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Tuesday, 24 September 2024 : 25th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all heard the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are constantly being reminded yet again and again that each and every one of us as Christians are called to be righteous and full of virtue in everything that we say and do, in our every parts of life, in all the things we take part in. All of us cannot be idle in the living of our faith and we should not ignore the things and opportunities which we have that may allow us to do more for the benefit of those around us, in loving one another most generously and tenderly just as the Lord has taught and wanted us all to do, to be truly filled with His love and kindness, His generosity and compassion at all times.

In our first reading today, we heard of the words from the Book of Proverbs in which we are reminded that if we choose the path of wickedness and evil, all these eventually will lead to destruction and death. None of these will lead us to true happiness, satisfaction and joy. At that time, many among the people of God, the Israelites and their descendants had not been truly faithful to God, and they had spent a lot of time indulging in all sorts of worldly distractions and temptations, pleasures, desires and ambitions, all the pursuits which had led them deeper and deeper into the fallen path, into the path towards their condemnation, destruction and downfall. All these things can happen to us as well if we are not careful and vigilant.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, we are reminded by the short passage from the Gospel according to St. Luke, in which the Lord told the people who informed Him that His mother and brothers, likely His relatives and not actual brothers, were there to come and see Him. He told them that every one of them are like His mother and brothers if they all do the will of God, obey Him and commit themselves to Him. On a literal interpretation and surface level, these words might have sounded as if the Lord Jesus was being very rude for His words on them and on His response to their coming before the people, however, if we truly understand better of what the Lord intended with these words, then we will appreciate better what His intention and desire is, in reminding us all to continue to obey the Lord and to do His will as we all should have.

The Lord loved His mother Mary very much, and devoted Himself to Him, and He also loves everyone without exception, and thus, it is truly not at all in His intention to snub or disrespect His mother and relatives in any way, least of all His beloved Mother. In fact, the Lord was in fact highlighting and doubling up on His respect on His mother Mary by doing so, as Mary herself was and is a perfect example of faith and obedience to God. The Lord has highlighted to every one of us that if we follow Mary’s examples, then we are going to make it towards His Presence because indeed through Mary is the most direct path towards the Lord and His salvation. That is why our Christian faith honours Mary so much and accord to her a truly respectful position as the Mother of God.

And not only that, as this is also an assurance from the Lord that everyone who is good and just, obedient and faithful to God, full of virtue and love in their lives, in their every words, actions and deeds, all shall be blessed by God and all of them shall be made worthy by Him because they all had done what God had asked them to do. He will bless them in the manner that He has blessed His own Beloved Mother, and make them all filled with His grace just as Mary herself is full of God’s grace. Thus, it is an important reminder to each and every one of us not to be idle in the living of our faith in our respective lives. As Christians, we must always embody a strong, vibrant and missionary faith, one that is based upon our strong commitment and love towards God.

Each and every one of us are reminded to love one another ever more generously and to commit ourselves to the path that the Lord has shown and taught us, and best still following the path which His Mother, Mary, our own loving Mother has treaded and persevered through in her most faithful and committed life, in doing whatever she could to follow her Son and to do God’s will. Each and every one of us have to realise that we are all also part of this same Church, this same Body of Christ, the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church and hence, we are part of the same missions and efforts which the Lord had entrusted to His Church. We cannot dwell anymore in indulging ourselves upon worldly pleasures and desires. Instead, we should endeavour to renew our faith, commitment, dedication and obedience to God.

As Christians, it is always important that we continue to remind ourselves to be active in reaching out to those around us, especially those who are in need and those who are struggling, either physically, mentally or spiritually. Each and every one of us are brothers and sisters in the same Lord, and we are all called to be truly loving and life-giving in all things, in each and every moments of our lives, down to the smallest things, in all of our interactions and the time we spent with one another. The Lord our God should always be at the centre of our lives and existence, and He should always be the reason why we do things with love, inspired by His own most loving and generous examples, and also through His Mother’s loving intercession and help for all of us.

May the Lord continue to help and bless us all in our every works, efforts and endeavours, and may He continue to empower each and every one of us so that by our commitments to Him and by our every exemplary and inspiring examples in life, we may continue to bear forth His light and truth, hope and love to all the people whom we encounter daily in our lives, now and always, forevermore. Amen.

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Monday, 23 September 2024 : 25th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Pius of Pietrelcina, Priest (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures we are all reminded of the need for all of us to be truly righteous and worthy in everything that we say and do in our lives, in our every interactions with one another, so that each and every one of our works will truly be worthy of the Lord, and that we may always be the great beacons of God’s light and grace to the nations, to everyone who have encountered and been interacting with us, in each and every moments of our lives, even to the smallest actions, the seemingly least significant words, efforts and deeds. All of us should always do our part to proclaim the Lord by our exemplary actions and deeds so that everyone may experience God’s works and love through us.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of Proverbs we heard of the reminders from the Lord to His beloved people that they must not do what is evil and wicked in the sight of God and man alike, and they should not treat their fellow brethren with wicked intentions and contempt. Instead, each and every one of them must always be righteous and full of virtue in all things, and they should always be exemplary in their actions, words and deeds so that they may not be counted among those who were wicked and unjust, and therefore would have to face the reckoning from the Lord for all of their wicked deeds and sins, which they had to account and answer for. The Lord wants each one of them to know that if they do good to others, then good things shall be given to them as well, while if they do bad and evil to others, then they too shall face the just consequences for those things.

In our Gospel passage today, we then heard of the Lord speaking to His disciples using a parable to explain to them what He wanted to teach them regarding the matter of them living their lives in the manner that He has taught and shown them to do, so that in all that they have done, they may continue to proclaim the Lord faithfully in all of their whole lives, in their every actions, words and deeds, much as the author of the Book of Proverbs had said to the people of God many centuries earlier. The Lord essentially used this parable of the lamps to tell them that whatever good things He had taught and shown them to do, they should all do them faithfully and courageously in each and every moments of their lives, and not to hide them and not to ignore whatever responsibilities and missions which God had entrusted to them.

The Lord wanted them and hence all of us to know that as His disciples and followers, it is important that all of us must always be active and missionary in all the things that we do in our lives. Otherwise, our faith is truly empty and meaningless, and will not avail us on the moment of reckoning, when the Lord would ask us to account for our lives before Him, for everything that we have done and for all that we have failed to do. If we have been given many blessings, opportunities and capacities by the Lord to do what we are supposed to do as Christians, in doing His will wholeheartedly and in serving Him to the best of our abilities, then we should not be ignorant any longer of this calling that we have, and instead, we should embrace our calling and mission with great courage and with the desire to glorify the Lord ever more by our worthy living.

