preaching the faith

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Wednesday, 8 June 2016 : 10th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, in the Scripture readings today, we may not be able to immediately see the link between the different passages which we have heard today. But in fact all of them spoke of a singular message which all of us must know and understand. Our first reading was taken from the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah, telling us how the prophet Elijah went up against king Ahab and his four hundred and fifty priests of Baal.

And in the Gospel we heard how Jesus was telling the people as well as His disciples about how He came not to nullify and replace the old Law, but instead to reaffirm and confirm the Law and reveal its truth to the whole world. He came not to destroy the old Law but to renew that Law and to bring the people to understand fully the meaning and the purpose of that Law.

How do the two readings reconcile and link with each other? In fact, what we heard from the Old Testament is the most fundamental belief which all of us must have if we are to call ourselves as Christians. We are Christians because we believe in that one and only True God, Jesus Christ, Who has come into the world to be our Saviour, redeeming us from death and sin.

And it was the same God about Whom Elijah preached among a population of unbelievers, the people of the northern kingdom of Israel who had followed their kings into the worship of Baal, Asherah and the other pagan gods worshipped by their neighbours, the Canaanites, Ammonites, Moabites and others. Those people refused to remain true to the covenant which their ancestors had established with God.

God gave His commandments and laws to Moses, so that through him, His people might come to know of His precepts and ways, and therefore obey the rules and the regulations that would be part of the covenant which He established with them. And among the commandments and laws that He had given them, all of them spoke of the same thing, that we the people of God must love God with all of our heart and with all our attention, and then show the same love to our parents, our family, our neighbours and all others around us.

And the people of Israel at the time of Elijah had abandoned those laws and forgotten the love which God has given them. They no longer loved and served the Lord, and instead they served the pagan idols and fornicated themselves, committing wicked acts in the sight of God. But God Who loved us all still wanted to give us a chance, and thus, He sent to them the prophet Elijah to bring the revelation of His truth to those rebellious people.

And Elijah showed the might and the power of God, to lead the people to know that God is the One and the only One Whom they ought to worship. And that same God has then shown us His love and faithfulness, by fulfilling the Law and its covenant through Jesus Christ, as God Himself became one of us, so that through Him all of us may gain perfection and eternal life.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, Jesus showed His perfect love, the perfect love of God by His own act of the ultimate sacrifice on the cross. He has loved us all even to the point of willingly picking up His cross and bearing our sins, so that we may be free from those sins and their consequences, and thus be made righteous through Him. He showed us all how to love by His own example, to love God with all of our heart, as Elijah had done, and as Jesus loved God His Father, and then loving one another in the same way as He has loved us all.

Let us all reflect on the love which God has generously granted to us, that as we share in His love, we may always be ever mindful of one another, and show love in all our actions, that in everything we do, we will show care, concern, compassion and love for each other, for our brethren, especially those who have no love in them, those who were unloved and ostracised, and those who are despised.

Let us all also love God in the same manner and more, devoting ourselves completely to Him. May God be with us all, and may He continue to love us all the same, always, now and forever. Amen.

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Tuesday, 7 June 2016 : 10th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we heard about the famous sayings of our Lord Jesus Christ on the parable of the salt and the light. Through that parable, Jesus challenged His disciples, the people at that time, and ultimately all of us, to be true and faithful disciples of God, filled with zeal and courage to do what has been expected of them.

He called on all of them to be salt of the earth and to be the light of the world. He challenged them by saying that if salt loses its saltiness, it would become useless and similarly that if light is hidden from sight, it is also useless as well. Thus, in the same manner, if Christians are to lose their Christian values, the flavour if their faith, and what distinguished them from those unbelievers, then how can we share in what God has promised His faithful ones?

This is the challenge and the reminder which God has given to us all His faithful ones, that we ought to consider them and take action on what we have been reminded with. We as Christians cannot be passive and cannot be ignorant of what we are expected to do for the sake of our faith. If we are to call ourselves Christians and yet in our actions and deeds we do not show it, or worse, if we do things that are contrary to our faith, then would we not cause scandal to our faith, to the Church and ultimately to the Lord our God.

It is therefore a challenge which Jesus had presented to us, to be a true Christian, and which means that we must love one another, care for each other without considering our own selfishness. We must go forth and show tender care and love to our brethren, and be genuine in that love. Love is what made us all Christians, for we believe in God Who is love, and Who loves us all with His heart.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, God loves everyone, and in particular those who have shown their faith in Him. In the first reading today, continuing from what we have heard yesterday, we heard about how the prophet of God, Elijah, who was on the run from king Ahab, went to the city of Zarephath and met a widow there. And through the will of God, He helped and cared for both Elijah and the widow.

