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Wednesday, 19 June 2024 : 11th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Philip Minh, Priest and Martyr, and Companions, Martyrs (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today all of us heard from the Sacred Scriptures of the need for each and every one of us to listen to the Lord and embrace God’s calling in our lives. Each and every one of us have been given the mission and the various responsibilities depending on what the Lord had led us through, the paths He has shown us into, and everything that He has presented to us. The Lord has called us all to go forth to the people of all the nations, to proclaim His truth and love, His Good News and salvation, to bring more and more people ever closer to Him and to embrace all of us once again, delivering us from the destruction and darkness due to our sins.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Second Book of Kings of Israel and Judah, of the moment when the prophet Elijah, who had spent a long time in arduous works among the people of the northern kingdom of Israel, was taken up into Heaven on a great flaming chariot, and then Elisha began his own ministry as the successor of Elijah among the Israelites. We heard how Elijah and Elisha obeyed God’s call and commands, and how God worked His miracles and signs through those two great prophets, if we were to read the rest of the story of their works in the Book of Kings and elsewhere. God had called them to do His will, and they dedicated themselves wholeheartedly and completely to His cause.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, we heard of the words of the Lord Jesus to His disciples from the Gospel of St. Matthew regarding how they should not make a show of their faith and piety, to seek fame and glory for the good and faithful things they carried out, or else, they might be tempted by the temptations of pride and ego, of desires, greed and ambition, all of which might mislead them into the path of evil and sin. This is why each and every one of us are reminded today to keep away from these temptations and to remind ourselves that everything that we say and do, we should always centre and focus them upon the Lord, lest we may be swayed and tempted to think that everything are due to our own greatness and power.

As Christians, it is imperative that our lives are always centred and focused on the Lord, and that in everything that we say and do, we will always obey God’s will, His Law and commandments. The prophets like Elijah and Elisha, and the disciples of the Lord all have given us great examples of how they all did everything for the greater glory of God, and truly have great and genuine faith in the Lord, and not merely making appearances or show of faith. All of us therefore should do the same as well in our own lives. We should always remind ourselves that we exist for the Lord, and everything we carry out in life should always be pleasing to Him, and in accordance with His will.

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Philip Minh and his companions in holy martyrdom, recalling all their great deeds and works, and all their faith and perseverance amidst the many trials and challenges that they would have to endure in the midst of their respective lives and ministries, living at a time when being a Christian can truly be dangerous and life-threatening. They were all living, ministering and working in the region of Vietnam during the past two and three centuries when the then government was hostile to the Christian faith and teachings, and saw the efforts and works of Christian missionaries with great suspicion and hostility.

St. Philip Minh himself was born in Vietnam and went on to be formed as a seminarian at the College General in Penang for a number of years before being ordained as a Catholic priest and returning to Vietnam to proclaim the Good News and salvation in God to his fellow countrymen. Together with other, mostly French missionaries from the same congregation he belonged to, the Paris Foreign Missions Society or the M.E.P., their works and ministry managed to spread the Christian faith and truth to more and more people, but this was met with great hostility and opposition, oppressions and persecutions from the government that viewed the missionaries and the Christian faith as dangerous foreign influences.

Thus, St. Philip Minh and the other missionaries faced a lot of hardships throughout their ministry, facing challenges one after another, obstacles and eventually arrest and tortures, which the authorities placed upon the local Christians to force them to recant their faith, and to punish the foreign missionaries and the local priests alike for having preached the Gospels and the Christian teachings in Vietnam. But none of these could dissuade or discourage the faithful and courageous missionaries and servants of God, who continued to labour hard for the sake of the Lord, and remained faithful to the very end. St. Philip Minh himself was beheaded for his faith in the Lord, along with his many companions in martyrdom, throughout the difficult decades and centuries when Christianity was harshly persecuted, but their examples and faith continued to inspire many throughout history.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, through the examples and inspirations from the great life and works of our holy predecessors, the prophets Elijah and Elisha, as well as the great and holy martyrs, St. Philip Minh and his companions in martyrdom, the Holy Martyrs of Vietnam, let us all therefore as the holy and beloved children of God, as His disciples and followers, continue to strive and do our best in our respective lives to do what we can to glorify the Lord by our lives, and to put Him first and foremost in all things, and to carry out His will and commands in our world today, in whatever that He has called us to do, and whatever He has entrusted to us. May the Lord continue to bless us in everything we say and do, and be with us all His Church, now and always. Amen.

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Tuesday, 18 June 2024 : 11th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, each and every one of us are reminded of what we all need to do as Christians, that is as God’s holy and beloved people. All of us are called and expected to be loving and compassionate as the Lord has been always full of love and compassion towards us. Unless we love one another as the Lord Himself has loved us and how we have loved ourselves, then we cannot truly call or consider ourselves as Christians. Love is the hallmark of what being a Christian is all about, as one cannot be a Christian and yet without love and compassion, first and foremost towards God, and then towards our fellow brothers and sisters.

In our first reading today, we heard from the first Book of Kings, in which the Lord responded to the wicked actions of king Ahab which had been described to us in our earlier two days of Old Testament passages of our weekday Masses, in which he had acquired unlawfully the lands of Naboth, the owner of a vineyard by accusing him falsely of blasphemy and sin against God. The prophet Elijah conveyed God’s words and judgments against Ahab and also against his wife, the wicked Jezebel and Ahab’s whole family, because the wickedness which they had committed had been really too much, against God and His Law, blatantly acting in their pride and greed, in breaking the Law and Covenant of God, as well as in misleading the Israelites into sin.