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Pius of Pietrelcina, also much more commonly and famously known as St. Padre Pio, a Capuchin Franciscan saint, a holy and truly pious priest and servant of God who had been known well for his many miracles and wonders. St. Padre Pio was remembered for his great piety and commitment to God, for his humble dedication to the Lord despite the many challenges that he had to face throughout his life and ministry. St. Padre Pio did not have it easy early on in life as he had been born to a family of poor farmers, and they had faced a lot of challenges, and yet, they were all very devout and committed to God, spending a lot of time in devotion and prayer to God despite all the hardships that they had to endure in their lives.

Amidst all that background, the young St. Padre Pio has begun to discern the calling to serve God and become a priest, and at the same time, he has also begun experiencing various heavenly visions and mystical experiences that he would go on to experience through the rest of his life. Eventually, St. Padre Pio joined the Capuchin religious order and dedicated himself to the order’s way of life, but even in that he also faced struggles and hurdles, as he was not properly educated, and needed to further his studies first before he was allowed to join the order. He faced several bouts of ill health and problems during his formation years, and this problem still plagued him even after he was ordained a priest, an experience which was worsened by his mystical experience of being a stigmatist later on in life, bearing the wounds of the Lord Himself on his body.

The appearance of the stigmatq gradually made St. Padre Pio to be very famous later on in his life, but for many years and decades, he encountered a lot of doubts, opposition and also persecution from the Church hierarchy and others who cast doubts on the authenticity of the miracles and the stigmata which were associated with this holy man of God. He had to bear through periods in which he was banned from celebrating the Mass publicly and preaching to the people of God, all the while experiencing spiritual attacks from the devil. Yet, all these did not dampen his spirit, and he continued to live his life humbly, faithfully and devoutly in all things, spending a lot of time in prayer, and many more people were coming to him seeking for his help and guidance, and other occasions happened when miracles happened to those who have interacted with this man of God.

To the end of his life, St. Padre Pio continued to dedicate himself to God without cease, continuing to showcase what it truly means to be a faithful Christian disciple and follower. All of us therefore are also reminded that we should also commit ourselves and our every actions, words and deeds, our every efforts to proclaim the Lord, in each and every moments of our lives. Let us all therefore do our part to proclaim the Lord our God faithfully as how St. Padre Pio, St. Pius of Pietrelcina had lived his life, in being good and worthy beacons of God’s light and hope, His love and salvation to all others around us. Let us all continue to walk ever more worthily in God’s Holy Presence from now on, helping and inspiring our fellow brethren in faith, committing more of our efforts and time to glorify the Lord by our lives.

May the Lord be with us all and may He empower each and every one of us to live our lives henceforth with the strong zeal and fervour, to continue to love Him and to love one another ever more generously, in the manner that the Lord Himself has shown and taught us, now and always, forevermore. Amen.

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Sunday, 22 September 2024 : Twenty-Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday all of us are reminded very strongly through the words of the Sacred Scriptures that each and every one of us as God’s followers, as His holy and beloved people must not allow ourselves to be easily swayed and turned into the wrong paths by the many temptations all around us which try to pander to our pride, ego and greed within us, and try to tempt and persuade us to move away from the Lord and His righteousness in making us to indulge in our desires for worldly pleasures, fame, glory, comfort and many other things in this world that had led so many of our predecessors into their doom and downfall. Each and every one of them have failed to resist those temptations and allowed those things to pull them away from the path of virtue and righteousness into evil and disobedience against God.

In our first reading this Sunday, we heard from the Book of Wisdom in which the words of the author speaking of the plots and vicious plans certain group of people attempted against the righteous and faithful people of God, and particularly, it also mentioned the Righteous One, the Son of God as the target of these vicious efforts and plans. This Book of Wisdom was written and compiled centuries before the coming of Christ, the Son of God likely referred to by this same author, and therefore, it is indeed a premonition of what was to come, proclaiming the coming of the Salvation in the Son of God, Jesus Christ Himself, Who would indeed face challenges and sufferings amidst His mission in this world, facing rejection and stubbornness from the people to whom He had been sent to, persecution and eventually death on the Cross.

In our second reading this Sunday from the Epistle of St. James, we then heard the reason for this rejection and opposition against the Lord, which is also a good reminder for us all so that we do not end up in the same fate as well. St. James mentioned about how we tend to fight and quarrel with each other over worldly desires and pursuits, all because of our clashing desires and ideals, and also our pride, ego and ambitions, our greed and jealousy, all the things which can easily lead us down the slippery slope of disobedience against God and sin. This is why it is important for us all to keep ourselves on guard against all those negative emotions and distractions, all of which had led many among our predecessors to be disobedient and sinful against God.

For example, many among the Pharisees who have frequently opposed the Lord and persistently attacked and criticised Him did so most likely because they were jealous of His many achievements and wonderful works of performing miracles, that many among the people who used to follow them and respect them as the religious and intellectual elites of the community, no longer did so and went to seek the Lord Jesus instead. Their pride and ego, their sense of superiority and self-righteousness also added on to this, as they refused to accept the fact that One could have come and revealed to them the truth and the teachings that they themselves did not about. They hardened their hearts and minds against the Lord despite having heard and seen for themselves on many occasions the truth that God has brought upon them.

Then in our Gospel passage this Sunday, we heard of the account from the Gospel according to St. Mark the Evangelist in which He first foretold to His disciples everything that He would have to suffer in the midst of His mission and works, and in how He would be betrayed and abandoned to His enemies, persecuted and oppressed to the point of death, which was indeed in alignment with what the author of the Book of Wisdom had been telling us earlier from the first reading today. This persecutions and oppressions that the Lord would endure however did not dampen His desire to reach out to us and to rescue us from our predicaments and troubles, and He doubled up the efforts He made to seek us and to help us all to be reconciled with His heavenly Father, our Lord and God.

He then also mentioned how it was foolish for them to constantly bicker, argue and quarrel among themselves regarding who among them were better and more worthy, more righteous or more virtuous in their deeds and works, as they often did at that time. Many among them must be bickering and quarrelling, hoping that they would be more favoured and honoured by the Lord and became His right hand disciple and trusted one, looking with jealousy and dislike those that had been gaining favour with the Lord. That was the same attitude which the Pharisees had shown, and which the disciples initially also had, because they were all thinking in terms of worldly matters and desires, all of which would have led them down the path of pride and downfall, as their predecessors had experienced.