He provided Elijah with a dwelling place and a shelter during his exile and journey away from those who wanted to persecute him. At the same time, God also fed him through the widow who made for him and provided him with the food and sustenance he needed. And at the same time, God showed mercy and love to the widow, whom He helped through Elijah, by providing her with flour and oil that would not dry up and continued until the Lord restored the rain over the land.

Elijah did not despair even though he was under constant persecution by the king and his allies, and he did not give up the fight even though at that time literally he was the only one standing up and indeed, dared to stand up against the king and the worship of Baal, the pagan god of the Canaanites that led Israel to sin. He preached about God throughout the land and even in the foreign lands.

And that widow of Zarephath showed her faith in God when she served the prophet of God, Elijah, by providing him with water and provisions, even when she herself was very short on food for herself and for her own son. The Lord called her and she responded with faith, and for that faith, she was rewarded, just as God rewarded the prophet Elijah for his faith and devotion.

They had shown themselves to be salt of the earth and light of the world, showing God’s love, grace and truth in a world which has been immersed in the darkness of evil. They have shown their light to many people, through whom they have called them to righteousness and grace in God. Not many responded well, and many refused to change their ways, but in the end of the day, through their example, many have been saved. Jesus our Lord Himself commended the faith of the widow of Zarephath in one of His teachings to the people.

Therefore, brothers and sisters in Christ, can we do the same as well with our own lives? Are we able to be truly faithful to God? Are we showing good examples of our faith to others and our neighbour? If we want to be true Christians and reap the grace and blessings of our Lord, then surely we have to show that we are true and devoted to Him, with all our heart and our mind, and be sincere and be genuine in our faith.

Let us all renew our faith to the Lord, and devote our time and effort in order to be ever more committed and be more faithful to the Lord our God in all the things which we do. May God be with us all and may He bless us in all of our endeavours. Amen.

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Monday, 6 June 2016 : 10th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Norbert, Bishop (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Bishops)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we heard about the famous Beatitudes in the Gospel, where Jesus taught His disciples and the people on the mountain, where He preached them a sermon of blessings. In the Beatitudes are the series of blessings and graces that God revealed to His people, as hope for those who have been faithful to Him and yet faced challenges because of the world and its ways which is often against the ways of the Lord.

In the Beatitudes, we see the profile of a model Christian, whom God had alluded in all the blessings He pronounced. The Lord showed us the way to go forward in our faith, and how we ought to behave as a disciple of our Lord, to be merciful and forgiving, to be just and to be righteous in all of our actions, to be poor in spirit and to be gentle, and to be persevering even in the midst of the toughest persecutions.

In the Beatitudes, we see how God is rewarding the merciful, those who show mercy to their brethren, as He will be merciful to them as well. This is in fact is what we also pray in the Lord’s Prayer, the Pater Noster. We ask God to forgive us our sins just as we have forgiven those who have sinned against us. If we want to be forgiven, then we have to forgive first.

And those who stood up for their faith in God would not be disappointed, for God is with them, as He promised in the Beatitudes. If someone stood up for their faith and they were persecuted because of that faith, they would receive God’s approval and grace. And in this matter, we have an example in our first reading from the Book of Kings, when the prophet Elijah was on the run from king Ahab of Israel, who wanted to kill him.

As the background story goes, the prophet Elijah had just contested the priests of Baal, the pagan god who king Ahab and many in Israel at that time worshipped at Mount Carmel, where he decisively proved that Baal and his priests were frauds, as they worshipped the false god who were in fact a myth and had no power whatsoever, as opposed to YHVH, the one True God Who listened to the prayers of Elijah and showed the people His might.

And when king Ahab was angry and hunted down Elijah after that event, looking for his death, God rescued him and brought him to the desert, where He took good care of him, feeding him and giving him drinks daily, to sustain him through the difficult times until when the time comes for Elijah to come out of hiding. In this we see how God for His people, those who are faithful to Him, those who show the qualities as listed in the Beatitudes.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, perhaps we should also look at the examples of the saint whose feast we are celebrating today, namely that of St. Norbert, a renowned German bishop and saint, who lived during the time of the Medieval era Europe. He was also known by the name of St. Norbert of Xanten, a city where he grew up in about nine centuries ago.