God wants each and every one of us to be free from the corruption and evils of sin, all the temptations of this world, of pleasures and wickedness that may mislead us into the path of evil and sin. He therefore showed that all the sins and wickedness of Ahab and his wife, Jezebel, in being directly involved in the death of Naboth and the unlawful seizure of his vineyard, as well as for the many other evil deeds, the worship of pagan idols and in misleading the people into the path of evil and damnation, hence, Ahab and his family’s reign would end in a tragic manner, as a just consequence for their behaviours and attitudes in this world, and also as a warning to all of us that we must not take sin and evil lightly. For although God does truly love us and shows compassion on us, but sin and evil still can lead us into destruction and eternal damnation.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, we heard from the Gospel of St. Matthew in which God spoke to His disciples and followers regarding what they all should be doing in fulfilling the Law and commandments of God and in doing what He has taught them to do. As Christians, all those who believe in the Lord and accept Him as Our Lord and Saviour, all of us must always be filled with God’s love in all things, in our every words, in our every actions and in our every deeds. Each and every one of us must always be loving, first towards the Lord, and then towards one another, and towards ourselves as well. That is why the Lord reminded His disciples and followers of this important reality and commandment which He has entrusted to them, teaching and reminding them all to love one another just as God has loved them.

All of us hence have been reminded that our faith in the Lord must always be founded upon the foundation of love, deep and strong, genuine and vibrant love present in all of us. If we do not love God and one another in the same way that we have loved ourselves, then unfortunately, we may not be able to develop the kind of faith that is truly genuine and pleasing to God. Faith without love and without actions based on love, compassion and care for others will not be faith that is pleasing or truly worthy of God, as faith that without love and actions based on love, as St. James put it, is truly dead and meaningless. Our faith must always be filled with overflowing love, from our hearts towards God and our fellow brothers and sisters around us.

Now, brothers and sisters in Christ, having been blessed by God by His love, by all the compassion and love which He has constantly given us all these while, let us all therefore commit ourselves anew in love, to be always ever generous in loving one another in our way of life, so that by our love and compassion, kindness and generosity towards each other, God may be shown and proclaimed to all those whom we encounter in life, to all of our brothers and sisters and everyone in our midst, all those whom we have affected and interacted with in this life. We should always be filled with love for each and every one of them, showing what true, gentle and genuine Christian love is all about, love that comes from the Lord Himself.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we all continue to do our part in our respective areas in life to glorify the Lord and to proclaim His truth, let us always remember to be loving and filled with strong, genuine and ever-present love, for God first and foremost, and then towards our fellow brothers and sisters, and of course also towards ourselves. But this love must always be selfless and pure, free from the corruption of worldly desires and sins, all of which had perverted our love into all sorts of things that prevented us from truly loving God and one another, as love gave way to lust and desires, attachments and compulsion, obsessions, jealousy and other things that made us to forget about our calling and mission in life to be loving to God and to our fellow brothers and sisters around us.

May the Lord continue to bless and guide us all in our path so that in everything that we say and do, we will continue to be filled with most generous love and kindness, compassion and grace, in all the things and at all times, that our lives may truly be nurturing and be inspirational to everyone who witness our efforts and works. May the love of God continue to touch our hearts and minds, so that we ourselves may also continue to love Him and love one another in the same way as well. May all of us be truly loving and compassionate, holy and worthy people of God. Amen.

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Monday, 17 June 2024 : 11th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today through the readings from the Sacred Scriptures, we are all reminded what each and every one of us must do as Christians, as those who believe in the Lord and belong to Him. All of us have been shown both the actions of the wicked people in the first reading today, and then we have also been told of the actions and way of life which the Lord had called us all as Christians to do in our own lives. If our lives are not in accordance to the path which the Lord has shown us, then how can we call ourselves as Christians, as God’s holy and beloved people.

In our first reading today, we heard from the first Book of Kings of Israel and Judah in which the story of the wickedness of king Ahab of Israel was told to us, in how king Ahab treated the man named Naboth, who owned a vineyard at the land which Ahab desired for himself, and we heard how king Ahab, spurred on by his own wife, queen Jezebel, plotted against Naboth and managed to seize his property after having made false accusations against the man, and this led to Naboth being condemned to death for something that he was innocent and blameless for, and such was the wickedness of mankind, as exemplified by the actions of Ahab and Jezebel.

This is why God sent Elijah to Ahab, warning and reminding him of the wickedness of his actions, through which he had led the people ever deeper into the path of evil and sin. God does not want any one of us to be lost to Him through the darkness and wickedness of this world, through the many temptations present all around us. We must always be vigilant and be ready to resist all the things which may result in us losing sight and focus on the Lord’s path, and end up giving in to the temptations of our pride, ego and desires as Ahab had experienced. He allowed his ego and desires to give in to the temptations and thus, leading him to carry out the wicked deed as he had done to Naboth.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, we heard from the Gospel of St. Matthew in which the Lord told His disciples about what is expected for them all as His followers and disciples, in how each and every one of them should not oppose evil with evil, quoting the examples from the old Jewish customs and laws, which prescribed equivalent consequence and punishment as a just consequence and result of an evil action committed by a person, summarised as ‘eye for an eye’ and ‘tooth for a tooth’. If we understand the reason why such harsh laws and practices were included in the old Jewish laws and customs, that was because of the stubbornness of the people of Israel, who often disobeyed the Lord and allowed themselves to be tempted by worldly desires into sin.

That was not what the Lord actually wanted from His people, but those laws and rules were put in place initially because it was meant as a deterrence for them to keep away from all sorts of wickedness and evils, from doing what the Lord had told them not to do. What He wants to tell them and expects them to do is that He wants all of them to be just, holy, good and loving just He has been doing all of that, and He wants to show them, lead them and teach them to do what is right, and not to allow the evils and temptations of this world to mislead them down the wrong path which may lead to eternal damnation and total separation from Him.