This is why the Lord pointed out the folly in all those arguments and bickering, all the struggles they had with one another regarding who among them were better and more worthy. All the things that they were seeking for or craved were ultimately illusory and impermanent, and would not have led them to true satisfaction and joy, and He pointed to them that they should instead be like little children in how they believe in Him, and in their way of living. Why is that so, brothers and sisters in Christ? That is because young children besides being innocent, they also believe in something truly and with pure intention instead of being burdened and affected by various desires and concerns of the world, all of which distracted those disciples and others like us from our true focus and purpose in life that is to glorify the Lord our God.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday as we all have been reminded by the Lord through the words of the Scriptures, let us all therefore do our best to realign our lives back to the Lord and to devote ourselves more and more, our efforts, time and attention to follow the Lord our God ever more wholeheartedly from now on. Let us all continue to walk ever more worthily in God’s Presence, by returning ourselves to focus once more to Him and to reorientate our whole lives to His cause, doing whatever we can to obey Him and His commandments, and to seek true satisfaction and pleasure from serving and glorifying Him rather than to satisfy our selfish desires and ambitions, which would disappoint us in the end. May the Lord continue to guide and strengthen us all in faith, and help us so that we can continue to embrace Him and come ever closer to Him and His salvation, now and always. Amen.

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Saturday, 21 September 2024 : Feast of St. Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today the Church celebrates the great occasion of the Feast of St. Matthew, one of the great Apostles of the Lord and also one of the Four Evangelists. St. Matthew has once been known as Levi, a tax collector who was among those despised by the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law among others for their work and role in collecting taxes on behalf of the rulers and overlords of the land, and were also seen and perceived as being corrupt and greedy by the others which made them hated and shunned by the rest of the community. Yet, as we have seen from the example of St. Matthew himself, that no matter what people might think of or perceive, even great sinners and those deemed to be unworthy of God, are capable of truly great and faithful deeds, and are equally beloved by God like everyone else.

In the Gospels, we heard how Levi was called by the Lord, and he immediately left everything behind in order to follow Him and commit Himself wholly to His cause from then on. St. Matthew as Levi worked in collecting taxes for the Romans and the local rulers, and that led to him and the other tax collectors being despised as they collected taxes which were resented by many among the people, as those taxes were expenses that at times made it difficult for many people to make ends meet. As mentioned, this made the tax collectors to be considered as greedy and corrupt, and they were branded and marginalised, ostracised and rejected because they were seen as wicked and sinful, and the Pharisees in particular acted against them and made them to be the enemies of the people of God.

But, as the Gospel also highlighted, the tax collectors and the others whom those self-righteous people condemned and ostracised as sinners were actually the ones who wanted to seek the Lord for His forgiveness and mercy, and also those who were willing to listen to His truth and teachings, while the ones who thought themselves as worthy and righteous like the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, proudly and arrogantly rejected the Lord and His teachings, stubbornly closing their hearts and minds against God and all the truth that He has revealed through His Son, the Saviour Whom He had sent into their midst. It was St. Matthew and the many other sinners who came closer to God and His salvation, through their humility and desire to love God wholeheartedly.

According to Apostolic traditions and history, St. Matthew continued to minister among the Jewish people, just as his Gospel was noted for his particular aim and focus on the Jewish converts to the Christian faith. He worked hard to proclaim the Lord to them and then he continued on with his ministry to other places like Ethiopia. It was there that according to tradition, St. Matthew was martyred after he rebuked the King of Ethiopia who lusted after a holy virgin who had consecrated herself to God. St. Matthew devoted himself faithfully and wholeheartedly to the Lord all throughout his life to the end, and in doing so, he truly showed us all his commitment to the Lord’s path, and inspire us to do the same as well, giving us all the hope that even he, who was once shunned and ostracised, can become a great disciple of the Lord. 

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we heard and discussed in the life and ministry which St. Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist carried out for the sake of the Lord, as a faithful disciple and servant of God, through his many efforts and works at evangelisation, through his missions and through the Gospel that he had compiled and written, as well as the many other efforts and works he had made, through his courageous testifying of the truth and message of the Gospel that he himself had written, St. Matthew has shown us a great example and inspiration on how each and every one of us can live our lives worthily as Christians as well. All of us are called and reminded to follow in the footsteps of St. Matthew and the other Apostles and disciples of the Lord at all times.

In this world today, there are still many people who have yet to know the Lord and His truth, His Good News and salvation. And there are many people who are still ignorant of His love and grace, His ways and commandments. It is up to us to show what our Christian faith is all about and to reveal God’s Good News and love to everyone around us, to all those whom we encounter in each and every moments of our lives, not through mere empty words and formalities, appearances or pious actions, but through wholesome and thorough embodiment of our faith in our daily lives, in even the smallest details and parts of our words, actions and deeds, in our every efforts and interactions with one another, with those who are less fortunate and unloved, those who are suffering and troubled, and whenever we make ourselves available to them, to show tender care, concern and genuine love, that is how we show the love of God to them.

This is why today, as we rejoice together and honour as one people the memory of the great St. Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist, holy servant of God, our role model and inspiration, let us all be reminded of our important roles and vocations in life as fellow Christians, as God’s holy and beloved disciples and followers. Each and every one of us have the important parts to play in doing whatever it is that God has entrusted to us, to bring forth the love and truth of God to more and more people throughout the whole world. We may think that we cannot do great things, but the reality is that, each and every one of us, no matter how small our contributions may be, but all these will add up together and make up the great works and contributions from every single one of us, reaching much further than we think we can reach through our efforts and works.

Let us all therefore renew our commitment to serve the Lord faithfully as St. Matthew and many other holy people of God had done, by doing our very best in each and every moments of our lives so that by our every good efforts and exemplary works, we may inspire many others whom we encounter in life, all those around us, be it those whom we know and even strangers, who have all come to seek God and therefore, through us, they may truly experience God’s love and grace. May the Lord, our most loving God and Creator continue to help and inspire us all in our journey of faith through life, that each and every moments of our lives may truly be enriching in faith and be good examples for each other. May St. Matthew, Holy Apostle and Evangelist, continue to intercede for us sinners and inspire us by his examples and dedication. Amen.