St. Norbert was known for his great piety from his youth, and served the Lord and His Church in various ways, and after a life-changing experience he encountered, he deepened his faith and committed his life more to the Lord. He adopted a holy and devoted lifestyle, practicing the virtues of the Beatitudes in his life, and many others followed his example to become what is now known as the Canons Regular of Premontre.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, all of us should be inspired by the examples, the holiness and the exemplary lifestyle and actions shown by St. Norbert and his followers. All of us should walk in the same way as they have done, and be righteous in all the things which we do. All of that so that when the Lord comes again, He will find us worthy and just, worthy of His blessings and grace, and He will welcome us into His everlasting life.

May God bless us all, and may His grace remain shining upon us, and may all of us remain true and faithful to His ways, and not be disturbed or be tempted by the many falsehoods and lies of the devil. May God be with us all, now and forever. Amen.

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Monday, 6 June 2016 : 10th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Norbert, Bishop (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Bishops)

Matthew 5 : 1-12

At that time, when Jesus saw the crowds, He went up the mountain. He sat down and His disciples gathered around Him. Then He spoke and began to teach them :

“Fortunate are those who are poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Fortunate are those who mourn, they shall be comforted. Fortunate are the gentle, they shall possess the land. Fortunate are those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they shall be satisfied.”

“Fortunate are the merciful, for they shall find mercy. Fortunate are those with a pure heart, for they shall see God. Fortunate are those who work for peace, they shall be called children of God. Fortunate are those who are persecuted for the cause of justice, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

“Fortunate are you, when people insult you and persecute you and speak all kinds of evil against you because you are My followers. Be glad and joyful, for a great reward is kept for you in God. This is how the people persecuted the prophets who lived before you.”

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Sunday, 5 June 2016 : 10th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Boniface, Bishop and Martyr (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we heard about the Lord Who has shown to us all how He is the Lord and Master of all things, the Lord and Master of all life. He is Lord over life and death, and nothing is impossible for Him, even to restore life to those who have died. In the first reading we witnessed how Elijah prayed to God for the sake of the widow, whose son has just perished from the famine and sickness, and God listened to the prayer of His servant, returning the life back to the boy.

And as a perfect parallel to what Elijah has done in the ages past, the Lord Himself, when He came into the world as the Saviour, Jesus, did the same with the dead son of a grieving widow of Naim. We witness yet again the greatness of God as He returned the life back to the son of the widow of Naim, showing to all that He has authority even over life and death, something that no other person or being has.

And in the end, all these can be linked to the most important aspect of our faith, as we know that our Lord Jesus emptied Himself, endeavoured to suffer great pains and horrendous persecutions for our sake, and carrying the burden of the cross, on which was laid the entirety of the burden of mankind’s sins and their consequences, He died on the cross, a shameful death, but yet death did not have the power over Him. And neither did death has any power or authority now, and in the future to come.

He has shown through His own glorious Resurrection, by the power and authority which He has over all things, that He has freed all things from the bonds of death, beginning with Himself, as He has conquered death and hell itself, triumphant in the battle against evil and wickedness, against sin and the corruption of the soul. Through His perfectly selfless act of love, He has overcome that darkness which have kept mankind chained all that while.

We mankind have often feared death, and not just then at that time, but even now as well. And this is rightly so, because we see death as the end of all that we ever know, all that we ever have and all we have enjoyed in this life, and from where there is no turning back, no way out. And that is why some others looked for easy death, to escape from whatever pains and sufferings they had in this life.

Then let us reflect on what we have heard from today’s Scripture readings, how the Lord Jesus has shown His power and authority over life and death. First of all, we should not fear death, nor should we ignore it entirely. Death is not the end of all things we love and know, and it is not something that we should be overly worried about. It was our fear of death in fact which has led us to do things that bring us even closer to the eternal death.

What was I talking about? I was talking about those who have done all they can to preserve themselves, often at the expense of others, and at the same time, while they acted in selfishness to sustain themselves, they may cause difficulties and suffering for others. And for this, let us all reflect the parable which Jesus told His disciples and the people at a different occasion.

Jesus told them all about a rich man who had plenty of grains and crops, who was thinking about how he ought to contain all the wealth that he was gaining, and all his barns had been fully filled up. He was thinking of tearing down all of his barns and build even bigger ones to contain even more of the grains and crops. But God chided him saying that he was a fool for thinking that he had such a control over his life, or that he can have more of what he wanted. If He is to take away his life on that very day, then all that he had gathered would come to nothing.

God reminded us through this story that neither should we be fearful of death nor should we be ignorant or be dismissive about it. Death is a reality of life, the result of our sinfulness, our rebelliousness against God and His ways. But death does not have the final say over us, so long as we believe in the Lord, Who has conquered death and risen from the dead.