This is why, today, we are reminded that as Christians, as God’s followers and holy people, all of us are called to be loving, compassionate and forgiving, and to do whatever we can for the good of others, to go the ‘extra mile’ in loving and caring for one another if necessary. This is what Christian charity and love is all about, and what we are all reminded of, so that each and every one of us strive to resist the temptations of this world, the temptations of sin and evil, and at the same time also strive to do whatever is good, holy, worthy and just, so that by our every actions, words and deeds, all of us will be truly good and worthy of the Lord our God.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, all of us are therefore reminded today to recall our Christian calling and missions in life. Each and every one of us have to contribute to the good efforts and works of the Church of God, which the Lord had entrusted to all of us, in the evangelisation of the whole world, of all the people whom we have been sent to, so that by our exemplary way of life, actions, words and deeds, we may inspire more and more of the people around us to follow our examples and to have faith in the Lord as well. Unless we ourselves have done as the Lord had told us to, and live our lives sincerely in the manner that all of us as Christians had been expected to live, then we cannot truly call ourselves as Christians, and we cannot inspire others to follow our path.

May the Lord continue to strengthen us all in our ways, and may He empower us all in our every efforts, in our every contributions and deeds, so that by our every actions in life, we may continue to glorify the Lord and that we may always proclaim Him, His truth and love all throughout our whole lives, now and always, in our every words, actions and deeds, in how we interact with one another, with our fellow brothers and sisters. Amen.

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Sunday, 16 June 2024 : Eleventh Sunday of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday all of us are called to live faithfully in the Lord and to commit ourselves to the path which the Lord has shown to us so that we may truly bear rich fruits of our Christian faith. Each and every one of us are reminded that as Christians, our lives cannot be idle and devoid of virtues and good deeds, for if we do not live our lives as Christians should live, then we may end up scandalising our faith and our Christian way of life, as well as besmirching the Holy Name of God. We Christians are known by our fruits, the fruits of our Christian faith, that is our actions and lives that are truly in accordance with God and His ways, as we live out our lives faithfully each day in His Presence. Those who profess to be Christians and yet act in a different manner are truly deficient and dead in faith.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Ezekiel, we heard of the words of the Lord to His people, the Israelites and their remnants, which was at that time in exile in Babylon and in other places, that He would renew His people, just as they had fallen from grace and been cast down into defeat and exile from their homeland. The Lord used the allusion to a cedar tree to show how the Lord would renew the cedar tree, that a new sapling would regrow and be reestablished on the mountain of Israel, which firstly showed us all how God would not abandon His people even as He chastised and punished them because of their sins and wickedness. God after all still loved all of His beloved people who were all like His children. And like a loving and caring Father, He wants all of His children to grow up well and in the right way.

This is why He chastised and disciplined them when they disobeyed and refused to follow Him and His ways. The Lord does not want any one of them to be lost to Him forever, which could indeed happen through our disobedience and wickedness, all of which led into sin, and sin brings us all into the dominion of death and eternal damnation, condemned and separated forever from God, from His love and grace. That was why, while mankind disobeyed Him from the very beginning of time, God did not obliterate and destroy them all. He gave them chances and opportunities, again and again for them to return to Him and to find their way once again towards Him. Many had been lost along the way, but not few had been saved from the precipice of destruction, and brought into salvation in God.

In our second reading today, we heard from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Church and the faithful in Corinth in which the Apostle reminded all the faithful people of God that they must all live in faith, in the spirit and not in the way of the flesh. St. Paul often exhorted the faithful to be vigilant and to guard themselves against all those things of the flesh which may cause us mankind to fall into temptation and hence into disobedience against God. Throughout history, many people have fallen into these various temptations, failing to resist all the things that led them to follow the whim of their desires and greed, all the things that kept them from finding the path towards the Lord. When mankind prioritised themselves and forgot about God, His path and His teachings, that is when we are likely to fall into sin and destruction.

That was why the Lord reminded us all through His Apostle St. Paul that as Christians, we are all God’s beloved and holy people, and as is therefore expected from us, we should strive to live each and every moments of our lives worthily of the Lord, by cultivating our faith within us, allowing our faith to continue to grow and flourish throughout time, so that we may truly bear rich fruits and wonderful things and deeds in each and every moments of our lives. This is why we believe that our faith must always be supported and made alive and vibrant, living and true through our actions, by showing it in our love for God first and foremost, and then in our love for one another, for our fellow neighbours, brothers and sisters just as the Lord Himself had taught us.

Without these genuine and real actions, then our faith is no better than those of hypocrites and unbelievers. Those were the faults of many among our predecessors, as they made empty gestures and meaningless faith, while on the other hand, they committed grievous sins and wicked deeds against God and their fellow brothers and sisters alike. That is why we are cautioned that we should not walk down this same path which had led so many of our predecessors towards their downfall and destruction. We should always strive to inspire each other that even in the smallest and simplest things we say and do, we will always strive to embody our Christian faith in all things. This is how we can then make our faith truly alive, and how we can bring real impact and great fruits of our dedication, the fruits of love and hope, the fruits of goodness and virtues in our community of the faithful and in our world today.

In our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel of St. Mark, we heard of the Lord speaking about the parables of the Kingdom of God, comparing the Kingdom of God firstly to a sower of seeds and what happened when the seeds germinate and grow into plants that bear rich fruits and products, and then also to a small and tiny mustard seed which when it germinates and grows, it becomes a great and large tree under which many birds and other animals may take shelter in. All of these are ways for the Lord to explain and to make it clear that each and every one of us are parts of this same Kingdom of God, the Church that the Lord has established in this world, manifesting God’s kingdom and dominion through each and every one of us, through our very lives and efforts.