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Friday, 20 September 2024 : 24th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Laurent Imbert, Bishop and Martyr, St. Jacques Chastan, Priest and Martyr, and St. Andrew Kim Tae-gon, Priest and Martyr, and St. Paul Chong Ha-sang and Companions, Martyrs (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, we are all reminded that we are all believers in the Lord’s resurrection from the dear and the promise of the life that is to come for us with God. Each and every one of us as Christians are partakers of the Lord’s promise and the eternal life and grace which He will bless us all with, and which He has shown us and proven to us through the Resurrection which He Himself has experienced, gloriously risen from the dead and triumphant against all the forces of sin and evil, crushing forever the dominion and power of Satan, and opening for us all the sure path to eternal life and salvation with Him and in Him. Today we are reminded that as Christians, all of us ought to have firm and strong faith in Him and the resurrection.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Church and the faithful people of God in the city and region of Corinth in which the Apostle spoke to the Corinthian faithful with regards to the important and core Christian tenet and belief in the resurrection from the dead. There were likely those among the faithful in Corinth who did not truly believe in the resurrection from the dead, and they may not have believed in the Apostles and the other disciples who had come to them bearing the news of the Lord’s resurrection. Therefore, St. Paul reiterated again that the belief in the resurrection from the dead, particularly in the Resurrection of Our Lord is an essential and crucial part of our Christian beliefs and faith.

He stated that if the Lord had not risen from the dead, then all of their beliefs and faith in Him would have been useless, as if the Lord Jesus Himself had perished and been defeated by the power of Satan, by sin and death, by all of His enemies and all those who have persecuted and oppressed Him, then it would indeed be folly for any of them to believe in the Lord and His teachings. Then there would also have been no hope for any one of them to be able to overcome sin and death, and death itself would have been the end of everything. Among the Jewish people themselves, there were those like the Sadducees, the priestly elites who did not believe in the resurrection from the dead or in any forms of life after death. Even among the Jewish elders and traditions themselves there were many disagreements on this matter.

But St. Paul firmly spoke of the most fundamental Christian belief in the resurrection from the dead, and how the faithful ought to hold firmly to this faith, trusting that there is life and existence after death and end of our lives in this world as we know it to be. The Lord Himself has shown it, as He revealed Himself and His Risen glory right after He rose from the dead, reassuring all of His disciples and followers of the truth which He has told all of them. He reassured them that through the resurrection of the dead, all of them, and hence each and every one of us shall share in the glory of Our Lord’s Resurrection, and share the joy and happiness that He has promised to each and every one of us, the true and lasting happiness that can be found in Him alone, and this is the faith which all of us Christians share together as one beloved and holy people of God.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, we then heard of the short passage from the Gospel according to St. Luke in which the Lord’s ministry was highlighted to us, and we heard the names of several women being mentioned to us, and how the Lord went about many places healing people and performing miracles, casting out demons and helping many people out of their predicaments. Although that passage was rather short, it did show to us the dedication which many of the Lord’s disciples, particularly that of the women, who spent many efforts to help and facilitate the Lord’s ministry and works, and that also included St. Mary Magdalene, a woman from whom the Lord had cast out seven demons or evil spirits, and who later on would become a truly great and respected saint, highlighting to us again, how important it is for us as Christians to put our trust in the Lord, to follow Him wholehearted as always.

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of the Holy Korean Martyrs, or the Holy Martyrs of Korea, which are composed of many local Korean Christians and converts, both among the clergy and the laity alike, as well as the many missionaries who had come from distant lands, serving the Lord and His people, and all of whom endured great challenges, trials and sufferings amidst their ministry and living of their Christian faith. Today we remember all of these most courageous, faithful and loving people of God, who have borne the pains and struggles of being God’s faithful and beloved children and disciples, suffering prison, pains and sufferings, humiliations and hardships, and many of them even died as martyrs, choosing to die in faith rather than to give up their faith in God or to abandon Him and His Church.

At that time, the Korean state and government were very suspicious and hostile against the Christians and the missionaries who came to Korea to evangelise and proclaim the Lord and His Good News. They viewed the Christian faith and the missionaries as threat to their way of life and the authority of the state, as opposed to the strict Confucian nature of the society and the worldview of the time prevailing in Korea. And therefore, the state persecuted the Christians, both the foreign missionaries and also the local converts, oppressing and attacking them, forcing them to choose between their faith and suffering, or to obey the commands and demands of the state and abandoning their newfound faith and trust in the Lord.

St. Andrew Kim Taegon was particularly renowned among the saints and martyrs commemorated today as he was the first Korean Catholic priest, and he had a rough early life because his family, who had converted to the Christian faith were persecuted and he had his family members martyred for being followers of Christ. At a young age of fifteen, St. Andrew Kim Taegon chose to be baptised and then went to Macau to study as a seminarian and eventually was ordained as a priest in Shanghai in China. He later on returned to Korea to preach the Christian faith and Good News, evangelising to many of the people in his homeland. Eventually, he was persecuted with many other Christians, both missionaries, clergy and laity alike during intense persecutions against them, but he and the other faithful martyrs remained firmly faithful to the very end.

There was also the story of the faith of St. Laurent Imbert, the first Vicar Apostolic of Korea, the missionary which the Pope appointed to be the representative of the Church in Korea, laying down the important groundwork for the growth of Christianity in that area. St. Laurent Imbert dedicated himself to minister to the faithful people of God, the flock entrusted to his care by the Lord, despite the intensifying persecutions against him and many other missionaries. When he and the other missionaries had to go into hiding during those persecutions, St. Laurent Imbert voluntarily surrendered himself to the authorities, and encouraged two other priests to do the same as he hoped that by doing so, he might spare many other Christians, his own flock, from suffering more for being followers of Christ. Before he was martyred, he was remembered for his great quote from the Gospel, ‘The Good Shepherd lays down His life for His sheep.’, showing the action that he and the Lord Himself had done in ensuring our salvation and liberation from sin and destruction.

Therefore, brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all be inspired by the faith and examples shown to us by the Holy Martyrs of Korea, those whose lives and dedication to God have been most exemplary and strong, and who have inspired us all to continue to live our lives with genuine and strong faith in the Lord as we should have always done. Each and every one of us as Christians have been called to commit ourselves thoroughly and wholeheartedly to the cause of the Lord, to be truly loving and generous with our compassion and mercy to one another, and to trust in the Lord’s providence and care, and in everything which He has reassured and promised us, the promise of everlasting life and true happiness, of glory everlasting with Him.

May the Lord our most loving, compassionate and merciful God continue to guide and strengthen us in our journey, and may He continue to empower and strengthen us in our resolve to live our lives worthily at all times, so that by each and every blessings and providence that He has given us, we may continue to stay firmly faithful in Him, dedicating ourselves to proclaim His truth, and be courageous witnesses of His glorious Resurrection, of His Good News and the everlasting life which He has promised to us. May God bless us all, now and always, forevermore. Amen.