Death is not the end of the life as we know it, but rather a turning point, the beginning of a new life that is to come. It is the end of our earthly journey, and for us all who remain faithful to the Lord and remain worthy of Him, it is the ending of our years of exile from the Lord, the years of tribulations and sufferings, and marking our entry into the new life blessed by God, eternal life which He has promised us all who believe.

Thus as Christians, all of us have this fundamental belief in the Lord our God, Who has triumphed over death, and Who is loving to all of us, and it is His desire that we are all saved from that certain death. Mankind has been created out of God’s love for us, and we were intended for a life filled with joy with our God Who is loving and compassionate. Through sin we have been separated and sundered from that perfect love.

And death which was not our due become ours. God did not intend for us to suffer and die, but to enjoy the fruits and the happiness in this world, for He truly loves us all with all of His heart. He did not create us to make us suffer, but to be happy, and yet by our shortcomings and disobedience, we have brought trouble on ourselves. Death came to claim us, but the Lord Who always loves us regardless of whatever we have done, He has provided us with the way out.

And that way out is Christ, our Saviour. Do we really believe in Him? Do we believe that in Christ is our way to salvation and eternal life? If we believe so, then should we not be more like Christ our Lord in all things? The Lord has said to Martha when He came to Lazarus to resurrect him from the dead, that He is the Life and the Resurrection, and all who believe in Him shall not die but have life in them.

Now it comes to the question, how do we believe in Christ? Do we just say, oh I believe in You, o Lord? Is that all? Is that sufficient? Faith is not just about that, and it is certainly not enough if we just say that we believe, without actually acting out in the name of that faith which we have for the Lord. It means that as Christians, all of us must go forth and show that faith which we have in our Lord, the Risen Lord Who is Lord over all things and over life and death.

And we have been tasked by God to go forth into the world and preach His salvation to all the world, that they may hear His message, internalise those messages and turn themselves towards Him with all of their heart, mind and soul. So, in order for us to do this, we have to do it ourselves first, practicing obedience and faith in God in our own actions and deeds.

Let us all commit ourselves to the Lord anew from now on, and let us commit ourselves to do the work which the Lord has assigned us to do. And may God also help us and guide us in this path, that our lives may be filled with joy, knowing that God has always been faithful to us, and He will bless us and free us from the dangers of death. And may He awaken in us the strong desire to love Him and to commit ourselves to Him with all our heart, no longer bound by the chains of sin, and no longer bound by fear of death.

In God all of us can trust, and in Him, we shall find our salvation. Let us all go forth knowing with joy that the Lord is with us, helping us on this way, this journey we have, and we need to start from now, preparing ourselves for the day when the Lord comes to judge us, and hope that we are found worthy of His promise. May God bless us all, and remain with us all, now and forever. Amen.

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Saturday, 4 June 2016 : 9th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on thus say we celebrate the feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, the Mother of our Lord Jesus Christ. If yesterday we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, the loving heart of our God, then today, we celebrate the loving and tender heart of His mother Mary. Jesus and His mother Mary were inseparable and were very close, and thus, her heart is a reflection of her Son’s own Most Sacred Heart.

And in this we see how Mary was loving and kind, compassionate and filled with God’s love just as her Son showed us His everlasting love. She has shown great care and love for her Son, and the same love now she is showing to us as well. It was in that love that she endured great pain and suffering, to see with her own eyes how her Son Jesus suffered tremendously at the hands of His persecutors, as He went to save mankind through His crucifixion.

All these were foretold by the prophet Simeon, when Jesus was circumcised in the Temple eight days after His birth into the world. He said to Mary, that her Son would be a force of great change, through Whom the world and all mankind would come to see their salvation and hope. And at the same time, Simeon gave Mary a warning and premonition of what was to come. A sword would pierce her own heart.

And it was in seeing her own Son enduring His sufferings and carrying His cross to Calvary, even though He was blameless, innocent but charged with false charges, and mocked and rejected by the very people to whom He had been sent to, that her heart endured such a great pain, as mentioned by Simeon at the time of Jesus’ presentation at the Temple of God.

And in the Gospel today, which tells us about Jesus when He was only twelve years old, and went to the Temple of God in Jerusalem, surely we all know the story, how Jesus were left behind in the Temple, or rather, purposely staying behind at the Temple, the House and dwelling-place of His Father. And when Mary and Joseph returned to Jerusalem and found Him among the teachers and elders, she heard Him telling her about how He had to be in His Father’s house.

Anyone else who heard such things would have been scared, or become unsure and doubtful, or dismiss all these things as nonsense. But it was not so for Mary, for she kept everything in her heart, even things which she did not really understand. And just as at the time when the Archangel Gabriel appeared to her in Nazareth, even though she did not understand everything, but she kept everything in her heart and put her complete trust in God and His plan.