Through us and our works, our contributions and efforts, each one of us are part of the nurturing of the Kingdom of God being present in our midst, by us all partaking in the good works and efforts of the Church in each and every unique areas in life and in every particular missions and vocations that we have been called into. Through our every actions, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant, all these will lead to the blossoming of the Kingdom of God in our midst, and we must never underestimate the impact of our actions. Our actions and way of life can either positively or negatively impact those present around us, as good and virtuous acts and works can truly lead to many others believing and following the Lord as well, and more therefore would be doing good deeds and works, but on the contrary, the same will also happen if we do negative and wicked acts, which may turn people away from the Church and the salvation in God.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore realise that each one of us are cooperators of the truth and love of God, each and every one of us are the labourers in the vineyard of the Lord, and we have been called to our respective vocations and ministries, to proclaim the Lord through all of our words and deeds, and to be the shining beacons of God’s truth and Good News. May all of us continue to grow ever stronger in our faith in the Lord, and may the Lord continue to help, guide and support us in our journey throughout life, to do His will and to glorify His Name, now and always. Amen.

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Saturday, 15 June 2024 : 10th 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 as we listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are all reminded through them to be truly faithful and obedient to the Lord in all things, and to be His committed disciples, giving our very best in all things so that by our every words, actions and deeds, we will continue to do what is necessary to be ever committed to God. We have all been called so that our whole lives may be pleasing to the Lord and to be exemplary to every one who witness our ways of living our lives and our interactions with one another. Unless we are truly faithful to the Lord and are obedient to Him, to His Law and commandments, how can we then call or consider ourselves as Christians, as His beloved disciples and followers?

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of Kings of Israel and Judah in which the prophet Elijah went to find the man whom God had identified to be his successor in the mission and ministry to the Israelites, namely that of Elisha. Elisha was to be the one to continue the great works and the ministry which Elijah had pioneered among the Israelites, to continue to shepherd, guide and help the people of Israel in their journey to find salvation and righteousness in God. The Israelites back then were rather stubborn, refusing to listen to the Lord and His messengers, and even persecuting all those whom the Lord had sent to them to help and remind them, like that of Elijah himself. And Elijah had indeed gone through a lot and suffered.

These were then the challenges and sufferings which anyone who were to succeed Elijah would have to bear with them, but Elisha obeyed the Lord’s commands, and put his trust completely in Him. He left behind everything he had, all of his works and things, following Elijah and becoming God’s prophet and messenger to the people of Israel. Elisha dedicated himself henceforth to the Lord’s missions, just as Elijah had done before him. He committed himself to the shepherding of the people of God despite the challenges and stubbornness that he had to endure amidst the missions, and the Lord indeed did many great things through Elisha just as He had done earlier on through the prophet Elijah.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard of the words of the Lord to His disciples as recorded by the Gospel of St. Matthew. In that occasion, the Lord told His disciples not to swear or make oaths, to make promises by any means or on anything that is sacred and holy, and He told them instead that they should always strive to be truthful, virtuous, good and worthy in all of their words, actions and deeds. Unless they do this, they were really nothing better than hypocrites and unbelievers. Those who truly believe in the Lord would do their best to obey His commands, trusting in Him and doing whatever He had entrusted and told to them to do, just as the prophets Elijah and Elisha, and many others of the holy men and women had done.

On the other hand, at the time of the Lord Jesus, He particularly warned of this to His disciples and followers because there were those at the time who made great and significant gestures, lots of words and promises, and yet, ultimately all those things were merely empty gestures and not truly filled with true love and commitment towards God. This was a reference to many among the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, who professed to believe in God and were preservers of God’s Law and commandments, and yet, their lack of faith and behaviour all showed that they tend to love the world, all its fame, glory and attractions more than they loved the Lord, their God and Master.

This was why while they supposedly obeyed the Lord’s Law and commandments, the entirety of the massive six hundred and thirteen sets of laws and rules, but the Lord criticised them rightly as hypocrites because many of them did not do so for their love of God and for their commitment to Him. Instead, many of those Pharisees and the teachers of the Law praised themselves and were proud of their way of living and achievements, making a show of their piety and faith so that they could receive more praise and fame from the people of God. Essentially, their hearts and minds were not focused on the right intentions, and not on the Lord, but on their own ego, pride and greed, their attachments to worldly things and matters.

That is why the Lord reminded His disciples that they should be genuine and sincere in their faith in God, and not to make flashy or great shows of their commitment, when they were not truly able to do so. They should just carry out their whole lives and actions with the genuine desire to follow the Lord faithfully in each and every moments of their lives. Anything more than that truly can deceive and mislead us to the path of evil just as the Lord had said it. It is also a reminder for us that we should not overthink things, and when the Lord calls, we should discern things carefully but put our faith and trust in Him without being weighed or bogged down by too many considerations and preoccupations with our many attachments in life. Like the prophet Elisha, who left everything behind to follow the Lord and trusted in Him wholeheartedly, we all should also do the same.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore renew our commitment and desire to love the Lord our God ever more wholeheartedly, and let us dedicate all of our time and efforts to follow the Lord in all of His will, His Law and commandments like that of the prophets Elijah and Elisha, and the many saints, holy men and women who had gone before us. May the Lord continue to strengthen and empower us all in our lives and endeavours, so that we may continue to walk ever more faithfully in our Christian living and in everything that we do, all for the greater glory of God. May God bless us in our every works and efforts, now and always. Amen.

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Friday, 14 June 2024 : 10th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, in today’s Scripture readings we are all presented with the calling of God which He called on all of us to follow Him and to do what He has entrusted to us and what He has taught us all to do in our respective lives. Each and every one of us as Christians have been entrusted with the various responsibilities and missions in our diverse commitments and vocations, in each and every parts of our lives. As God’s people and disciples, as His beloved and holy ones, we must indeed strive to be truly worthy of Him, to do whatever we must so that by our exemplary deeds and actions, by our virtues and obedience to God we may indeed become the shining beacons of His light and truth at all times.