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Thursday, 19 September 2024 : 24th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Januarius, Bishop and Martyr (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today all of us are reminded through what we have heard in our Scripture passages today that we have truly received God’s most generous love and mercy, and each and every one of us should truly be thankful and appreciative of the great wonders and kindness that God has given to us, in His patient and persistent love, in Him never giving up on us, in all of these moments. We are reminded how He has come into our midst, showing us His love and mercy manifested perfectly in the flesh, making Himself approachable and tangible for us, revealing the fullness of His patient and ever enduring love and care for us. All of us are truly fortunate that God has never given up on us and still wants us to be reconciled and reunited with Him.

In our first reading passage today, we heard from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Church and the faithful people of God in the city and region Corinth, in which the Apostle exhorted them all about everything that the Lord had done for their sake, in sending unto them the deliverance and salvation which He has promised and reassured them for, all that He had told them and their ancestors through the many prophets and messengers He sent to them. St. Paul spoke of how the Lord had begun and then carried out His ministry, calling His Apostles and disciples to follow Him, and to witness everything that He had done and performed. And He revealed all of that as well to St. Paul himself, whom God had called afterwards, turning from a great enemy of the Lord and the faithful to be a most courageous and faithful servant of God and champion of the faith.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, we heard of the account of the moment when the Lord was at a dinner in the house of a Pharisee who invited Him there, and an infamous and sinful woman who was living in that city came up to Him as we heard, anointing the feet of the Lord with the perfume she poured from the jar of alabaster she carried, and together with her tears and her hair, she wiped the feet of the Lord. This action and event immediately brought about the criticism and harsh remarks from the Pharisees who were gathered there, as they would not even come near those whom they deemed as sinners and unclean. To the Pharisees, such an action would have made them ritually unclean as well, defiling them by association and contact with one whom they deemed as sinners and unworthy before God.

But the Lord did not care about all that, and He let her to come to Him, honouring and respecting Him with great humility, humbling herself publicly and using her hair, the crown of her beauty and worldly appearances to wipe the feet of the Lord, with the feet often being associated with filth and dirt. Essentially, what she had just done was in fact a premonition of what the Lord Himself expected of us all, and what He wants to do with us, that is to come to Him with love and commitment towards Him, being sorrowful, regretful and humble over all of the sins and wickedness which we have committed in our own respective lives. And that the Lord Himself did not reject her but in fact embraced her warmly and defended her actions against the Pharisees showed clearly that God wants us all to come to Him and to be forgiven from our sins, to be reconciled and reunited with Him once again.

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Januarius, a great and holy servant of God, a faithful and committed shepherd to his flock as a bishop of the Church. St. Januarius was mainly known from his hagiography and popular Christian legends, as actual details were rather scant due to the harsh nature of the intense persecution of Christians during the time when St. Januarius carried out his mission and works as a bishop and suffered persecution and martyrdom under the infamous Emperor Diocletian and his attempts to oppress Christians throughout the Roman Empire. St. Januarius was born into a rich Roman patrician family in the third century, during time of turmoil in the Roman Empire and persecution of Christians.

Eventually, he became the Bishop of Naples at a relatively young age, and he had to help protect the various people under his care, his flock and the ones persecuted by the Roman state at that time. He had to hide many Christians under his care and made the efforts to visit those Christians and others that had been persecuted and arrested, jailed and made to suffer. He was caught and arrested by the Roman magistrates, and eventually he himself was persecuted and tortured, sentenced to death for sedition and treason, and according to the hagiographic stories, St. Januarius was either thrown to the wild beasts or into a furnace, but he was unharmed in both instances and stories. He was eventually put to death and martyred, but his courage and commitment to God inspired many long after his passing. His blood relic stored in Naples is the centre of popular devotion to this day.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we have listened to the story of the faithful and courageous St. Januarius, and as we remember the words of the Scriptures that we have just discussed about God’s love and generous mercy, let us all therefore remember that each and every one of us are truly beloved by God, and He has always patiently looked after us, caring for us all these while, sending unto us His help and guidance through the various means all around us and in every aspects of our lives. We should therefore be more aware of this great love and blessings which we have indeed received from the Lord, and strive to do our best so that our lives may truly be more attuned and worthy towards Him, by doing what we can so that we may truly be faithful to Him, and to keep ourselves away from all sorts of vices and evils.

May the Lord, our ever always loving and merciful God continue to love us all tenderly and may He continue to strengthen us all in our faith so that in everything that we say and do, hopefully we may come ever closer to God and continue to commit ourselves in each and every moments with great compassion and love for both the Lord and for our fellow brethren around us. Let us all humble ourselves and realise that we are all sinners in need of healing and forgiveness from God, and therefore strive to seek Him and to love Him with ever greater passion and commitment with each and every passing moments in our lives. May God continue to bless us all and may He continue to empower and strengthen us in faith, in our resolve and commitment to follow Him, now and always. Amen.

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Wednesday, 18 September 2024 : 24th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, each and every one of us are reminded that we are all called to be faithful and committed disciples and followers of the Lord in all things, to do His will and to obey His calling and commandments so that by each and every one of our actions, words and interactions with one another, we will always strive to do what is right and just in accordance with what the Lord has taught us to do, to be full of His love, kindness and mercy, and not to follow instead the path and corruptions of this world, or the distractions and temptations of worldliness around us which can keep us away from the path of God’s salvation and grace.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Church and the faithful people of God in Corinth in which the Apostle reminded all the faithful people of God that unless each and every one of them have love in them then all their gifts, blessings, abilities, specialties, talents and all sorts of other things they possess, all would come to nothing as these would not bring them to true righteousness and virtue in God, as God seeks the hearts and minds of those who love and showcase this same love in all opportunities, those who truly love Him and love one another in the same manner as how God Himself has loved each and every one of us, His beloved children and people. God wants each and every one of us to model ourselves based on His love, kindness and compassion, and to follow His path at all times.