How many of us have done what she had done, brothers and sisters in Christ? Certainly, very few among us would have done what Mary did. And it is not surprising considering that we mankind are creatures who often find it difficult to trust another, and we often trust and believe in only ourselves, and we act in ways that preserve ourselves and achieve our own wants and desires.

And that is why we often find it difficult to go forward in our journey towards the Lord, because we are by our nature tend to be distracted by many things, including all the temptations of this world that are hard for us to resist. We tend to sway and to be doubtful whenever we are presented with challenges that are against our faith in God.

This is where we should imitate the examples of Mary, the mother of our Lord. She was faithful despite all the things and experiences which she had encountered throughout her life. She placed all her trust in God, even though at times there were many things which she was unsure of. And she gave it all in the mission which God had entrusted her with, namely to be the mother and bearer of the Saviour of the world.

She loved her Son with all her might, even following Him wherever He went to. And when the disciples and the Apostles were scattered after Jesus was arrested by the Jewish authorities, it was Mary His mother who remained faithful and steady, watching by closely how the people rejected her Son and tortured Him, and condemned Him to death.

And for that faith and that love, indeed, Mary is truly worthy as the Mother of God, and as what we all believe in, as the Co-Redemptrix of mankind, through whose works and actions, the redemption of us all by Jesus our Lord was made perfect and complete. And He gave us the greatest form of help, by granting to us the gift of His own mother Mary.

He did this when He was hung between the heavens and the earth on the cross. He entrusted Mary to His disciple St. John the Apostle, and entrusted him to Mary as well. Through this act, He had entrusted His mother to us all mankind, and all of us to her care vice versa. And therefore, from then on, we have Mary as our guide to find the way to Jesus our Lord.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us ask Mary our mother to pray for our sake, that as she has loved her Son, she too may love us and care for us sinners in danger of death and eternal damnation. Let us all through her help and guidance, find our way to the Lord and to the eternal life and salvation He has promised all those who keep their faith in Him. God bless us all. Amen.

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Friday, 3 June 2016 : Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, World Day of Prayer for the Sanctity of Priestly Life, Memorial of St. Charles Lwanga and Companions, Martyrs (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we all celebrate the great Solemnity and Feast of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, the moment when we celebrate the great and infinite love which God has for all of us which He had made apparent and true through His own Son, Jesus Christ, Whom He had sent into the world to become our Saviour.

Today’s chosen Scripture readings therefore match perfectly the theme we mentioned, as they all spoke about the Lord as our Shepherd, and all of us as God’s beloved sheep. And all the sheep of God ought to belong to the same flock tended to by the Shepherd of all mankind, our God Himself. None of the sheep should have been lost, but in reality, some sheep did get lost and wandered off into the foreign lands.

God in many occasions used the example of a shepherd to show the love which He has for us all, as the society of the people of God at that time were composed of mainly agricultural farmers and shepherds, tending the farmlands and the flock of sheep and goats. Thus, by relating to them through parables related to farming and to shepherding the sheep, God hoped to bring the message to His people in a clearer manner.

They would be able to relate to the fact how true and good shepherds would not abandon his sheep, but protect them and care for them with genuine love. He does not abandon the sheep when danger comes to the flock, but instead he would try to protect the flock as best as he could, even to the point of laying down his life and to suffer for the sake of the safety of the sheep.

And when a sheep is lost and wandered off on its own, the shepherd would go out all of his way to find the lost sheep and return it to the flock, as what Jesus had told the people. And in the same manner, God Who loves us all like a shepherd loves his sheep, will go forth and try to find us out in the darkness and in the wilderness where we are currently lost in.

And if shepherds know that one or more of their sheep are missing, then the Lord also definitely knows if we have erred and wandered off on our own, losing our way in this uncertain world. And He will definitely try to bring us back to His grace but ultimately, it is up to us whether we want to accept God’s mercy and forgiveness. The sheep can choose whether it wants to embrace the shepherd or to run away from him.

Today therefore, as we all celebrate this great solemnity of our Lord’s Most Sacred Heart, we all want to give thanks to our loving God, and glorify Him, as He has been so kind and compassionate to us, so gracious and so loving that even though we have committed sin and wickedness before Him and spurned His love, He was willing to forgive us and to welcome us back as long as we ourselves want to be forgiven and want to change our ways.