In our first reading today, we heard from the First Book of Kings in which the prophet Elijah was called by God to the holy mountain, Mount Sinai, the same place which the Israelites had once gone to during the time of their Exodus and journey from Egypt towards the Promised Land of Canaan. At that occasion, the prophet Elijah was journeying from the land of Israel after being persecuted by the king of Israel, Ahab, and the king’s wife, Jezebel, all of whom had been wicked and refused to believe in the Lord as they should have. The prophets and messengers of God had been persecuted and killed, and Elijah himself had to flee for his life, and at the same time, the transgressions committed by the Israelite king and his people became worse and worse.

God called Elijah to follow Him, and to go where He called him to go. He protected and provided Elijah with food and nourishment in the wilderness, and eventually with that strength, he went on a long journey to Mount Sinai, which we heard about today. Elijah witnessed God coming towards him at Mount Sinai, first manifesting His coming through a great windstorm, an earthquake and a great fire, but God was not in all of them. Instead, God came with the sign of a gentle breeze, which was in fact a reminder to Elijah and to all the Israelites that while He is a truly mighty, all-powerful and fearsome God, Who destroyed His enemies and punished the sinners and the wicked ones, but at the same time, He is also always full of love, compassion and mercy.

God sent Elijah on a mission to go back to the land of the Israelites and beyond, to prepare for the coming works and missions that had been entrusted to him and those whom he would prepare and appoint to continue the great works of God. The Lord gave Elijah three tasks, all of which were meant to bring about great things for the reconciliation of the people of Israel with their Lord and God. First we heard of the appointment of Hazael as the new king over the Arameans, who then were the bitter rivals of the Israelites. Hazael would be the one to chastise the Israelites for their wickedness and sins, to remind them of the consequences of their rebellions against God, and hence, the people hopefully would turn once again back towards God.

Then we heard of the appointment of Jehu, to be the new king of Israel anointed and approved by God, who would be the one to overthrow the rule of the then king, king Ahab and his family or dynasty. Jehu would bring about God’s punishments and retribution to those who have led the people of God into ruin and destruction through sin. He would then as king of Israel be one of the few kings who obeyed God’s commandments and Law, leading the people of God once again back towards Him. Lastly, Elijah was told to appoint Elisha to be his successor, to be the one to succeed him in his mission as a prophet, to continue the good works that God had entrusted to the Elijah himself, guiding the people of God back towards their Lord and Master.

Then, in our Gospel passage today taken from the Gospel of St. Matthew, the Lord spoke to His disciples on the matter of true obedience to the Lord, to His Law and commandments, reminding each and every one of them that they should all be truly faithful to God, and to do whatever they can so that they would not fall into the temptations to sin and to disobey God. He mentioned without mincing His words, that should any of them were tempted and swayed to sin by any of their body parts, they should cut them off without hesitation, to remind them figuratively that sin is truly dangerous and if we do not keep vigilant against all the temptations to sin, we can indeed fall into eternal damnation and destruction, out of which there is no way out.

Essentially, the Lord was telling His disciples and all of us that we must truly understand and appreciate His Law, His way and His path. We cannot be those who merely carry on living our lives day after day and then not understanding what it is that He is calling all of us to do. Each and every one of us need to grow ever stronger in our relationship with God, to find out more what He wants us to be, to be holy and worthy of Him in all things. He has called us all to do His will just like how He had called the prophet Elijah to do His will. Are we willing to commit ourselves to path that the Lord has shown us? And are we willing to devote our time and attention to be ever more dedicated to God in all things, so that our every good works, efforts and endeavours will always proclaim God’s glory?

Brothers and sisters in Christ, today let us all discern carefully our path in life, and how we should live our lives so that we may grow ever stronger and more committed to our Christian faith and life. We have been entrusted with various commitments and missions in life, in our different areas and various communities, that in our own distinct and unique way of living our Christian lives in the most authentic way possible, we may continue to profess our faith in the Lord and proclaim Him ever more courageously and faithfully in each and every moments of our lives. All of us are the missionaries of the Lord and in our own respective lives, we should continue to be evangelising, missionary and being vibrant in the living of our faith.

May the Lord continue to bless us all and be with His Church, so that we may continue to be strengthened and encouraged to overcome whatever challenges and difficulties that may come our way. May He continue to empower us so that we may truly be ever closer to Him and be ever more willing to dedicate ourselves to His cause, for the salvation of the whole world, like that of the prophet Elijah and those holy predecessors, the holy saints, holy men and women of God who had gone before us. Amen.

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Thursday, 13 June 2024 : 10th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Anthony of Padua, Priest and Doctor of the Church (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Lord speaking to us through the Sacred Scriptures, we are reminded that each and every one of us ought to obey the Lord our God, listen to Him and His words, walking in the path that He has shown to us. All of us as God’s beloved and holy people had been called to a life that is truly full of His grace and love by living our lives each day with the desire to be righteous, full of virtue and truly being worthy of the Lord. All of us have been called to be like God Himself, full of love, compassion and mercy towards each other, just as the Lord has always been loving and compassionate towards us in each and every moments of our lives.

In our first reading today, we heard from the First Book of Kings of Israel and Judah of the continuation of the story of the life and ministry of the prophet Elijah that happened during the reign of king Ahab of Israel, the wicked and unfaithful king who had led the people of Israel down a path of rebellion and disobedience against God. At that time, the people of the northern kingdom of Israel had long been disobedient against God, refusing to follow His Law and commandments because of the kings that had been wicked and stubborn in their ways, promoting pagan worship and the establishment of pagan idols and abominations, altars and sacrifices that were not directed to the Lord, their one and only true God.