St. Paul the Apostle reminded the faithful in Corinth and elsewhere that their Christian faith must not be based on boasting of one’s own proud ambitions and power, and all the glory and fame of the world. Instead, the greater each of us are, the more loving and the more humble we should become, and the more we should show the generous love that God Himself, our Lord and Master has shown to each one of us. A lot of sufferings in this world came to be because of our failure to do so, and our inability to resist the temptations of worldly glory and pleasures, all of which led us down the ruinous path towards our doom and downfall. If we allow our pride, ego and ambition to lead us this path to ruin then there will be nothing for us but regret in the end, of having chosen the wrong path of rebellion and disobedience against God.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, we heard of the words of the Lord to His disciples in which He spoke of the inconsistencies of the people of His time, those who criticised and attacked Him and His efforts because they disagreed with Him and refused to listen to reason despite everything that He had done to them and showed them. The Lord told them all of how those people were swayed by their worldly desires and perceptions, and hence refusing to accept the truth and Wisdom of God guiding them in their path in life. Instead, they preferred to trust in and follow their own worldly prejudices and preferences, their arbitrary sense of judgment and understanding of things rather than to trust in the Lord and to follow Him in each and every moments of their lives.

Linking to what we have heard earlier in our first reading today, this is a reminder for us that if we allow our ego, ambition, pride and all those things to distract us from God and His path, and if we do not put His love at the centre and as the focus of our lives and existence, then it will be easy for us to end up falling ever deeper into the trap of sin and worldliness. Those Pharisees, Sadducees and teachers of the Law who often opposed the Lord in His ministry and works were all swayed by their pride and ego, their sense of self-righteousness and superiority which led them to think that they were better and more worthy than all others, and hence, looked down upon anyone else who did not obey the Lord or lived their lives in the manner that He had taught and shown them to do.

Each and every one of us are reminded that unless we do our best to focus our lives on God and embody His love in our hearts and minds, we cannot truly be faithful and worthy, righteous and committed disciples and followers of the Lord. As Christians we must always centre our lives and existence on God’s love, and do our best so that in each and every one of our own actions, words, efforts and everything that we take up in this life, we will always be full of love and care for those who are less fortunate than us and all those who are in need of our love and kindness. God has blessed us greatly and loved each one of us and as a result we should follow Him and His examples, and not be tempted to satisfy selfishly our own ambitions and desires in this world.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore do our best so that in everything that we say and do, we will continue to embody our love for God and for our fellow brothers and sisters around us. We should always be the shining beacons of God’s Light and grace, proclaiming His Good News and love at all times, by our exemplary living and actions, loving those who have none to love them and showing care to everyone, to those who are in our families, our relatives and friends, but even also those who have hurt and persecuted us. Certainly this is much easier said than done, but that is exactly the challenge that each and every one of us as Christians have received from the Lord, for to be Christians is to be truly like the Lord Himself, Who has loved everyone including even those who persecuted and oppressed Him.

May the Lord, our ever loving God and Father continue to strengthen us with His love and kindness, blessing us with His generous and ever abundant compassion and care, His patient and ever enduring generosity and passion in reaching out to us and in spending time and moments with us. May He continue to strengthen and empower us all with His love and teach us to continue to love in the same manner and to be always generous in giving from the depths of our hearts, to be fully attuned to God’s ways and love, to be ever worthy to be called His disciples, followers and children. Amen.

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Tuesday, 17 September 2024 : 24th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Robert Bellarmine, Bishop and Doctor of the Church, and St. Hildegard of Bingen, Virgin and Doctor of the Church (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Bishops, Holy Virgins and Doctors of the Church)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened from the words of the Sacred Scriptures, each and every one of us are reminded of the various gifts and talents, opportunities and blessings which God has granted to us, and we are reminded that all those things had been provided to us so that we may put them to good use in the various distinct opportunities and areas of our lives that we have been entrusted to by God. All of us should not squander these various gifts and blessings that He has given us but we ought to do our best to continue living faithfully in His Presence in this world, proclaiming His truth and love, His Good News and wonders by our every words, actions and deeds, in each and every moments of our lives.

In our first reading today, taken from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Church and the faithful people of God in the city and region of Corinth, we are all reminded of the various gifts and graces that God had granted, and also the calling which He has made upon us so that we may follow the Lord in whatever missions and ministries that He has entrusted to each and every one of us, doing our part to reach out to those around us who may be in need of our help and guidance. St. Paul also spoke of the various gifts and areas where the faithful people of God could contribute their talents and abilities, as not everyone can be Apostles, prophets and teachers, and therefore each and every one of them should strive to do their best in whatever calling and missions that God had entrusted to them.

This is why it is a reminder for all of us that we should embrace our own respective calling and missions in life as faithful and dedicated Christians instead of competing with each other and desiring another mission or calling, or looking down or negatively on other forms of calling and ministry in our Christian efforts and endeavours in this world. We should not think that our own ministry, calling and commitments should be less important or even less prestigious and important than the other one, as each and every ministries, missions and vocations are equally important and distinct in their scope and impact on the people around us. Each and every one of us as the ones whom God had called and chosen to be His disciples and followers ought to understand this and strive our best to fulfil what He has commanded us to do.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard from the Gospel according to St. Luke in which the Lord miraculously raised the dead only son of a widow in the town called Naim, where He had been going to minister. In that occasion, the Lord saw the great sorrow that the mother had for the death of her son as well as the sorrow of everyone else in that entourage. The Lord therefore showed His power and raised the dead man back to life, showing that He truly had the power over life and death. This astonished the people who were there and witnessed all the miraculous occasions, and we are reminded through this event that the Lord Jesus Himself obeyed the commandments and missions which His heavenly Father has entrusted to Him.

The Lord made good use of the power and authority granted to Him, obeying His Father in all things, becoming for us the perfect example of faith and obedience, doing all that He could so that by His works and efforts, He might indeed touch the lives of many of God’s beloved people, who have seen and experienced the love of God manifested in the flesh, in the person of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Through this great example, all of us are therefore reminded that we should always be willing to listen to God and to allow Him to guide us in our path, embracing everything that He has told us and entrusted to us to do. Each and every one of us have been given the mission to proclaim the Lord and His Good News, in each and every moments of our lives, and we should do our best to fulfil these, being active evangelisers and missionaries even in the smallest things.

Today, the Church celebrates the feast of two great saints, whose lives and dedication to God can be source of great inspiration and strength for each and every one of us. They are St. Robert Bellarmine and St. Hildegard of Bingen. St. Robert Bellarmine was a Jesuit priest, and later an Archbishop and Cardinal who had been very influential in the era of Counter-Reformation, when the Church and Christendom were bitterly divided and afflicted by divisions due to the many heretical thoughts and radical ideas from the numerous Protestant reformers and others who did not obey the teachings of the Church, and sought to follow their own standards and ways instead of following the true teachings of the Church as they should have done.