And not only that, God Himself has appointed His servants to be shepherds like Him, the Good Shepherd, modelled after Himself, to care for us all and to guide us all back to Him. And these are our devoted priests, all the men who had given themselves totally to serve the Lord and His people. The priests are those whom God had anointed to be His shepherds to lead the people whom He loves and cares for, so that they may find their path to Him.

So today is also the World Day of Prayer for the Sanctity of Priestly Life, when we all devote our prayer to our priests, that God may keep them holy and stay devoted to Him and to the mission to which they have been called to serve with zeal. It is not easy to become a priest and remain faithful as one these days, even as it was difficult in the past, as challenges and new obstacles arose to hamper the works of our priests.

And we all certainly know that not all priests had remained faithful as the good and just shepherds of God’s people. Some of them gave up along the way, abandoning the call and the vocation to which they have devoted themselves. They left the service and their calling because they were unable to devote themselves wholeheartedly to the mission entrusted to them, or that they had a change of heart and mind.

And worst of all, some even perverted and abused the purpose of their office, and betrayed the trust which those who have been entrusted to them had accorded to them. As a result, the faith and the Church were scandalised by them, and in the end, it was the good Name of our God which has been tainted and ruined by their actions.

I am speaking about those priests and servants of the Lord who had committed grievous sins by improper conduct and improper relationships even as they made their vow of chastity and purity, as well as improper desires and corrupt actions when they have already made the same vow to be pure and good role models. And this is the reality of our Church, how few of those who had been appointed as shepherds had erred and became bad shepherds and led the people into the wrong paths.

And because of these and other wicked and scandalous things that some of them did, it made the life and the work of the faithful priests and servants of God to be very difficult, and challenges continued to form in many varieties against our faithful and good shepherds. They are mocked, rejected and they were seen as those who had no future, and we can see even parents of those young men willing to join the priesthood actively discouraging them from entering the seminaries.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us today pray for our priests, and let us all devote our prayers to them, asking God to bless them and keep them in His grace, and may He empower them and give them courage in order to persevere against all the challenges stacked against them. Let us all not be discouraged when we see our priests encounter many difficulties, but instead, let us be inspired by their examples, and those among us who have been called, let us consider carefully God’s calling.

May God bless us and our priests, that all of us, especially our priests may follow the example of Him Who is our Good Shepherd, showing love in all of our actions and devoting ourselves to the works of love, caring for all the flocks of the Lord, that all may be saved. God be with us all, now and forever. Amen.

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Saturday, 28 May 2016 : 8th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Saturday Mass of our Lady)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today St. Jude in his Epistle in our first reading reminds us all that as Christians, all of us have to hold fast and strong to the laws and the precepts that the Lord has passed down to us through His Church, doing all that is righteous and just, acceptable to the Lord our God, so that in all the things that we do, we may be ever faithful and be worthy of our God.

It means that we should not give in to fornication of the flesh and the soul, and neither should we do things that bring about harm and darkness upon each other. We must remain firm in our commitment and our faith to God, even though the world and all of the enemies of the Lord are trying actively to hinder us on our journey onward towards the salvation and eternal life in God.

In the Gospel today, we heard about how the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law were openly doubting the authority of Jesus, even went as far as asking Him directly in front of the people, under what authority He has been acting and doing all that He has done. That is as far as someone can go in trying to discredit or undermine another’s authority by openly showing doubt in front of so many people.

And yet, Jesus rebuked them and countered them excellently, pointing out to the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law that His authority is indeed from God, even more so if St. John the Baptist himself had come from God. He put them the question that prevented them from trying to undermine His authority any longer, as they were not able to disclaim whatever St. John the Baptist had done as a mere human action, but indeed divine instead.

And if you are wondering why were the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law so adamantly set in their opposition against Jesus, then we should just take note and understand more of the situation at that time, where the Jewish society were dominated by the powerful elders and the masters of the laws and customs of the Jewish society, the Pharisees, the teachers of the Law and the chief priests.

In those days, where many cultures and customs were competing against each other, and when multicultural societies were the norm, the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law were self-appointed guardians of the Jewish society and culture, and they took a particularly strict and often unreasonable approach in enforcing the laws of Moses to the people.

And thus they looked at anyone who did not belong to them, and performing miracles, teaching about the faith to the people as rivals, especially those who did not subscribe to the same view as theirs. They enjoyed the adulation and praise from the people, and the fame and glory that accompanied their position. And naturally, as is our human nature, they feared the moment when any of these were to be taken away from them. And thus, they were willing to even oppose God just so that they could preserve themselves.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, this is not the way that we should behave, even as St. Jude in his Epistle had reminded us all the faithful ones. We have to let go of all these and we must not allow ourselves to be controlled by our desire, our wants, our needs and all that make us hunger for more, either wealth, or possessions, or any other forms of worldly attachments, that are bound to keep us away from the Lord.