And king Ahab brought this to a new low by his wicked actions and further disobedience against God. He persecuted the prophets and messengers of God, slaughtering and destroying them, refusing to listen to the words of premonition and warning which these prophets had spoken in reminding the people of the consequences of their wickedness and their sins against God. Elijah was the only prophet of God who remained active and alive back then, and he had to endure many hardships amidst his ministry. Elijah spoke of a great drought and famine that would strike against the whole land of Israel, and everything indeed happened as he had said, as rain did not come towards the land of Israel for several years.

In what we have heard in our first reading today was the moment when God through the prophet Elijah was showing His power to king Ahab of Israel. He showed to Ahab just how He had withheld the rain from coming over the land for years, He also brought the rain back over the land. By doing this, He essentially showed that He is truly in charge of all things, and just as He has also shown His might at Mount Carmel earlier on, bringing down fire upon the sacrificial offerings of Elijah while Baal, the god that king Ahab and the Israelites worshipped failed to do so, all these served to further highlight to the king and to the people of Israel of their folly of not obeying the words and the Law of God, their Lord and Master. The people have sinned because they preferred to follow their own ways and did not truly believe in God as they should have done.

In our Gospel passage today, we are all also reminded of this by the Lord Himself, Who told the people to be truly and genuinely faithful to the Lord, and to believe in Him in a way more genuine and appropriate than those of the teachers of the Law and the Pharisees. The Lord has mentioned this because those teachers of the Law and the Pharisees had been opposing Him on various occasions, doubting and questioning Him and His disciples because they disagreed on how the Lord and His disciples had been observing and practicing the Law of God. However, the reality was such that those teachers of the Law and the Pharisees were so focused and even obsessed with trivial details and rituals, the way how the Law and the commandments ought to be observed that they ended up failing to understand the true purpose, importance and significance of the Law of God.

What does this mean? It means that they observed the Law more with their external appearances and actions, but it was often not accompanied by genuine obedience and understanding of the Law and the commandments of God. This means that they often merely paid lip service and were doing everything that they had done in fulfilling the commandments and rules of the Law more so that they could feel proud of their accomplishments and their sense of superiority against others around them whom they deemed to be inferior and less worthy than them in their way of observing God’s Law and commandments. Essentially they have also made idols out of their preoccupation and obsession with the way how the Law should be observed in their minds, and like those of king Ahab and the Israelites in the past, all these distracted them from their faith to the Lord.

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Anthony of Padua, a great and renowned saint whose faith and life was truly inspirational and are good examples for us all to follow in our own lives, in how we should dedicate ourselves to serve the Lord at all times. St. Anthony of Padua was born into a wealthy family in what is now Portugal, and he was called by God to be His servant and follower, dedicating himself to be a priest and missionary of God. He became a member of the Franciscans and was ordained a priest. However, his dream and desire to go forth in missionary works was prevented by sickness, and instead, St. Anthony of Padua chose to continue his missions and works among the people of the places he ministered in.

St. Anthony of Padua was well-known for his great eloquence and wisdom, his care, love and concern for the poor and the needy. That was why through the works of St. Anthony of Padua, many people were touched in their lives and came to believe in the Lord, and they were also touched by the loving words of St. Anthony of Padua who had revealed to them the truth and love of God. St. Anthony of Padua dedicated his time and effort to care for those who have been neglected by the world, and he has also put the effort to reach out to everyone, finding those who have been lost from God and helping them all to come back towards Him. His inspirations and help for us have inspired countless people throughout history and even right up to this very day.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, today let us all therefore be reminded of the need for each and every one of us to renew our faith and commitment to the Lord. Through the words of the Lord and the life and actions of St. Anthony of Padua, all of us are reminded that as Christians, each and every one of us must indeed centre and focus our whole lives, our attention and all of our efforts on the Lord. May the Lord our loving God continue to strengthen us in faith and in our conviction so that by our every words, actions and deeds we may continue to glorify Him and proclaim Him and His Good News to all the people around us. Amen.

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Wednesday, 12 June 2024 : 10th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we heard from the Sacred Scriptures the story of the confrontation between the Lord’s prophet and the many prophets of Baal at Mount Moriah, and then from the New Testament where the Lord told His disciples after He was likely confronted by the teachers of the Law and the Pharisees who often criticised Him about not following the Law and commandments of God in the manner that they had preferred and enforced among the people of God. The Lord essentially reiterated that He came not to eradicate or annul the Law, but to restore the Law’s true intention, meaning and purpose before it had been twisted and misunderstood by the people over the past many centuries of its application and practice.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah in which the continuation of the story of the ministry of the prophet Elijah in the northern kingdom of Israel was told to us. We heard how the prophet Elijah, like the other prophets of God before him had faced a lot of hardships, challenges and trials in the midst of their ministry and works among the people of God. Many of the prophets of God had been persecuted and they had to suffer amidst their work and ministry among the Israelites, many of whom had wandered off from the path of God and from His teachings, and by the reign of king Ahab, the people of God had forgotten their Lord and Master, and most of them including the king himself worshipped many pagan idols and abominations of their neighbours.

King Ahab himself was infamous for his many wicked actions and exploits, and he did not live his life or acted in the manner that the Lord had entrusted to him to do, as he sought worldly glory and pleasures, and in one of the accounts of the Book of Kings, plotted with the help and accomplices of his wife, the wicked queen Jezebel, to have an innocent man named Naboth condemned to death on false accusations and charges just because he desired Naboth’s vineyard, which stood upon the latter’s ancestral lands. All these had led to the great anger of God against Ahab and the people of Israel, and yet, at the same time, He still wanted them to come back to Him and be reconciled to Him, and hence He sent Elijah to them.

