committed in his decision. Eventually he became a Jesuit, leaving behind all his rights to succeed to the titles and properties of his ancestors, and gave himself wholly to the service of God and His people. He served the poor, the sick and the dying, including those who are affected by the epidemics that were raging at that time.

And it was in the midst of that faithful service that St. Aloysius Gonzaga himself was affected by the sickness, became weak and dying himself. But to the very end, he still desired and indeed, still ministered to the poor and the sick to whom he had devoted his life to. And after his death immediately many miracles attributed to him were reported. And thus we see how God reward His righteous ones with glory and grace.

And looking at the glory of the saints in heaven, we too shall receive the same glory that the saints have received. And thus, let us all commit ourselves to the work of God, and let us all strive to be ever righteous and just in all things, that we may receive the salvation promised to us by our God. May God bless us all, now and forever. Amen.