Let us all instead commit ourselves to works of charity, caring for one another, and bringing the true faith to them, by first practicing it in our own lives. May our words, actions and deeds speak loudly of our faith in God, and while remaining humble and true to our devotion to God, He Who has come into the world, Jesus our Lord, so that all of us may be saved. May God bless us all. Amen.

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Friday, 27 May 2016 : 8th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Augustine of Canterbury, Bishop (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Bishops)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, listening at the passage which we heard from the Gospel today, surely many of us would feel kind of unsettled and fearful at what Jesus has said and done. After all, we heard how Jesus our Lord cursed the fig tree without fruits, and made it to dry up and die. And then, Jesus also showed His wrath on the merchants and money changers who set up stalls in the Temple grounds, chasing them out with whip and lashes.

In this passage therefore, we see the side of our Lord which we tend to forget or ignore, and an aspect which we tend to overlook when we think about God. We always tend to see God as a loving, kind, merciful and compassionate God, but then they forget that He is also a vengeful and angry God against those who have been unfaithful. He exacts judgment against those who disobeyed Him and refused to listen to Him.

We live in a world where many have forgotten about the consequences of sin, and therefore, as a result, we tend to become desensitised to sin, and we often ignore the consequences of our sins, to the point that we may just sin without even being worried about it, or being affected by it. And the main reason for this, is the lack of that understanding and the seriousness which we ought to have when we refer to sin and all the fruits of wickedness in our actions.

Indeed, it is just like the barren fig tree. We are the fig trees, and if we are without fruits, barren and dry, then we have truly not deserved the good graces and blessings of God. Instead, curses and destruction is our only share. And if we think that Jesus was being unreasonable because it was not the fig season, then we should understand how this is related to what Jesus spoke in another parable.

Jesus told us that the kingdom of God is coming to us in the manner like that of a thief, unexpected and sudden, without prior warning and without any signs to let us know that it is coming. It is just as Jesus came by suddenly to the fig tree, outside the fig season, and finding the tree to be barren and without any fruits. And thus it received only curses and not blessings, and it perished.

Thus, the same fate awaits all of us, if we do not learn from what the Scriptures are trying to tell us. And that is if we live like the merchants and the sellers, the money changers and all who filled up the sacred Temple grounds with their unholy transactions and dirty money. And as a result, they earned the wrath of God, Who whipped them and lashed at them, chasing them out of the Temple of God, the Holy residence of God.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, we must really devote ourselves to the Lord, in all things and commit ourselves to His ways, through our sincere devotion, and by all the loving acts which we should show to one another, caring for our brethren in need, and giving them the love which they ought to receive and which we ought to give. And in this manner, perhaps we should follow in the footsteps of the saint whose feast we are celebrating today, namely St. Augustine of Canterbury.

St. Augustine of Canterbury was one of the first bishops of the region known as England. His works there was instrumental in reestablishing the Christian faith and the Church in England. He was a religious monk from Rome, who was tasked by the then reigning Pope, Pope St. Gregory the Great to be the evangeliser of England and all of its neighbouring countries.

England had been Christianised by the preceding Roman era, when the Roman Empire still controlled the region. But with the invasion by the barbarian Saxons and Jutes, the Angles and others, Christian faith has largely died out in that country. As a result, there was a great need to reinvigorate the Church and reestablish the Church structure and hierarchy in England.

St. Augustine of Canterbury thus went forth to a region of unknown challenges, where he laboured hard for the sake of the faith, and he had to endure persecutions from the pagans and rejection from those who refused to accept the truth of God. But he persevered on, and showed them care, concern and love. And in teaching the people about the truths and wonders of God, St. Augustine showed them the path to God, and his actions bore many wonderful fruits, including the conversion of the king of the place where he ministered in, and many people who came to be baptised afterwards.

By his works, many people have been saved from the certainty of damnation and death, and these are truly the rich fruits of faith which St. Augustine had produced, and by which he was made justified and right in the presence of God. And that is why he is now counted among the holy saints of God. Brothers and sisters in Christ, we too can follow in his footsteps and be like him.

Let us all therefore renew our efforts to live our lives faithfully and renew our commitment to God, that we may give our all to the Lord and glorify Him through our actions. May He continue to bless us and keep us forever in His grace. Amen.