As we all heard, the prophet Elijah had to contend alone against all the many prophets and priests of Baal, one against four hundred and fifty of the latter, in front of many of the Israelites and the king himself at Mount Carmel. The prophet Elijah issued the challenges against those who worshipped and served Baal to see which among God and Baal was indeed the one and only True God, and we heard in that passage today from the Book of Kings how Baal did not even respond to the prayers and requests of his many priests and prophets. On the other hand, God responded to the prayers of Elijah, sending down a great fire from Heaven to consume all of the offerings and sacrifices that Elijah had placed on the altar he built on Mount Carmel.

Through that occasion, the people could clearly see who was indeed the one and only True God, that is the Lord Himself, and not the false god Baal. God wanted to show and remind His people that He was their Lord and Master, as the One Who had been with them throughout time and history, and Who had saved them again and again from their oppressors and from everyone who had troubled them. He rescued them from their slavery in Egypt, brought them to the Promised Land and helped them to settle down, to live in peace, harmony and prosperity, and yet, those people still disobeyed Him and betrayed Him, choosing to follow pagan idols and gods instead of obeying and worshipping the one and only True God.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard from the Gospel of St. Matthew and as I have mentioned earlier, in this particular passage, we heard of the Lord speaking to His disciples and the people, reiterating that He had come into this world to renew and to complete the Law and the words of the Lord which He had constantly passed and revealed to us all these time. However, some among the people, especially the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law misunderstood His intentions, and they refused to believe in Him because they perceived Him and His teachings and works as efforts to overcome and to abolish the Law of God, accusing Him therefore of blasphemy and crimes that He did not actually do, opposing Him and His efforts simply because they were jealous of Him and His successes and popularity.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, this is where we are all reminded that we should not easily allow ourselves to be swayed by the many temptations of the world which could lead us astray down the wrong path in life. That was how the people of Israel fell into sin and disobedience against God, how king Ahab fell into his wickedness and evils, and how the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, who were tempted by worldly glory and power, by their attachments to rules and traditions, that they all refused to obey the Lord and instead preferring to walk down their own paths in life, opposing God’s works and not following the path that He has shown to all of them. This is what we should not do in our own lives.

Let us all therefore commit ourselves anew to the Lord, brothers and sisters in Christ, and let us all continue to do our part so that in whatever we do in life, in all of our words, actions and deeds, and in our every interactions with one another, in every moments of our daily lives, we will always strive to do what God has taught and commanded us to do. Let us truly obey Him and follow His path in all the things we do in our lives, and let us no longer be stubborn or hardened in our hearts, but instead, let us be humble and allow the Lord to lead us down the right path in life, to guide us into the path towards righteousness and eternal life, as we have all been expected to do. May all of us be truly holy and committed to the Lord, at all times. Amen.

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Tuesday, 11 June 2024 : 10th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Barnabas, Apostle (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Barnabas, Holy Apostle of the Lord, one of the close collaborators and followers of the Lord, whose commitment and dedication to the Lord is truly exemplary and should be great examples and inspiration for all of us to follow in how we ourselves obey the Lord and follow His path in our own respective lives. Each and every one of us should always do our best and commit ourselves to the missions and the works which the Lord has entrusted to each one of us as His followers and disciples, so that all of us may indeed be active contributors to the efforts and works of the Church in our world today.

According to Church and Apostolic traditions, St. Barnabas was a Jew from Cyprus that was an important member of the earliest Christian community in Jerusalem, who followed the Lord and dedicated himself thoroughly in the service of the Lord. It was told that he sold his lands and property, giving its proceeds to the community of the believers, and henceforth went on to dedicate his life fully to God. St. Barnabas was one of St. Paul’s close collaborators, and went on several missionary journeys with the latter, proclaiming the Word of God and His Good News to many people in various cities and places, enjoying both great successes as well as hardships and challenges in the midst of his mission and work.

St. Barnabas was mentioned in a few occasions throughout the Acts of the Apostles, detailing his many works both together with St. Paul as well as on his own, as he continued to carry on his missions entrusted to him by the Lord through His Church, reaching out to more and more people and proclaiming to them the salvation of God. Many people came to believe in the Lord through the words and the works of St. Barnabas and his other companions, through their dedication and zeal in proclaiming the Good News and the salvation in God. The Lord has sent them all to be the bearers of His truth, and they all devoted themselves faithfully to those missions that had been entrusted to them.

Not much was known of the life of St. Barnabas after his mentions in the Acts of the Apostles, but like that of the other Apostles, and through several indications in the other Apostolic writings and traditions, it was likely that St. Barnabas endured great sufferings and eventually martyrdom like most of the other disciples and Apostles of the Lord at that time. In one of those traditions, St. Barnabas was martyred as he ministered to the faithful and to the people in the region of Cyprus, where he hailed from, and he was persecuted and struck by the opposition of the local Jewish community, some of whom were opposed to him and were hostile to his works and efforts in proclaiming the Christian faith. Nonetheless, through his courage and efforts, St. Barnabas inspired many in faith during his time and even long afterwards.

In our first reading today, we heard of the account from the Acts of the Apostles detailing all the various activities and works which St. Barnabas had done in the missionary journeys he had taken, to Antioch and then to Tarsus, and it was also at this occasion that St. Barnabas took St. Paul with him, then still known as Saul, to join him in the evangelising and missionary works. That was how then St. Barnabas and St. Paul were both entrusted with the important mission of proclaiming the Good News and truth of God to the non-Jewish people or the Gentiles. Both of them were sent with the mission to proclaim the Lord and His Good News to those people, and they were given the mission with the guidance and prayer of the Apostles, with the Holy Spirit leading them in their path and journey.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard of the words of the Lord from the Gospel of St. Matthew in which He sent out His disciples and followers on missions, both to prepare His path and also to spread His works and missions to more places, by sending them two by two to proclaim the Good News of God to more and more people. He entrusted them all with the responsibilities to proclaim His salvation to everyone who were willing to listen to them so that more and more people will come to believe in God and be saved through their faith and trust in Him. St. Barnabas had done what the Lord had entrusted to him to do, as well as those of the other Apostles and disciples of the Lord.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all also be reminded then of our own calling and mission in life, to be the faithful and committed disciples of the Lord in our own various fields and areas of commitment in life. Like St. Barnabas and his companion, St. Paul, they had been entrusted with the particular mission of reaching out to the non-Jewish people or the Gentiles because of their affinity to those who did not adhere to the Jewish customs and practices, and also their open-mindedness and willingness to reach out to those who had diverse backgrounds, unlike many among the Jewish community at that time.