St. Robert Bellarmine spent a lot of time as an educator in teaching theology and other Church ideals and teachings, to many of his students in various educational institutes, including his mentorship of many members of the clergy and bishops. He was then involved in the reforms of the Church as someone who helped to implement the decrees and decisions of the Ecumenical Council of Trent in rooting out corrupt and wicked practices done by the clergy and the laity alike in the Church. He opposed the then common practice of having bishops frequently not residing within their respective dioceses, among other irregularities and corruptions in the Church. His personal piety and dedication to God inspired many long after his passing.

Meanwhile, St. Hildegard of Bingen was someone who had always been attracted to monastic life and a life of dedication to God from her early years, and she eventually professed to be a religious nun, living her life in hermitage and isolation from the world. She spent a lot of time in prayer, receiving various visions that made her to be a renowned mystic, and she wrote rather extensively about her experiences. That was her gift and talents given to her by God, just as St. Robert Bellarmine was given the gift of intellect and passion for reform, as well as the opportunities to do so. And as we discussed earlier, each one of them made good use of those talents and opportunities, doing great works for the Lord and positively affecting their fellow brothers and sisters, and also the Universal Church.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore do our part to accomplish our respective mission and calling in life, to make good use of the gifts, talents, abilities and opportunities that the Lord has provided us. Let us all serve Him faithfully and be good role models, inspirations and examples for one another, doing all that we can to glorify Him by our lives, now and always. Amen.

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Monday, 16 September 2024 : 24th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Pope St. Cornelius, Pope and Martyr, and St. Cyprian, Bishop and Martyr (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Lord being spoken to us through the readings of the Sacred Scriptures, we are all reminded that the Lord has given us truly great grace and wonderful blessings through His Son, by which He has granted us all not just His love and kindness, manifested in the flesh and having become tangible and approachable to us, but He also gave us all none other than His own Most Precious Body and His Most Precious Blood, which He willingly and generously gave to us all from His Cross, as He laid there suffering and dying, nailed to the Cross, by which He would save and redeem each and every one of us. Through His love and ultimate sacrifice, all of us have received the assurance of salvation, and we should indeed respond to His love with our faith and trust.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Church and the faithful in the city and region of Corinth in which the Apostle spoke to them all about the moment of the Last Supper, which he himself had not attended or been present in, as he was then not yet a disciple of the Lord, but which the tradition of the Apostles and their witnessing of everything that had happened were passed down to the faithful, telling them all of everything that the Lord had said and done, and which He had commanded all of them to do, to commemorate His ultimate sacrifice on the Cross, and giving them the power and authority, through the Apostles and their successors, our bishops and priests, to offer the same sacrifice of Calvary and through union to that supreme moment of selfless love and sacrifice, giving to each and every one of us, the very Most Precious Body and Blood of Our Lord.

That is what our Holy Eucharist is all about, and our firm belief that God Himself has given His own Body and Blood for us all to partake, He Who called Himself as the Bread of Life and as the Lamb of God, Who has willingly allowed Himself to be persecuted and led to the slaughter, and by Whose suffering and death had opened for us all the gates of Heaven and the path to eternal life. He Himself has said that whoever partake of His Body and Blood will not perish but have eternal life with them, and that His Body is real food and His Blood is real drink, and the Eucharist that we have received from the hands of our bishops and priests are the exact same Most Precious Body and Blood of Our Lord. This is our core tenet and faith in the transubstantiation of the bread and wine, that while both the bread and wine may still appear and seem to be bread and wine in appearance, in taste and senses, but we believe that what we partake is the Lord Himself.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard from the account of the interactions between the Lord Jesus and an army centurion, also described as a Roman military officer. Regardless of the exact detail, it was certain that this officer was a high ranking and very well-respected man as at that time, being a Roman and a Roman military officer no less, was something of a very high stature and standing in the area. He did not just represent the powerful and mighty Roman Empire but he also led many of its soldiers, and he was rightly powerful and feared for his prowess, position and capabilities. And yet, this same Roman military officer came to the Lord humbly, seeking Him to help him with his very sick servant, and trusted in the Lord to heal that servant and make him whole again.

We heard how the Roman military officer had such great faith in the Lord that he told the Lord that he believed that his servant would be well again if the Lord just declared it to be, and he trusted and had faith in the Lord’s power in being able to heal his dear servant. He did not require the Lord to perform the miracle before His own eyes or for himself to witness everything in order for him to believe in the Lord. This is clearly a contrast with the attitudes of many among the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, who kept on doubting and questioning the Lord Jesus even after they had heard Him many times and saw the miracles that He performed before them on many occasions as well. The Roman military officer also had the humility to tell the Lord that he was not worthy to welcome Him into his house.

This was because at that time, among the Jewish people it was considered taboo for a Jew to come and enter into the house of a non-Jew or Gentile or pagan, and for the Pharisees who interpreted the Law of God very strictly, it would have made them to be ritually unclean and defiled. In fact, it was kind of taboo and looked down upon for one to interact with a non-Jew or pagan at that time. Yet, that was what the Lord precisely had done, and the Roman military officer, likely aware of this custom, told the Lord humbly that he was unworthy to receive Him at his house not only because he knew the Lord to be One greater than he was, but he also likely wanted to prevent any misfortunes or difficulties to fall upon the Lord should He come to visit his house.

And this is precisely the attitude that all of us as Christians ought to have, and we should be inspired to follow in the footsteps of the Roman military officer who believed so wholeheartedly in the Lord that he did not have to see the miracle to believe in Him. Linking this to what we have just discussed earlier in the first reading today on the Institution of the Holy Eucharist and our core belief in the doctrine of transubstantiation, of the bread and wine that truly became the Most Precious Body and Blood of our Lord at every celebration of the Holy Eucharist in the Mass, let us all therefore believe in Him and in His Real Presence in the Eucharist wholeheartedly as well. And when we are shown the Lamb of God, the One Who has taken away the sins of the world just before we are about to receive Him into ourselves, let us repeat what the Roman officer had spoken with great faith, ‘Lord, I am not worthy that You should enter under my roof, but only say the word, and my soul shall be healed.’

Today, the Church celebrates the feast of two of the Lord’s great saints, namely that of Pope St. Cornelius and St. Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage. Both of them were great leaders of the Church, and as the important Church fathers and leaders, they had shown us all great examples of faith and dedication to God, that despite all the challenges and difficulties which they had to face, they continued to be exemplary in faith and trust in God. Pope St. Cornelius was the leader of the Universal Church during a turbulent time in its history in the middle of the third century, when both the Roman Empire was troubled with a lot of wars and conflicts, while the Church and Christian believers were persecuted heavily for their faith and belief in God. Meanwhile, St. Cyprian was the influential Bishop of Carthage in North Africa at around that same time.