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Wednesday, 25 May 2016 : 8th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Bede the Venerable, Priest and Doctor of the Church, and Pope St. Gregory VII, Pope, and St. Mary Magdalene de’ Pazzi, Virgin (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Priests, Popes and Virgins)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we are all called to be humble and to be committed to God, in the same way that our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, had been humble, loving and obedient to His Father even until the very end. The examples which Christ showed us is certainly what we too can follow in our own lives, especially considering the ways that this world have shown us.

Jesus spoke to His disciples regarding how in this world, it is common to see people oppressing each other, especially those in the positions of power and influence, using their power and authority to oppress those who are weaker than them, and those who are less powerful or influential than they are. This is the norms and the customs of this world, a world where the strongest lived on, survived and the weak perished.

And that was what James and John had done, in following the norms of the world. It was just like in our societies, where servants asked for favours from their masters, subordinates asking for more glory, wealth and power from their superiors. That is the way that men thought, and that is how we often lived our lives. It is all about getting more things for ourselves, garnering more praise and attention for our deeds.

But the Lord taught us all that His way is not the way acceptable to the world, for it is indeed different. Where the world championed and glorified those who glorify themselves and seek more power for their own, the way of our Lord is simplicity, humility and selflessness. In order to follow the Lord our God and love Him with all our heart, we must learn to let go of those corrupting desires that kept us away from being able to achieve salvation in God.

Jesus Himself showed by example, as even though He is Almighty, King of all the universe and Lord and Master of all creation, but He came into our world not as a King to be served and to be feared, and instead as a servant and a humble Man, through whose humility and work, the salvation would be brought into the world. And as He has shown us the way, we too should follow Him in His actions.

And today, we celebrate not just one but three holy saints of God, whose own lives have been exemplary, and can indeed be inspirations for us to follow their lifestyle, so that we ourselves may draw ever closer to God. St. Bede the Venerable was a holy servant of God, who was renowned for his many works with regards to the Scriptures and to the teachings of the early disciples and Church fathers.

St. Bede the Venerable was an English monk renowned for his devotion to his work, in bringing the truth of God to greater discovery and understanding by those who have read and viewed his works. He translated many Latin and Greek manuscripts of the faith into English language, and through his many dedications and works, people had therefore discovered the teachings of the Church passed down to them.

Meanwhile, Pope St. Gregory VII was a great leader of the Church, a courageous and committed defender of the Church and the faith against the forces of the world trying to undermine its authority. Pope St. Gregory VII led the Church through a turbulent time in the history of the Church, where conflict peaked between the Church and the secular authority in the person of the Holy Roman Emperor, Henry.

The conflict was precisely because of the conflicting interest between the Emperor and the Church of God, led by Pope St. Gregory VII. The Emperor claimed the power and authority over the Church, and at least in the territories he controlled, the Emperor claimed the authority to appoint bishops and the other leaders of the Church.

But the Church and its leader, Pope St. Gregory VII refused to bow down to the demands of the Emperor. The faithful resisted the influences and the coercion by the Emperor and his party of supporters. As a result, the clashes and the conflicts between the Church and the Emperor became ever more violent and resulted in great difficulties and challenges for the faithful servants of God.

Even Pope St. Gregory VII himself was suffering from the tribulations and challenges, and he suffered even from exile and incarceration. He died a lonely and broken man in body, but his spirit was never daunted by the challenges and the difficulties which he had encountered. And in the end, the Church triumphed and the world did not have its way.

And last of all, St. Mary Magdalene de’ Pazzi was a holy and devoted woman who lived in the region now known as Tuscany in Italy a few hundred years ago. She was a mystic and a Carmelite nun, who has devoted almost her entire life to the Lord. Ever since a very young age, she has practiced meditation as shown by a tutor she engaged, and she received many visions from the Lord, telling her about many things on the matter of faith and about God’s will for the world.

And by her many accounts and works, she helped to rejuvenate the faith in the hearts of many people, and many believed because of her accounts of the Lord, all of her visions and her own piety. And even though she died early in her life, but her inspirational life continues to influence many even unto this very day. Many miracles also accompanied her tomb and her relics, showing the glory which God gives to all of His faithful ones.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, after we have witnessed and heard the examples of these holy saints, let us all commit ourselves anew to the Lord our God following the footsteps of the holy saints. Let us all not be discouraged and be afraid to lead a faithful life filled with true commitment and love for God and His ways. Let us all be the beacons of light for this world, so that through humility and service, we may be like Jesus our Lord, in bringing righteousness upon one another and the whole world.

May God bless us all and keep us, and may He strengthen us our faith, that we may continue to persevere despite the challenges in this life. May He guard us and protect us from harm, and may He keep us in His love forevermore. Amen.