Each and every one of us have also been called to various missions and works in our respective lives. We have been given diverse opportunities and areas in life where we can contribute more to the spreading of the Good News of God, and where we can be the good role models and inspirations in life in whatever we have been called to be, be it as an ordained minister like bishops and priests, or as those in the religious and consecrated life, or those who have dedicated themselves in a holy life, of singlehood and all those who have built good and loving Christian families, filled with love and grace of God, with their children and all.

All of us should do our best in our various missions and callings in life to commit ourselves to all that God had entrusted to us, in all the opportunities and blessings that He had granted to us. Each and every one of us have been truly blessed that God has entrusted these missions to us, and we should strive to make good use of these opportunities so that through our works and efforts, God may truly be glorified and He may indeed lead more and more souls to salvation and eternal life through our contributions and efforts, just as what St. Barnabas had done in his life and missions.

May the Lord be with all of us in each and every moments of our lives, and may He continue to guide and strengthen us with the necessary resolve and encouragement so that we may continue to persevere in faith despite the challenges and trials we may have to face in our journey in life as Christians. Like St. Barnabas, Holy Apostle, missionary and martyr, let us always be courageous in proclaiming the Lord, His truth, Good News and love to everyone we encounter each day and every moments in our lives, now and always. Amen.

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Monday, 10 June 2024 : 10th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are all reminded of what we all need to do as those whom God had called and chosen to be His own people, to be those whom He has considered to be His children. Each and every one of us should continue to do what the Lord Himself has taught and shown us through His Church, and all the teachings and ways passed down upon us, so that by our every actions, our every words and works, our interactions with one another, all of us will continue to live ever more faithfully in the Lord, and be exemplary in all things.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah, we heard about the moment when the Lord called His servant, the prophet Elijah from the kingdom of Israel, as he was sent to minister to the people of the northern kingdom of Israel. At that time, the king of the northern kingdom was king Ahab, who was very infamous for his wickedness and all that he had done in disobeying the Lord and in refusing to follow the path of God. In fact, king Ahab brought the people ever further from the Lord by introducing more pagan worship and practices, through the support of his wife, the wicked queen Jezebel.

The prophet Elijah had a really difficult time in trying to do his mission among the Israelites, and this is because many of them were stubborn in their refusal to listen to the Lord and His prophets, including Elijah himself, and many of those prophets and messengers of God had been persecuted and even killed. Elijah himself had to evade persecutions and sufferings, and in this latest episode of his work, he told king Ahab that there would be great years of famine and drought throughout the land of Israel as a consequence and punishment for the sins and wickedness of the Israelites and their king. Elijah had to flee to the wilderness as God guided him to escape from the king and anyone who might have sought to blame and destroy him for his role in the famine and drought.

But Elijah obeyed the Lord faithfully and committed him to the missions that had been entrusted to him by the Lord. He allowed the Lord to guide him to wherever he was sent to, and he continued to devote himself thoroughly to the Lord despite the challenges and hardships that he had to encounter and endure throughout his missions. The prophet Elijah followed the Lord and went on to do many great things, despite having to move from places to places, suffering many things, but he did so gladly because he had faith and trust in the Lord. He showed us all the great examples and inspiration so that we all may also follow in his footsteps in how we should also follow the Lord.

In our Gospel passage today, we then heard of the moment when the Lord taught the people and all of His disciples with the famous ‘Sermon on the Mount’. In that occasion, the Lord Jesus presented those who listened to Him with the series of eight blessings, also known as the ‘Eight Beatitudes’, marking all those who have been truly blessed by the Lord because of their way of life and attitudes in life. These Eight Beatitudes are essentially a guide of how we all as Christians should be living our lives so that in everything that we do, in our every moments and way of life, we will truly obey the Lord and be able to commit ourselves to His cause.

In everything that the Lord had said, the blessings He pronounced to all those who are poor in spirit, those who mourn, those who are gentle, those who hunger and thirst for justice, those who are merciful and those with a pure heart, those are working for peace and are peacemakers, and then those who have been persecuted because of the Lord and for their faith in Him, all these essentially characterised what we all as Christians should be like. Each and every one of us are called to be God’s faithful and beloved people, to live worthily in accordance with His Law and commandments, to do whatever we can so that we may proclaim Him in our world today through our own respective lives.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore strive to renew our faith in the Lord and to commit ourselves ever more thoroughly to His cause from now on. Let us all continue to do what the Lord has entrusted to us in the various missions and things which He had given to us, so that by our every actions, works and efforts we may continue to be committed to the Lord in all the things that we say and do. Hopefully our lives and actions, our every interactions and commitments will truly be good examples and we may be good inspirations for everyone around us, for our fellow brothers and sisters in the Church of God, inspiring others to follow in our footsteps just as the prophet Elijah and many others have inspired us to follow them in their examples.

Let us all be reminded of the Eight Beatitudes and everything that we are all encouraged to do as Christians so that by our good and exemplary lives, we may indeed be blessed by God, and by our examples, we may bring forth this blessings to everyone around us as well. May our lives always be the inspiration for others and may we all continue to devote ourselves and our whole way of life, our every moments to glorify God at all times. May He continue to empower and strengthen us in our daily struggles in life, now and forevermore. Amen.