Both of them had to face the various persecutions of the Church and Christian believers as well as the divisions within the Church caused by the followers of one Novatian, also known as Antipope Novatian, who was a popular preacher and priest that opposed the re-admittance of Christians who had lapsed from their faith through various reasons, but especially due to the intense persecutions which forced some of them to at least publicly offered sacrifices to the Roman pagan gods and idols. Pope St. Cornelius and St. Cyprian both argued strongly against the Novatianists, and when the latter chose to elect Novatian as an Antipope, both of them worked hard to restore unity in the Church and to care and guide their flock at the same time. They were martyred for their faith under the persecutions of the Roman Emperors, but their faith and dedication to the Lord lived on in their veneration for long after their passing.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore be inspired by the great examples of our holy predecessors and do whatever we can so that our lives may truly be faithful to God, and that we may truly have faith in Him, believing wholeheartedly in Him and trusting in His guidance and help in all the things that we say and do in our respective lives. May all of us continue to walk faithfully in God’s Holy Presence, and do our very best so that we may always glorify Him by our exemplary lives, our every words, actions and deeds, now and always, forevermore. Amen.

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Sunday, 15 September 2024 : Twenty-Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday we are all presented from the readings and words of the Lord contained in the Sacred Scriptures, the reminders for all of us to put our faith and trust in the Lord, and not to allow ourselves be easily swayed by the temptations of worldliness, and by the fears, uncertainties and doubts that we may have in our hearts and minds. Instead we have to continue to put our faith and trust in the Lord, and do our very best at all times so that our lives may truly be exemplary and be full of faith and righteousness, that in everything which we say and do, we will continue to proclaim the Lord and His truth, and that our lives may be truly sincere and worthy in all things, our faith truly vibrant, living and real, and not merely empty proclamations of faith and belief, but one that truly embody our love for God.

In our first reading this Sunday, we heard from the accounts of the Book of the prophet Isaiah in which the prophecy of the Suffering Servant or the Suffering Messiah, as the prophet highlighted the prophecy from God on the coming Servant and Man of God Who would have to suffer grievously for the sake of everyone. What we have heard from our first reading account today is a reminder for all of us of the mission which the Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, Our Lord and Saviour, had to take up in order to save us all from eternal damnation and destruction. This prophecy of the prophet Isaiah would indeed be a strange prophecy to the Israelites and their descendants, as God did promise them the coming of His Saviour and salvation, but they could not comprehend why this Saviour must suffer and endure bitter challenges, oppressions and difficulties in doing so.

But this is where we are reminded that as Christians, each and every one of us must not only have faith but we must also act and live our lives in the manner that is compatible and in accordance to the faith which we have in the Lord. In our second reading this Sunday we heard from the Epistle of St. James the Apostle in which the famous phrase uttered by St. James the Apostle was highlighted to us, that is ‘faith without good works is dead’. This is an important tenet and part of our Christian faith and beliefs, as each and every one of us are reminded that if our faith is not made complete with real and authentic actions, good works and efforts in accordance to that faith, then our faith would not have existed or been genuine in the first place, and hence, we will be found wanting by the Lord on the Day of Judgment.

Some people actually misunderstood this, thinking that our Catholic faith and true belief in the Lord involved us gaining entry into Heaven and righteousness, justification and salvation through our good works and efforts. These peope who misunderstood this truth and reality failed to understand that we are ultimately still saved and justified by our faith in God, but such a faith cannot be devoid of true and genuine commitment to God. It is entirely possible for one to profess to have faith in God and yet, his or her faith may be empty and meaningless faith, namely a faith that is merely superficial and external, and does not translate into true and enduring relationship with God, or faith that is truly rooted in our strong and vibrant belief in God, in our genuine and loving relationship with Him.

That is why each and every one of us are reminded by St. James the Apostle to live our lives and embody our faith most genuinely through our efforts, works and contributions in life, in each and every one of our words, actions and deeds, our various interactions with one another and our commitment to love and serve the Lord among other things. We should not be Christians who are merely paying lip service to our faith in the Lord. Instead, we should always aspire to love the Lord wholeheartedly, in each and every moments in our lives, remembering as always His love and kindness, His compassion and mercy towards us, particularly in what we have just discussed earlier, in how He has done so much for us, in enduring the worst of sufferings, oppressions, humiliations and pain for the sake of our salvation and for our reconciliation with Him.

In the Gospel passage this Sunday, we then heard from the Gospel according to St. Mark in which the Lord asked His disciples about who they thought He was, and we heard the different answers they uttered, on whether He was a Prophet or Holy Man of God, but St. Peter courageously spoke the truth before everyone, stating that He was the Messiah, the Saviour Whom the Lord had promised, the Son of God Most High. Then, the Lord told them all that He would suffer and be persecuted just exactly as how the prophet Isaiah had predicted and prophesied that He would. This was met with the confusion and consternation from the disciples of the Lord, and a strong objection from St. Peter who tried to argue with the Lord and dissuade Him from carrying out such a mission.

This was when the Lord rebuked Satan who had been tempting St. Peter and the other disciples, while He Himself also kept His courage and commitment, dedication and desire to save us all strong, to obey fully and wholeheartedly the will of His heavenly Father. This was one of Satan’s many attempts to distract, persuade and coerce the Lord from completing His mission, and to tempt Him much as he had once successfully tempted away Adam and Eve to disobey God and to fall into sin. But the Lord Jesus obeyed perfectly and completely, dedicating Himself wholly, willingly humbling and emptying Himself of all glory and power, to embrace each and every one of us so that we may receive through Him and from Him the promise of eternal life and salvation.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore renew our efforts and convictions so that we can continue to walk ever more faithfully in God’s Holy Presence. If we have not truly devoted ourselves wholly and completely in the Lord’s path, let us all continue from now on, changing our paths and our commitments, so that we no longer merely obey His Law and commandments by external obligations and appearances. Instead, let us all commit ourselves anew and dedicate ourselves in each and every moments to follow the Lord ever more faithfully and wholeheartedly from now on. Let us no longer be idle in how we live our lives and faith, and let us all no longer be ignorant of our responsibilities and calling in life as Christians, as God’s holy and beloved people in all the things we say and do, in every moments of our lives.

May the Lord, our ever loving God and Father, our Creator and Master, continue to guide and strengthen us in our journey of faith through life. May He empower each and every one of us with the strength and courage to continue devoting ourselves to the Lord, in each and every moments of our lives. May God bless each and every one of us in our every good works, efforts and endeavours, now and forevermore. Amen.